Above −DI = buyers lead.
The short answer
- What is the Positive Directional Indicator (+DI)?
- Positive Directional Indicator: the strength of upward movement, scaled by true range.
- When does +DI get it wrong?
- On its own, without ADX, it produces signals in a market with no trend. See its current reading on platform symbols, at the latest daily close, in the "Reading now" table on this page. See its current reading →
Reading now
| Ticker | Value | Five sessions ago | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPY | 28.79 | 34.16 | Lower than five sessions ago |
| QQQ | 26.41 | 36.92 | Lower than five sessions ago |
| IWM | 15.13 | 15.42 | Lower than five sessions ago |
| DIA | 28.84 | 20.53 | Higher than five sessions ago |
A description of where the number sits against its thresholds. It is not an entry or exit signal.
Indicator limit
On its own, without ADX, it gives signals in a market with no trend.
Read it with
Average Directional Index: a crossover with −DI only counts when ADX is above 20.
Answers: does the market have a trend?
What it actually does
The Positive Directional Indicator measures upward movement alone. For each session it takes how far the high exceeds yesterday's high (if that is larger than the drop in the low), then divides the smoothed sum by true range. The result is the share of net upward movement in total movement.
Its place in the system
It is half of the directional system Wilder built. Its counterpart, the Negative Directional Indicator, measures declines with the mirror logic, and the difference between them gives the well-known trend-strength indicator. Reading it alone is rare. The meaning is in the comparison with its twin.
How it is read in practice
When it sits above its negative twin, upward moves are beating downward ones, and their crossover is a classic turning signal. The positive line crossing above the negative with trend strength above the threshold was Wilder's original entry system.
Hypothetical example
A stock breaks out of a range. The positive line crosses above the negative one, and trend strength climbs above 25 in the same week. All three conditions of Wilder's system are met. If they crossed while trend strength sat below 20, the crossover would be range noise, not the start of a trend.
Where it errs and why
It crosses often in sideways markets, which is why it is not used without a trend-strength gate. Its smoothing also makes it always late to the actual starting point.
Read it with
It is not read alone. The environment is classified with the trend strength indicator, confirmed with volume, and placed on the structural levels from the gamma map, since a signal at a dense wall carries more weight than one in open space.
Where to see it on the platform
The technical chart in the members area shows it in its full family on any symbol and timeframe you choose.
Its window and calibration
The common window is fourteen sessions, from Wilder's original. Shortening it brings crossovers sooner and adds false ones, and lengthening it does the opposite. The rule is to set the window together with the companion trend-strength window. Two different windows for the twin lines and the gate produce a system that contradicts itself on transition days.
