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Stochastic RSI and RSI are indeed different. But, should you use Stochastic RSI or RSI for crypto trading? Here's what you must know!

Bitcoin is rewriting history in terms of valuations, breaking the resistance of $30,000 as of this writing (June 28, 2023). The recurring growth in Bitcoin and altcoins has spurred an army of new traders ready to dive into crypto trading. While most traders jump straight into the action, it’s always worthwhile to understand 

 that can strategize your entry and exit points for each trade. Stochastic RSI is one such indicator, allowing traders to identify market trends.

Let’s take a granular look at this technical indicator and its utility in crypto trading.

Stochastic RSI is a technical indicator built on the foundations of both the 

) indicator, It ranges on a scale from 0 to 1.

 Stochastic RSI allows a technical trader to identify whether an asset is in overbought (≥ 0.8) or oversold (≤ 0.2) territory. It takes into consideration both the RSI indicator and stochastic oscillator in order to derive market trends that are more sensitive in comparison to RSI alone. The stochastic RSI indicator (or StochRSI) thrives particularly through its ability to compare an asset's price range and closing price to support its market prediction for price turning points.

Since this indicator is closely related to RSI, it's essential to understand how the two are related. The RSI indicator tracks the momentum of an asset, for example, identifying whether a cryptocurrency is overbought or oversold. It measures in a range between 0 and 100, with values above 70 indicating overbought and values below 30 reflecting oversold positions.

However, RSI alone gives limited buy or sell signals, missing critical entry or exit points for intraday trading. Stochastic RSI, on the other hand, is more sensitive to market movements, allowing traders to find multiple entry/exit signals more granularly. However, it’s critical to combine stochastic RSI with other technical indicators to avoid early/late sell or buy calls.

Stochastic RSI examines the movements of the RSI indicator within a given period. It doesn’t emphasize current price levels. The most popular calculation period is 14 (days, sessions, hours or even minutes).

The resulting number is a figure between 0 and 1, swinging with a centerline of 0.5. Centerline crossovers are used primarily to confirm buy or sell signals. A move above 0.5 indicates a continuous buy signal, and a decline below 0.5 acts as a continuous sell signal. It’s essential to note that some StochRSI calculators multiply the output by 100, providing readings in the range of 0 to 100. In addition, another popular calculation duration for StochRSI is 20 periods.

As a trader, it’s critical to understand that StochRSI can be applied to any time frame for the identification of price movements or market trends.

Stochastic RSI uses RSI as its base. The StochRSI formula is as follows:

Stochastic RSI = (Current RSI − Lowest RSI) / (Highest RSI − Lowest RSI)

As mentioned, traders can apply this formula for different trading periods, including days, hours or even minutes, and every trader should understand how to read the stochastic RSI before applying it to crypto trading.

Stochastic RSI takes RSI as its input and applies the stochastic oscillator formula to arrive at a figure between 0 and 1 for any given time period.

Below is a visual representation of the Stochastic RSI. 

Crypto traders using the stochastic RSI can select any period and analyze the movement of a crypto asset. We’ll take a more in-depth look into the different ways traders use StochRSI in the coming sections.

Stochastic Oscillator vs. Stochastic RSI vs. Relative Strength Index (RSI)

These three technical indicators are used to analyze the price movements of assets, based on their strength and momentum. While they share fundamental similarities, there are some key differences.

A visual example of these technical indicators are as follows: 

How to Use Stochastic RSI for Trading Signals

One of the primary uses of the stochastic RSI is to identify trading signals. Here’s how a trader can use this indicator to interpret the movements of a cryptocurrency.

The chart below visualizes the use of StochRSI on BTCUSDT price movement prediction:

StochRSI measures the value of RSI over the high/low range of a period. When the actual RSI indicator records a low reading below 40, the StochRSI will be close to 0, and vice versa: if the RSI's reading records a high, the StochRSI will be close to a reading of 100.

Example: How to Use Stochastic RSI for Day Trading

Since the stochastic RSI allows traders to identify overbought or oversold conditions, it works as an excellent tool for identifying market momentum. The following is an example.

By using this strategy, traders should pay attention to the centerline (0.5); any movement above 0.5 indicates an uptrend, whereas movement below 0.5 indicates a bearish trend. Traders can place buy triggers as the value goes above 0.5. Similarly, crypto traders can use a short-sell or sell as the oscillator moves below the 0.5 level.

Crypto markets are notorious because of their volatility. Intraday trading in crypto requires a trader to identify any price reversals instantly in order to avoid significant losses. Traders can use the stochastic RSI to identify any such price reversals, and to open or close positions more effectively, due to its sensitivity to price movements. Traders are advised to use 

 as additional indicators when trading on price reversals.

For example, if the StochRSI moves above 0.80, it may imply that an asset is overbought, but it can also indicate a strong uptrend and remain above 0.80 for a prolonged period. On the contrary, if it falls below 0.2, it indicates the beginning of a strong downtrend. Any movement toward 1.0 could be considered a very strong uptrend, and any move toward 0 indicates a very weak trend.

The stochastic RSI indicator has its benefits as well as limitations. Using the stochastic RSI in conjunction with other indicators can help traders create an effective trading strategy. However, it’s not advisable to use it as your sole indicator because of higher volatility of crypto and the distant relationship with current asset prices.

Stochastic RSI: What Is It and How Does It Work?

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