Does spread in VSA mean the bid/ask spread?

No. VSA uses the high-to-low range of a price bar. The bid/ask spread is a separate execution cost and liquidity measurement.

Does high volume on a narrow bar prove accumulation?

No. It describes high activity with limited range. A directional interpretation needs prior context and a predefined confirmation test; OHLCV does not reveal participant identity.

Can I use VSA when TradingView has no volume?

You cannot evaluate a volume-based condition from missing volume. Verify another suitable feed or leave the condition unavailable. Replacing missing data with zero creates false low-volume signals.

Are the thresholds on this page standard VSA settings?

No. They are explicit assumptions for a reproducible exercise. Different markets, sessions and baselines can produce different candidate sets, so preserve the settings and test on separate data.

TradingView workflows

Volume spread analysis on TradingView: observable rules and limits

Volume spread analysis (VSA) compares volume with a bar's high-to-low range and closing position, then interprets that combination in its recent price context. Here, spread means candle range, not the bid/ask spread. TradingView bars let you measure those inputs; they do not identify who traded or prove institutional accumulation. Write the measurements, confirmation and failure conditions before assigning a directional meaning.

See the decision guide

Turn the three inputs into numbers

TradeGuider describes VSA through volume, bar range and closing price. The definitions below are an illustrative research specification, not a universal VSA formula or an optimized trading system. Use ordinary time-based candles and the same symbol, interval and session throughout a comparison.

Exercise thresholds: high volume RV ≥ 1.5, low volume RV ≤ 0.7, narrow range RR ≤ 0.7 and wide range RR ≥ 1.3. Upper close means CL ≥ 0.75; lower close means CL ≤ 0.25.
These cutoffs make the examples reproducible. Test their sensitivity on separate data before treating them as useful filters.
For intraday research, an adjacent-bar average can confuse the opening surge with unusual activity. Compare matching session times or restrict the observation window, then document the changed baseline.

Measurement	Definition for this exercise	Boundary
Range R	High minus low.	This excludes gaps from the prior close; it is not true range or candle body size.
Relative volume RV	Current volume / mean volume of the preceding 20 completed bars.	Require 20 valid observations and a positive denominator. Exclude the current bar from the mean.
Relative range RR	Current R / mean R of the preceding 20 completed bars.	Require a positive baseline and a current range above zero.
Close location CL	(Close minus low) / R.	0 means the low; 1 means the high. A zero-range bar has no defined close location.
Background	For this exercise, prior close above its 20-bar close average and that average above its value five bars earlier means rising background.	Evaluate before the candidate bar. Record support or resistance from completed bars, never from future pivots.

Use a rule table with a failure column

Each row describes a candidate to investigate. Terms such as absorption, no supply and stopping volume are interpretations. They become testable only when you state what price must do next and when the hypothesis expires.

Stop evaluating a candidate after its first invalidation. Do not revive it because price later recovers.
Confirmation is only known when its bar closes. A historical label placed on the earlier candidate must not imply that confirmation was available then.
The three-bar window is an explicit assumption for this exercise. It does not establish profitability or prescribe an entry, stop or position size.

Observed combination	Context and hypothesis	Confirmation to record	Failure or alternative
High volume, narrow range: RV ≥ 1.5 and RR ≤ 0.7.	Heavy activity with little range. Near a previously recorded support level, an upper close could motivate a support-holding hypothesis.	Within the next three completed bars, a close above the candidate high, before any close below its low.	A close below its low invalidates that hypothesis. The same shape near resistance can precede a decline; high turnover alone supplies no direction.
Low-volume pullback: RV ≤ 0.7, RR ≤ 0.7 and close below the previous close.	In the defined rising background, price retreats toward a support level recorded before the pullback.	A close above the pullback high within three bars while no bar closes below the recorded support.	A close below support, or no confirmation within three bars. Low activity can accompany an ordinary illiquid decline.
High volume, wide down bar: RV ≥ 1.5, RR ≥ 1.3 and close below the previous close.	After a decline, CL ≥ 0.75 motivates a possible rejection hypothesis. CL ≤ 0.25 gives a different observation.	For the rejection case, a close above its high within three bars before a close below its low.	A lower close followed by a new low fits continued selling. Even an upper close can fail on the next bar.

Worked example: high volume, narrow range, two outcomes

Assume a hypothetical stock bar has high $101.00, low $100.40, close $100.90 and volume 240,000 shares. Its preceding 20 bars average 100,000 shares and a $1.20 range. A support level at $100.40 was recorded beforehand. This is invented data for arithmetic, not a historical trade.

For a separate low-volume pullback example, assume volume 60,000 and range $0.60 with the same baselines. RV = 0.60 and RR = 0.50 satisfy the numeric filters, but only the recorded background and subsequent closes determine whether the full rule qualifies.
Neither outcome identifies an institution, an order type or the intent of a market participant. The bar records aggregate prices and activity.

Value	Calculation	Reading
RV	240,000 / 100,000 = 2.40	Above the 1.50 high-volume threshold.
R and RR	101.00 - 100.40 = 0.60; 0.60 / 1.20 = 0.50	Below the 0.70 narrow-range threshold.
CL	(100.90 - 100.40) / 0.60 = 0.8333	Close in the upper quarter of the bar.
Confirmation path	Next bar closes at $101.10, above $101.00.	The stated confirmation occurs at that next close.
Failure path	Instead, next bar closes at $100.20, below $100.40.	The support-holding hypothesis fails. The original measurements remain identical.

Check what TradingView volume actually measures

TradingView displays the volume supplied by the selected data provider. Some instruments have trade volume, some supply tick volume that counts price updates, and some lack volume entirely. Verify the exchange-qualified symbol and feed before comparing observations. Missing volume cannot support a low-volume signal.

Keep missing, zero and unusually low readings separate. Suppress the volume rule when data is unavailable or its baseline is zero; investigate a zero-volume bar before treating it as evidence.
Tick volume is an activity proxy. It cannot establish the number of contracts or shares traded across an entire market.
A crypto pair on one exchange represents that feed. Do not silently mix it with another venue or switch between base and quote volume.
Use the same regular or extended-hours setting across the sample. News bars, auction activity and thin sessions can meet thresholds for reasons unrelated to the proposed setup.
On an unfinished bar, range, close location and volume can change. Evaluate at bar close and configure any corresponding alert for the same timing.

Price Volume Rank and Better Volume answer narrower questions

A histogram color or rank can help find candidate bars, but its calculation must match the rule you are testing. Record the author, version and inputs of a community script before using its output in a journal.

Method	What it summarizes	What still needs checking
Price Volume Rank	The LazyBear publication compares price-change direction with volume-change direction and attributes the method to Anthony J. Macek.	A price/volume rank does not include the full candle-range, close-location and background specification above. Inspect equality and missing-data behavior in the chosen implementation.
Better Volume indicator	Barry Taylor describes climax, churn and low-volume categories. His churn calculation compares volume divided by range with a lookback maximum.	TradingView ports can differ in volume estimation, lookbacks and colors. A churn flag is not identical to our separate RV and RR thresholds.
VSA review	Interprets volume, range and close within a prior price context.	The hypothesis, confirmation time and failure condition must remain explicit; a label cannot establish trader identity.

Record the hypothesis before reviewing the outcome

In TradingView, select the symbol and ordinary candle interval, add Volume, and use the Data Window to read completed-bar values. Save the candidate screenshot before revealing subsequent bars in a replay exercise. A chart annotation describes the setup; a later journal entry records what actually happened.

Record timestamp and timezone, exchange-qualified symbol, session, interval, volume type, lookback and the RV, RR and CL values.
Write the background rule, pre-existing support or resistance, candidate high/low, confirmation deadline and invalidation level.
Keep the candidate, confirmation, invalidation and expiry timestamps in separate fields or notes. Save failed and expired candidates alongside confirmed ones.
If you simulate trades, add entry timing, exits, position size, fees and slippage separately. A count of confirmed patterns is not a trading return.

Turn the written conditions into a chart aid

Pineify Pine Script AI Coding Agent can help draft an indicator or alert from the measurable rules. Provide the baseline definition, thresholds and bar-close timing, then inspect the generated output in TradingView. Pineify Trading Journal can hold the plan and review notes. Save the chart screenshot separately and put its location or share link in the notes so a later interpretation does not replace the original hypothesis.

Request visible RV, RR and CL values alongside any candidate marker, and a separate missing-data state.
Ask for confirmation to appear on the confirmation bar. If a historical annotation points back to the candidate, retain the later timestamp explicitly.
Compare the chart output with the worked arithmetic and review zero-range bars, insufficient history and unavailable volume before enabling alerts.

Where Pineify fits

Pine Script AI Coding Agent

Draft a chart aid from your volume, range and confirmation rules, then review its calculations and alert timing in TradingView.

Also useful: Trading Journal. Save the original hypothesis, screenshot references and later review notes, including failed and expired candidates.

Draft a VSA chart aid

Related resources

TradingView workflows Relative volume Volume footprint chart limits Record indicator settings

Frequently asked questions

Educational information, not investment advice. Examples and thresholds are hypothetical. No live trading test, profitability or institutional identity is established by these patterns.

Sources and verification

Last verified: 2026-10-17

Published by Pineify. Pineify is an independent product and is not affiliated with TradingView. Sources support the technical explanations; examples do not establish trading performance.