How the MACD Crossover Works
The macd crossover is one of the most widely-used signals in trading. It’s simple, mechanical, and removes emotional decision-making from your trading by generating clear entry and exit signals based on the MACD indicator.
On ETH, the MACD acts as a trend filter. It won’t catch every exact bottom, but it reliably captures the meat of major moves while keeping you out of chop.
5-Year Performance on ETH
Over five years (2021-08-30 → 2026-08-28), the MACD Crossover delivered a -16.6% total return on ETH-USD, compounding at -3.6% annually.
At -0.01, the MACD earned less than one units of return for every unit of risk taken. For context, anything above 1.0 is considered good; above 1.5 is excellent.
The catch? A 57.3% max drawdown. At some point during this 5-year run, you’d have been down nearly 57% from peak equity. That’s stomach-churning territory for most traders. If you can’t handle that kind of drawdown, this isn’t for you — or you need to size down.
Risk Assessment
| Metric | Value | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Sharpe Ratio | -0.01 | ❌ Weak |
| Max Drawdown | 57.3% | ⚠️ Significant |
| Win Rate | 29.2% | ❌ Low — relies on outsized wins |
| Profit Factor | 0.91 | ❌ Unprofitable |
| Trades/Year | ~65 total | Active |
The profit factor of 0.91 tells the real story: when the MACD fires, the winning signals don’t outweigh the losers. Combined with a 29.2% win rate, this requires careful position sizing to be profitable.
Does the MACD Crossover Work on ETH?
The macd crossover struggled to generate meaningful edge on ETH over this 5-year period. With a -0.01 Sharpe ratio and 0.91 profit factor, the risk-adjusted returns are below what most systematic traders would consider acceptable.
This doesn’t mean the MACD is useless — it may work better on different assets, timeframes, or when combined with other filters. But on ETH with default parameters over 5 years, it didn’t produce a compelling standalone edge.
Our take: skip it on ETH unless you’re combining it with other confirmations or using it on different timeframes.
Trade Crypto on OKX — 0.08% Spot Fees
Execute these signals with institutional-grade liquidity and the lowest fees in crypto.
The Indicator Lab is supported by readers. Some links are affiliate links — we earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Data source: Yahoo Finance (yfinance). Backtest engine: backtrader. 95% position sizing. 0.1% commission per trade. Last refreshed: August 29, 2026. Not financial advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
Year-by-Year Breakdown
| Year | Return | Trades | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +14.2% | 3 | 29.2% |
| 2022 | -68.3% | 12 | 29.2% |
| 2023 | +90.0% | 12 | 29.2% |
| 2024 | +41.7% | 15 | 29.2% |
| 2025 | -11.5% | 18 | 29.2% |
| 2026 | -18.6% | 5 | 29.2% |
You just saw the numbers. Now get real-time consensus from 93 indicators across 20 markets — every 15 minutes, right to your phone.
Start Trading on OKX7-day free trial · Cancel anytime · Affiliate link