The Simple Relative Strength Index
Creating the Simple RSI and Comparing it With the Standard RSI
Momentum and contrarian indicators were not meant to be the holy grail. Using default parameters on a known indicator will not result in a profitable strategy. This is where tweaking and optimization comes in and even though that might not be enough, it is a step towards a better trading system. In this article, the relative strength index is simplified into a more reactive indicator.
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The Known Relative Strength Index
The RSI is without a doubt the most famous momentum indicator out there, and this is to be expected as it has many strengths especially in ranging markets. It is also bounded between 0 and 100 which makes it easier to interpret. Also, the fact that it is famous, contributes to its potential.
This is because the more traders and portfolio managers look at the RSI, the more people will react based on its signals and this in turn can push market prices. Of course, we cannot prove this idea, but it is intuitive as one of the basis of Technical Analysis is that it is self-fulfilling.
The RSI is calculated using a rather simple way. We first start by taking price differences of one period. This means that we have to subtract every closing price from the one before it. Then, we will calculate the smoothed average of the positive differences and divide it by the smoothed average of the negative differences. The last calculation gives us the Relative Strength which is then used in the RSI formula to be transformed into a measure between 0 and 100.
To calculate the relative strength index, we need an OHLC array (not a data frame). This means that we will be looking at an array of 4 columns. The function for the Relative Strength Index is therefore:
def rsi(Data, lookback, close, where, width = 1, genre = 'Smoothed'):
# Adding a few columns
Data = adder(Data, 7)
# Calculating Differences
for i in range(len(Data)):
Data[i, where] = Data[i, close] - Data[i - width, close]
# Calculating the Up and Down absolute values
for i in range(len(Data)):
if Data[i, where] > 0:
Data[i, where + 1] = Data[i, where]
elif Data[i, where] < 0:
Data[i, where + 2] = abs(Data[i, where])
# Calculating the Smoothed Moving Average on Up and Down
absolute values
if genre == 'Smoothed': lookback = (lookback * 2) - 1 # From exponential to smoothed Data = ema(Data, 2, lookback, where + 1, where + 3)
Data = ema(Data, 2, lookback, where + 2, where + 4)
if genre == 'Simple': Data = ma(Data, lookback, where + 1, where + 3)
Data = ma(Data, lookback, where + 2, where + 4)
# Calculating the Relative Strength
Data[:, where + 5] = Data[:, where + 3] / Data[:, where + 4]
# Calculate the Relative Strength Index
Data[:, where + 6] = (100 - (100 / (1 + Data[:, where + 5])))
# Cleaning
Data = deleter(Data, where, 6)
Data = jump(Data, lookback) return DataWe need to define the primal manipulation functions first in order to use the RSI’s function on OHLC data arrays.
# The function to add a certain number of columns
def adder(Data, times):
for i in range(1, times + 1):
z = np.zeros((len(Data), 1), dtype = float)
Data = np.append(Data, z, axis = 1) return Data# The function to deleter a certain number of columns
def deleter(Data, index, times):
for i in range(1, times + 1):
Data = np.delete(Data, index, axis = 1)
return Data# The function to delete a certain number of rows from the beginning
def jump(Data, jump):
Data = Data[jump:, ]
return DataThe Simple Relative Strength Index
The Simple RSI is a simple change in the way the moving average is calculated inside the formula of the standard RSI. Instead of using a smoothed moving average as recommended by Wilder, we will use a simple moving average. Therefore, in the function provided above, we already have the choice and hence, we can write directly the following code:
my_data = rsi(my_data, 14, 3, 4, genre = 'Simple')# The 14 refers to the lookback period on the RSI
# The 3 refers to the closing prices on the OHLC array
# The 4 refers to the index of the column where the RSI will be put
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A Simple Comparison Between the Two Indicators
The most straightforward way of comparing between two indicators or strategies is through a back-test. We will back-test the Simple RSI and the Standard RSI on 10 currency pairs since 2010 using the following conditions:
Long (Buy) whenever the 2-period RSI (Simple or Smoothed) reaches 1 with the previous reading above 1. Hold the position until getting a contrarian signal.
Short (Sell) whenever the 2-period RSI (Simple or Smoothed) reaches 99 with the previous reading below 99. Hold the position until getting a contrarian signal.
The back-tested data is hourly OHLC since 2010 using no risk management and a spread of 0.2 pip per round trade.
The numbers show that the Simple RSI outperforms the standard commonly used RSI. This interesting observation needs to be further validated in the future and why not elaborate a full strategy based on the Simple RSI?
Remember to always do your back-tests. You should always believe that other people are wrong. My indicators and style of trading may work for me but maybe not for you.
I am a firm believer of not spoon-feeding. I have learnt by doing and not by copying. You should get the idea, the function, the intuition, the conditions of the strategy, and then elaborate (an even better) one yourself so that you back-test and improve it before deciding to take it live or to eliminate it. My choice of not providing specific Back-testing results should lead the reader to explore more herself the strategy and work on it more.
One Last Word
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