Average

Windowed · default period 20Statistics

The Average node computes the arithmetic mean of all non-null values in the rolling window — equivalent to a Simple Moving Average (SMA). It is the most fundamental rolling statistic, serving as the baseline for deviation, z-score calculation, Bollinger Bands, and many classical technical indicators. Null values within the window are ignored (not zero-filled).

Algorithm

  • Collect non-null, non-NaN values in the window
  • output = sum(vals) / count(vals)
  • Returns null if no non-null values exist in the window

Parameters

NameTypeDefaultDescription
periodnumber20Rolling window size (SMA period).

Inputs & Outputs

PortTypeDescription
Inputs
inputnumber[]Source numeric array
Outputs
valuesnumber | nullComputed value at each bar; null before the warmup period completes
timestampsnumber[]Bar timestamps (UNIX ms), aligned 1-to-1 with values
Live mode: In live streaming mode the node updates only the last bar in-place rather than recalculating the full array, keeping CPU usage minimal during real-time data feeds.

Use Cases

Simple Moving Average

Connect closing prices and set period=20 to get a 20-bar SMA — the building block of countless trend and crossover systems.

Mean-Deviation Oscillator

Subtract Average(close, 20) from close to build a centered oscillator showing how far price deviates from its 20-bar mean.

Bollinger Band Middle

The Average output is the Bollinger middle band. Combine with Variance and Sqrt for the full Bollinger Band construction.