2011-12-05
50D / 200D Spread: -68.70%.
Bitcoin price in the same daily row: $2.87. This is a descriptive reference point in this dataset; it does not establish a market top, bottom or future return.
Moving Averages (Death Cross)
BTC price with its 50-day and 200-day moving averages and the gap between them.
Latest daily observationClosed day
- 50D / 200D Spread
- 12.30%
- 50D SMA
- $81,322.22
- 200D SMA
- $72,418.32
- Bitcoin price
- $81,268.94
Observation: UTC. Dataset updated: .
Updated daily, normally at 09:30 Europe/Madrid. Daily resolution.
Data cross-checked. Computed from the daily BTC/USD close (50- and 200-day simple moving averages). Price: cross-checked against Bitstamp daily BTC/USD close (independent exchange) (median difference 0.15% over 5,540 days (2011-08-18 to 2026-10-17); 95% of days within 1.78%). Checked 2026-10-18. Data status
Recent daily values
The last seven closed UTC days. These values remain daily when you change the chart range.
| Date (UTC) | 50D / 200D Spread | 50D SMA | 200D SMA | Bitcoin price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-17 | 12.30% | $81,322.22 | $72,418.32 | $81,268.94 |
| 2026-10-16 | 12.30% | $81,251.17 | $72,353.05 | $81,538.30 |
| 2026-10-15 | 12.38% | $81,226.36 | $72,278.62 | $82,116.23 |
| 2026-10-14 | 12.42% | $81,163.13 | $72,197.87 | $81,498.52 |
| 2026-10-13 | 12.46% | $81,105.19 | $72,122.13 | $83,141.42 |
| 2026-10-12 | 12.47% | $81,020.25 | $72,037.49 | $81,805.16 |
| 2026-10-11 | 12.45% | $80,936.01 | $71,972.08 | $83,636.61 |
Formula
SMA50 and SMA200 = simple averages of the last 50 and 200 daily closes. Spread = SMA50 / SMA200 − 1. Golden cross: the spread turns from negative to positive; death cross: from positive to negative.
How to read it
The 50-day average follows the recent trend and the 200-day average the long-term one. When the 50-day average falls below the 200-day average it is called a death cross; when it climbs back above, a golden cross.
The lower panel shows the gap between the two averages: green above zero, when the short-term trend runs above the long-term one, and red below zero. Every change of colour is a cross.
Moving averages trail the price, so a cross confirms a move that has usually been under way for weeks. It describes the trend; it is not a timing signal.
Limitations
- Daily closes at 00:00 UTC from Coin Metrics. Another price source or closing time can move a cross by a day or two; recomputed from Bitstamp's closes, every cross since 2015 lands within five days of ours.
- The averages need 50 and 200 days of history, so they start in 2010 and 2011.
- In sideways markets the averages can cross back and forth within weeks; a cross does not by itself say how far or how long a trend will run.
Historical examples
Selected mechanically: the lowest and highest closed-day 50D / 200D Spread in the available history (2011-02-02 to 2026-10-17). These are observations, not forecasts or trading signals.
2011-06-18
50D / 200D Spread: 233.75%.
Bitcoin price in the same daily row: $16.88. This is a descriptive reference point in this dataset; it does not establish a market top, bottom or future return.
Download these closed daily observations (JSON)
Source: Computed by Black Almanak from the daily BTC/USD close (50- and 200-day simple moving averages). Price source: Coin Metrics Community Data (CC BY-NC 4.0). Price-only metric with daily closes since 2010-07-18; the 200-day average starts in 2011. Methodology and sources.