MACD is a momentum indicator, which follows trends and belongs to the oscillator family of technical indicators. It permits you to: According to the relationship between two moving averages, determine the current trend direction (bullish or bearish) and forecast where the price is more likely to go.
The 12 represents a moving average of the previous 12 bars. The 26 represents a moving average of the previous 26 bars. The 9 represents a moving average of the difference between the two moving averages above.