- **Similar:** [Impulse](../impulse/Impulse.md), [AMAT](../amat/Amat.md) | **Complementary:** TTM Squeeze for timing | **Trading note:** John Carter's trend indicator; colors bars based on close vs midpoint of prior 5-bar range.
John Carter's TTM Trend uses a fast EMA (default period 6) applied to typical price (HLC/3) to determine short-term trend direction via slope sign. Output is a ternary trend state: +1 (bullish, EMA rising), -1 (bearish, EMA falling), or 0 (neutral, EMA unchanged). The indicator requires only 2 bars warmup, runs at O(1) per bar with O(1) space, and produces zero allocations in the hot path.
John Carter developed the TTM (Trade the Markets) Trend indicator as a clean visual tool for identifying short-term trend direction, popularized through *Mastering the Trade* and the thinkorswim platform. Unlike complex multi-component trend systems, TTM Trend reduces trend detection to its minimum viable form: the slope of a fast exponential moving average. The very short default period (6) makes it responsive to recent price action, positioning it as a "first responder" trend filter meant to be combined with Carter's other TTM tools (Squeeze, Wave, LRC). The color-coded output (green/red/gray) provides at-a-glance trend assessment.
This percentage rate-of-change quantifies how aggressively the trend is moving. High strength values indicate strong conviction; near-zero values suggest potential reversal.
The default period of 6 makes TTM Trend extremely fast-reacting. The EMA half-life is approximately $\ln(2) / \ln(1 + 2/N) \approx 2.4$ bars for $N = 6$. This means the indicator responds within 2-3 bars of a price shift. Longer periods (12, 20) reduce whipsaws but delay detection. Carter's design intent was maximum responsiveness, with noise filtering delegated to companion indicators (Squeeze, Wave).
