VPT (Volume Price Trend) — what it is and how to use it in trading
Definition
VPT (Volume Price Trend) is a cumulative indicator similar to OBV, but adds to the running total not the whole bar's volume, but that volume multiplied by the percentage change of the close versus the previous bar.
How it works in the builder
The vpt operand takes no parameters and returns a raw cumulative number. Unlike OBV, where every up candle adds its whole volume equally, VPT's contribution from each bar is proportional to the size of the price change, not just its direction.
What it looks like on the chart
Drawn as a separate panel as a rising or falling line, with a larger dot drawn on bars with a bigger percentage price change — the dot size stands in for that bar's weight in the running total.
Typical use
Used the same way as OBV — to spot a divergence between the trend of price and the trend of accumulated volume, not to compare an absolute level across instruments or time periods.
Common pitfalls
Because of the percentage-change weighting, a single bar with a sharp one-off price spike on heavy volume can shift the line's level disproportionately — more than an equivalent-volume bar would on OBV.
This block is available in the strategy builder
137 no-code blocks — build an entry condition with this term and test it on history
Historical results do not guarantee future ones. The service is an informational and analytical tool, not an individual investment recommendation; trades are not executed.