Reflex Indicator Explained

Reflex is one of John Ehlers' late-career designs (2020): an oscillator built to respond to trend changes while ignoring cycle swings. It sums the deviation of smoothed price from a straight-line projection, normalizing the result — turning trend curvature into a zero-centered signal.

How It Works

• Price is first run through a Super Smoother to remove micro-noise.
• Deviations from a linear projection across the window are summed and normalized.
• Zero crossings mark genuine trend turns; the amplitude measures their conviction.

How to Trade It

Trade Reflex zero-crosses as low-lag trend entries, or require Reflex agreement as a filter over slower systems. Its cousin TrendFlex responds even faster; Reflex's cycle rejection makes it steadier in swing conditions.

Building It in Setup.Cash

Add Reflex in the strategy builder — the length input controls its sensitivity — and use its value in any entry, exit, or filter condition. You can also combine it with other tools in the Indicators Lab or via the AI indicator generator. See TrendFlex, the companion oscillator. For the full category overview, see the advanced trend library guide.

Trend tools reward patience: pick one, pair it with a volatility or regime filter, and backtest before trading it live.