CCI Cheat Sheet: Settings, Signals and Strategies (Printable)

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Published · 2 min readIndicators

This printable Commodity Channel Index (CCI) cheat sheet puts the formula, the best settings by timeframe, the meaning of each signal and the four main CCI strategies on one page. Print it or save it as a PDF and keep it next to your MT4 chart. For the full explanation, read our CCI indicator guide.

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CCI in One Line

CCI measures how far the typical price is from its moving average, in units of its normal deviation. It is unbounded: +100 and −100 mark unusual strength, not automatic overbought and oversold levels.

Formula

Typical Price (TP) (High + Low + Close) ÷ 3
SMA of TP Simple average of TP over n periods
Mean deviation Average of |TP − SMA| over the same n periods
CCI (TP − SMA) ÷ (0.015 × mean deviation)

Settings by Timeframe

Timeframe CCI period Use
M5 to M15 14 (with a 50 or 100 CCI or EMA as trend filter) Pullback entries in the session trend
H1 14 or 20 Trend breakouts and zero-line crosses
H4 and daily 20 Trend direction and divergence
Fast (6 to 9) Only with a slower filter Timing entries; too noisy on its own

What Each Signal Means

Reading Meaning Typical action
Crosses above +100 Strong upward momentum Look for longs (trend breakout)
Crosses below −100 Strong downward momentum Look for shorts
Falls back below +100 Momentum fading Tighten stop or take partial profit
Crosses zero Price moved through its average Confirms a trend change on its own timeframe
Dips to −100 in an uptrend, then turns up Pullback ending Pullback buy (mirror for downtrends)
Price higher high, CCI lower high Bearish divergence Warning only; wait for price confirmation
Price lower low, CCI higher low Bullish divergence Warning only; wait for price confirmation

The Four CCI Strategies at a Glance

Strategy Entry Exit
±100 trend breakout CCI crosses above +100 (buy) or below −100 (sell) CCI crosses back through ±100 or trailing stop
Pullback in trend Trend up (price above 50 EMA), CCI dips below −100 then crosses back up Prior swing high or 2× risk
Zero-line cross CCI crosses zero in the direction of the higher-timeframe trend Opposite zero cross
Divergence Divergence plus a break of the last minor swing Next support or resistance

Five Rules to Avoid the Classic CCI Mistakes

  1. Do not sell just because CCI is above +100; in a trend that is strength.
  2. Trade CCI signals in the direction of the higher-timeframe trend.
  3. Treat divergence as a warning, never as an entry on its own.
  4. Put the stop beyond the last swing or 1.5× ATR, not at a CCI level.
  5. Size every trade with a position size calculator so one loss stays near 1% of the account.

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