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EMA 12/26 Trend vs SMA 10/50 Trend

Two rule sets, 59 ETFs, one engine and one window.

Head-to-head: EMA 12/26 trend won on 34 of 59 ETFs by CAGR. Median CAGR: EMA 12/26 trend: 2.8% · SMA 10/50 trend: 2.1%. Median max drawdown: 22.9% vs 23.0%.
EMA 12/26 trendSMA 10/50 trend
Median CAGR (59 ETFs)2.8%2.1%
Median max drawdown−22.9%−23.0%
ETFs won (by CAGR)3425
Styletraders who like MACD logic but want it expressed as a simple, testable long/flat ruletrending assets with multi-week swings, such as leveraged index ETFs

Where the gap was biggest

ETFEMA 12/26 trendSMA 10/50 trendgap
EEV −12.7%−24.4% 11.7%
SOXX 18.0%7.7% 10.3%
SSO 17.3%8.4% 8.9%
SOXL 26.2%18.2% 8.0%
SPUU 19.1%11.2% 7.9%
QLD 10.8%18.8% 7.9%
SDS −6.9%−11.6% 4.7%
EEM 0.3%−3.9% 4.2%
FAS 8.7%4.6% 4.1%
ROM 17.9%14.5% 3.4%
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Frequently asked questions

Which is better: EMA 12/26 trend or SMA 10/50 trend?

On this 2021-01-04 to 2026-10-02 window, EMA 12/26 trend produced the higher CAGR on 34 of 59 ETFs. Median CAGR: EMA 12/26 trend 2.8% vs SMA 10/50 trend 2.1%; median max drawdown: 22.9% vs 23.0%. Which is better depends on the asset and what you optimize for. The per-ETF table shows where each wins.

Dig deeper

EMA 12/26 Trendrules + all 59 ETF results SMA 10/50 Trendrules + all 59 ETF results

Backtests are hypothetical, computed by DeployQuant's engine on minute-resolution consolidated US market data (2021-01-04 to 2026-10-02, $10,000 starting capital, no margin, no fees or slippage in the headline run; buy-and-hold puts 98% of the account in at the first open, as the templates do) and do not guarantee future results. Nothing on this page is investment advice. Live trading involves risk of loss.