What this calculation represents
A transaction VWAP weights every executed price by its trade quantity. OHLCV bars do not reveal those individual transactions. This calculator uses HLC3 as one representative price for each bar and weights it by that bar’s volume. It is a bar-based approximation and need not match a tick-based execution benchmark.
Check the arithmetic with two synthetic bars
If the first bar has high, low and close all equal to 10 with volume 100, and the second has all three prices equal to 20 with volume 300, the final average is (10 × 100 + 20 × 300) / 400 = 17.5. Anchoring at the second row gives 20. A subsequent zero-volume bar leaves the average unchanged; if all included volumes are zero, the value is undefined.
Choose the interval before interpreting it
For a session calculation, supply bars from that session in order and start at row 1. For an event-based interval, choose a row as the anchor. This format contains no timestamps, event calendar or session metadata, so it cannot find an earnings release, sort dates or split multiple days automatically. Do not combine different instruments or incompatible volume units.
HLCV mode leaves Open undefined in the table. The open price is validated in OHLCV mode but is not part of HLC3. Price and volume must have compatible adjustments; split-adjusted prices with incompatible volume can distort a weighted result.
Interpretation limits
VWAP is an average of supplied historical observations, not intrinsic value or a participant-identification method. Being above it does not establish accumulation, and an event anchor does not reveal the cost basis of investors who still hold positions. A strategy built around crossings needs its own explicit rules, costs and out-of-sample evaluation.
Formula reference: TradingView’s VWAP calculation and anchor settings. The manual tool here implements a selected start row, not all of TradingView’s reset periods or indicator options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this exact transaction VWAP?
It is a bar approximation: each row’s volume is weighted by (high + low + close) / 3. Exact transaction VWAP weights each executed trade price by its own quantity. The two need not match.
What does the anchor do?
The selected row begins accumulation and is included. Earlier rows remain visible but have no calculated VWAP. This page has no timestamps and does not detect sessions or reset at midnight; provide one session or choose the interval explicitly.
Which inputs are accepted?
Choose OHLCV with exactly five fields or HLCV with exactly four, one bar per line in chronological order. Use finite positive prices, consistent high/low bounds and nonnegative volume. Blank lines are ignored; malformed rows stop the calculation. Maximum 5,000 bars. The format contains no headers or thousands separators.
What happens with zero volume?
A zero-volume bar adds no weight. Until positive cumulative volume exists after the anchor, VWAP is undefined and shown as a dash. Later zero-volume bars leave the cumulative value unchanged.
Does price above VWAP reveal institutional buying?
No. Price position relative to a weighted average does not identify participants, their entry cost, future direction or fair value. This calculator has no order-flow or ownership data and makes no trade recommendation.
Where does the data come from?
You supply it manually. Both example buttons load synthetic OHLCV rows, not downloaded market history. Use consistent price currency, volume units, session boundaries and corporate-action adjustments; there is no data feed or currency conversion.