š What This Indicator DoesĀ
The Pivot Anchored Volume Profile (paVP) automatically anchors each profile to the market's own turning points ā Pivot Highs and Pivot Lows. Every time the market forms a significant swing high or low, a new profile begins. Every profile shows where volume was concentrated during that specific price swing.
The result: you see exactly where buyers and sellers were active between each meaningful turn in the market ā not between arbitrary calendar dates.
š Understanding What's On Your Chart
When you add the indicator, you'll see several visual elements. Here's what each one means:
The horizontal bars that form the profile shape. Each bar represents a price level within the pivot-to-pivot range. Wider bars = more volume traded at that price. Two colors appear:
Yellow/gold bars ā price levels inside the Value Area (where 68% of volume was traded). These are the "accepted" price levels ā where the market spent most of its time.
Dark gray bars ā price levels outside the Value Area. Thin bars here mean price moved through quickly ā low resistance zones.
Point of Control (PoC) ā Red line
The single price level with the highest volume in the entire profile. This is the most important level. Price is strongly attracted to the PoC ā it often acts as a magnet, and reactions here are significant. If price is above PoC, it can act as support. Below PoC, it can act as resistance.
Value Area High (VAH) ā Blue line (upper)
The top boundary of the zone where 68% of volume traded. When price approaches VAH from below, expect potential resistance. When price breaks above VAH and holds, it signals acceptance at higher prices.
Value Area Low (VAL) ā Blue line (lower)
The bottom boundary of the Value Area. Potential support when price approaches from above. A break below VAL that holds signals rejection of lower prices.
Value Area Background Fill
The shaded blue region between VAH and VAL. This is the fair value zone for that pivot range ā where price was most balanced. Trades within this zone tend to be lower probability. The edges (VAH and VAL) and the PoC are where the meaningful reactions happen.
The Developing Profile (rightmost profile)
The profile that updates in real time, from the last confirmed pivot to the current bar. This is the live profile ā it shows where volume is building right now. Use this to understand current market structure as it forms.
Labels at each pivot point showing (by default): price, percentage change from the previous pivot, and cumulative volume traded during that swing. Hover any label for the full statistics tooltip.
āļø Settings Explained
Pivot Points Left / Right Length (default: 20)
This is the most important setting. It controls how sensitive the pivot detection is.
Lower values (5ā15): More pivots detected. More profiles, smaller ranges. Useful for shorter-term analysis and active intraday trading.
Higher values (20ā50): Fewer pivots. Broader swings. Fewer profiles on screen, each covering a larger price range. Better for swing and position trading.
Start with the default of 20. Adjust up if you want cleaner, broader profiles. Adjust down if you want to see finer structure.
Volume Profile (Common Interest)
Turns the horizontal bar profile on or off. The two color pickers control the Value Area bar color and the outside-Value-Area bar color independently.
Value Area Volume % (default: 68%)
The percentage of total volume the Value Area captures. 68% is the standard (roughly one standard deviation). You can increase to 80% for a wider zone or decrease to 50% for a tighter, more conservative zone.
Shows or hides the red PoC line. The color is customizable.
Extend Point of Control (PoC)
Controls whether the PoC line extends forward past the profile boundary:
Until Last Bar ā the line extends all the way to the current bar. Useful for tracking whether price has returned to an old PoC.
Until Bar Cross ā the line stops when price closes on the opposite side of the PoC. Clean, auto-managing.
Until Bar Touch ā stops when price touches the PoC level.
None ā no extension. Each profile's PoC stays within its own range only.
Recommended for most users: "Until Bar Cross" ā it automatically removes old PoC lines once they're no longer relevant.
Value Area High (VAH) / Value Area Low (VAL) ā toggles + colors
Show or hide each boundary line. Colors are independent.
Value Area Background Fill ā toggle + color
The shading between VAH and VAL. Keep this on ā it makes the fair value zone immediately visible at a glance.
Choose what the pivot labels display:
Pivot Points ā labels appear at the actual pivot high/low price. Most intuitive for most traders.
Profile High / Low ā labels move to the highest and lowest price of the entire profile range.
Value Area High / Low ā labels appear at the VAH and VAL boundaries.
Label Content (Price / Price Change / Cumulative Volume)
Three toggles control what information appears in the pivot labels. You can show any combination or all three. If all are turned off, a small arrow symbol appears at the pivot instead.
Number of Rows (default: 25)
How many price levels the profile is divided into. More rows = finer resolution. Fewer rows = broader buckets.
15ā20 rows: clean, easy to read. Good for most uses.
30ā50 rows: detailed. Better for wider price ranges where you need precision.
Controls which side of the profile range the bars extend from:
Left ā bars extend from the left boundary of the range. Useful when you want the profile aligned to the start of the swing.
Right ā bars extend from the right boundary (the pivot). Useful when you want the profile visible just before the next move begins.
Profile Width % (default: 30%)
How wide the profile bars are relative to the length of the price range. 30% is balanced. Increase for more visual prominence, decrease if profiles are overlapping.
Profile Range Background Fill
A very subtle background shading over the entire profile range. Helps visually separate profiles when many are on screen.
š How to Read It for Trading
The Three Levels That Matter
For any completed profile, focus on three levels in order of importance:
PoC ā Maximum volume concentration. The market's fairest price for that range. Strong magnet.
VAH ā Upper boundary of acceptance. Above here = premium pricing.
VAL ā Lower boundary of acceptance. Below here = discount pricing.
Price Above the Value Area
When price is trading above VAH, it's in premium territory relative to that profile. Watch for:
Rejection back toward VAH/PoC ā sellers defending premium
Acceptance (price holds above VAH for multiple bars) ā bullish continuation, VAH becomes new support
Price Below the Value Area
When price is trading below VAL, it's in discount territory. Watch for:
Rejection back toward VAL/PoC ā buyers defending discount
Acceptance below VAL ā bearish continuation, VAL becomes new resistance
Price Inside the Value Area
When price is within the Value Area, it's in the balanced zone. Price tends to rotate between VAH and VAL here. Lower probability for directional trades ā wait for a break of VAH or VAL with follow-through.
Price above PoC, pulling back toward it ā potential long entry if price holds above PoC
Price below PoC, rallying toward it ā potential short entry if price fails at PoC
Price crossing through PoC cleanly ā often signals a shift in the balance of power for that range
The Developing Profile (live)
Watch the PoC of the developing profile. Where is the most volume building in the current swing? That tells you where current market participants consider fair value to be. If price is far above the developing PoC, it may revert. If price is holding near the developing PoC, the trend is balanced and may continue.
The indicator has four built-in alerts:
Price touches/crosses PoC ā fires when the developing profile's PoC is crossed
Price touches/crosses VAH ā fires when VAH is crossed
Price touches/crosses VAL ā fires when VAL is crossed
High volume bar detected ā fires when current bar volume exceeds 1.618Ć the moving average
To enable: In TradingView, click the alarm clock icon (or press Alt+A), select the pŠ°VP indicator under Condition, then choose "Any alert() function call." Create the alert. All four conditions are covered by this single alert setup.
šØ Volume Weighted Colored Bars
The indicator also colors candles based on volume intensity:
Dark green: High volume (>1.618Ć avg), bullish candle ā strong buyer participation
Dark red: High volume (>1.618Ć avg), bearish candle ā strong seller participation
Aqua: Low volume (<0.618Ć avg), bullish candle ā weak buying, possible trap
Amber: Low volume (<0.618Ć avg), bearish candle ā weak selling, low conviction
Green/Red: Normal volume candles
These colors help you immediately see which candles are backed by real participation and which are low-conviction moves. A dark green candle breaking above VAH is a stronger signal than an aqua one.
Tip 1 ā Start simple. Leave default settings and spend time reading the profiles before changing anything. Understand what the PoC, VAH, and VAL look like visually before tuning.
Tip 2 ā Pivot length is everything. If your chart looks cluttered with too many small profiles, increase the pivot length. If you only see 2ā3 profiles across months of data, decrease it.
Tip 3 ā PoC extension is your friend. Set it to "Until Bar Cross" and let old PoC levels trail forward. Over time you'll see that price returns to old PoCs far more often than you'd expect ā they become long-term reference points.
Tip 4 ā Hover the labels. Every pivot label has a rich tooltip with full profile stats: total volume, average volume per bar, PoC price, VAH/VAL prices, and value area width. This is a quick way to assess the significance of a profile.
Tip 5 ā Combine with the MarketMastery Suite. When a BoS or CHoCH fires right at a PoC level, or when a Suite S&R zone aligns with a VAH/VAL ā that's multi-dimensional confluence. Much higher quality setup.
Tip 6 ā Low-volume nodes (thin bars) between profiles. These are fast-travel zones. If price enters one of these thin areas, it often moves quickly until it reaches the next high-volume node. Useful for setting targets.
Q: Why does the current (rightmost) profile keep changing? The developing profile updates in real time as new bars form. It will keep adjusting until a new pivot confirms and anchors the next profile. This is normal and expected behavior.
Q: Why did a profile disappear or change? Profiles are anchored to pivot points, which are confirmed only after a set number of bars (the Left/Right Length). If the market forms a new pivot that changes the pivot sequence, profiles may shift slightly. Increase the pivot length for more stability.
Q: The profiles look too small / too wide. How do I fix it? Adjust Profile Width % to change bar width. Adjust Number of Rows to change resolution. Adjust Pivot Length to control how many profiles appear.
Q: Can I use this on any asset or timeframe? Yes. The indicator works on any asset with volume data ā crypto, stocks, futures, forex (where volume data is available). It works on any timeframe. Lower timeframes will produce more pivots and more profiles.
Q: Does it repaint? Completed profiles do not repaint once their pivot points are confirmed. The developing profile updates in real time by design ā that's not repainting, it's live calculation.
