What it is
Delta per bar shows aggression one candle at a time. CVD joins those numbers into a line so you can see the trend in aggression over hours or days and compare it with price.
The indicator has no settings to tune. Its absolute level matters less than its direction and how it compares with price. It needs the exchange's record of which side started each trade, so on WickSpeak CVD reads on crypto charts.
How it is calculated
For each candle, work out delta: aggressive buy volume minus aggressive sell volume. CVD for a candle is the previous CVD plus this candle's delta, starting from zero at the first loaded candle. Because it starts from the first loaded candle, compare its shape and direction, not its exact value.
How to read it
How to trade it
- 1
On a 15 minute Bitcoin chart, look for price to make a new low while CVD makes a higher low.
- 2
Entry trigger: the next candle that closes back above the previous candle's high after that low.
- 3
Stop below the new low.
- 4
Target the last swing high before the low, or 2 times the stop.
A close below the low that formed the divergence cancels it: sellers have taken out the level the trade relied on.
On WickSpeak, CVD writes a plain-English reading on the live candle: whether aggression is building on the buy or sell side, whether price agrees, how to trade it and what would prove it wrong. It reads on crypto charts, which work with no broker connected.
Best markets and timeframes
Crypto markets with trade by trade data, on 5 minute to 4 hour charts, where divergences develop over several swings.
Common mistakes
- Reading the absolute CVD number, which depends on where the loaded history starts.
- Trading a divergence without a price trigger; divergences can build for a long time.
- Using CVD alone in thin markets where a few large trades distort it.
Works well with
Questions traders ask
What does CVD mean in trading?
Cumulative volume delta: the running total of aggressive buy volume minus aggressive sell volume. It shows which side has been more aggressive over time.
What is CVD divergence?
Price and CVD disagree, for example price makes a higher high while CVD makes a lower high. It shows the move is not backed by the same aggression as before.
Is CVD better than OBV?
CVD uses the real side of each trade, so it measures aggression directly. On-balance volume only assigns a whole candle's volume by whether it closed up or down. Where trade data exists, CVD is more precise.
Does CVD work for crypto?
Yes, crypto exchanges publish every trade with its side, so CVD is precise there. On WickSpeak, CVD reads on crypto charts.