Understanding Footprint Charts

A footprint chart splits each price level inside a candle into bid volume (buyers hitting the bid) and ask volume (sellers lifting the offer). Unlike a standard candle that only shows OHLC, the footprint reveals who was active at each price — the foundation of order-flow trading.

Heavy ask volume at a level often means aggressive buyers lifted the offer — bullish pressure at that price.

Heavy bid volume can mean sellers hit the bid aggressively — bearish pressure. Context matters: at highs, bid hits may indicate distribution; at lows, they may signal absorption.

Delta is the net difference between ask and bid volume for a bar or cluster. Positive delta suggests net buying; negative delta suggests net selling. XtradeReverse uses delta optionally to confirm absorption when large volume sits at an edge but price rejects that level.

Institutions rarely trade in single ticks. They leave clusters — stacked levels of abnormal bid/ask imbalance or concentrated volume at highs or lows. XtradeReverse scans these clusters across the C1–C5 pattern window to validate reversal entries.

Candlesticks summarize outcome; footprints explain mechanism. A bullish hammer at support means little if sellers still dominate the bid at the low. A footprint showing absorption (sellers failing to push lower) gives a measurable edge before price reverses — which is exactly what XtradeReverse automates.