Widely used rule with no single originator
Market tradition
Some chart rules are so widely used that no single author can be credited. The 50/200-day 'golden cross' and 'death cross' are the clearest example: StockCharts ChartSchool describes them as standard double-crossover signals and cites John Murphy's textbook for the 'double crossover' terminology, but names no inventor.
What they argue
- A shorter moving average crossing above a longer one marks a bullish shift in trend (golden cross); the reverse marks a bearish shift (death cross).
- Because both averages lag, crossover signals arrive late, so the rule trades responsiveness for fewer false signals.
Sources
StockCharts ChartSchool: Moving Averages (golden cross / death cross)LuxAlgo library: Golden Cross (no attribution; 50/200 daily SMA is the media convention)
Summaries are Be The Puck's paraphrase of public material. Be The Puck has no affiliation with the people listed.
Golden cross (50/200-day)
Rule and full recordTrend following · daily
The best-known crossover on Wall Street: own the stock while its 50-day average is above its 200-day average.
In right now232 of 377As of the Oct 13, 2026 close.
Best risk-adjusted results against buy and hold: