50-Day vs. 200-Day Moving Average: formula and how to read it

Whether the recent trend beats the long-term one. 50-day simple moving average divided by the 200-day average, minus one.

Stock Meadow groups it under Price trend, and shows it in tables as 50 vs 200-day.

50 vs. 200-day = 50-day simple moving average ÷ 200-day simple moving average − 1

A 50-day average of $105 and a 200-day average of $100 gives +5%. The numbers are made up for illustration.

Positive means the recent trend is above the long-term one, usually read as upward momentum; negative means it is below.

When Stock Meadow ranks stocks, a higher figure scores better.

• Needs 200 trading days of prices, so it is blank for recent listings.
• Both averages lag, so crossovers often arrive after the move has begun.
• It shows a trend, not a valuation, so a rising price can still be an expensive one.

Treat any single metric as one clue, and read the company's financial statements before drawing a conclusion. Stock Meadow's figures are research tools based on reported data, not investment advice.

In Weighted ranking, Z-score composite and Balanced (no weak link), you choose the metrics and weights yourself, so you can include it in a custom score.

No fixed-recipe model scores it.

Read about every scoring model on the scoring models page.

• Price vs. 200-Day Moving Average: how far the price sits above its long-term trend.
• 12-1 Momentum: last year's return, ignoring the most recent month.
• Six-Month Relative Strength: six-month return compared with the S&P 500.

What is a golden cross?

A golden cross is when the 50-day moving average rises above the 200-day moving average, which traders read as a bullish signal. The opposite, a death cross, is read as bearish. Both lag the price.

Is a higher or lower 50 vs 200-day better?

When Stock Meadow ranks stocks, a higher figure scores better. That is a ranking convention, so read 50 vs 200-day alongside other measures and compare similar companies.