D SMA future: the 20, 50 and 200-day averages of the future
D SMA20, D SMA50 and D SMA200 future are the 20, 50 and 200-day simple moving averages of the main future — for example ES or FDAX: the average of its last 20, 50 or 200 daily closing prices. They are the averages a futures trader sees on the daily futures chart. Basics turns today's value into a horizontal line on your intraday chart. On futures (main, mini, micro, nano) the lines are the future's own prices; on CFD and index charts they are converted with the current cash-future difference. This page explains what the lines show, how they differ from the index averages and what a quarterly roll does to them.
On this page
123
- 1Wednesday 15:00 and Thursday 03:00 — two dips stop at D SMA20 future (about 7,713), just a few points under it.
- 2Thursday 1 October 11:00 — the third dip breaks through and stops at 7,672.75, 9 points under D SMA50 future (7,682). The hourly candle closes back above it, at 7,691.25.
- 3Tuesday 6 October 11:00 — 7,897.50: 225 points above the low on the 50-day average.
Part of Basics
Free TradingView indicator with all session, week and month levels for index, futures and CFD charts.
Install Basics (free) →What the daily futures averages show
A simple moving average (SMA) of 20 days adds up the last 20 daily closing prices and divides by 20. D SMA future does this with the daily closes of the main future, such as ES, NQ or FDAX. For a future, the daily close is the exchange's settlement price — the standard for futures, and the close TradingView uses on a daily futures chart with the SET button on.
- D SMA20 — about one month of trading: the short-term trend.
- D SMA50 — about two and a half months: the medium-term trend.
- D SMA200 — about 40 weeks: the long-term trend.
Today counts too: until the day closes, the current price takes the place of today's close, exactly as on the daily futures chart. So the lines move slightly during the day — D SMA20 by a twentieth of every move, D SMA200 by only a two-hundredth.
Why traders watch them
- The averages of the futures market. Futures traders look at the daily futures chart, and the 20, 50 and 200-day averages are its standard settings. Price often reacts when it gets there — as on ES on 1 October in the example above.
- Trend at a glance. Above the averages, buyers have had the upper hand over that period; below them, sellers.
- Hard to see intraday. On a 5-minute or 1-hour chart a normal 200-period average covers 200 candles, not 200 days. Basics draws the daily value as a line, so you know where it is without switching to the daily chart.
Future or index?
Basics also draws the same averages from the closing prices of the official index: D SMA index (solid lines). Converted to your chart's prices the two are often close, but they are not the same: the future closes later than the stock market and keeps trading overnight, and the gap between future and index changes from day to day. Many futures traders watch the futures averages; the index averages are the ones from the news.
After a quarterly roll
Every three months the main future moves to a new contract, which usually trades at a different price than the old one. D SMA future is not back-adjusted: for the next 20, 50 or 200 trading days the average still contains closing prices of the old contract, so it can sit well away — sometimes hundreds of points — from what a back-adjusted daily chart shows. Many futures traders watch this not-adjusted average.
For each average Basics also has a back-adjusted version, switched off by default: D SMA future b-adj.
How Basics shows them
The futures averages appear on every supported chart. On futures (main, mini, micro, nano) they are the main future's prices as they are — on a micro such as MES you see the averages of ES, not of the micro's own closes. On CFD and index charts, for example US500 or the DAX itself, they are converted with the current cash-future difference.
| Default look | D SMA20 black · D SMA50 blue · D SMA200 red — dashed, width 2 |
|---|---|
| Labels on the chart | D SMA20 future, D SMA50 future, D SMA200 future (renamable) |
| Switched on by default | Yes, all three (the b-adj versions: no) |
| Value | The average of the last 20, 50 or 200 daily closes (settlement prices) of the main future, with today's current price as today's close; not back-adjusted |
| Price on your chart | Futures (main, mini, micro, nano): the main future's price as it is. CFD and index charts: converted with the current cash-future difference |
| Where the lines start | Each trading day gets its own line, starting before the stock market opens — on US futures at 18:00 New York the evening before |
| Timeframes | Charts from 1 minute up to the daily chart, on seconds charts too, unless the level needs more history than the chart loads; not on weekly or monthly charts |
| Markets | Nasdaq-100, S&P 500, Dow, Russell 2000, DAX, FTSE 100 and AEX — all tickers |
| Lookback | 1 — today only (up to 20 sessions, set in the indicator settings) |
The same moment on the daily chart
This is how futures traders know the 50-day average: as a curve on the daily chart. On 1 October ES dipped right onto it. Basics puts exactly this value on your intraday chart, so you see it coming while the day unfolds.
The same averages on FDAX
Two weeks, two different averages. Click a chart to enlarge it.
Why don't I see the lines?
- You are on a weekly or monthly chart, or a seconds chart.The lines are drawn on charts from 1 minute up to the daily chart. On a seconds chart, a level that needs more history than the chart loads is hidden.
- Price is far away from them.Lines are hidden while the level is more than 5 % from the current price, so they don't squeeze the chart. You can change this under General → Level visibility range.
- They are switched off.Check the D SMA20, D SMA50 and D SMA200 future boxes and the master switch Show all objects in 'Futures SMAs' group in the indicator settings.
- Your ticker is not recognised.See the supported tickers — and if yours is missing, let me know: requests are very welcome.
What you can change
In the indicator settings (the gear icon next to Basics on your chart), under Futures SMAs:
| Show / hide | D SMA20, D SMA50 and D SMA200 future checkboxes · Futures SMAs |
|---|---|
| Back-adjusted version | D SMA future b-adj, a checkbox per average, off by default |
| Colour, width, style | Any colour · width 1–5 · solid, dashed or dotted |
| Label text | Default D SMA20 future, D SMA50 future and D SMA200 future |
| Lookback | 1–20 sessions (default 1: today only) |
| Label size, line end, visibility range | Shared with all lines · General |
Charts and defaults on this page: Basics v11.72.8 · updated 21 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Which closing price does the futures average use?
The daily close of the main future, which for futures is the exchange's settlement price. On TradingView's daily futures chart you get the same value with the SET button on.
Why does my daily ES chart show a different 200-day average?
Check two things: the SET button (settlement as close) and the B-ADJ button (back-adjustment). D SMA future uses settlement prices and is not back-adjusted; D SMA future b-adj is the back-adjusted version.
What is the difference between D SMA future and D SMA index?
D SMA future averages the daily closes of the main future; D SMA index averages the official closing prices of the index. See future or index.
Does it work on MES, MNQ or FDXM?
Yes. On mini, micro and nano futures you see the averages of the main future (ES, NQ or FDAX), the same as on the big contract.
Does it work on a CFD or an index chart?
Yes. On a CFD such as US500 or GER40, and on a chart of the index itself, the futures averages are converted with the current cash-future difference.
Related levels
See the futures averages on your own chart
Basics is free on TradingView. Add it to any supported chart — for example MES or FDXM — and the 20, 50 and 200-day futures averages appear without any setup.