How to Read Volume Profile StructuresWhat Is Volume Profile?
There are two ways of observing the total volume transactions in any market. As a spot forex trader, you can tap into tick volumes as an accurate visual representation of the total traded volume in the X-axis, which would then make your analysis be based on time.
Alternatively, you can carry out your volume study through the vertical Y-axis, in which case, you are analyzing the total activity based on price levels. It is this latter study what volume profile is about; it’s a histogram of the amounts bought and sold at specific price levels as opposed to specific times.
The volume profile allows any trader to evaluate the market context to keep track of the never-ending auction process. That’s what a market is at the end of the day, a constant negotiating process to find equilibrium/agreement (via the accumulation of transactions at a certain level), and the ones that were perceived too cheap or too expensive (no volume found). The art of reading volume profile is all about studying the anatomy of the market auctions.
Before taking things to the next level, allow me to walk you through some basics. When drawing your volume profile in the chart, you must become intimately familiar with the following values:
1. Point of Control (PoC): It refers to the area in the chart with the most traded volume activity. This is by far the most relevant area you want to monitor as it can help to define the placement of your stops or the areas in the chart where you might find the most pristine entry levels. The highest concentrated area of volume for a particular period of time we will call it PoC or Point of Control and you will be surprised how many times it acts as a wall on a retest. Traders tend to factor this in as an area of support or resistance.
2. High Volume Nodes (HVN): Sub-sequences in the chart with high volume activity. While not as powerful nor symbolic as the PoC, the HVN is also a powerful area as it also represents increased trading activity.
3. Value Area (VA): The range of price levels in which a specified percentage of all volume was traded. By default, the industry standards tends to be 70%. Once I explain the principle of the distribution curve below, it will become much clearer why the default number is the 70%, bear with me.
There are three different types of volume profiles to use in your charts. When you first call the volume profile option through the widely popular charting package trading view, the options include:
Fixed Range
Visible Range
Session Volume (Preferred)
I personally find the combination of the daily price action activity and its respective volume flows at specific price levels the most relevant approach as I will demonstrate in the next paragraphs. The session volume allows you to constantly obtain an update to re-evaluate the market, whereas the assessment of the fixed range or the visible range is more discretionary.
That said, the fixed and visible range options also serve as useful tools depending on the purpose of your analysis, that’s why I will also spend some time going through the most valuable benefits of its use.
Fixed Range: Selection Of Interest Levels A La Carte
Trading the markets, especially if you are an intraday trader, involves constant interaction with your charts. You are constantly looking for areas that you can lean against to take certain actions. Right? This first fixed range option allows you to select any area in the chart to deconstruct the total activity. This is a tool that can be of enormous value if you are looking to tighten or trail your stops as well as spotting areas of most interest to enter your positions.
Let’s say that you wanted to play a short in the EUR/USD 30m chart after the breakout of the range. A fairly conventional strategy would have been to wait for the price to break below the two horizontal support levels and enter short on a retest of either one of them. The next logical question would then be, where would you place your stop? If you are trading conservatively, you’d probably be placing your stop somewhere above the 1.16 in order to leave enough wiggle room in case the rebound returns back into the range.
However, if you think about it, there are other areas in the chart that still make a lot of sense to capitalize on. If you were interested in tightening your stop in such a magnitude that your short trade could exploit the prospects of a much larger risk reward, you could then be tapping into the power of the fixed range volume profile to identify at what price level after the range breakout the highest concentration of volume occurred. You could then use this as an area of relevance to assist your action as a seller. In the example, it may have been a great area to play with a much tighter stop.
There is a multitude of examples I could provide about the usefulness of the fixed range volume profile. However, since I want the core of this tutorial to be about the session volume structures, I’d refrain from further chart illustrations unless you want me to (post comments below). I am sure you can figure out how it could be of benefit to you, depending on your trading style.
Visible Range: The Macro View Of The Market
As the name indicates, the visible range option unpacks as much trading activity as data is in your chart. It portrays the big picture view of the most-traded price levels over a specified period of time.
This option is most suited as part of your daily or weekly analysis to spot areas of interest in the chart. By stepping back and projecting an eagle-view from a macro level, it helps you to easily identify key supports and resistances, which is what I mainly suggest to use the visible range for.
One of the most powerful approaches that I recommend is to select your macro areas of interest by zooming out your charts. Once done, you can start drawing horizontal rectangles at every high volume nodes (in black) or low volume node (in red). The areas highlighted will be by far the most relevant that you want to be paying attention going forward.
