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Statistical · fitted

Pi Cycle Top

When the 111-day moving average crosses above twice the 350-day moving average, a top signal fires. It nailed 2013, 2017 and April 2021 within days — and it is a textbook example of data mining. Both facts are on this page.

Data: PriceUSD · Coin Metrics community API · computed live in your browser, nothing uploaded

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What this chart shows

Two moving averages: the 111-day, and the 350-day multiplied by two. The gauge tracks the ratio between them; at 1.000 the lines cross and the indicator fires. Red dashed verticals mark every historical cross.

Signal when: MA(111) crosses above 2 × MA(350)  (350 / 111 ≈ 3.153 ≈ π)

How to read it

The historical record is genuinely striking — crosses landed within days of the 2013 (both peaks), 2017 and April 2021 tops. The gauge is useful as a proximity meter: far below 1, the specific condition this indicator watches for is nowhere near.

Limitations — why this is the weakest tool on this site

The parameters were found by searching combinations of moving averages until one matched past tops. That is data mining: with enough parameter pairs, some combination will always fit history perfectly by chance. The π coincidence is numerology, not mechanism — there is no economic reason issuance, holder behavior, or liquidity should care about the ratio of two arbitrary lookback windows.

The November 2021 cycle high printed without a cross, which is the out-of-sample failure the method predicted for itself. We include the indicator because it is widely watched (widely-watched signals can become mildly self-fulfilling), not because it is sound. It sits in the same methodological bucket as the Rainbow Chart.

Further reading

Pi Cycle Top Indicator Explained: The Moving-Average Cross That Called Every Top

FAQ

Has the Pi Cycle Top ever failed?
Yes. It fired near the April 2021 peak but gave no signal at the November 2021 cycle high, and a fitted indicator failing out-of-sample is the expected outcome. Its perfect earlier record is what it was reverse-engineered to have.
Why is it called Pi Cycle?
Because 350 divided by 111 is approximately 3.14. This is a coincidence of the parameters chosen, not evidence of a mathematical structure in Bitcoin's price.
Why list an indicator you call unsound?
Because millions of traders watch it, and watched signals can move markets regardless of their validity. Knowing where the cross sits has situational value; believing in it does not.