Kumo Sentiment

In addition to providing a view of sentiment vis-a-vis its relationship with price, the kumo itself also has its own "internal" sentiment or bias. This makes sense when we consider that the kumo is made up of essentially two moving averages, the senkou span A and the senkou span B. When the senkou span A is above the senkou span B, the sentiment is bullish since the faster moving average is trading above the slower. Conversely, when the senkou span B is above the senkou span A, the sentiment is bearish.

This concept of kumo sentiment can be seen in Figure IV below:

Figure IV - Kumo Sentiment

When the senkou span A and B switch places this indicates an overall trend change from this longer-term perspective. Ichimoku practitioners thus keep an eye on the leading kumo's sentiment for clues about both current trend as well as any upcoming trend changes. The "senkou span cross" is an actual trading strategy that utilizes this kumo twist as both an entry as well as a continuation or confirmation signal. More on this strategy is covered in our Ichimoku Trading Strategies section.