SMA 50 What it is: Same calculation as SMA 20, but over 50 periods. What it tells you: Medium-term trend. Averages more data, so slower and less noisy than SMA 20. How to read it: SMA 20 crossing above SMA 50 = “golden cross” (bullish). Crossing below = “death cross” (bearish). These lag price — they confirm a trend already underway, not predict it.