They are:
- If today’s closing price is higher than yesterday’s closing price, then: Current OBV = Previous OBV + today’s volume
- If today’s closing price is lower than yesterday’s closing price, then: Current OBV = Previous OBV – today’s volume
- If today’s closing price equals yesterday’s closing price, then: Current OBV = Previous OBV
- If today’s closing price is higher than yesterday’s closing price, then: Current OBV = Previous OBV + today’s volume.
- If today’s closing price is lower than yesterday’s closing price, then: Current OBV = Previous OBV – today’s volume.
What is OBV and how to use it in trading?
· Accordingly, OBV is calculated as follows: When today’s price is higher than yesterday’s price OBV = OBV (yesterday) + Volume today When both prices are equal (yesterday’s closing price and today’s closing price) OBV = OBV (yesterday) When today’s closing price is less compared to yesterday’s price OBV = OBV (yesterday) – Volume today
Does on-balance volume (OBV) provide trading alerts?
It is very easy to use the OBV Excel sheet. You enter the values in the corresponding pink columns over the needed period – the closing price and the trade volume. The values written in the pink columns are just an example. You should delete them when you work with the excel sheet.
How to use OBV to confirm a trend?
The On-Balance-Volume (OBV) indicator is a momentum indicator that relates volume flows—contractions and expansions—to price changes. The idea is that volumes precede price, gauging the money inflow or outflow level from a given currency pair. When volumes rise, therefore, the odds of prices expanding remain high.
How to trade the trend line breaks with OBV?
· Divergences, both bullish and bearish, can signal to traders that a price reversal could be on the cards. As we previously mentioned, we always follow the direction of the On Balance Volume indicator and we always trade in the direction of the OBV. Most common way to use On Balance Volume is to scan for divergences. Divergences occur when price movement is …

Does OBV work in forex?
OBV Divergences Divergence occurs when the indicator and the price chart co in opposite directions. There can be bullish and bearish divergence. I covered the divergence signals in detail in the article Divergence and Convergence in Forex. The OBV divergence works in the same way as with other technical tools.
What is OBV and how do you use it?
On Balance Volume (OBV) is a simple indicator that uses volume and price to measure buying pressure and selling pressure. Buying pressure is evident when positive volume exceeds negative volume and the OBV line rises. Selling pressure is present when negative volume exceeds positive volume and the OBV line falls.
How does the OBV work?
On Balance Volume (OBV) measures buying and selling pressure as a cumulative indicator that adds volume on up days and subtracts volume on down days. When the security closes higher than the previous close, all of the day’s volume is considered up-volume.
Is OBV indicator useful?
OBV works best when testing around major highs and lows to measure for possible breakouts and breakdowns. Investors can use OBV to provide many key predictions, such as a bullish divergence predicting the price will break resistance or a bearish divergence predicting a rally will stall or reverse.
How is OBV indicator calculated?
Formula for Calculating On-Balance VolumeOBV = Previous OBV + Current Day’s Volume. If the closing price of the asset is the same as the previous day’s closing price:OBV = Previous OBV (+ 0) If the closing price of the asset is lower than the previous day’s closing price:OBV = Previous OBV – Current Day’s Volume.
What does it mean if OBV is negative?
Negative volume balance is a sign of weakness. It shows that the stock falls on high volume and reacts upwards on low volume. This indicates that investors are worried about not being able to sell when something happens, and also hesitant to buy on rising prices.
What is the best volume indicator?
The 6+ Best Volume Indicators in Day TradingVWAP.Volume-Weighted Moving Average (VWMA)Money Flow Index (MFI)Accumulation and distribution indicator.Klinger Oscillator.On Balance Volume (OBV)Other volume indicators.
What anchored OBV?
Anchored OBV (On Balance Volume) It was first proposed by Joseph Granville in his book “New Key to Stock Market Profits.” This indicator is sometimes described as a momentum indicator, but it generally represents data about volume more than price movement.
What is OBV short for?
OBV means “Obviously.” The abbreviation OBV is a contraction of the word “Obviously.” It is typically seen as a single word reply to an obvious statement or to a question that doesn’t need a detailed response because the answer is so obvious.
How do I find ATR?
To calculate the ATR by hand, you must first calculate a series of true ranges (TRs). The TR for a given trading period is the greatest of the following: Current high minus the previous close. Current low minus the previous close.
What is the best volume indicator?
The 6+ Best Volume Indicators in Day TradingVWAP.Volume-Weighted Moving Average (VWMA)Money Flow Index (MFI)Accumulation and distribution indicator.Klinger Oscillator.On Balance Volume (OBV)Other volume indicators.
How do you read a balance of power indicator?
When the indicator is in positive territory, the bulls are in charge; and sellers dominate when the indicator is negative. A reading near the zero line indicates a balance between the two and can mean a trend reversal. Note: This indicator is sometimes referred to as Balance of Market Power (BMP).
What does high OBV mean?
The OBV values may be high or low and move further from the line, but at some point, they can cross above or below the zero line. On-balance volume has a positive value when the price today is higher than the previous closing price, while a negative value appears if today’s price is lower than the last closing price.
What is on balance volume?
The On Balance Volume indicator is a momentum indicator of technical analysis. The obv technical indicator measures the relation of price movement…
What does OBV stand for?
The OBV stands for On Balance Volume – a technical indicator that measures trading volume relative to the price change. Differently put, it allows…
How does OBV indicator work?
When the current closing price is higher than the previous closing price, the current volume is added to the previous trading volume. When the curr…
How to interpret on balance volume?
Experts recommend interpreting the OBV changes together with the price chart moves. If the OBV value is rising along with the price, the trend shou…
How to use on balance volume indicator?
The On Balance Volume doesn’t contain any percentage scale or levels like more common oscillators. Only the relative change in the values compared…
How to find out if the OBV indicator works?
You should look at the volume values and the price change. If the indicator values rise on an upward movement with more or less significant volumes…
How to calculate on balance volume?
Three formulas are used to calculate the indicator. If the price rises, then the current volume is added to the previous curve value. If it falls,…
What is positive OBV?
The positive OBV reading occurs when the On Balance Volume values increase.
Is on balance volume a leading indicator?
Balance Volume is included in the list of the MetaTrader 4 standard indicators. Therefore, it can be considered the leading classical tool of techn…
What is On Balance Volume (OBV) Indicator
The On Balance Volume indicator measures the volume changes to make price predictions. It is based on the theory that a significant price movement always follows a sharp change in the trading volume. For example, when large traders invest in an asset, the trade volume increases. The asset price will also rise some time later.
OBV Indicator Calculation & Formula
I shall briefly describe how the OBV indicator formula is calculated. The on balance volume formula is as follows.
Online Balance Volume Indicator Interpretation: Reading the Charts
On balance volume is a momentum indicator. It considers only the movements up or down.
How to Trade Forex with On Balance Volume Indicator
So, we have studied how the OBV indicator forex works, how to read OBV signals, and how to interpret the on volume balance chart. Now, we shall see how to trade the OBV in Forex. Traders use this indicator both to predict the trend reversals and to confirm the trend continuation.
Advantages & Limitations of OBV Indicator
The OBV has some advantages and flaws we should consider when trading with the on-balance volume indicator.
Recommendations on trading with the OBV
Take advantage of the instrument, filter false reversal signals, check the trend strength.
Price chart of EURUSD in real time mode
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What is OBV in stock market?
On Balance Volume (OBV), developed by Joe Granville, is a momentum indicator that relates volume to price change. On Balance Volume indicator shows if market’s volume is flowing into or out of a security/stock. In other words, the OBV offers information regarding the strength of price movements.
What direction do you trade in OBV?
Here is the most important rule you must follow: we always follow the direction of the On Balance Volume. We always trade in the direction of the OBV.
What does a new high in OBV mean?
The main assumptions regarding OBV are: a new high in the OBV indicates that buyers are stronger than sellers, and the price is likely to increase. a new low in the OBV indicates that sellers are stronger than buyers, and the price is likely to decrease.
How many crossovers between volume balance indicator and 200 EMA?
During this period, we had 7 relevant crossovers between the volume balance indicator and the 200 EMA. Out of the 7 crossovers, we took only 4 signals.
How to find the main trend?
The easiest way to determine the main trend is to analyze the Keltner Channel’s slope. The Keltner Channel slope is simply the direction of the channel plotted on the chart.
What is the main assumption of OBV?
The main assumption is that On Balance Volume movements precede price changes. As the volume is the main fuel behind the market, OBV is designed to anticipate when major moves in the markets would occur. It is believed that “ smart money ” can be seen accumulating into the security/stock by a rising OBV and when the public comes along into the security/stock, both the security and the OBV will increase. The numerical value of OBV is statistically irrelevant.
How to use on balance volume?
Most common way to use On Balance Volume is to scan for divergences. Divergences occur when price movement is not confirmed by the OBV, indicating a potential reversal.
What is OBV in stock market?
On balance volume (OBV) uses volume to predict security price movements in advance. Like other volume-based indicators, such as the negative volume index, Klinger volume oscillator, and money flow index, it will work only on markets with exchange volume associated with them.
How does OBV work?
The OBV works by keeping a running tally on volume in accordance with the direction of a security. When the security increases in price, volume is added to the running total making up the OBV figure. When the security decreases in price, volume is subtracted from the running total making up the OBV figure.
How does OBV capitalize?
OBV capitalizes on this idea by keeping a running tally of volume when price moves up or down. On up days, volume (e.g., share count) is added to the indicator. On down days, volume is subtracted from the indicator.
Why do institutional traders buy?
Institutional traders may be more likely to buy when volume is low in a flat or declining market. Volume builds and once the buyers start outbidding the sellers, price will eventually follow. As price rises, retail traders are likely to start buying believing its new uptrend suggests that it might be a good investment (rather than the fact that it’s typically getting more expensive). At this point, institutional traders may begin selling to lock in profits.
Why is OBV moving in one direction?
If the OBV is moving notably in one direction, it could give credence to the idea that a big move could be coming in that direction in price.
What is the idea behind the price-volume indicator?
The idea behind the indicator is that price follows volume, a wide ly held belief among many technical analysts.
When was the volume indicator developed?
When the indicator was developed in the 1960s, the idea was that when volume decreases without an accompanying move in the security, a down move would soon expectedly follow. Similarly, if volume increases without an attendant rise in the security, an upward move is expected to follow.
What is OBV in trading?
During up-days, volume is added, and during down days, volume is subtracted. The OBV is particularly useful as traders have found that volume precedes price and is therefore used as a leading indicator. The most important aspect about the On Balance Volume is that the values are not the main point of focus, but rather the volume moves that are captured by the running line on the OBV.
Why is OBV used in trend lines?
Because the OBV is an oscillator, but one that is not subject to a fixed range, it can be used in different ways including trend line breaks on the OBV, price divergence and so on.
What is OBV short?
In this short strategy article, we will have the OBV Indicator Explained in the simplest terms. The On Balance Volume of OBV for short is a technical indicator which combines volume and price. It was first developed by Joseph Granville and found its use widely in the stock and futures markets where volume is more significant. The OBV indicator is an oscillator and does not have any default settings.
What is on balance volume indicator?
However, all said and done, the On Balance Volume indicator makes for a versatile trading tool which is used to signal early chances in prices due to volume.
What is OBV in trading?
On-Balance Volume (or OBV) is a momentum indicator used in technical analysis trading that is based on market volume flows.
What is OBV in stock market?
On-Balance Volume (or OBV) is a momentum indicator that uses market price and trading volume to make projections about future trends. Traders use it as a way of measuring crowd sentiment and the trading direction of institutional investors, which both highly influential in determining bullish and bearish market environments.
Why do traders add moving averages to technical charts?
For these reasons, expert traders will often add a lagging indicator (such as a Moving Average) to technical analysis charts to achieve a greater balance to price analysis.
What does Granville’s theory suggest about asset prices?
Granville’s investment theories suggest that asset prices will eventually move in the same direction as the market’s dominant transactional flows.
Which investor has the most influence over total flow?
Institutional investors tend to have the most significant influence over the total flow activities, and the OBV is one of the easiest ways for active traders to measure these trends.
Who can use OBV?
OBV readings can also be used by traders that have developed trend-following strategies.
Who was the first trader to understand the real significance of volume flow in terms of its net effect on market prices?
Granville was one of the first traders to understand the real significance of volume flow in terms of its net effect on market prices.
What is OBV in trading?
One trading indicator which makes use of two individual data streams to analyze the markets, is the On Balance Volume indicator, often called “OBV”. OBV is a trading indicator that combines the direction of the price with volume, to give us a sense of the strength of the trend at the moment. As such, OBV becomes a confirmation tool to gauge …
What does OBV mean in bar chart?
OBV=OBV of the previous bar – volume of the current bar (Today’s Volume)
What is an overbought signal?
2. An Oversold Or overbought signal: In some markets, such as stocks and equities in general, there is a quite strong tendency to revert to the mean. This means that they often perform exaggerated moves in either direction, which are then corrected by a move in the opposite direction. If the market has moved too much in the direction of the current trend, while the OBV is going in the opposite direction, that could be a signal to enter the market.
What is OBV divergence?
While divergences can be useful to get a sense of when it’s time to look for a trend reversal, it is important to note that it doesn’t provide the final entry trigger. As a result, divergences can often continue for long periods of time, before the market actually turns around.
What is the divergence of the OBV line?
As you might know, a divergence is when the OBV line goes in one direction, and the price goes in the opposite direction. In traditional technical analysis, a divergence is a sign that a trend reversal might be imminent, and could be worth looking for.
What does it mean when the OBV line is rising?
If the OBV line is rising, it means that the volume on positive days is higher than the volume on negative days. In other words, the market climate is deemed bullish. Conversely, if OBV is falling, it means that the volume on negative days is higher than the volume on positive days. In other words, the market climate is deemed bearish.
Why add distance to the breakout level?
You could also add some distance to the breakout level, which is often done in normal breakout trading, in order to reduce the impact of false breakouts.
What is OBV in stock market?
The on-balance volume indicator (OBV) is a momentum indicator that uses volume flow information to help traders better predict stock price changes. Another way to look at the OBV indicator is to reflect the way the crowd sentiment predicts the bullish or bearish market outcomes. Alternatively, how to measure the buying and selling pressure.
Where is the OBV indicator on a chart?
Here is how the OBV indicator is plotted on a chart: The OBV is displayed as a blue line at the bottom of the chart . You can see the numerical value for the indicator as well, although it isn’t considered as important. It is advisable to focus on the line’s slope and its overall direction instead.
Why is OBV important?
The reason is that volume is often a clear representation of the buying/selling pressure and factors traders’ behavior before the price starts to reflect it. Here is how the strategy looks on a chart.
Why do traders use on balance volume?
Today, traders also use the on-balance volume indicator as a tool to help them find out when institutional and retail investors are present on the market.
What is momentum indicator?
The world of momentum indicators has so much to offer that traders often feel confused about the best tools to enhance their performance. The on-balance volume indicator usually is among the first that comes to mind, and rightly so. As an indicator based on volume flow information, it is a useful tool to help traders forecast …
How many different scenarios can be used for OBV?
There can be three different scenarios depending on the price relationship; today’s price can be higher, lower, or equal to yesterday’s one. Here is how the OBV indicator formula looks like in all three scenarios:
What is the most reliable volume indicator?
The on-balance volume indicator is, arguably, the most popular volume trading indicator. Many traders consider it among the most reliable ones as well.
What is OBV in stock?
What is On Balance Volume aka OBV and How to Use It? On Balance Volume aka OBV is a popular trading indicator. It is a momentum trading indicator. It uses volume to predict changes in price. It’s used as a guide to smooth out a volume trend and identify when more or less volume is flowing into the stock.
What is OBV in math?
The OBV is basically the sum of the two over a period of time. In other words, OBV is math. For example, if today’s closing price is higher than yesterdays then the most up to date OBV would be the previous OBV + today’s volume. If today’s closing is lower than yesterdays, the OBV would be the previous on balance volume – today’s volume.
What is OBV on balance volume?
The (OBV) on balance volume is a momentum trading indicator. It predicts changes in a stocks price using volume flow. OBV measures both the buying and selling pressure and uses an indicator that adds up a stocks volume on bullish days and subtracts volume on bearish days. When price action closes above previous days close, all of the trading volume that day is considered up-volume.
Is the on balance volume indicator bullish or bearish?
The on balance volume indicator measures positive and negative flow. Positive flow is considered bullish because price has continually closed higher ( learn how to short in a bear market). While the negative flow is bearish.
Can you use Bollinger bands as trend lines?
If you’re day trading it’s possible to use bollinger bands as trend lines. They’re just not the straight angular lines known as trend lines. Trend trading is useful for all styles of trading. The on balance volume indicator is another tool you can use to confirm the trend. You can also use RSI and candlestick patterns.
Who invented the OBV?
Volume has always played an important role in trading. A man by the name of Joseph Granville invented the OBV in the sixties. He saw the need for an indicator that matched volume with price. His development showed that if volume jumps before price, price tends to follow.
Does positive volume mean higher prices?
Positive volume can lead to higher prices. The opposite is also true. An OBV that is trending down shows negative volume. This signals lowering prices. This indicator can be useful near the end of a trend when price hasn’t changed but volume has. First, find the trend on the OBV.

Example Calculation of on Balance Volume
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Let’s take a hypothetical daily set of share price and share volume numbers. We’ll then translate this to on balance volume changes. 1. Day 1 = $10.00 share price; volume = 10,000 shares 2. Day 2 = $10.10 share price; volume = 12,000 shares 3. Day 3 = $10.05 share price; volume = 14,000 shares 4. Day 4 = $10.15 share price; volume = 8,000 shares 5. Day 5 = $10.12 share price; volu…
Uses of on Balance Volume
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Like the negative volume index, on balance volume is designed to determine when the “smart” money and “not-so-smart” money are active. It is believed that the money that predominantly moves markets – institutional funds – are most active on low volume days while retail traders and investors are most active on high volume days. (The assumption is that retail traders tend to be …
Trading on Balance Volume
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Many traders who use OBV will be less interested in its value but rather its rate of change to help generate trade ideas. If the OBV is moving notably in one direction, it could give credence to the idea that a big move could be coming in that direction in price. For example, in the chart below (daily chart of the S&P 500), OBV moves down faster th…
Conclusion
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On balance volume is used to determine when the “smart” money and “not-so-smart” money may be most active. Many traders believe that price follows volume. Therefore, if volume or a volume proxy indicator is increasing while the response in price is more muted, some traders may take notice of this divergence as a clue that price may soon follow. Similarly, when price is moving bu…