Article

What are technical indicators and how do you use them?

August 23, 2026

Technical indicators are tools calculated from price and volume data that help you read the chart in more detail. You can add six different technical indicators to the candlestick chart on Paribu. Indicators are used only in the candlestick chart; they are not added to line and depth charts.

What are indicators and oscillators?

Technical indicators are divided into two general groups: indicators and oscillators. Indicators work on the scale of the price itself and are drawn over the chart; oscillators fluctuate within a certain band and appear in a separate panel below the chart. Which one you use depends on whether you want to follow the direction or the momentum of the market.

Indicator: Indicators that help analyze the direction, trend or volatility of the price. Moving averages and Bollinger Bands are in this group.
Oscillator: Indicators that measure the fluctuation of the price within a certain band (usually between 0 and 100) and help detect overbought and oversold zones. RSI and MACD are in this group.

Which indicators are available on Paribu?

There are six technical indicators you can add to the candlestick chart on Paribu: VOL, RSI, EMA, MA, BOLL and MACD. Of these, EMA, MA and BOLL are drawn directly over the candles; VOL, RSI and MACD appear in their own panel below the chart.

Indicator	Type	What it is used for	Where it appears
VOL	Indicator	Shows the trading volume	In the lower panel
RSI	Oscillator	Detects overbought and oversold zones	In the lower panel
EMA	Indicator	A moving average that gives more weight to recent prices	Over the chart
MA	Indicator	A moving average that shows the average price of a certain period	Over the chart
BOLL	Indicator	Bands that show the volatility of the price	Over the chart
MACD	Oscillator	Measures momentum and trend changes	In the lower panel

VOL (Volume)

Shows the trading volume as vertical bars below the candlestick chart. Each bar represents the total trading volume in the related time interval and is colored according to the direction of the price. High volume shows that the price move in that period took place with strong participation.

Note: The VOL indicator is on by default — you see the volume bars without making any selection when you first open the chart.

RSI (Relative strength index)

Measures the rising and falling momentum of the price over the recent period with a value between 0 and 100. The general interpretation is as follows: levels above 70 are assessed as overbought and levels below 30 as oversold. When you turn on RSI, a separate panel appears below the candlestick chart and the indicator line is shown in dark blue.

EMA (Exponential moving average)

An indicator that averages the closing prices of a certain period but gives more weight to recent prices. It reacts to price changes faster than the moving average. On Paribu the EMA line is drawn over the candles in pink.

MA (Moving average)

Shows the arithmetic average of the closing prices of a certain period. It is used to assess the general trend direction. On Paribu the MA line is drawn over the candles in blue.

BOLL (Bollinger Bands)

Consists of three bands drawn above and below a moving average according to the standard deviation. The price moving outside the bands shows that volatility is rising, and the bands narrowing shows that volatility is falling. On Paribu all three bands are drawn in orange tones and the area between the bands appears lightly filled.

MACD (Moving average convergence divergence)

Measures price momentum and trend changes by showing the difference between two moving averages of different lengths. The MACD line crossing the signal line upwards can be interpreted as a buy signal and downwards as a sell signal. When you turn it on, a separate panel appears below the chart; the MACD line is shown in blue and the signal line in orange, and the bars below them show the difference between the two lines.

How do you add or remove an indicator?

To add indicators, you first need to set the chart type to candle. The indicator selection is then made in one of two places depending on the screen you are on: from the Indicators chip above the chart on the Buy/Sell screen, and from the indicator bar above the chart on the market detail screen of an asset.

On the Buy/Sell screen:

Tap the Chart tab on the Buy/Sell screen
Tap the first chip above the chart and select Candle as the chart type
Tap the Indicators chip on the control bar
Tap the indicators you want to add on the screen that opens — you can select more than one indicator because the screen stays open
Close the screen when you have finished your selection

To remove an indicator, clearing its mark on the same screen is enough.

On the market detail screen: There is a horizontally scrollable indicator bar right above the chart. A single tap on the VOL, RSI, EMA, MA, BOLL and MACD labels turns an indicator on; the label of the active indicator appears highlighted. Tap the label again to remove it. Next to the EMA, MA and BOLL labels there is a small dot in the same color used on the chart — you can tell which line belongs to which indicator from that dot.

Note: Indicator options appear only in the candlestick chart. When you switch to the line chart or the depth chart, the indicator controls disappear.

You can keep more than one indicator on at the same time. For example, while both MA and EMA are on, you see two moving average lines over the chart, one blue and one pink.

Important information

Technical indicators are calculated from past price data and do not give a definite forecast of the future
Indicator results are not investment advice; it is recommended that you do not base your trading decisions on indicators alone
Using an excessive number of indicators at the same time can make the chart harder to read; a few indicators suited to your purpose are usually enough
Indicator calculations change according to the selected time interval; the same indicator gives different values on a 15 minute and a 1 day chart
Since the chart is not available in the easy buy/sell view, indicators cannot be used there either; you need to switch to the Pro buy/sell or Depth view

Frequently asked questions

Which indicator should I use and when?

If you want to see the trend direction you can use MA or EMA, to measure volatility BOLL, to detect overbought and oversold zones RSI, to follow momentum and trend changes MACD, and to see the trading volume the VOL indicator.

Why can I not see the indicator options?

Indicators are used only in the candlestick chart. While the line chart or the depth chart is selected, the indicator controls are not shown. When you change the chart type to candle, the options appear again.

Can I use more than one indicator at the same time?

Yes. You can keep different indicators on at the same time; each appears in a separate color or in a separate panel. However, using an excessive number of indicators can make the chart harder to read.

What does it mean when RSI is above 70 or below 30?

Values above 70 usually show that the market is in the overbought zone, and values below 30 that it is in the oversold zone. These levels can be assessed as potential reversal points; however, in strong trends RSI can stay in these zones for a long time.

What is the difference between MA and EMA?

MA gives equal weight to all prices of a certain period, while EMA gives more weight to recent prices. EMA reacts faster to price changes, while MA shows a smoother trend. On the chart MA is distinguished by a blue line and EMA by a pink one.