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Dollar-Cost Averaging (DCA) Strategy

Reduce timing risk by spreading purchases over time.

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Dollar-Cost Averaging (DCA) Strategy chart

Overview

What is Dollar-Cost Averaging (DCA) Strategy?

Dollar-Cost Averaging (DCA) is an investment strategy where a fixed dollar amount is invested at regular intervals regardless of the asset's price. By buying more units when prices are low and fewer when prices are high, DCA reduces the impact of short-term volatility on the average cost basis.

In the context of cryptocurrency and automated trading, DCA bots have become extremely popular. A DCA bot purchases a fixed amount of Bitcoin, Ethereum, or another asset daily, weekly, or monthly. Over time, if the asset appreciates, the accumulated position generates returns. The strategy sidesteps the impossible challenge of timing the market perfectly.

Advanced DCA strategies add conditional triggers: instead of buying on a fixed schedule, the bot buys only when price drops by a certain percentage below the last buy price. This "smart DCA" concentrates purchases at lower prices, lowering the average cost even further. Combining smart DCA with RSI oversold signals (buying additional units when RSI < 30) refines entries further.

DCA is most effective for assets with long-term positive growth expectations held over extended periods. It is not suitable for assets in sustained downtrends with no fundamental recovery case.

How It Works in auto-Trading

Automate It

auto-Trading's DCA module schedules recurring buy orders based on a user-defined interval (daily, weekly, monthly) and fixed dollar amount. The smart DCA option adds a price-drop trigger: additional buys are placed when price falls by a configurable percentage below the last fill price. The bot tracks the average cost basis and total accumulated position in the dashboard.

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Strategy Code

Pick a script below, copy it, and use it on your chart.

Pine Script (TradingView)

This is a TradingView Pine Script strategy example for this page concept. Paste it into the TradingView Pine Editor, add it to your chart, and run it in the Strategy Tester.

//@version=6
strategy("Dollar-Cost Averaging (DCA) Strategy", overlay=true)
dropPct   = input.float(3.0,  "Buy on Drop %")
rsiLen    = input.int(14,     "RSI Length")
rsiOversold = input.int(35,   "RSI Oversold")
r     = ta.rsi(close, rsiLen)
drop  = (close - ta.highest(close, 10)) / ta.highest(close, 10) * 100
// DCA: buy when price drops the configured % OR RSI is oversold
dcaBuy = drop < -dropPct or r < rsiOversold
if dcaBuy and strategy.position_size == 0
    strategy.entry("DCA", strategy.long)
// Take profit at +10% above average cost
if strategy.position_size > 0 and close > strategy.position_avg_price * 1.10
    strategy.close("DCA")
plot(ta.ema(close, 50), "EMA 50", color=color.orange)

ThinkScript (thinkorswim)

This is a thinkorswim ThinkScript strategy example for this page concept. Open thinkorswim, create a custom strategy, paste the script, and apply it to your chart.

input dropPct = 3.0;
input rsiLength = 14;
input rsiOversold = 35;
def r = RSI(length = rsiLength);
def recentHigh = Highest(close, 10);
def dropPctVal = (close - recentHigh) / recentHigh * 100;
def dcaBuy = dropPctVal < -dropPct or r < rsiOversold;
def tpHit = close > close[1] * 1.10;
AddOrder(OrderType.BUY_AUTO, dcaBuy, close, 1, Color.GREEN, Color.GREEN, "Dollar-Cost Averaging (DCA) Strategy Buy");
AddOrder(OrderType.SELL_AUTO, tpHit, close, 1, Color.RED, Color.RED, "Dollar-Cost Averaging (DCA) Strategy Exit");
plot TrendLine = ExpAverage(close, 50);
TrendLine.SetDefaultColor(Color.ORANGE);

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