VWAP INDICATOR EXPLAINED

👋Hello traders! In this post, I would like to introduce you to the VWAP indicator, which is used by major market participants in their trading.

Moving averages are one of the most popular basic tools of technical analysis. More than 10 variations are known: EMA, LWMA, etc. All of them, in one way or another, use the same principle of data averaging; the difference is in the coefficients applied to each period. The VWAP indicator is also an analog of the MA indicator, which differs in the fact that the values of periods are weighted by trading volumes. This makes it possible to see a more real picture in contrast to what MA indicators show.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of The Vwap Indicator 📊
In a nutshell, let us recall the principle of calculating a simple moving average (and the rules of their application): the arithmetic mean. If there are three last candles with closing prices (you can choose another price): "5", "3", and "8", then the simple moving average will be equal to (5+2+8)/3 = 5.

Now let's imagine that we get to the market. The seller offers 100 apples at the price of 5 euros and 1 pear at the price of 50 euros. If we follow the MA formula, the average price would be (5+50)/2 = 27.5. And this price would be regardless of how many pieces of apples or pears there are. But, agree, this somehow does not accurately reflect the real average price. It would be more correct to also take into account the quantity of goods sold. And then the formula would look like this: (5*100 + 1*50)/101 = 5.44 euros. That is, in this case, one single pear will not dramatically affect the average price.

What is VWAP? 🤔
The Volume Weighted Average Price (VWAP) indicator is a technical analysis tool, in which the price of each period is weighted by trading volumes of the same period. If on a 5-minute chart one candlestick during 5 minutes trading volumes conditionally amounted to $1 million, and on the second candlestick to $10 thousand, the influence of the second candlestick on the indicator value will be minimized.

Features Of The Vwap Indicator 📝
• VWAP is a trend indicator that works on the same principle as moving average indicators.
• VWAP shows the level of liquidity. The higher the volumes of this or that period, the greater the liquidity in this area. Accordingly, a decrease in the indicator value indicates a decrease in liquidity, either because there is a flat period or traders temporarily minimize open trades.
• VWAP has a minimum of settings and is a confirming indicator for trend strategies.

The VWAP indicator could be a great tool for technical analysis, if not for one question: where to get data on volumes? At an individual broker, it is tick data, which is far from the real market volumes, which distorts the final result so much that it is easier to use classic moving average data.

Since each broker has different volume data with almost the same quotes, VWAP will draw different lines on different platforms. From a professional point of view, it is unacceptable. But on the other hand, if you use VWAP as a confirming signal, you can "adjust" to its chart, finding regularities.

The indicator signals are interpreted separately for long-term and short-term trends. In preliminary analysis, the long-term trend is evaluated first: if VWAP is below the price line for a long time (it is best seen on a line chart), the trend is upward or downward. On the lower timeframe, the logic is somewhat different. If the current price is below the VWAP, it means that the asset can now be bought at a more favorable price than the average market price. However, there is no guarantee that the price will not continue to go down, so the strategy should be based on the main trend indicator, where VWAP will be an additional tool.

If the VWAP indicator crosses the price several times, the market is flat.

Conclusion ✅
It is possible to build a successful trading system based on the VWAP indicator. VWAP is not the Holy Grail, but it can be used to build a strategy with a positive mathematical expectation, which is the ultimate goal of forex trading. The VWAP indicator is interesting for those who work with large volumes of trades on the stock market with direct access to the U.S. exchanges, from where VWAP will pull the initial data.

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