FAQ

FAQ

Short answers to the questions that come up most often. Each one points to the page where you can find the full treatment.

Is this the same as a footprint CVD?

No. Footprint charts and depth-of-market CVD work from tick-level trade data — actual bid/ask transactions on each price level. This oscillator estimates volume delta from OHLCV candle data using a wick-aware participation model. The estimation is more nuanced than a simple close-vs-open split, but it is still working from price and volume candles, not from the order book. Treat the readings as estimated directional pressure, not as measured order flow. See Limitations and Trust Boundaries.

Does this indicator repaint?

It depends on a per-slot setting. With On Bar Close ON (the default for every slot), historical values are confirmed and will not change after the bar closes. With On Bar Close OFF, slots that target a timeframe higher than the chart will update intrabar and repaint until the higher-timeframe bar closes. The default configuration does not repaint. See MTF and Repainting for the full truth table and how to verify the behavior.

Which MA type should I use?

If you do not have a specific reason to pick something else, SMA or EMA are reliable defaults. They are well-understood, predictable, and sufficient for most use cases. The more exotic types (ALMA, KAMA, Jurik, FRAMA, Laguerre, VAMA) are available for traders who have specific smoothing requirements — they are not upgrades, they are alternatives with different lag and response characteristics. See Settings for the full MA type guidance.

Do the Power User parameters always matter?

No. Each Power User parameter set (ALMA Offset, KAMA Fast/Slow, Jurik Phase, etc.) activates only when the corresponding MA type is selected for that slot's CVD Type or Signal Type. If you are using SMA for both, every Power User parameter in the panel is inert. You can safely ignore them. See Settings.

What is the difference between Session and Rolling window mode?

Session mode resets the CVD accumulation at a boundary (daily by default). Everything before the boundary is discarded and the oscillator starts fresh. Rolling mode uses a continuously sliding window — old bars age out as new bars arrive, with no resets. Session mode answers "where is pressure within this session?" Rolling mode answers "where is pressure over the last N hours/days?" If you trade a session-based market and think in terms of "today's flow," Session mode is the natural fit. If you trade instruments that run near-continuously (crypto, futures) or want to carry context across session boundaries, Rolling mode makes more sense. You can mix them across slots. See Settings for the tradeoffs of each.

Can I trust the blended line to replace looking at individual slots?

No — and this is one of the most important things to understand about the oscillator. The blended line is a weighted average. When the slots agree, it reflects that agreement. When they disagree, it smooths the disagreement into a middling number that hides the conflict. The blend at +20 could mean all slots are near +20, or some are at +60 and others at -20. You cannot tell which without checking. A trader who watches only the blend is getting less information than one who watches the slots. See Visuals and Logic for how to read the relationship between the slots and the blend.

Why does my 1h slot update so slowly?

Because On Bar Close is ON (the default) and the slot timeframe is higher than the chart timeframe. A 1h slot on a 5m chart only receives a new confirmed value every 12 chart bars. Between updates, the line holds flat. This is the cost of using non-repainting data. If you want faster updates, you can turn On Bar Close off — but the values will repaint until the hourly bar closes. See MTF and Repainting.

What Pressure Sensitivity should I use?

Start with the default (1.50). If the oscillator whipsaws frequently on your instrument during ranging or low-volume periods, lower it. If it feels too flat during genuine directional moves, raise it. Move in small increments and observe the effect on your specific instrument. There is no universal best value — the right setting depends on the candle characteristics of what you are charting. See Settings for the full explanation and For the Geeks for the mechanics of what Pressure Sensitivity shifts.

Why did all my lines jump to zero?

A session reset occurred. All slots using Session mode with the same window period (daily by default) reset at the session boundary. The CVD accumulation restarts from zero. This is expected behavior, not a malfunction. See Quick Start.

How is this different from the Lite version?

The Pro variant adds:

• Ten slots instead of three

• Per-slot Pressure Sensitivity and Wick Weight — in Lite, these are global; in Pro, you can tune the participation model independently for each slot

• Full Axiom MA library with per-slot Power User parameters for CVD and Signal smoothing

• Per-slot ticker overrides for cross-market CVD stacking

• Master Smoothing — an optional final MA pass on the blended output

The core estimation model, normalization, and blending logic are the same. If three slots with global participation tuning cover your workflow, the Lite variant is a simpler path to the same analytical foundation. The Pro variant is for traders who need more slots, per-slot tuning, cross-ticker capability, or access to the extended MA library.