The Triple EMA (TEMA) is a built-in TradingView overlay that moves with price faster than a regular EMA because it mathematically cancels most of the lag using the formula TEMA = (3 × EMA1) − (3 × EMA2) + EMA3. To add it, open any chart, click Indicators, search Triple EMA, and click to add — no Pine Script required. Check your indicator settings panel to confirm the default length and source shown in the current TradingView UI. Shorter lengths (5–20) are common starting points for intraday use; longer lengths (50–100) are common starting points for swing and position trades. Because TEMA reacts quickly to price, signals appear earlier than EMA or DEMA — but it also produces more false signals in sideways markets, so most traders pair it with a volume filter, RSI, or a higher-timeframe trend check.
Key Takeaways
- TEMA = (3 × EMA1) − (3 × EMA2) + EMA3, where EMA2 is the EMA of EMA1 and EMA3 is the EMA of EMA2 — nested smoothings, not three user-selected lengths.
- Patrick Mulloy introduced the faster moving average concept in a 1994 Technical Analysis of Stocks & Commodities article.
- TradingView ships Triple EMA as a built-in indicator — no Pine Script needed.
- Main signals: slope direction, price-vs-TEMA crossover, and short-TEMA vs long-TEMA crossover.
- Responsiveness is TEMA's strength and its weakness — it leads EMA but whipsaws in choppy markets.
What Is the Triple EMA (TEMA)?
The Triple Exponential Moving Average is a single-line trend overlay that combines three nested EMAs of the same length so that most of the lag a normal EMA carries is mathematically removed. Patrick Mulloy introduced the concept in a 1994 Technical Analysis of Stocks & Commodities article on faster moving averages.
Despite the word "triple," TEMA is not simply three EMAs averaged together. The formula deliberately weights the laggier nested EMAs negatively to subtract their lag from the original EMA, leaving a curve that tracks price more tightly.
The TEMA Formula
EMA1 = EMA(price, n)
EMA2 = EMA(EMA1, n)
EMA3 = EMA(EMA2, n)
TEMA = (3 × EMA1) − (3 × EMA2) + EMA3
EMA2 and EMA3 are nested smoothings of the same length n — they are not separate user-selected periods. The formula uses them to progressively subtract lag, not to average three independent lines.
Both TradingView's official indicator documentation and StockCharts' ChartSchool publish this formula, so any community Triple EMA script that matches it is mathematically equivalent to the built-in one.
How to Add the Triple EMA on TradingView (Step by Step)
The built-in indicator is listed in TradingView's Technicals tab and is usable within your current plan's active indicator limits.
- Open any symbol on TradingView.
- Click Indicators in the top toolbar (or press
/). - In the search box, type Triple EMA.
- Under the Technicals tab (built-ins), click Triple EMA to add it to the chart.
- Open the indicator's settings (gear icon) to adjust Length, Source, and Offset.
The line plots directly on the price pane as a price overlay. To remove it, hover the indicator name on the chart and click the trash icon.
If You Cannot Find It or Add It
- Search returns community scripts, not the built-in: Make sure you are looking under the Technicals tab (not Community Scripts). The official built-in is labeled simply "Triple EMA" with no author name.
- Indicator slots are full: TradingView limits the number of active indicators per chart depending on your plan. If the button is greyed out, remove another indicator first or check your plan's indicator limit.
- Adding a second TEMA: You can add Triple EMA more than once on the same chart. Repeat the search-and-click steps and choose a different length in settings to create a second line for crossover setups.
Settings Reference
| Setting | Typical starting value | What it does | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Length | Check UI default | Lookback for all three nested EMAs | Shorter = faster, more false signals; longer = smoother, more lag |
| Source | close | Price input fed into EMA1 | close is standard; hl2 reduces bar-to-bar volatility slightly |
| Offset | 0 | Shifts the line forward/backward in bars | Leave at 0 unless you are aligning a visual backtest |
Note: Verify the defaults shown in your own TradingView indicator settings panel — the UI-displayed defaults are the authoritative reference for the version you are using.
How to Read TEMA Signals
TEMA is interpreted the same way as a regular EMA — slope, price crossover, and dual-line crossover — but signals appear earlier.
1. Slope as Trend Direction
When the TEMA line is sloping up, short-term momentum is up; when it slopes down, momentum is down. Because TEMA tracks price tightly, sustained slope changes are meaningful, but small wiggles in sideways tape are not reliable signals.
2. Price-vs-TEMA Crossover
- Bullish bias: price closes above TEMA and TEMA is rising.
- Bearish bias: price closes below TEMA and TEMA is falling.
TradingView's indicator documentation notes that a downside cross of TEMA "could be a sign that price is pulling back or hinting to a reversal to the downside." Treat it as a bias filter, not a stand-alone entry trigger.
3. Two-TEMA Crossover (Faster + Slower)
Add a second Triple EMA with a longer length. When the shorter TEMA crosses above the longer one, that is a bullish signal; the reverse is bearish. StockCharts' ChartSchool TEMA page uses a 5/35 pair as an illustrative example.
TEMA vs EMA vs DEMA
The table below compares the three indicators when using the same lookback length — different lengths, assets, or timeframes will shift these trade-offs significantly.
| Overlay | Typical lag | Typical noise | General use case |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMA | High | Low | Long-term trend, support/resistance reference |
| EMA | Medium | Medium | General-purpose trend following |
| DEMA | Usually lower | Usually higher | Faster trend confirmation step |
| TEMA | Usually lowest | Usually highest | Short-term trend, earlier entry signals |
In ChartSchool's side-by-side example, TEMA crossovers print before the corresponding EMA crossovers — which is the core trade-off: earlier signal, more whipsaws.
A Simple TEMA Workflow (Example Only)
This is a starter framework for study and backtesting — not financial advice. Always verify on historical data before risking capital.
- Pick the timeframe. A very short length on a 1-minute chart produces extreme noise; many traders test 5m–1h for intraday and daily for swing setups first.
- Add two TEMAs. A commonly cited starting pair is TEMA(20) and TEMA(50) on the daily chart.
- Apply a higher-timeframe filter. Consider only taking longs if a longer-period EMA on a higher timeframe is rising.
- Trigger on the crossover. Enter when the fast TEMA crosses the slow TEMA in the direction of the higher-timeframe trend.
- Check volume. Crossovers accompanied by above-average volume are often used as higher-quality confirmations, though you should backtest this on your own market before relying on it.
- Exit on the opposite cross or a fixed ATR stop.
If you are practicing chart reading outside a full trading terminal, keep the workflow simple: compare price, EMA, and TEMA behavior on symbols you already follow. A lightweight charting site like ChartMini can serve as a clean environment to focus on reading the indicator line itself before adding complexity.
TEMA Setup Checklist
Use this table before committing a TEMA-based setup to real trading:
| Checklist item | Notes |
|---|---|
| Market | Equities, futures, forex, or crypto? Behavior varies. |
| Timeframe | What timeframe did you test on? |
| Fast TEMA length | e.g., 9, 20 |
| Slow TEMA length (if crossover) | e.g., 35, 50 |
| Entry rule | Crossover, slope change, or price-vs-TEMA? |
| Exit rule | Opposite cross? Fixed stop? ATR multiple? |
| Trend filter | Higher-timeframe EMA, ADX, or none? |
| Sample size | At least 50–100 trade signals across different market conditions |
| Market regime tested | Trending periods AND ranging periods |
| Notes / edge found | What worked, what failed |
Limitations You Should Know
- Whipsaws in choppy markets. Because TEMA aggressively cancels lag, ranging markets produce frequent false crosses. Pair it with an ADX or RSI filter to reduce noise.
- Not literally lag-free. TradingView's documentation explicitly notes that "lag is not completely eliminated" — extreme price gaps still take a few bars to register across all three nested EMAs.
- Length matters more than usual. A short-length TEMA on a daily chart behaves dramatically differently from a long-length TEMA on the same chart. The starting default is a beginning point, not a recommendation.
- Price input only. The standard TEMA calculation uses price input, not volume. Combine it with a volume-aware indicator (OBV, VWAP) for confirmation.
- Not a signal by itself. Like every overlay, TEMA works best inside a checklist — trend filter + entry trigger + exit rule — rather than as a stand-alone buy/sell oracle.
FAQ
Is the Triple EMA built into TradingView, or do I need a Pine Script?
It is built in. Open Indicators, search Triple EMA, and click the result under the Technicals tab. No Pine Script is required. The indicator is listed as a built-in; verify that your current plan has available indicator slots if the chart is already full.
What is the best length for TEMA?
There is no single best length. Shorter lengths track price more tightly but produce more false signals; longer lengths are smoother but lag more. Common starting ranges are 5–20 for shorter-term setups and 21–50 for swing contexts — test these on your specific market and timeframe before deciding.
TEMA vs DEMA — which one should I use?
DEMA is one smoothing layer simpler and slightly slower than TEMA. If your strategy already produces too many whipsaws on a standard EMA, DEMA is usually a safer intermediate step before moving to TEMA.
Is TEMA better than EMA?
Not universally. TEMA reacts to price faster, which helps in trending markets but hurts in ranging ones. Whether TEMA outperforms EMA depends on your timeframe, asset, and how you manage false signals — always backtest both on your own data.
Does the Triple EMA repaint on TradingView?
Like all standard moving averages, the most recently calculated TEMA bar updates as the current candle forms. Once a bar closes, the value is fixed and does not change — it does not repaint historical bars.
Why does TEMA sometimes lag price during fast moves?
Even though TEMA mathematically subtracts most EMA lag, it cannot eliminate it entirely. When price gaps or makes a single very large bar, all three nested EMAs need a few bars to catch up.
Can I use TEMA on crypto or forex charts on TradingView?
The built-in Triple EMA indicator works across the charts available on TradingView's platform — equities, futures, forex, and crypto. The indicator itself has no asset-class restriction; market-specific behavior (24-hour sessions, gap patterns) may affect how signals appear.
Is the TEMA formula on TradingView the same as on StockCharts?
Yes. Both use Patrick Mulloy's original formula: TEMA = (3 × EMA1) − (3 × EMA2) + EMA3, where EMA2 is the EMA of EMA1 and EMA3 is the EMA of EMA2.
What is a good two-TEMA crossover pair to test?
StockCharts' ChartSchool illustrates TEMA scans using a 5/35 pair. A 20/50 pair is commonly referenced for daily charts. These are starting points for your own backtesting — the "right" pair depends on your market and timeframe.
Sources
- TradingView Help Center — Triple EMA: https://www.tradingview.com/support/solutions/43000591346-triple-ema/
- StockCharts ChartSchool — Triple Exponential Moving Average (TEMA): https://chartschool.stockcharts.com/table-of-contents/technical-indicators-and-overlays/technical-overlays/triple-exponential-moving-average-tema
- Investopedia — Triple Exponential Moving Average (TEMA): https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/041315/why-triple-exponential-moving-average-tema-important-traders-and-analysts.asp
- Patrick Mulloy, "Smoothing Data with Faster Moving Averages," Technical Analysis of Stocks & Commodities, Volume 12 No. 1, 1994.