A metaphor for a long-term market trend.

The ocean metaphors for market trends were coined by one of the market's first technical analysts, Robert Rhea.

Tides are often referred to in the context of triple screen trading. Using this system, a trader uses a longer-term chart, or market tide, as the basis for trading decisions. For instance if a trader plans to trade daily he or she would examine the weekly moving average convergence divergence (MACD) histogram, as its slope provides indication of the market tide.