Rainbow IndicatorName of the indicator: Rainbow indicator
A brief description of the indicator:
Using this indicator, you can see the "margin of safety" for opening a position in shares of fundamentally strong companies with an acceptable P/E level, as well as the price range for closing a position.
The background to the creation of the indicator:
I got the idea to create this indicator thanks to the concept of the "margin of safety", which was invented by the father of value investing - Benjamin Graham. According to his idea, it is reasonable to buy shares of a company only when the price offered by the market is lower than the "intrinsic value" calculated on the basis of financial statements. The value of this difference is the "margin of safety”. At the same time, the indicator does not copy Graham's idea but develops it relying on my own methodology.
So, according to Graham, the "margin of safety" is a good discount to the intrinsic value of the company. That is, if a company's stock is trading at prices that are well below the company's intrinsic value (on a per-share basis), it's a good opportunity to consider buying it. In this case, you will have a certain margin of safety in case the company is in financial distress and its stock price goes down. Accordingly, the greater the discount, the better.
When it comes to the intrinsic value of a company, there are many approaches to determining it - from calculating the Price-to-book value financial ratio to the discounted cash flow method. As for my approach, I am not trying to find the cherished intrinsic value, but I am trying to understand how fundamentally strong the company is in front of me, and in how many years the investment in it will pay off. To determine fundamental strength, I use the appropriate Fundamental Strength Indicator . To estimate the payback period, I use the P/E ratio (*). If I am satisfied with both of these indicators, I move on to the Rainbow Indicator.
(*) If you want to learn more about the P/E ratio, I suggest reading my two articles on TradingView:
Price / Earnings: Interpretation #1
Price/Earnings: amazing interpretation #2
Indicator calculation methodology:
The Rainbow indicator starts with a simple moving average of one year (this is the thick red line in the center). Hereinafter a year will mean the last 252 trading days.
Applying a moving average of this length - is a good way to smooth out sharp price fluctuations which can happen during a year as much as possible, keeping the trend direction as much as possible. Thus, the moving average becomes for me the center of fluctuations of the imaginary pendulum of the market price.
Then the deviations are calculated from the center of fluctuations. To do this, a certain amount of earnings per share is subtracted from and added to the moving average. This is the diluted EPS of the last year.
Deviations with a "-" sign form the Lower Rainbow of four colors:
- The blue spectrum of the lower rainbow begins with a deflection of -4 EPS and ends with a deflection of -8 EPS.
- Green spectrum of the lower rainbow begins with a deflection of -8 EPS and ends with a deflection of -16 EPS.
- The orange spectrum of the lower rainbow begins with a deflection of -16 EPS and ends with a deflection of -32 EPS.
- Red spectrum of the lower rainbow begins with a deflection of -32 EPS and goes to infinity.
The Lower Rainbow is used to determine the price ranges that can be considered for buying stocks. It is in the spectra of the Lower Rainbow that the very "margin of safety" according to my methodology is located. The Lower Rainbow has the boundaries between the spectra as a solid line . And only the red spectrum of the Lower Rainbow has only one boundary.
Deviations with a "+" sign form the Upper Rainbow of four similar colors:
- The red spectrum of the upper rainbow begins with a deflection of 0 EPS and ends with a deflection of +4 EPS.
- The orange spectrum of the upper rainbow begins with a deflection of +4 EPS and ends with a deflection of +8 EPS.
- Green spectrum top rainbow begins with a deflection of +8 EPS and ends with a deflection of +16 EPS.
- The blue spectrum of the upper rainbow begins with a deflection of +16 EPS and goes to infinity.
The Upper Rainbow is used to determine the price ranges that can be considered for selling stocks already purchased. The top rainbow has boundaries between the spectra in the form of crosses . And only the blue spectrum of the upper rainbow has only one boundary.
The presence of the Empty Area (the size of 4 EPS) above the Lower Rainbow creates some asymmetry between the two rainbows - the Lower Rainbow looks wider than the Upper Rainbow. This asymmetry is deliberate because the market tends to fall much faster and deeper than it grows . Therefore, a wider Lower Rainbow is conducive to buying stocks at a good discount during a period of massive "sell-offs.
The situation, when the Lower Rainbow is below the center of fluctuations (the thick red line) and the Upper Rainbow, is above the center of fluctuations is called an Obverse . It is only possible to buy a stock in an Obverse situation .
The situation when the Lower Rainbow is above the center of fluctuations and the Upper Rainbow is below the center of fluctuations is called Reverse . In this situation, the stock cannot be considered for purchase , according to my approach.
Selling a previously purchased stock is possible in both situations: Reverse and Obverse. After loading the indicator, you can see a hint next to the closing price - Reverse or Obverse now.
Due to the fact that the size of the deviation from the center of fluctuation depends on the size of the diluted EPS, several important conclusions can be made:
- The Obverse situation is characteristic of companies that show a profit over the last year.
- The Reverse situation is typical for companies that show a loss over the last year.
- An increase in the width of both rainbows in the Obverse situation tells us about an increase in profits for the company.
- A decrease in the width of both rainbows in the Obverse situation tells us about a decrease in the company's profits.
- An increase in the width of both rainbows in the Reverse situation tells us about an increase in the company's losses.
- A decrease in the width of both rainbows in the Reverse situation tells us about a decrease in the company's losses.
- The higher the profit level of the company, the greater your "margin of safety" should be. This will provide the necessary margin of safety in case you go into a cycle of declining financial results. The appropriate width of the Lower Rainbow will just create this "margin".
- Increased profits in the company (after buying its stock) will allow you to stay in position longer by widening the Upper Rainbow.
- A decrease in profits in the company (after buying its stock) will allow you to close your position more quickly by narrowing the Upper Rainbow.
Conditions for opening and closing positions:
So, the Lower Rainbow has four differently colored spectra: blue, green, orange, and red. Each one highlights the desired range of prices acceptable for buying in an Obverse situation. The blue spectrum is upper with respect to the green spectrum, and the green spectrum is lower with respect to the blue spectrum, etc.
- If the current price is in the Blue Spectrum of the Lower Rainbow, that is a reason to consider that company for buying the first portion (*) of the stock.
- If the current price has fallen below (into the Green Spectrum of the Lower Rainbow), that is a reason to consider this company to buy a second portion of the stock.
- If the current price has fallen below (into the Orange Spectrum of the Lower Rainbow), it is a reason to consider this company to buy a third portion of the stock.
- If the current price has fallen below (into the Red Spectrum of the Lower Rainbow), that is a reason to consider that company to buy a fourth portion of the stock.
(*) The logic of the Rainbow Indicator implies that no more than 4 portions of one company's stock can be purchased. One portion refers to the number of shares you can consider buying at the current price (depending on your account size and personal diversification ratio - see information below).
The Upper Rainbow also has four differently colored spectra: blue, green, orange, and red. Each of them highlights the appropriate range of prices acceptable for closing an open position.
- If the current price is in the red spectrum of the Upper Rainbow, I close one portion of an open position bought in the red spectrum of the Lower Rainbow.
- If the current price is in the orange spectrum of the Upper Rainbow, I close one portion of an open position bought in the orange spectrum of the Lower Rainbow.
- If the current price is in the green spectrum of the Upper Rainbow, I close one portion of an open position bought in the green spectrum of the Lower Rainbow.
- If the current price is in the blue spectrum of the Upper Rainbow, I close one portion of an open position bought in the blue spectrum of the Lower Rainbow.
This position-closing logic applies to both the Obverse and Reverse situations. In both cases, the position is closed in portions in four steps. However, there are 3 exceptions to this rule when it is possible to close an entire position in whole rather than in parts:
- If there is a Reverse situation and the current price is above the thick red line.
- If I decide to invest in another company and I do not have enough available cash to purchase the necessary number of portions.
- If I find out about events that pose a real threat to the further existence of the company (for example, a bankruptcy filing), I can close the position earlier, without waiting for the price to hit the corresponding Upper Rainbow spectrum.
So, the basic scenario of opening and closing a position assumes the gradual purchase of shares in 4 stages and their gradual sale in 4 stages. However, there is a situation where one of the stages is skipped in the case of buying shares and in the case of selling them. For example, because the Fundamental Strength Indicator and the P/E ratio became acceptable for me only at a certain stage (spectrum) or the moment was missed for a transaction due to technical reasons. In such cases, I buy or sell more than one portion of a stock in the spectrum I am in. The number of additional portions will depend on the number of missed spectra. For example, if I have no position in the stock of the company in question, all conditions for buying the stock have been met, and the current price is in the orange spectrum of the Lower Rainbow, I can buy three portions of the stock at once (for the blue, green, and orange spectrum). I will sell these three portions in the corresponding Upper Rainbow spectra (orange, green, and blue). However, if for some reason the orange spectrum of the Upper Rainbow was missed, and the current price is in the green spectrum - I will sell two portions of the three (in the green spectrum). I will sell the last, third portion only when the price reaches the blue spectrum of the Upper Rainbow.
The Rainbow Indicator also helps calculate the number of shares that can be considered for purchase at the current price position in the Lower Rainbow spectra. To do this, you need to go to the indicator settings.
+ Cash in - Cash out +/- Closed profit/loss + Dividends - Fees - Taxes
Here I indicate the amount of funds deposited to my account, withdrawn from it, profit/loss on closed positions, dividends credited to the account, and taxes deducted from the account.
Diversification coefficient
The diversification coefficient determines how diversified I want my portfolio to be. For example, a diversification coefficient of 20 means that I plan to buy 20 share portions of different companies, but no more than 4 portions per company (based on the number of Lower Rainbow spectra).
The cost of purchased shares of this company (fees excluded)
Here I specify the amount of already purchased shares of the company in question in the currency of my portfolio. For example, if at this point in time, I have purchased 1000 shares at $300 per share, and my portfolio is expressed in $, I enter - $300,000.
The cost of all purchased shares in the portfolio (fees excluded)
Here I enter the amount of all purchased shares for all companies in the currency of my portfolio (without commissions spent on the purchase). This is necessary to determine the amount of available funds available to purchase shares.
After entering all the necessary data, I go to the checkbox, by checking it I confirm that the company in question has been studied with the Fundamental Strength Indicator and the P/E ratio, and their values are satisfactory to me. No calculation is performed without the checkbox checked. This is done intentionally because the application of the Rainbow Indicator for stock acquisition purposes is possible only after studying the Fundamental Strength of the company and an acceptable P/E value.
Next, I click "Ok" and get the calculation in the form of a table on the left.
Free cash in the portfolio
This is the amount of free cash available to purchase stocks. Please note that the price of the stock and the funds in your portfolio must be denominated in the same currency. On TradingView, you can choose which currency to display the stock price in.
Cash amount for one portion
The amount of cash needed to buy one portion of a stock. Depends on the diversification ratio entered.
Potential portions amount
Number of portions, available for purchase at the current price. Can be a fractional number.
Cash amount to buy
The amount of cash needed to buy portions available for purchase at the current price.
Shares amount to buy
Number of shares in portions available for purchase at the current price.
The table also contains additional information in the form of the current value of the company's market capitalization and P/E ratio.
Mandatory requirements for using the indicator:
- works only on a daily timeframe;
- the indicator is only applicable to shares of public companies;
- quarterly income statements for the last year are required;
- an acceptable for you P/E ratio is required to consider the company's stock for purchase;
- the Rainbow Indicator only applies in tandem with the Fundamental Strength Indicator. To consider a company's stock for purchase, you need confirmation that the company is fundamentally strong.
What is the value of the Rainbow Indicator?
- clearly demonstrates a company's profit and loss dynamics;
- shows the price ranges that can be used to open and close a position;
- takes into account the principle of gradual increase and decrease of a position;
- allows calculating the number of shares to be purchased;
- shows the current value of the P/E ratio;
- shows the current capitalization of the company.
Example:
As an example, consider the situation with NVIDIA Corporation stock (ticker - NVDA).
September 02, 2022:
Fundamental Strength Indicator - 11.46 (fundamentally strong company).
P/E - 39.58 (acceptable to me).
Current Price - $136.47 (is in the Orange Spectrum of the Lower Rainbow).
Situation - Obverse.
The basic conditions for buying this company's stock are met. The Rainbow Indicator settings are filled out as follows:
The table to the left of the Rainbow Indicator shows how many shares are possible to buy in the Orange Spectrum of Lower Rainbow at the current price = 10 shares. This corresponds to 2.73 portions.
To give you an example, I buy 10 shares of NVDA at $136.47 per share.
October 14, 2022:
NVDA's stock price has moved into the red spectrum of the Lower Rainbow.
The Fundamental Strength Indicator is 10.81 (fundamentally strong company).
P/E is 35.80 (an acceptable level for me).
Current Price - $112.27 (is in the Red Spectrum of the Lower Rainbow).
Situation - Obverse.
The basic conditions for buying this company's stock are still met. The Rainbow Indicator settings are populated as follows:
The table to the left of the Rainbow Indicator shows how many shares are possible to buy in the Lower Rainbow Red Spectrum at the current price (5 shares). This corresponds to 1.12 portions.
To give you an example, I buy 5 shares of NVDA at $112.27 per share. A total of 3.85 portions were purchased, which is the maximum possible number of portions at the current price level. The remainder in the form of 0.15 portions can be purchased only at a price level below $75 per share.
January 23, 2023:
The price of NVDA stock passes through the red spectrum of the Upper Rainbow and stops in the orange spectrum. As an example, I sell 5 shares bought in the red spectrum of the Lower Rainbow, for example at $180 per share (+60%). And also a third of the shares bought in the orange spectrum, 3 shares out of 10, for example at $190 a share (+39%). That leaves me with 7 shares.
January 27, 2023:
NVDA's stock price has continued to rise and has moved into the green spectrum of the Upper Rainbow. This is a reason to close some of the remaining 7 shares. I divide the 7 shares by 2 and round up to a whole number - that's 4 shares. For my example, I sell 4 shares at $199 a share (+46%). Now I am left with 3 shares of stock.
February 02, 2023:
The price of NVDA stock moves into the blue spectrum of the Upper Rainbow, and I close the remaining 3 shares, for example, at $216 per share (+58%). The entire position in NVDA stock is closed.
As you can see, the Fundamental Strength Indicator and the P/E ratio were not used in the process of closing the position. Decisions were made only on the basis of the Rainbow Indicator.
As another example, let's look at the situation with the shares of Papa Johns International, Inc. (ticker PZZA).
November 01, 2017:
Fundamental Strength Indicator - 13.22 points (fundamentally strong company).
P/E - 21.64 (acceptable to me).
Current Price - $62.26 (is in the blue spectrum of the Lower Rainbow).
Situation - Obverse.
The basic conditions for buying shares of this company are met. The settings of the Rainbow Indicator are filled as follows:
The table to the left of the Rainbow Indicator shows how many shares are possible to buy in the Lower Rainbow Blue Spectrum at the current price - 8 shares. This corresponds to 1 portion.
To give you an example, I buy 8 shares of PZZA at a price of $62.26.
August 8, 2018:
PZZA's share price has moved into the green spectrum of the Lower Rainbow.
The Fundamental Strength Indicator is a 9.83 (fundamentally strong company).
P/E is 16.07 (an acceptable level for me).
Current Price - $38.94 (is in the green spectrum of the Lower Rainbow).
Situation - Obverse.
The basic conditions for buying shares of this company are still met. The Rainbow Indicator settings are populated as follows:
The table to the left of the Rainbow Indicator shows how many shares are possible to buy in the Lower Rainbow Green Spectrum at the current price - 12 shares. This corresponds to 0.93 portions.
To give you an example, I buy 12 shares of PZZA at a price of $38.94. A total of 1.93 portions were purchased.
October 31, 2018:
PZZA's stock price moves into the Upper Rainbow red spectrum and is $54.54 per share. Since I did not have any portions purchased in the Lower Rainbow red spectrum, there is no closing part of the position.
February 01, 2019:
After a significant decline, PZZA's stock price moves into the orange spectrum of the Lower Rainbow at $38.51 per share. However, I am not taking any action because the company's Fundamental Strength on this day is 5.02 (a fundamentally mediocre company).
March 27, 2019:
PZZA's stock price passes the green and blue spectrum of the Upper Rainbow. This allowed to close the previously purchased 12 shares, for example, at $50 a share (+28%) and 8 shares at $50.38 a share (-19%).
Closing the entire position at once was facilitated by a significant narrowing in both rainbows. As we now know, this indicates a decline in earnings at the company.
Risk disclaimer:
When working with the Rainbow Indicator, keep in mind that the release of the Income statement (from which diluted EPS is derived) occurs some time after the end of the fiscal quarter. This means that the new relevant data for the calculation will only appear after the publication of the new statement. In this regard, there may be a significant change in the Rainbow Indicator after the publication of the new statement. The magnitude of this change will depend on both the content of the new statement and the number of days between the end of the financial quarter and the publication date of the statement. Prior to the publication date of the new statement, the latest actual data will be used for the calculations. Also, once again, please note that the Rainbow Indicator can only be used in tandem with the Fundamental Strength Indicator and the P/E ratio. Without these additional filters, the Rainbow Indicator loses its intended meaning.
The Rainbow Indicator allows you to determine the price ranges for opening and closing a position gradually, based on available data and the methodology I created. You can also use it to calculate the number of shares you can consider buying taking into account the position you already have. However, this Indicator and/or its description and examples cannot be used as the sole reason for buying or selling stocks or for any other action or inaction related to stocks.
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