Rate of Change

What is Rate of Change?

---

ROC measures how fast price is moving by comparing today's price to a price a set number of bars ago. Positive ROC means price is rising. Negative ROC means price is falling. Think of it like the speedometer of the market — it doesn't tell you where you are, it tells you how fast you're getting there, and in which direction. That makes it incredibly useful for catching momentum shifts early, before they show up clearly in price alone.

How Does It Work?

---

The bot calculates the percentage change in price over the lookback window. When ROC is positive and accelerating, the bot signals Buy. When ROC is negative and falling, it signals Sell. Uses price data. Simple, fast, and effective for catching early momentum shifts — especially useful in volatile crypto where momentum can flip quickly.

Using It in BitThor

---

Select Rate of Change from the bot config. It works best when combined with a trend indicator so you're only trading momentum that's aligned with the overall direction. Good for volatile crypto pairs where momentum can shift fast.

Tips for Beginners

---

• Use ROC as a momentum filter: only take buy signals from your trend indicator when ROC is positive, and sell signals when ROC is negative.

• Zero-line crossovers — when ROC crosses from negative to positive or vice versa — are clean, simple signals worth watching.

• Avoid very short lookback periods on ROC. Too short and you'll get noise; a period of 10–14 bars tends to give more reliable readings.

---

Indicator by: BitThor | Learn more