05 / Moving-average pullback

A pullback to the 20-day average — and a stop that would have been hit

A pullback to the 20-day average on Bitcoin daily, and a later session that would have hit a stop. Educational only.

Educational examples — not a trade Josh took, not a signal

A pale blue walkway whose far section has separated and dropped, a calm picture of an idea that did not hold.
Illustration of the idea, not a market chart and not a result.

BTC/USD · daily · 2026-04-08 to 2026-05-15. Data: Kraken public OHLC API. Fills, fees and slippage are not known from these bars. Hypothetical study figures on this page are untested.

BTC/USD daily educational chart, 2026-04-08 to 2026-05-15.
BTC/USD daily from 2026-04-08 to 2026-05-15. Educational example, not a signal. Source: Kraken public OHLC API.

The full write-up, including the hypothetical study logic and what happened afterwards, is on the technical examples page. The published facts for this chart are:

Published facts for this example
cross.date2026-04-13
cross.c74441.7
cross.sma2069338.69499999989
cross.sma5069287.89200000004
pullback.date2026-04-28
pullback.l75652.1
pullback.c76331.9
pullback.sma2075500.17999999989
pullback.sma5071962.06600000002
after10End.date2026-05-08
after10End.c80196.9
after10High82790.9
after10Low74940
after10HighDate2026-05-06
Josh holding up a caution hand.

Josh explains

A walkthrough of this example

This is narration of the published facts on this page. It does not add new numbers, and it is not a signal.

  1. Josh pointing as he explains an idea.

    Step 1

    What the chart is showing

    Bitcoin daily in 2026: after an April close above the 20-day and 50-day averages, price later pulls back toward the 20-day on 28 April. The title already tells you the honest part — a stop in a study of this shape would have been hit. That’s why this example is here.

  2. Josh shrugging, as if to mark a habit to avoid.

    Step 2

    How to read it as a student

    A bounce at a moving average is easy to screenshot when it works. This page exists so you also study the version that does not. Read the published facts for the cross, the pullback, and what happened afterward in this window.

  3. Josh holding up a caution hand.

    Step 3

    What to keep honest

    A moving-average tag is not support. This is not a trade I took. If you only collect the pullbacks that resumed, you are building a highlight reel, not a process.

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Occasional notes about this public lab — new pages and implementation notes. Not signals, not a membership account, and not an application.

Education only, not financial advice. This is a personal record of one trader’s decisions, including the mistakes. Trading crypto carries a real risk of losing money. Full disclaimer.