Most traders have only a rudimentary understanding of the market profile and its application to day trading. They are using yesterday's VA and POC. The greatest value in daytrading with mp is in the evolving market profile for the current day. If you don't learn this, you have lost the real value of using MP to daytrade. The rotation factor is a standard MP term whereby the 30 minute bar is compared with the previous 30 minute bar to determine a value: +1 for a higher low and +1 for a higher high, -1 for a lower low and -1 for a lower high. Thus the rotation factor for a period can vary from +2 to -2. Personally, in addition to plotting rotation factor intraday, I also plot 1) the midpoint of the period as compared to the volatility, 2) the average price per period compared to volume per period both of shares on NYSE and contracts on es, and the midpoint per period along with the mean price (based on total tpos) and the midpoint of the day session. TPO refers to "time price opportunities", or alternately the slang is "that price occurred." Single tpos are significant, and should tend to lend support\resistance intraday, and should be traded similar to how gaps are traded. What else to you need? Go get the money!
Thanks for the reply. I would love to hear more about what you meant by: TPO refers to "time price opportunities", or alternately the slang is "that price occurred." Single tpos are significant, and should tend to lend support\resistance intraday, and should be traded similar to how gaps are traded. Are TPO's the strongest S/R's? Which is formed first the TPO's or the S/R's?? Maybe sometimes it is hard to tell? So when you say to trade them like you would trade a gap you mean to buy at a TPO Support? trade reversals?
This forum isn't meant to be a complete primer on trading with MP. If you are struggle with what a TPO is, start with Dalton, "Mind Over Markets" available at Amazon and other booksellers. For how to trade gaps, refer to a standard book on technical analysis, such as John Murphy's "Technical Analysis of the Futures Markets." Which is formed first? Well the whole MP chart is made of tpos. No, it's no harder to tell than it is to tell up from down and what is support or resistance on any chart.
This is looking at the last 150,000 contracts traded but it can be adjusted to sample smaller volume or time periods
There is a very good primer on Market Profile located on the CBOT website under Market Profile Education. Here's the link: http://www.cbot.com/cbot/www/page/0,1398,13+287+499,00.html This is pretty straight forward to give you an overall perspective. Dalton's book is excellent then to go into all the details.
Here's another resource for Market Profile and LDB info: http://www.windotrader.com/site/default.aspx?lid=26
Cool MP overlay. I'm also an Esignal user. Where did you get this particular MP efs? Can you paste a link here so we can get to it also? Thanks.