Been getting a lot of DMs about MACD lately, so figured I'd share the core strategies that actually work. This MACD cheat sheet covers everything from basic setups to advanced plays that can seriously level up your trading.

Let's start with the bread and butter: signal line crossovers. When MACD crosses above the signal line, that's your green light for longs. The key is waiting for the histogram to confirm—you want to see those green bars getting bigger, not just a one-off crossover. I've seen too many traders get caught in false signals by jumping in too early. On the flip side, when MACD dips below the signal line, shorts come into play. Same rule applies: let the red histogram bars expand before you commit.

Now here's where it gets interesting. Divergence is probably the most underrated part of any MACD cheat sheet. This is where price and the indicator disagree, and that disagreement often signals a reversal. Bullish divergence happens when price hits a lower low but MACD prints a higher low—classic weakening downtrend. I always look for these near support zones because that's where they tend to hit hardest. Bearish divergence is the opposite: price makes a higher high while MACD makes a lower high. That's your heads-up that the uptrend might be running out of steam.

Centerline crossovers are the momentum shifters. When MACD crosses above zero, you're moving from bearish to bullish territory. It's not an entry signal by itself, but it confirms the narrative has changed. I usually combine this with RSI or volume to dial in the exact entry. Same logic for bearish centerline crosses—that zero line becomes resistance, and crossing below it signals a momentum flip.

The histogram is honestly the most useful part of the MACD setup. Bigger bars mean stronger momentum, smaller bars mean the trend is losing juice. I watch the histogram more than I watch the lines sometimes because it tells you if a move is actually supported or just noise.

Few practical things I've learned: multi-timeframe analysis is a game changer. Check the daily for trend direction, then use the 4-hour or 1-hour for entries. Pair MACD with key support and resistance levels—that's where the real confluences happen. And be honest about market conditions: MACD is a trending indicator, so it'll give you whipsaws in choppy, sideways markets. Save this MACD cheat sheet for when volatility picks up and trends actually develop.

What's your go-to MACD setup? The crossover, divergence, or centerline? I'm curious what works best for your trading style.