MA Stack (Moving Average Stack)
The MA Stack fires when a stock's price is above its 50-day SMA, which is above the 150-day SMA, which is above the 200-day SMA โ all four levels aligned in ascending order. It confirms the stock is trending upward across every major timeframe simultaneously.
(7yr hold, 25 time windows)
(7yr hold period)
2012โ2025
tested out-of-sample
Signal Illustration
The chart below uses synthetic price data (seed-fixed, deterministic) to illustrate exactly when and how the MA Stack (Moving Average Stack) fires. The arrow marks the event date; the shaded region shows the post-signal window our screener evaluates.
| Period | Phase | Signal |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-event | 50-day SMA below 200-day SMA | โ |
| 2023-08-25 | 50-day SMA crosses above 200-day SMA | MA Stack (Moving Average Stack) fires |
| Post-event | Uptrend phase โ screener evaluates entry | Entry window |
Walk-Forward Validation
Out-of-sample validation across 25 non-overlapping time windows (2012โ2025). Each window trains on one period and tests on the next, measuring whether stocks where MA Stack (Moving Average Stack) fired at entry outperformed the same-date non-signal cohort.
| Hold Period | Consistent Periods | Total Periods | Consistency | Avg Return ฮ | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1yr | 0 | 24 | 0% | 0.0% | ~ Mixed |
| 3yr | 0 | 24 | 0% | 0.0% | ~ Mixed |
| 5yr | 0 | 24 | 0% | 0.0% | ~ Mixed |
| 7yr | 0 | 24 | 0% | 0.0% | ~ Mixed |
| 10yr | 0 | 24 | 0% | 0.0% | ~ Mixed |
How JumpStartSignal Uses This Signal
The MA Stack is a quality signal in JumpStartSignal's scoring system. It earns points toward the quality score (not the entry score) because it reflects the ongoing structural health of a stock's trend rather than an actionable entry moment. A full stack โ price above SMA50, SMA50 above SMA150, SMA150 above SMA200 โ means every layer of institutional price memory is pointing upward. This rarely happens in declining or sideways-drifting stocks, making it a reliable structural quality gate.
How Scoring Works
JumpStartSignal evaluates the MA Stack using 756 days of daily price history (roughly 3 years). At each screening date, the system checks whether price > SMA50 > SMA150 > SMA200. A passing stock has its moving averages properly nested โ short-term momentum, intermediate trend, and long-term trend all aligned. This is a component of the Minervini Trend Template, a framework developed by US Investing Champion Mark Minervini.
- Why quality scoring matters: Quality signals confirm a stock's trend health and fundamental strength โ the foundation that makes entry timing meaningful.
- MA Stack (Moving Average Stack) advantage: Multi-timeframe trend confirmation. A stock in a full MA Stack has passed through an institutional-grade trend filter โ short, medium, and long moving averages all aligned โ which rarely occurs in stocks with weak underlying momentum.
Data Source & Methodology
Backtested across 3461 screening dates from 2012โ2025. Returns measured from entry date to exit date at each hold period. Portfolio vs S&P 500: +372.4% vs +209.2% (alpha: +163.2%). Signals fired by JumpStartSignal's technical screening engine; fundamentals sourced from SEC EDGAR XBRL filings. Constituent universe from NASDAQ.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the MA Stack and what does it mean for a stock?
The MA Stack (Moving Average Stack) occurs when a stock's price is above its 50-day SMA, which is above the 150-day SMA, which is above the 200-day SMA โ all four levels in ascending order. This multi-timeframe alignment means the stock is trending upward not just recently, but across short, medium, and long timeframes simultaneously. It typically takes months of sustained buying to build a full MA Stack from scratch.
Why is the MA Stack a quality signal and not an entry timing signal?
The MA Stack is a persistent state โ it stays 'on' every day a stock remains in a multi-timeframe uptrend, which can last months or years. Unlike an entry timing signal (such as a golden cross or MACD crossover), it doesn't pinpoint an optimal entry date. JumpStartSignal routes it to the quality score because it measures trend structural health โ a prerequisite for high-quality stocks โ rather than timing. A stock achieving SPOTLIGHT or OPPORTUNITY status must clear quality scoring gates, and the MA Stack contributes to meeting that threshold.
What is the Minervini Trend Template and how does MA Stack relate?
The Minervini Trend Template is a set of eight criteria developed by US Investing Champion Mark Minervini to identify stocks in Stage 2 uptrends. Key criteria include: price above SMA150 and SMA200, SMA150 above SMA200, price within 25% of the 52-week high, and 30%+ above the 52-week low. JumpStartSignal's MA Stack check (price > SMA50 > SMA150 > SMA200) captures the core moving-average component of this template. Other Minervini criteria โ proximity to highs, relative strength vs the S&P 500 โ are evaluated separately in JumpStartSignal's Stage 2 filters.
How reliable is the MA Stack signal standalone?
The walk-forward data shows 0% consistency at the 7-year hold period โ meaning in 0 of 24 independently tested time windows, MA Stack stocks outperformed the non-signal cohort. Standalone consistency is modest; the signal's strength lies in its avg return delta when it does outperform (+0.0% at 7yr), reflecting the outsized gains available from stocks in confirmed, sustained institutional-grade uptrends. JumpStartSignal combines the MA Stack with fundamental quality checks (ROE, low debt, revenue growth) and entry timing signals for final stock selection.
See which stocks have the MA Stack (Moving Average Stack) today
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Get Free Daily Reports โNot financial advice. Past backtest performance does not guarantee future results. Data as of 2026-03-31 ยท Backtested 2012โ2025 ยท How It Works