OsMA Settings by Timeframe: 54 Settings Tested
54 OsMA parameter sets backtested on USD/JPY across 2025 and 2024. On hourly bars every one was profitable in both years; on 15-minute bars, 13 of 54 were.
OsMA (Moving Average of Oscillator) plots the gap between the MACD line and its signal line as a histogram. Above zero means the MACD line is above its signal; below means the reverse.
I tested three parameters across 54 combinations on USD/JPY through the whole of 2025, on three timeframes, then ran the same 54 on 2024.
On hourly bars, all 54 were profitable in both years.
Across the six indicators tested this way, no other produced a clean sweep in even one year. But that is not the end of it: the same 54 settings on 15-minute bars managed one profitable in both years.
Which timeframe suits OsMA?
| Timeframe | Year | Profitable settings | Median annual net | Median annual trades |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15-minute | 2025 | 39 / 54 | +433 pips | 1,943 |
| 15-minute | 2024 | 13 / 54 | −968 pips | — |
| 1-hour | 2025 | 54 / 54 | +1,874 pips | 460 |
| 1-hour | 2024 | 54 / 54 | +2,135 pips | — |
| 4-hour | 2025 | 43 / 54 | +590 pips | 109 |
| 4-hour | 2024 | 29 / 54 | +97 pips | — |
Thirteen of 54 in 2024 on 15-minute bars. At around 1,940 trades a year, the spread alone is a large bill: the same relationship held for every indicator in this series.
Four-hour bars cut the count to about 110 trades, leaving a smaller sample. Only 22 of 54 settings were profitable in both years, below the hourly result.
Which setting is best?
| Setting | Year | Annual net |
|---|---|---|
| Default 12/26/9 | 2025 | +2,223.6 pips |
| Default 12/26/9 | 2024 | +3,152.1 pips |
| 2025 maximum, 6/18/9 | 2025 | +3,133.1 pips |
| 2025 maximum, 6/18/9 | 2024 | +2,453.6 pips |
| 2025 minimum, 24/26/15 | 2025 | +575.2 pips |
| 2025 minimum, 24/26/15 | 2024 | +2,912.7 pips |
The third row is the one that matters. The worst hourly setting still made +575.2 pips in 2025 and +2,912.7 in 2024. There was never a question of picking a profitable setting versus an unprofitable one.
The settings changed order between years, but all 54 remained profitable in both, so the profitable-versus-unprofitable decision did not change.
Trade counts across the 54 ran from 260 to 831 a year. The parameters move the frequency; profit survives at every frequency here.
Why a 36.9% win rate profited
Across the 54 hourly settings in 2025, win rates ran from 34.02% to 39.89%, while annual net ranged from +575.2 to +3,133.1 pips.
Holding in the direction of a zero-line break means losing often and small while the winners run. It is the exact inverse of what Williams %R showed. Win rate alone does not compare annual net results.
Adding OsMA to a chart
| Platform | How to add it |
|---|---|
| MT4 / MT5 | Built in — Navigator, Oscillators, Moving Average of Oscillator |
| TradingView | Add MACD and read its histogram (the same calculation) |
| Browser (Formiq) | In the indicator list, with fast, slow and signal all adjustable |
How this was measured
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Pair | USD/JPY |
| Period | 2025-01-01 to 2025-12-31 (2024 run identically for comparison) |
| Timeframes | 15-minute / 1-hour / 4-hour |
| Bars tested | 6,226 hourly bars in 2025; 24,903 on 15-minute, 1,610 on 4-hour |
| Buy | OsMA crosses above zero, filled at that bar's close |
| Sell | It crosses below zero |
| Exit | The opposite zero crossing only — no stop, no target, no time exit |
| Costs | 0.3 pip spread, zero slippage, 0.1 lot |
| Combinations | 5 fast (6–24) × 4 slow (18–60) × 3 signal (5–15), keeping fast < slow: 54 |
| Method | Executed in Formiq's backtester; pips recomputed from each trade's fill prices |
Can four-hour settings be chosen?
| Setting | Year | Annual net |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 maximum, 9/18/9 | 2025 | +2,184.6 pips |
| 2025 maximum, 9/18/9 | 2024 | −1,052.9 pips |
| 2024 maximum, 24/60/15 | 2025 | −1,525.0 pips |
| 2024 maximum, 24/60/15 | 2024 | +1,871.7 pips |
The 24/60/15 setting moved from +1,871.7 pips in 2024 to −1,525.0 pips in 2025. The 9/18/9 setting moved from −1,052.9 pips to +2,184.6 pips. Median annual trade count was 109, and one year did not identify the next year's setting.
The same indicator changes character with the timeframe, including whether choosing settings means anything at all.
The same method applied to QQE, Aroon, RVI, Supertrend, Williams %R and MFI.
Notes
- One pair, two years
- OsMA inherits whatever the MACD implementation does, including how its EMAs are seeded. These figures come from Formiq's
- Entries and exits both fill at bar closes
- The spread is modelled as a flat 0.3 pips; the 15-minute result depends heavily on that
- Four-hour settings trade 69 to 220 times a year: wide numbers at that count
Questions people ask
- What are the best OsMA settings?
- All 54 hourly combinations were profitable in both 2025 and 2024. The 6/18/9 setting produced +3,133.1 pips from 631 trades in 2025 and +2,453.6 pips in 2024. The default 12/26/9 produced +2,223.6 pips in 2025 and +3,152.1 pips in 2024.
- How is OsMA different from MACD?
- OsMA is the MACD histogram. It plots the gap between the MACD line and its signal line, so OsMA crossing above zero is the same event as the MACD line crossing above its signal. They are two views of one calculation rather than two indicators.
- Which timeframe suits OsMA?
- Hourly, decisively, in this test: 54 of 54 settings profitable in both years. Four-hour managed 22 of 54 and 15-minute 13 of 54: the 15-minute version trades about 1,940 times a year, and the spread on that many trades outweighs what it earns.
- What win rate does OsMA produce?
- Across the 54 hourly settings in 2025, win rates ran from 34.02% to 39.89%, with a median of 36.9%. Holding through a zero-line crossover is trend following, so losses are frequent and small while winners run.
- Is OsMA built into MetaTrader?
- Yes. Both MT4 and MT5 ship it as Moving Average of Oscillator under Oscillators. On TradingView the MACD histogram is the same thing. Formiq's charts include it with all three parameters adjustable.
Formiq is a free browser-based FX terminal with replay practice and no-code backtesting. Open the chart or see what the free plan includes.