19 May 2026
Marking the zero line by hand
A cross far from the zero line is a different event from a cross that happens on it. We draw the line in pencil so it cannot hide in the software grid.
The zero line is where the faster average and the slower average are equal, so the MACD line sits at nothing. A cross of the signal that happens while MACD is still far above zero is not the same event as a cross that happens while MACD is climbing through zero. Both can be called a cross. Only one of them is a change in which average is leading.
On evening four we make everyone draw the zero line with a ruler, even if the printed pack already shows it. The act is slow on purpose. Once the line is yours, you notice how many of your old circles sit in the middle of a long stay above zero, where a small cross of the signal is a wobble inside an existing lead, not a new one.
Momentum confirmation does not replace that distinction. A momentum window can agree with a wobble. Agreement does not promote the wobble into a change of lead. The sitting note at the end of the desk often says some version of: “You confirm wobbles. Look at the distance to zero before you confirm.” That sentence is more useful than a new setting on the averages.
We do not teach a preferred length for the averages on this evening. People arrive with 12 and 26, or with something they were given years ago. Changing the lengths would make the pack incomparable. The zero line exists for any lengths, and the habit of marking it travels back to whatever screen you use on Monday.
If your charts are printed small, the zero line is the first thing that disappears. Print larger for the desk, or you will spend the evening squinting instead of marking. Mali will say this at the door if the pages are the size of a postcard.