The Schaff Trend Cycle (STC) is a charting indicator that is commonly used to identify market trends and provide buy and sell signals to traders. Developed in 1999 by noted currency trader Doug Schaff, STC is a type of oscillator and is based on the assumption that, regardless of time frame, currency trends accelerate and decelerate in cyclical patterns.
How STC Works
Many traders are familiar with the moving average convergence/divergence (MACD) charting tool, which is an indicator that is used to forecast price action and is notorious for lagging due to its slow responsive signal line . By contrast, STC’s signal line enables it to detect trends sooner. In fact, it typically identifies up and downtrends long before MACD indicator.
While STC is computed using the same exponential moving averages as MACD, it adds a novel cycle component to improve accuracy and reliability. While MACD is simply computed using a series of moving average, the cycle aspect of STC is based on time (e.g., number of days).
It should also be noted that, although STC was developed primarily for fast currency markets, it may be effectively employed across all markets, just like MACD. It can be applied to intraday charts, such as five minutes or one-hour charts, as well as daily, weekly, or monthly time frames.