RSI: reading momentum on five timeframes
RSI measures how fast price has moved over the last 14 candles, on a scale from 0 to 100. Cryptokly computes it on every chart and shows it beside the trend, so you see speed and direction separately.
What it is
The Relative Strength Index compares the size of recent up-closes with the size of recent down-closes. When up-closes dominate, the line rises toward 100; when down-closes dominate, it falls toward 0.
The scale stays the same on every pair and every timeframe, which makes it easy to compare a 1H chart with a 1W chart at a glance.
How we compute it
Cryptokly uses Wilder's smoothing with a 14-period lookback, the original definition, on each of the five charts (1M, 1W, 1D, 4H and 1H for spot; 1D, 4H, 1H, 15m and 5m for futures and tokenized stocks). The forming candle is included, so the number moves with the live price; the trend and the levels, by contrast, come from closed candles only.
RSI is context: it is displayed beside the trend and stays out of the trend computation. The code computes it first, then the model you chose explains the number.
Live example
Right now the five readings sit between 29.9 and 50.3: momentum is balanced on 1M, 1W; momentum leans down on 1D, 4H, 1H. The trend words can differ from chart to chart, because speed and direction are two different readings.
How to read it
Above 55 reads as upward momentum, below 45 as downward momentum, and 45 to 55 as balanced. The levels 70 and 30 mark stretched moves: price has travelled far in one direction. These words describe the chart as it stands; they are a reading, a description of speed, and they carry no promise about what price does next.
Read the number together with the trend word on the same chart. An Up trend with RSI near 50 is a trend that is catching its breath; a Down trend with RSI near 30 is a move that has already run a long way.
Common mistakes
- Treating 70 as a turning point. A strong trend holds RSI above 70 for many candles; the level says "stretched", and the trend says where price is going.
- Reading one timeframe alone. 1H crosses the whole scale several times a day while 1W moves slowly; compare the two before drawing a conclusion.
- Mixing RSI into the trend. In Cryptokly the trend comes from swing highs and lows, and RSI describes speed. Keep them as two separate readings.
- Forgetting the risk. Crypto trading carries a real risk of losing money, up to the whole amount invested. RSI is one description of one chart and leaves that risk in place.
Questions
Why does Cryptokly include the forming candle?
So the number follows the live price. A closed-candle RSI updates at the candle close only, which on 1W means once a week.
Which timeframe should I look at first?
The one that matches your holding horizon, then one step higher for context. The live example above shows how the five readings differ at the same moment.
Is RSI 14 the same on every pair?
Yes. The formula and the period are identical for every spot pair, and the 0–100 scale makes readings comparable.
Where does RSI appear in the app?
In the analysis card's ledger (column RSI 14), on the live page of every pair and in Today's analyses.