A golden cross happens when a shorter-term moving average, classically the 50-day, crosses above a longer-term one, classically the 200-day. It's read as a signal that a new uptrend is establishing itself, since recent price action is now, on average, stronger than the longer-term trend.
A death cross is the mirror image: the shorter average crosses below the longer one, read as a bearish trend signal.
These are lagging signals by construction. By the time two long moving averages have actually crossed, a meaningful part of the move that caused the cross has already happened. zengtrade's crossover strategies use faster pairs (20/50 EMA rather than 50/200) specifically to react sooner, trading some noise-resistance for less lag.
Educational content, not investment advice. zengtrade is paper-first and non-custodial.