Days Since the 50/200-Day Cross: formula and how to read it

How long ago the 50-day average crossed the 200-day one; negative means it crossed below. The number of trading days since the 50-day simple moving average last crossed the 200-day one. Positive means it crossed above (a golden cross) that many days ago and the 50-day is still above; negative means it crossed below (a death cross) and is still below. A value of 1 or -1 means the cross happened on the latest day.

Stock Meadow groups it under Price trend, and shows it in tables as 50/200 cross.

Days since cross = number of trading days since the 50-day simple moving average last crossed the 200-day one; positive for a cross above, negative for a cross below

A value of 45 means the 50-day average crossed above the 200-day 45 trading days ago and is still above it. A value of −120 means it crossed below 120 trading days ago and is still below. The numbers are made up for illustration.

The sign tells you which average is on top today; the size tells you how long it has been that way. A large positive number means a long-established up-trend regime, a small one means a recent change. It is a filter only.

It can be used as a filter and as a column, but not for scoring: it describes a company rather than making it better or worse.

• Both averages lag, so crosses usually come well after the price has already moved.
• Stock Meadow reads about two years of prices, so a stock with no cross in that time has no value.
• Needs at least 200 trading days of prices.

How Stock Meadow handles gaps. Usually blank when the two averages have not crossed in the roughly two years of prices Stock Meadow reads, or there are fewer than 200 days of prices.

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.

No scoring model uses it. It is a filter and a table column only.

Read about every scoring model in How scores work.

• 50-Day vs. 200-Day Moving Average: whether the recent trend beats the long-term one.
• Price vs. 200-Day Moving Average: how far the price sits above its long-term trend.
• Price vs. 50-Day EMA: how far the price sits above its recent trend line.

What is a golden cross and a death cross?

A golden cross is when the 50-day moving average moves above the 200-day average, and a death cross is when it falls below. Traders read them as changes in the long-term trend, although they are slow and often late.

Why is the value blank for some stocks?

A stock whose two averages have not crossed in the roughly two years of prices Stock Meadow reads has no cross to count from, so the figure is left blank rather than guessed.

Can I score stocks on 50/200 cross?

It can be used as a filter and as a column, but not for scoring: it describes a company rather than making it better or worse.

Why is 50/200 cross blank for some stocks?

It is usually blank when the two averages have not crossed in the roughly two years of prices Stock Meadow reads, or there are fewer than 200 days of prices. Stock Meadow leaves the figure blank rather than guessing it.