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On-Balance Volume

On-Balance Volume accumulates volume by candle direction so you can see whether participation supports price.

Indicator Guide
Volume
Signal Panel
momentum
on-balance volume

What it measures

On-Balance Volume accumulates volume by candle direction so you can see whether participation supports price.

Momentum measures raw distance from a prior close. Rising values show impulse expansion; flattening values warn that the push is losing force.

Visual read

On-Balance Volume is shown as a signal panel: price stays above, while the lower pane helps you judge momentum, volatility, volume pressure, or trend strength.

138119100PriceOBV cumulative volumeVolume accumulates with candle direction.Participation risingParticipation fadingOBVOBV cumulative volumeTimeConcept sketch only. CandleOps missions still resolve from real historical candle data.

Formula / construction

Momentum distance
Momentum = close_today - close_n_periods_ago

Momentum measures raw distance from a prior close. Rising values show impulse expansion; flattening values warn that the push is losing force.

How to read it in replay

Use On-Balance Volume to judge momentum quality, not to blindly fade every extreme reading. The best reads happen when it lines up with a clean price zone or a trend continuation setup.

On-Balance Volume checks whether participation supports the price move. It is strongest when volume pressure confirms a break, reclaim, rejection, or value rotation.

What confirms the read

Look for a sequence: structure first, On-Balance Volume second, execution last. That keeps the indicator in a supporting role instead of letting it bully the trade decision.

Confirmation should be visible before the trade starts. If the indicator says one thing and raw candles reject that story, skip the mission or record it as a conflicted setup.

Default parameters in CandleOps

Cumulative directional volume

Replay drill

  1. Open a block of 10 to 20 missions and allow On-Balance Volume to answer only one question: bias, timing, volatility, or participation.
  2. Before clicking Start Mission, write one sentence explaining what On-Balance Volume says and one sentence explaining what raw price must do to confirm it.
  3. Keep virtual risk stable for the whole drill so the review measures decision quality rather than random sizing.
  4. After each mission, grade the On-Balance Volume read as clean, early, late, conflicted, or irrelevant, then compare that grade with the payout and the revealed candles.

Failure modes and risk notes

Avoid reading On-Balance Volume in isolation during hard trend days. Overbought and oversold conditions can stay pinned much longer than a new trader expects.

Because On-Balance Volume sits in a separate panel, the common trap is staring at the value while ignoring the candles. A panel signal needs price confirmation before it deserves risk.

The indicator should change the decision process, not decorate it. If it does not affect direction, invalidation, target placement, or the decision to skip, remove it from the active tactical handbook for that drill.

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On-Balance Volume | CandleOps Indicator Guide