OPEN-SOURCE SCRIPT
ATR - Asymmetric Turbulence Ribbon
🧭 Asymmetric Turbulence Ribbon (ATR)
The Asymmetric Turbulence Ribbon (ATR) is an enhanced and reimagined version of the standard Average True Range (ATR) indicator. It visualizes not just raw volatility, but the structure, momentum, and efficiency of volatility through a multi-layered visual approach.
It contains two distinct visual systems:
1. A zero-centered histogram that expresses how current volatility compares to its historical average, with intensity and color showing speed and conviction
2. A braided ribbon made of dual ATR-based moving averages that highlight transitions in volatility behavior—whether volatility is expanding or contracting
The name reflects its purpose: to capture asymmetric, evolving turbulence in market behavior, through structure-aware volatility tracking.
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🔧 Inputs (Fibonacci defaults)
ATR Length
Lookback period for ATR calculation (default: 13)
ATR Base Avg. Length
Moving average period used as the zero baseline for histogram (default: 55)
ATR ROC Lookback
Number of bars to measure rate of change for histogram color mapping (default: 8)
Timeframe Override
Optionally calculate ATR values from a higher or fixed timeframe (e.g., 1D) for macro-volatility overlay
Show Ribbon Fill
Toggles colored fill between ATR EMA and HMA lines
Show ATR MAs
Toggles visibility of ATR EMA and HMA lines
Show Crossover Markers
Shows directional triangle markers where ATR EMA and HMA cross
Show Histogram
Toggles the entire histogram display
_______________________________________________________________
📊 Histogram Component: Volatility Energy Profile
The histogram shows how far the current ATR is from its moving average baseline, centered around zero. This lets you interpret volatility pressure—whether it's expanding, contracting, or preparing to reverse.
To complement this, the indicator also plots the raw ATR line in aqua. This is the actual average true range value—used internally in both the histogram and ribbon calculations. By default, it appears as a slightly thicker line, providing a clear reference point for comparing historical volatility trends and absolute levels.
Use the baseline ATR to:
- Compare real-time volatility to previous peaks or troughs
- Monitor how ATR behaves near histogram flips or ribbon crossovers
- Evaluate volatility phases in absolute terms alongside relative momentum
The ATR line is particularly helpful for users who want to keep tabs on raw volatility values while still benefiting from the enhanced visual storytelling of the histogram and ribbon systems.
Each histogram bar is colored based on the rate of change (ROC) in ATR: The faster ATR rises or falls, the more intense the color. Meanwhile, the opacity of each bar is adjusted by the effort/result ratio of the price candle (body vs. range), showing how much price movement was achieved with conviction.
Color Interpretation:
🔴 Red
Strong volatility expansion
Market entering or deepening into a volatility burst
Seen during breakouts, panic moves, or macro shock events
Often accompanied by large real candle bodies
🟠 Orange
Moderate volatility expansion
Heating up phase, often precedes breakouts
Common in strong trending environments
Signals tightening before acceleration
🟡 Yellow
Mild volatility increase
Transitional state—energy building, not yet exploding
Appears in early trend development or pullbacks
🟢 Green
Mild volatility contraction
ATR cooling off
Seen during consolidation, reversion, or range balance
Good time to assess upcoming directional setups
🔵 Aqua
Moderate compression
Volatility is clearly declining
Signals consolidation within larger structure
Pre-breakout zones often form here
🔵 Deep Blue
Strong volatility compression
Market is coiling or dormant
Can signal upcoming squeeze or fade environment
Often followed by sharp expansion
Opacity scaling:
Brighter bars = efficient, directional price action (strong bodies)
Faded bars = indecision, chop, absorption, or wick-heavy structure
Together, color and opacity give a 2D view of market volatility: Hue = the type and direction of volatility
Opacity = the quality and structure behind it
Use this to gauge whether volatility is rising with conviction, fading into neutrality, or compressing toward breakout potential.
_______________________________________________________________
🪡 Ribbon Component: Volatility Rhythm Structure
The ribbon overlays two moving averages of ATR:
EMA (yellow) – faster, more reactive
HMA (orange) – smoother, more rhythmic
Their relationship creates the ribbon logic:
Yellow fill (EMA > HMA)
Short-term volatility is increasing faster than the longer-term rhythm
Signals active expansion and engagement
Orange fill (HMA > EMA)
Volatility is decaying or leveling off
Suggests possible exhaustion, pullback, or range
Crossover triangle markers (optional, off by default to avoid clutter) identify the moment of shift in volatility phase.
The ribbon reflects the shape of volatility over time—ideal for mapping cyclical energy shifts, transitional states, and alignment between current and average volatility.
_______________________________________________________________
📐 Strategy Application
Use the Asymmetric Turbulence Ribbon to:
- Detect volatility expansions before breakouts or directional runs
- Spot compression zones that precede structural ruptures
- Visually separate efficient moves from noisy market activity
- Confirm or fade trade setups based on underlying energy state
- Track the volatility environment across multiple timeframes using the override
_______________________________________________________________
🎯 Ideal Timeframes
Designed to function across all timeframes, but particularly powerful on intraday to daily ranges (1H to 1D)
Use the timeframe override to anchor your chart in higher-timeframe volatility context, like daily ATR behavior influencing a 1H setup.
_______________________________________________________________
🧬 Customization Tips
- Increase ATR ROC Lookback for smoother color transitions
- Extend ATR Base Avg Length for more macro-driven histogram centering
- Disable the histogram for ribbon-only rhythm view
- Use opacity and color shifts in the histogram to detect stealth energy builds
- Align ATR phases with structure or order flow tools for high-quality setups
The Asymmetric Turbulence Ribbon (ATR) is an enhanced and reimagined version of the standard Average True Range (ATR) indicator. It visualizes not just raw volatility, but the structure, momentum, and efficiency of volatility through a multi-layered visual approach.
It contains two distinct visual systems:
1. A zero-centered histogram that expresses how current volatility compares to its historical average, with intensity and color showing speed and conviction
2. A braided ribbon made of dual ATR-based moving averages that highlight transitions in volatility behavior—whether volatility is expanding or contracting
The name reflects its purpose: to capture asymmetric, evolving turbulence in market behavior, through structure-aware volatility tracking.
_______________________________________________________________
🔧 Inputs (Fibonacci defaults)
ATR Length
Lookback period for ATR calculation (default: 13)
ATR Base Avg. Length
Moving average period used as the zero baseline for histogram (default: 55)
ATR ROC Lookback
Number of bars to measure rate of change for histogram color mapping (default: 8)
Timeframe Override
Optionally calculate ATR values from a higher or fixed timeframe (e.g., 1D) for macro-volatility overlay
Show Ribbon Fill
Toggles colored fill between ATR EMA and HMA lines
Show ATR MAs
Toggles visibility of ATR EMA and HMA lines
Show Crossover Markers
Shows directional triangle markers where ATR EMA and HMA cross
Show Histogram
Toggles the entire histogram display
_______________________________________________________________
📊 Histogram Component: Volatility Energy Profile
The histogram shows how far the current ATR is from its moving average baseline, centered around zero. This lets you interpret volatility pressure—whether it's expanding, contracting, or preparing to reverse.
To complement this, the indicator also plots the raw ATR line in aqua. This is the actual average true range value—used internally in both the histogram and ribbon calculations. By default, it appears as a slightly thicker line, providing a clear reference point for comparing historical volatility trends and absolute levels.
Use the baseline ATR to:
- Compare real-time volatility to previous peaks or troughs
- Monitor how ATR behaves near histogram flips or ribbon crossovers
- Evaluate volatility phases in absolute terms alongside relative momentum
The ATR line is particularly helpful for users who want to keep tabs on raw volatility values while still benefiting from the enhanced visual storytelling of the histogram and ribbon systems.
Each histogram bar is colored based on the rate of change (ROC) in ATR: The faster ATR rises or falls, the more intense the color. Meanwhile, the opacity of each bar is adjusted by the effort/result ratio of the price candle (body vs. range), showing how much price movement was achieved with conviction.
Color Interpretation:
🔴 Red
Strong volatility expansion
Market entering or deepening into a volatility burst
Seen during breakouts, panic moves, or macro shock events
Often accompanied by large real candle bodies
🟠 Orange
Moderate volatility expansion
Heating up phase, often precedes breakouts
Common in strong trending environments
Signals tightening before acceleration
🟡 Yellow
Mild volatility increase
Transitional state—energy building, not yet exploding
Appears in early trend development or pullbacks
🟢 Green
Mild volatility contraction
ATR cooling off
Seen during consolidation, reversion, or range balance
Good time to assess upcoming directional setups
🔵 Aqua
Moderate compression
Volatility is clearly declining
Signals consolidation within larger structure
Pre-breakout zones often form here
🔵 Deep Blue
Strong volatility compression
Market is coiling or dormant
Can signal upcoming squeeze or fade environment
Often followed by sharp expansion
Opacity scaling:
Brighter bars = efficient, directional price action (strong bodies)
Faded bars = indecision, chop, absorption, or wick-heavy structure
Together, color and opacity give a 2D view of market volatility: Hue = the type and direction of volatility
Opacity = the quality and structure behind it
Use this to gauge whether volatility is rising with conviction, fading into neutrality, or compressing toward breakout potential.
_______________________________________________________________
🪡 Ribbon Component: Volatility Rhythm Structure
The ribbon overlays two moving averages of ATR:
EMA (yellow) – faster, more reactive
HMA (orange) – smoother, more rhythmic
Their relationship creates the ribbon logic:
Yellow fill (EMA > HMA)
Short-term volatility is increasing faster than the longer-term rhythm
Signals active expansion and engagement
Orange fill (HMA > EMA)
Volatility is decaying or leveling off
Suggests possible exhaustion, pullback, or range
Crossover triangle markers (optional, off by default to avoid clutter) identify the moment of shift in volatility phase.
The ribbon reflects the shape of volatility over time—ideal for mapping cyclical energy shifts, transitional states, and alignment between current and average volatility.
_______________________________________________________________
📐 Strategy Application
Use the Asymmetric Turbulence Ribbon to:
- Detect volatility expansions before breakouts or directional runs
- Spot compression zones that precede structural ruptures
- Visually separate efficient moves from noisy market activity
- Confirm or fade trade setups based on underlying energy state
- Track the volatility environment across multiple timeframes using the override
_______________________________________________________________
🎯 Ideal Timeframes
Designed to function across all timeframes, but particularly powerful on intraday to daily ranges (1H to 1D)
Use the timeframe override to anchor your chart in higher-timeframe volatility context, like daily ATR behavior influencing a 1H setup.
_______________________________________________________________
🧬 Customization Tips
- Increase ATR ROC Lookback for smoother color transitions
- Extend ATR Base Avg Length for more macro-driven histogram centering
- Disable the histogram for ribbon-only rhythm view
- Use opacity and color shifts in the histogram to detect stealth energy builds
- Align ATR phases with structure or order flow tools for high-quality setups
Open-source script
In true TradingView spirit, the creator of this script has made it open-source, so that traders can review and verify its functionality. Kudos to the author! While you can use it for free, remember that republishing the code is subject to our House Rules.
For quick access on a chart, add this script to your favorites — learn more here.
adrian dyer
Disclaimer
The information and publications are not meant to be, and do not constitute, financial, investment, trading, or other types of advice or recommendations supplied or endorsed by TradingView. Read more in the Terms of Use.
Open-source script
In true TradingView spirit, the creator of this script has made it open-source, so that traders can review and verify its functionality. Kudos to the author! While you can use it for free, remember that republishing the code is subject to our House Rules.
For quick access on a chart, add this script to your favorites — learn more here.
adrian dyer
Disclaimer
The information and publications are not meant to be, and do not constitute, financial, investment, trading, or other types of advice or recommendations supplied or endorsed by TradingView. Read more in the Terms of Use.