CQG's roots are in the world of market action data. The premise was that traders needed clear and informative market charts on various time frames and would use studies in conjunction with the charts in order to make trading decisions. When Market Profile®* charts were first introduced, it made perfect sense that CQG would commit to providing the best and easiest Market Profile charts available to the trading community. Have you ever asked: what are Market Profile charts or how do I use Market Profile charts? If so, here is a basic introduction to answer those questions.
Market Profile charts display price distributions, which are constructed of TPOs (Time/Price Opportunities). Each TPO letter identifies a time when the market traded at the price indicated on the vertical axis. Volume profiles are also displayed. They are horizontal bar graphs that appear to the left of each Market Profile distribution. Professional traders use Market Profile charts to identify value, price acceptance, and price rejection.
With Market Profile charts you have access to the Volume Profile study, the Market Profile Value Area (MPVA) study, and the Profile Area Pointer Tool. They allow you to apply some of the same analysis techniques to other CQG charts, such as TFlow® and bar charts. The right-hand chart above is a bar chart with the Volume Profile study (histogram bars on the price scale indicate how much volume has traded at each price) and the MPVA study, which are the horizontal lines indicating the point of control. Point of control is the price that has the maximum number of TPOs, high and low value levels).
Here are some comments from professional traders on CQG's Market Profile charts:
- Robin Mesch, President of Mesch Capital Management: "The ease of splitting the profiles and smoothly combining the splits makes using CQG Market Profile charts a seamless process."
- Tom Alexander, CEO of Alexander Trading: "The ability to set customized configurations, like different profile time frames, opens up for superior market analysis using CQG Market Profile charts."
For more information about Market Profile charts, including webinars detailing how traders use Market Profile, and to sign up for a free trial, visit our Market Profile page.
Our Market Profile webinars feature these presenters:
- Robin Mesch, President of Mesch Capital Management
- Linda Raschke, President of LBR Asset Management and LBRGroup
- Tom Alexander, CEO of Alexander Trading
- Bill Glenn, R. Seelaus & Company Dr.
- John Keppler, Director at the American Institute for Professional Training and Development
- Gene O'Sullivan, CQG Product Specialist
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