GriffithsDominantCycle
Dominant cycle estimation using Griffiths adaptive spectral analysis.
Visual Example

Synthetic ideal per library logic. Generated 2026-06-25 IST via docs/generate_all_previews.py (reproducible; maps to core Next<T> implementation).
Description
The GriffithsDominantCycle indicator is a technical analysis tool that dominant cycle estimation using griffiths adaptive spectral analysis.
This indicator is primarily used for identifying key market conditions. It provides a robust signal that can be easily integrated into both simple strategies and more complex machine learning feature pipelines. Compared to its alternatives, it offers a distinct balance of responsiveness and stability.
Traders often combine this with other metrics to confirm signals and avoid false positives during sideways market regimes. It remains a standard tool for systematic trading models.
Use as a robust dominant cycle estimator less sensitive to amplitude changes than DFT-based methods, making it reliable across different market volatility regimes.
The Griffiths method computes the dominant cycle by solving the real-roots of an autocorrelation polynomial. Adapted by Ehlers in Cycle Analytics for Traders, it remains stable even when market amplitude changes rapidly, unlike power-spectrum methods that can shift with volatility.
QuantWave implements this indicator via the universal Next<T> trait, guaranteeing bit-identical results between Rust streaming, Python streaming, and Polars batch (.ta() / map_batches) surfaces.
Formula / Specification
Implementation (quantwave-core/src/indicators/griffiths_dominant_cycle.rs):
[ Pwr(Period) = \frac{0.1}{(1-Real)^2 + Imag^2} ] [ Real = \sum coef_i \cos(2\pi i / Period) ] [ Imag = \sum coef_i \sin(2\pi i / Period) ]
Gold-standard parity vectors: quantwave-core/tests/gold_standard/griffiths_dominant_cycle.json.
Parameters
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
lower_bound |
18 | Lower period bound |
upper_bound |
40 | Upper period bound |
length |
40 | LMS filter length |
Usage Examples
Streaming (Rust)
use quantwave_core::indicators::GRIFFITHS_DOMINANT_CYCLE;
use quantwave_core::traits::Next;
let mut ind = GRIFFITHS_DOMINANT_CYCLE::new(18);
for price in &prices {
let value = ind.next(price);
}
Streaming (Python)
from quantwave import GRIFFITHS_DOMINANT_CYCLE
ind = GRIFFITHS_DOMINANT_CYCLE(18)
for price in prices:
value = ind.next(price)
Polars Batch (Python)
import polars as pl
import quantwave as qw
def apply_griffithsdominantcycle(series: pl.Series) -> pl.Series:
ind = qw.GRIFFITHS_DOMINANT_CYCLE(18)
return pl.Series([ind.next(float(v)) for v in series.to_list()])
df = (
pl.read_csv('ohlcv.csv')
.lazy()
.with_columns(
pl.col("close").map_batches(apply_griffithsdominantcycle, return_dtype=pl.Float64).alias("griffithsdominantcycle")
)
.collect()
)
All surfaces are bit-identical via the single Next<T> implementation and proptests.
Edge Cases & Limitations
- Recursive DSP filters require a warm-up period; first N bars may be unstable or raw-pass-through.
- Designed for cyclic/mean-reverting regimes; trending markets can produce lag or drift.
- Parameter
period(or equivalent) controls cutoff — too small adds noise, too large adds lag. - Prefer chaining with other Ehlers tools (Roofing Filter, SuperSmoother) on noisy inputs.
- Validated via proptests against gold-standard vectors where available.
- No look-ahead bias; suitable for live streaming and batch feature pipelines.
Boundary Behavior
| Condition | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Warm-up | Leading bars return NaN until warmup_bars is satisfied. |
| period > len | When period exceeds series length, output is all NaN. |
| NaN inputs | NaN in input propagates to output (NaN out). |
| Invalid params | Non-positive period or missing required params raise ValueError. |
| Empty data | Empty input returns an empty result series. |
Related Indicators & See Also
Sources & References
Primary Source: https://github.com/lavs9/quantwave/blob/main/references/traderstipsreference/TRADERS’%20TIPS%20-%20JANUARY%202025.html
Implementation: quantwave-core/src/indicators/griffiths_dominant_cycle.rs (GRIFFITHS_DOMINANT_CYCLE / GRIFFITHS_DOMINANT_CYCLE_METADATA).
Parity: quantwave-core/tests/gold_standard/griffiths_dominant_cycle.json
Provenance: Standards bulk upgrade 2026-06-25 IST — see docs/DOCUMENTATION_STANDARDS.md.