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Basics of Market Profile Technical Analysis

What is Market Profile?

Market Profile is a trading tool based on Auction Market Theory, which views the market as a continuous auction between buyers and sellers. It organizes price movements into patterns, showing where most trading happens and helping traders identify key price levels. Unlike complex methods involving math or physics, Market Profile focuses on observing price behavior to distinguish trading days (good opportunities) from non-trading days (uncertain or slow periods). This makes it important for traders as it highlights key price levels, identifies market patterns, and determines the best time to trade. By using Market Profile, traders can save time, reduce risk, and improve decision-making, ultimately trading smarter by knowing when to act and when to wait.

Market Profile

Market Profile is a way of organizing data. It organizes data in such a way that it reveals various AMT principles in real time.

In a MP chart the regular bars and candlesticks are replaced by letters (one letter for each 30 min bar is the most common setting). These letters are then collapsed on to the price axis to give it a distinct shape, which sometimes resembles a bell curve.

Auction Market Theory

Auction Market Theory explains how buyers and sellers interact in a market to determine the price of an asset. It works just like a real-life auction, where prices move based on demand and supply:

  • If Buyers Are Strong: Prices go up as buyers compete to purchase the asset.
  • If Sellers Are Strong: Prices go down as sellers compete to attract buyers.
  • Balance Is Found: Over time, the market finds a “fair price” where most trading happens, known as the point of control (POC) in Market Profile.

This theory helps traders understand how the market moves and where the most activity occurs, making it easier to spot patterns, trends, and trading opportunities.

Market Cycle

It is the cycle in which the markets move up and down through various stages such as Accumulation – Mark Up – Distribution – Mark Down and sometimes the intervening stages of Re-accumulation and Re-distribution.

AMT

Auction Market Theory proposes that all financial markets work like an auction. That the price will move higher in search of sellers and price will move down in search of buyers.

Once the price has move low enough to uncover buying strong enough to stop the down auction, a new auction up will begin.

Market Profile Charts can be used effectively along with AMT principles to trade low risk opportunities in financial markets.

Normal Day Market Profile Indicator
Normal

When price stays within the initial balance the whole day the day type is called as a Normal Day.

  • Balanced Profile
  • Wider Initial Balance
  • maximum participation happens at the center of the profile
  • Directional IB Breakout
  • OTF Shows their presence
Normal Day
  • Swift early entry of OTF
  • Then OTF buyer/seller auction price within wide IB
  • Caused by overnight or early News Announcements.
Normal Variation

When price moved outside of initial balance in subsequent periods, but does not create a range greater than twice the initial balance the day is called a Normal Variation Day.

  • Typically an imbalanced profile
  • The range extension is more than 2 times the Initial Balance
  • Higher timeframe in control
  • Initial Balance is typically smaller than the normal day
  • But higher than the trend day.
Normal Variation Day
  • Early activity not as dynamic as Normal day.
  • Later OTF enters and extends the range substantially.
  • Range extension points to presence of OTF participant.
Normal Variation Day
Double Distribution Day
Double Distribution Trend Day

When price forms a narrow balance to begin with and then BO/BD from that balance and then form a second balance in the same day, the day type is called a double distribution trend day.

  • Distribution is an imbalance profile where Initial Balance
  • Two Balance Regions created separated by Single Prints
  • Higher timeframe in Control
  • Smaller IB range
  • Those Single Prints indicates the presence of higher timeframes
Neutral

When price extends range beyond the IB in both directions and closes within the value area, it is called a Neutral Day.

  • Neutral Day is a balanced profile where initial range is smaller than Normal day.
  • Both the Other timeframe buyers and other timeframe sellers are Present
  • Range Extension happens on both the sides
  • Price closes around the center of balance
Neutral Center Day
  • OTF buyer and sellers have a close view of value.
  • Both OTF buyer and seller are present, evidenced by range extensions on both sides.
  • Price closes in center of the profile after trading at both extremes, indicates between OTF buyers and sellers.
NEUTRAL CENTER DAY
NEUTRAL CENTER DAY
NEX

When price extends the range in one direction and then moves in opposite direction and extending the range at the other end, as well as closing on the extreme, is called a Neutral Extreme day.

  • The days developments are similar to Neutral Center Day.
  • Only the close is at one of the extremes.
  • This indicates a hypothetical victory for on of the paricipants.
Profile Type – Neutral Day Extreme
  • Neutral Day is a balanced profile where initial range is smaller than Normal day.
  • Low volume in the first half. Lack of Higher timeframe in the first half.
  • Second half will be exciting as volume starts flowing and price breaks both the IB low and IB high with strong volumes. Shows the dominance of higher timeframes stepping in.
  • Price closes on one of the days extreme
Open Types

OIR

When prices open inside yesterday’s range, we call it Open Inside Range.
The range development potential is limited.

OOR

When prices open outside yesterday’s range, we call it Open Outside Range.
In this scenario the range development tends to be wide, and dynamic moves can be expected.

Market Opening Type :

Open Drive (OD)
Open Drive exhibit maximum confidence from the OTF timeframe traders
Opens Gap up and Never got back into the previous day range
Opens Gap up and Trades in the same direction of the previous day
Low made in the first 30 min never taken out throughout the day
Witnessed more in Bear market counter rally

OPEN DRIVE - Market Profile
OPEN TEST DRIVE (OTD) in Market Profile
OTD

Market opens and test beyond a known reference to check for any unfinished business, if not found we resume the drive.
Second most confident opening.

OOD
  • Market opens and drives confidently in one direction.
  • Price seldom returns to the opening level.
Market Opening Type : Open Test Drive (OTD)
  • Price Opens with Gap above/below Previous days range or Price Opens at the edge of the previous days range
  • Confidence exhibited by OTF timeframe traders is less than that of Open Drive
  • Opens Gap up and price got snaps back into the previous day range or value area in first 30min and once test is over Trades in the same direction of the previous day
OAIR
  • Market opens inside previous day’s range and auctions in a narrow range.
  • Weakest open.
Market Opening Type : Open Auction in Range (OAIR)
  • Price Opens within Value Area
  • Trades lackluster, Sideways
  • No Confidence from the OTF Participants happens in sideways balancing markets with overlapping Value area
  • Open Auction nothing changed from previous day context
Open Auction in Range (OAIR) in Market Profile
Open Auction Outside Range (OAOR) in Market Profile
OAOR
  • Market opens outside previous day’s range and auctions in a narrow range.
  • Even though the initial range is limited there is always a chance of a dynamic move later in the day.
Market Opening Type : Open Auction Outside Range (OAOR)
  • Market Open Outside Previous days range
  • Value forms higher or lower with balanced profile
  • Price starts balancing around the centre
  • Mostly a lackluster day around the open
  • Despite a gap up/gap down
Structural details
Initial Balance
  • The range of the first 2 bars or first 2, 30 min periods form the initial balance.
INITIAL BALANCE in Market Profile
b shaped profile
Old Business
Initial Balance
  • When a dynamic move up/down subsequently takes a ‘P’ or ‘b’ shape respectively, we call if old business.
  • ‘P’ shape denotes short covering.
  • b’ shape denotes long liquidation.
Profile Type – b Shape Profile
  • b Profile days are long liquidation days and the letter A or B forms the top with single prints in the Initial Range and market opens at the top of the profile.
  • The price rotation happens at the bottom of the profile (i.e at the range extension area).
  • Indicates long liquidation (old money exiting longs)
New Business
  • More often than not ‘P’ shape and ‘b’ shape denotes old business.
  • To extend the range above ‘P’ or below ‘b’ we need new business, that is new traders coming in and extending the range further.
  • This is often seen on a trend day.
  • New business is not necessarily smart money.
P Shaped Profile
PPOC in Market Profile
PPOC
  • When at a price level most of the time periods trade for the day, we get a wide POC.
  • Such wide POCs are called as Prominent POC and act as a magnate to prices.
VPOC
  • The widest point of a volume profile shows the Volume POC.
  • It also acts as a magnate to prices.
Value Ares
  • The 70% of days trading clustered around the POC is called the value area.
  • It denotes where majority of days trading took place.
VAH-POC-VAL
  • VAH – Value Area High – Upper limit of the value area.
  • POC – Point of Control – The price level about which Value Area is calculated.
  • VAL – Value Ares Low – Lower limit of the value area.
Basics of Market Profile By Dean (Aniruddha Deshpande)
FAQ on Market Profile
1. What is Market Profile, and how does it work?

Market Profile is a charting technique that organizes price, time, and volume into a distribution format. It represents the market as an auction process, helping traders identify where most trading activity occurs (value areas).

2. What are the key components of a Market Profile chart?

  • TPOs (Time Price Opportunities): Represent time spent at specific price levels.
  • Value Area (VA): The price range where 70% of trading occurred.
  • Point of Control (POC): The price level with the highest TPOs.
  • Initial Balance (IB): The range created during the first hour of trading.

3. How does Market Profile differ from traditional candlestick charts?

Market Profile focuses on the auction process, showing where market participants find value, while candlestick charts focus on price movement over time.

4. What is a TPO in Market Profile?

A TPO represents a price level touched during a specific time interval, usually a 30-minute period.

5. What does a ‘Profile’ mean in Market Profile?

A Profile is a single day’s trading activity displayed in a Market Profile chart. It is made up of time-price opportunities (TPOs).

6. What are TPOs in Market Profile?

TPOs (Time Price Opportunities) are letters or symbols used to mark the prices where trades occurred during a specific time interval, usually 30 minutes.

7. What is the ‘Initial Balance (IB)’?

The Initial Balance is the range of prices traded during the first hour of a trading session. It sets the foundation for analyzing the day’s activity.

8. What are ‘Single Prints’ in Market Profile?

Single Prints are price levels where trading occurred during only one time period. They often indicate support or resistance levels.

9. What is the Value Area, and how is it calculated?

The Value Area represents the price range where 70% of trading activity occurred during a session. It helps traders identify important price levels.

10. What is the Point of Control (POC)?

The Point of Control is the price level with the highest traded volume in a session. It indicates the price where traders showed the most interest.

11. What are POC (Point of Control) and how is it used in trading?

The POC is the price level with the most trading activity. It often acts as a magnet for price and can indicate areas of support/resistance.

12. What are high-volume nodes and low-volume nodes in Market Profile?

High-Volume Nodes (HVNs): Price levels with significant activity, often acting as support or resistance. Low-Volume Nodes (LVNs): Price levels with minimal activity, often areas where price moves quickly.

13. How can you identify support and resistance levels using Market Profile?

Use the POC, value area boundaries, and single prints to identify support and resistance zones.

14. How does Market Profile help traders?

Market Profile helps traders identify key price levels, assess market trends, and make better trading decisions by showing where buyers and sellers are most active.

15. What is a ‘Balanced Profile’?

A Balanced Profile is a bell-shaped profile where trading is evenly distributed. It indicates a market in equilibrium, with buyers and sellers in agreement.

16. What is an ‘Imbalanced Profile’?

An Imbalanced Profile shows skewed trading activity, where either buyers or sellers dominate. It can signal the start of a trend.

17. What tools or software can I use for Market Profile?

Popular trading platforms like NinjaTrader, and BellTPO offer Market Profile charting tools.

17. Is Market Profile suitable for beginners?

Yes, but beginners should first understand basic market concepts like support, resistance, and volume before diving into Market Profile.

18. What are the limitations of Market Profile?

Market Profile requires skill to interpret and is best suited for markets with high liquidity. It may not work well in low-volume markets or for long-term analysis.

19. What is a poor high or poor low in Market Profile, and what does it signify?

A poor high/low occurs when the auction process ends abruptly, indicating incomplete price exploration and potential reversal.

20. How do Market Profile concepts help in understanding market sentiment?

The shape of the profile, movement of the POC, and value area shifts provide insights into bullish or bearish sentiment.

21. What are the different Market Profile shapes (D-shape, P-shape, b-shape), and how do they influence trading decisions?

  • D-shape: Balanced market; wait for breakout.
  • P-shape: Accumulation; look for upward breakout.
  • b-shape: Distribution; look for downward breakout.

22. How does the overlap of value areas over consecutive sessions indicate trend strength?

  • Overlapping value areas: Market is range-bound.
  • Shifting value areas: Indicates a strong trend in the direction of the shift.

23. What role does Market Profile play in day trading vs. swing trading?

  • Day trading: Use IB and short-term imbalances.
  • Swing trading: Analyze multi-day profiles and value area trends.

24. How do you identify and trade areas of high confluence using Market Profile?

Look for overlapping value areas, POCs, or single prints across multiple sessions to identify high-confluence zones

25. How does Market Profile integrate with other tools like Order Flow and Volume Analysis?

  • Combine Market Profile for structure with Order Flow for real-time entry/exit decisions.
  • Use Volume Analysis to confirm profile levels like POC and value areas.

26. How can you use Market Profile to anticipate potential reversals?

Monitor poor highs/lows, single prints, and shifts in value areas for early reversal signals.

27. What are some common pitfalls when using Market Profile, and how can they be avoided?

  • Over-reliance on single components: Combine with other tools.
  • Ignoring context: Understand broader market conditions.
  • Not considering volume: Use volume profile for confirmation.

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