Welcome to the ultimate Wyckoff trading course. In this course, you will learn the basics of this trading approach. If you are new to the channel, please consider clicking the like button and subscribing right now as this helps support the channel. We start by realizing that in trading, the odds of success are not particularly great for the vast majority of people. The small retail trader is competing in a way, with other large traders who have much more knowledge, more experience, more capital, better trading tools, better access to information, not to mention a greater capacity to analyze this information. Perhaps more importantly, for the purposes of this course, large, well-informed traders have a deeper understanding of trading psychology and the capacity to use this understanding against the uninformed retail traders. It's an asymmetric game to say the least. The logical step for the retail trader is to trade with the large traders rather than against them.
The Wyckoff methodology is based on the identification of what the large traders are doing using a logical approach, which can empower the retail trader to avoid being an easy prey for the large traders and to be on the right side of the market along with the well-informed traders. The hallmark of the Wyckoff methodology is the use of logic to understand the actions and footprints of well-informed traders in the market. It is also a more flexible trading approach in comparison to the Dell theory and the L8 Wave theory, for example. Before we dive into the method, it's important we understand where it came from first. Richard Wyckoff was born in 1873. During the time he worked as a broker, he was able to observe how large traders behaved by watching the charts and the tape.
According to Wyckoff, the movements of the market could be anticipated through its own action because the steps of large traders believed footprints in the charts and tape. Richard Wyckoff became a Wall Street superstar after his success with his own methodology. The method is based on a logical approach to reading the markets and you realize on ideas like supply and demand, cause and effect, effort and result in a detailed account of how the well-informed traders act in the market. The enthusiasts of the Wyckoff method believe that understanding the mechanics of market manipulation is the true key for the traders' evolution. That said, as we begin learning the Wyckoff method with the four phases of price action, most of what we are going to see later is built on this first idea.
We start with the idea that price action moves in waves. These waves have a fractal nature, meaning that up and down movements repeat inside themselves across all scales. This is the same idea built in the LA wave theory, where the 5-3 wave pattern repeats inside itself in multiple degrees. In the Wyckoff method, however, there is no rule about how many waves a trend should have precisely. There is, however, a guideline about the general structure of how market waves develop. This leads us to the idea of four phases of price action. The four phases are accumulation, uptrend, distribution, downtrend, and the mechanics behind these four phases is explained by the supply and demand and the concept of path of least resistance.
An accumulation happens at the beginning of an uptrend. Vires will accumulate positions until they are certain that there is no significant supply in their way. That way they can create the uptrend more freely. When there is sufficient accumulation, the path of least resistance is to the upside. Note that the expression path of least resistance simply means the easiest path. When there is too much demand and not a lot of supply, the easiest path the price can take is up. That is what creates an uptrend after an accumulation phase according to the Wyckoff methodology. One important detail here is that an uptrend is not necessarily followed by a distribution. There is the possibility of a re-accumulation phase where buyers will accumulate positions in order to free space to the upside so that the uptrend can continue. This means that there isn't a set number of waves in an uptrend like there is on the Elliot wave theory.
Notice also that this idea of accumulation and distribution is the same found in the Dow theory. We can state that the Wyckoff methodology is to some degree an evolution of the Dow theory. A distribution phase happens when buyers believe that the uptrend has gone too far and our sellers will become the dominant player. The logic is exactly the same for the downtrend. Sellers will sell until there is no significant demand in their way. This ensures that the path of least resistance for price is to the downside. Just like there exists the possibility of a re-accumulation, there is the possibility of a redistribution only for the downtrend to continue further. The accumulation and distribution are ranging market phases while the uptrend and downtrend are trending market phases.
There are mainly three types of scenarios, the uptrend, the downtrend and the sideways market. An uptrend is characterized by higher highs and higher lows. A downtrend is characterized by lower highs and lower lows. And a sideways market is characterized by flat highs and flat lows. The sideways market can be subdivided into five types. Flat highs and flat lows can mean an accumulation, a re-accumulation, a distribution, a redistribution, a redistribution or a random range, which is just a sideways market that doesn't necessarily function as an accumulation or distribution.
Let's now study the fundamental laws behind the Wyckoff method, which are of great importance for the comprehension of market context. One of the fundamental laws used in Wyckoff methodology is the law of supply and demand, which is one of the most reliable economic principles. If you want to go deeper into the study of supply and demand, you can watch the Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Supply and Demand in the video card or video description. The law of supply and demand states that the market price will always seek an equilibrium state, which is the point where the supply and demand curves intersect.
Let's observe a hypothetical example of supply and demand curves to develop a geometric intuition about why price rises when there is more demand and why price falls when there is more supply. Imagine for simplicity's sake that we are talking about a simple good like apples, for example. The law of demand states that the higher the price of something, the less buyers will be willing to get it. In the graph, we have price on the vertical axis and the quantity on the horizontal axis. As the price of apples rise, the quantity demanded of apples will decrease so the demand curve is down-sloping. Make sure you truly understand that before moving forward.
The law of supply states that the higher the price, the more sellers will be willing to sell it. In our example, the higher the price of apples, the more sellers will be willing to sell it in order to make a greater profit. So the supply curve is up-sloping. Notice that there is always a tension between supply and demand as they have opposite interests. The law of supply and demand states that a market will always see clinical equilibrium, which is the point where the supply and demand curves intersect. This is the point of agreement between buyers and sellers.
This point of agreement can be represented by a price. To understand how prices might rise or fall, we need to observe what happens when there is a shift in demand or a shift in supply. For example, imagine that a scientific paper is published claiming that apples are good for people's health in a way that has not been anticipated before. This will cause buyers to be willing to buy more apples for the same price. In other words, there will be a shift in demand. Geometrically, this is represented by the demand curve going to the right. This movement of the demand curve to the right causes the point of equilibrium to move up along the supply curve to meet the new intersection.
This is what ultimately makes price rise since the new point of equilibrium is above the previous one. Following the same logic, an increase in supply for whatever reason will cause the supply curve to move to the right since sellers will be willing to sell more apples at the same given price. The shift to the right forces the point of equilibrium to move down along the demand curve to meet the new intersection. This is what ultimately makes price fall since the new point of equilibrium is below the previous one.
Notice that price can rise due to an increase in demand or a decrease in supply and fall due to an increase in supply or a decrease in demand. This is the mechanics behind price movement. The asymmetry between supply and demand is not exactly a function of the number of buyers and sellers in the market. It's a function of their integrated power. For example, 10 powerful buyers can generate more demand than 1,000 weak sellers can generate supply. That's why powerful traders can influence the market in certain situations. At this point, it's useful to differentiate between two different types of supply or demand. There are aggressive orders, which are basically market orders. They represent aggressive supply or demand. There are also passive orders, which are limit orders. They represent passive supply or demand.
Aggressive supply or demand is what can in fact generate price movement. Value of supply or demand cannot generate price movements, but it can stop it or slow it down. So for price to move up, buyers have to display the initiative to buy at market. The limit orders from sellers can only slow down this process, but they cannot bring price down. In other words, if the aggressive demand is greater than the passive supply, the market will rise. For price to move down, sellers have to display the initiative to sell at market. The limit orders from buyers can only slow down this process, but they cannot bring price up. Take a look at this table. This is called the order book. Here we can see the buy and sell orders at the different price levels. On the left, we have buy orders in the bid column, and on the right, we have the sell orders in the ask column. Right now, this hypothetical market is currently priced at $50. For price to move up to $51, buyers have to absorb all these sell orders at $50, which in this case is equal to $49.
The same logic also works on the opposite direction. If sellers want to drive the market down, they need to absorb the demand on the way down. Notice that they higher the price, the larger the number of sell orders. This is logical because they higher the price, the more overbought the market will be, so the more selling pressure there will be. The same happens on the way down. The lower the price, the greater the perception of an oversold market, so the greater the buying pressure. By observing limit orders in the bid and ask columns of the order book, we can identify lack of interest. A lack of interest of buyers occurs when the number of orders in the bid column is generally smaller in multiple levels than the levels in the ask column. By the same token, a lack of interest of sellers occurs when the number of orders in the ask column is generally smaller in multiple levels than the levels in the bid column. It's important to realize that for every buy order, there must be a counterpart on the other side. The same is true for a sell order. For orders to be executed, buyers and sellers have to agree with the current price. Recall that the market can move up or down by an aggressive approach from buyers or sellers, but there is another scenario that is worth knowing called absorption, which is when one side of the market blocks another using limit orders.
For example, for price to move up, buyers have to aggressively place market orders, and it can only go up if it consumes the available supply in each price level. Sellers can absorb the demand by placing limited orders to block the possibility of price coming up. The opposite scenario where buyers absorb supply to block a downward movement is also possible, of course. For example, take a look at this scenario. From the $50 to $54 price level, there is a lack of selling interest, which would create a path of least resistance to the upside. However, in price levels 55 and 56, there is a large number of limit orders. If buyers want to drive the market up, they will have to consume this unusually large supply. This is one of the ways that large traders can act in the market. They can absorb supply or demand in strategic points. Notice that price levels with large number of orders inevitably create high volume and narrow range in the price chart. Here you can see a hypothetical example of supply absorption. Notice how in the highlighted market levels, there is an unusually large number of orders on the demand side. If sellers want to drive the market down past these levels, they will need a lot of aggressive supply. So this is an attempt to block sellers by using passive demand.
In the Wyckoff method, we use price section and volume in order to understand what's happening between buyers and sellers. Aggressive and passive supply and demand maneuvers like we can see in the hypothetical order book examples in here are reflected in the analysis of price and volume. This will be outlined later in the course. For now, let's move on to the second fundamental law, which is the law of cause and effect. Another fundamental law of the Wyckoff methodology is the law of cause and effect, which is the idea of determinism. In the context of the method, the range is a cause and the trend that follows is the effect. One important detail is that effects are proportional to the size of causes.
So a short accumulation causes a short trend and a long accumulation causes a long uptrend. A short distribution causes a short downtrend and a long distribution causes a long downtrend. This is useful for the projection of the trend duration based on how long the previous accumulation or distribution has been. These four phases of accumulation, uptrend, distribution and downtrend form what is called the Wyckoff cycle. An accumulation leads to an uptrend, then the market displays a distribution which leads to a downtrend. However, the market doesn't always change direction after an accumulation or distribution necessarily.
Sometimes these phases simply don't occur. There are scenarios where the market simply reverses direction through what are called fast patterns, which come in four types. The climax, the double top or bottom, the pullback and the bull or bear trap. The climax is a fast reversal pattern marked by the complete absence of accumulation or distribution phases. The market simply goes from an uptrend directly to a downtrend or from a downtrend directly to an uptrend without much warning. This is analogous to the V-bottom and V-top patterns.
The second fast pattern is the double top or double bottom, which are two famous reversal chart patterns. In the double bottom, the market will produce two lows at the same price level and then reverse to an uptrend. In the double top, the market will produce two highs at the same price level and then reverse to a downtrend. Notice that the double top or double bottom pattern has more sideways motion than a climax but not enough to be considered an accumulation or a distribution. The pullback is similar to the double top or bottom but the second drive fails to reach the same level of the first one.
The bullish pullback is marked by two higher lows while the bearish pullback is marked by two lower highs. In the bullish pullback, the fact that the market fails to meet the previous low is an indication of buying pressure while in the bearish pullback, the fact that the market fails to meet the previous high is an indication of selling pressure. The fourth fast reversal pattern is the bull or bear trap. The bullish reversal pattern is called bear trap because the market surpasses the previous low, giving the impression that it will continue to the downside, only to reverse significantly to the upside right after.
In other words, sellers are tricked into believing that the market will fall and it's the name bear trap. The bearish reversal pattern is called bull trap because the market surpasses the previous high, giving the impression that it will continue to the upside, only to reverse significantly to the downside right after. In other words, buyers are tricked into believing that the market will rise and it's the name bull trap. Let's now look at another fundamental law in the Wyckoff method, which is the law of effort and result. Similar to the idea that causes perceived effects, the Wyckoff method also states that effort precedes results.
In the context of the method, the term effort means volume and the term result means price action. The reason for this is that price action should reflect the corresponding volume action. This is known as the harmony or convergence of price and volume. There are times, however, when price action doesn't reflect volume, which is known as divergence. One of the keys of the Wyckoff method is that the action of large traders can be detected through volume. The effort and result have a proportional relationship in the same way that cause and effect does.
We can look at effort and result or volume and price in a few different ways. The first is to observe the volume associated with each candlestick, which is also known as volume spread analysis or VSA. We can identify basically two types of candlesticks and two types of volume for simplicity sake. The wide range and narrow range candlesticks and the high volume and low volume bars. When there is convergence or harmony, high volume results in a wide range candle and low volume results in a narrow range candle.
Divergence occurs when high volume produces a narrow range candle or when low volume produces a wide range candle. A wide range candle with low volume means that there is a lack of interest in one side of the market through the entire range of that candle. So it's easy for one of the sides of the market to absorb the other. A narrow range candle with high volume means that there might be an absorption going on. There is a high volume of orders being traded in a narrow price range. Let's observe these scenarios with illustrations so it becomes easier to understand. On the left we have an example of harmony, meaning a wide range candle created with high volume.
On the right we have an example of divergence, meaning a wide range candle created with low volume. In this other illustration we have a narrow range candle created with low volume which is denominated as harmony and on the right we have a narrow range candle created with high volume, which is a divergence scenario. These are the four possible cases for when the market is rising. When the market is falling eyesxy named inverted it is equal but the volume bars are invalid. In this illustration we can see the harmonic relationship between a wide range candle created with high volume and the divergent relationship between a wide range candle created with low volume.
In this other image we can see the harmonic relationship between a narrow range candle created with low volume and the divergent relationship between a narrow range candle created with high volume. The second way of analyzing effort and result is to observe what happens in the subsequent shift, just the price movement after a given candlestick being analyzed. For example, a high volume wide range bullish candlestick should lead to a rising price in the subsequent candles. If pricing deed goes up, there is harmony or convergence. If a high volume wide range bullish candlestick leads to a falling price, there is divergence. High volume wide range bearish candlestick should lead to a falling price in the subsequent candles.
That would be an example of harmony or convergence. If a high volume wide range bearish candlestick leads to a rising price, we have a case of divergence. This illustration we can see a high volume wide range candle leading to a rising price, which represents a harmonic subsequent shift. On the right, we can see a high volume wide range candle leading to a falling price, which represents a divergent subsequent shift. In this other image, we can see the harmonic and divergent subsequent shifts for bearish high volume wide range candles. The third way of analyzing effort and result is by looking at price movements relative to their function in the trend. A price movement in the direction of the trend should display an increase in volume, while price movement against the trend should display a decrease in volume.
When that happens, there is harmony. When a price movement in the direction of the trend displays a decrease in volume, and the price movement against the trend displays an increase in volume, there is divergence between effort and result. In this image, we can see the harmonic scenario of an up trend. The impulse movement increases in volume, and the corrective movement decreases in volume. In this other illustration, we can see a harmonic scenario for a downtrend, meaning, an increase in volume on the impulse movement, and an decrease in volume on the operational quality, and a decrease in volume on the correct move. Finally, a divergent scenario for a downtrend is to observe a decrease in volume on the impulse movement, and an increase in volume on the corrective movement.
Fourth and broader mode of analyzing effort and results, but I can vary the non-adjacent price movement. As we just saw, impulse movements should have higher volume than corrective movements for harmony to take place. Otherwise, there is divergence. Beyond that, with each impulse movement, volume should generate progressively higher peaks. When it doesn't, it's a divergence scenario. For an uptrend, the harmonic scenario occurs when each new high produces a higher peak in volume, while the divergence scenario is marked by higher highs in price, with lower highs in volume. For a downtrend, the harmonic scenario is marked by lower lows in price and higher peaks in volume. In the divergence scenario, the lower lows in price create lower peaks in volume.
The fifth way of analyzing effort and result is by observing what happens when the price is about to break a significant level of support and resistance, slope-lined or dynamic-lined, like a moving average, for example. Harmony occurs when price breaks the level in question with high volume and doesn't lose the level afterwards. Divergence happens when price breaks a level with high volume, only to create a false breakout right after. For upward price movements, harmonic scenarios occurs when price zooms a resistance line, turning it into support which holds price action right after. In the divergence scenario, the support will not be able to hold price rendering the scenario as a false breakout. For downward price movements, a harmonic scenario occurs when the price zooms a support line turning into resistance, which holds price action right after. In the divergence scenario, the resistance will not be able to hold price rendering the scenario as a false breakout.
We must now move on to the study of the accumulation and distribution processes in greater detail and to the comprehension of the seven logical events outlined by the Wycoff method. Before we move on to the details of accumulation and the distribution, we have to realize that the Wycoff method was developed for the stock market anytime when more complex financial instruments did not exist. That means that the process of accumulation and distribution is based on the absorption of a limited number of stocks floating around. In today's markets, more refined financial instruments like derivatives change this paradigm. In the futures market, for example, the number of contracts that can be traded is infinite, so the accumulation and distribution processes are based on the interest or in the lack of interest of buyers and sellers.
Nowadays, most retail traders have the notion that there are different types of market participants with different degrees of power in the market. It's useful to realize that trading is a game of information, meaning that the success of a market participant is not precisely a function of capital, but a function of information. In that sense, we can separate the market into two types of players, the well-informed and the uninformed. Large traders are well-informed and more than capable of understanding the flow of the market while retail traders are mostly uninformed, meaning that they are predominantly confused about what the market will do next. Well-informed traders are always ahead of the uninformed traders.
That's why capital flows constantly from the hands of the uninformed to the hands of the well-informed. Once again, this is a matter of information, not capital. If large traders can purposefully trigger stop orders in certain places of the chart, you can avoid being a victim of such a maneuver by understanding its mechanics. In other words, the limiting factor for retail traders is not just capital, it's information. Earlier in the course, we talked about some of the fast reversal patterns that might appear in the market, the climax, the double top or bottom, the pullback and the bull or bear trap. However, these are the exceptions in the Wycoff method.
In the normal Wyckoff cycle, the trend changes through a slow pattern, which is the main object of analysis of this method. The reason for that is that trend changing campaigns take some time to develop. Well-informed traders have to slowly act in order to effectively turn the market. It's time now to take a closer look at the nuances of the accumulation and distribution processes more carefully. Let's begin with the accumulation process. The accumulation is a ranging market that precedes an uptrend. In other words, the accumulation is the market phase where large traders will absorb supply, which we can see as the cause of the uptrend that will follow known as the effect. It logically means that if large traders create the accumulation, the downtrend that precedes it is in control of uninformed small traders. As the market is driven down by the uninformed traders, large, well-informed traders gradually absorb supply in order to create a reversal.
The fundamental maneuver in an accumulation process is the bear trap, which is denominated as spring in the wake of terminology. The spring is characterized by a sharp movement to the downside, which breaks the lower limit or support of the accumulation range. The motivation for this maneuver is threefold. Trigger the stop-loss orders of traders who manage to enter good long positions at the lower limit of the accumulation range. The stop-loss of a long position is a short position. In other words, when these tops are triggered, large, well-informed traders can take the counterpart and buy at low prices. The spring maneuver can induce uninformed traders to the downside. When traders see price breaking in support, they are tempted to sell so they don't miss out on the opportunity. Their sell orders provide liquidity to the large, well-informed traders which just want to buy at these low prices. And last but not least, the spring also served as a way for well-informed traders to lock profits from the short positions resulting from the prior downtrend. Large traders will absorb supply until they are assured that the path of least resistance is to the upside.
They can perform certain maneuvers in order to test if that's the case. This is something that you, as an observer, of this process should pay attention to. If large traders observe that downward price movements don't grab the attention of sellers, showing low volume, it's a sign that there is lack of interest to the downside and supply has been mostly absorbed. Let's look at the basic characteristics of an accumulation. As the accumulation range develops, there is the tendency for volume and volatility to decline, generally speaking. This happens because, as time passes by, in large traders absorb supply, there will be progressively less interest to the downside. Volume will increase before price breaks out of the accumulation range, which is one of the signs that can be used to anticipate the uptrend. In the attempt to manipulate uninformed traders, large traders will create what is called a spring, which is a false bearish breakout intended to induce uninformed traders to sell at lower prices, just so that well-informed traders can buy more at an extremely good price.
Since well-informed traders will be absorbing supply constantly, the bullish candlesticks will tend to be wider than the bearish ones. In the final stages of the accumulation, the formation of higher highs and higher lows inside the accumulation will occur to initiate the uptrend. The accumulation will finally end when well-informed traders absorb enough supply, so that selling interest is very low. This will create a path of least resistance to the upside and the uptrend will start. Let's now take a look at the details of the distribution. The distribution is a range market that precedes a downtrend. In other words, the distribution is the market phase where large traders will absorb demand, which we can see as the cause of the downtrend that will follow, known as the effect. It logically means that if large traders create the distribution, the uptrend that precedes it is in control of uninformed traders. As the market is driven up by uninformed traders, large well-informed traders gradually absorb demand in order to create a lack of interest to the upside.
The fundamental maneuver in a distribution process is the bull trap, which is denominated as up-thrust in the lack of terminology. The up-thrust is characterized by a sharp movement to the upside, which breaks the upper limits or resistance of the distribution range. The motivation for this maneuver is threefold. Trigger the stop-loss orders of traders who manage to enter good short positions at the upper limits of the distribution range. The stop-loss of a short position is a long position. In other words, when these stops are triggered, large well-informed traders can take the counterpart and sell at high prices. The up-thrust maneuver can induce uninformed traders to the upside. And traders see price breaking and resistance. They are tempted to buy so they don't miss out on the opportunity. Their buy orders provide liquidity to the large well-informed traders who just want to sell at these high prices. Last but not least, the up-thrust also serves as a way for well-informed traders to lock profits from the long positions resulting from the prior uptrend. Large traders will observe demand until they are assured that the path of least resistance is to the downside.
They can perform certain maneuvers in order to test if that's the case. This is something that you as an observer of this process should pay attention to. If large traders observe that upper-priced movements don't grab the attention of buyers, showing low volume, it's a sign that there is lack of interest to the upside, and demand has been mostly absorbed. Let's look at the basic characteristics of a distribution. As the distribution range develops, there is the tendency for volume and volatility to decline generally speaking. This happens because as time passes by, the large traders observe demand, there will be progressively less interest to the upside. Volume will increase before price breaks out of the distribution range, which is one of the signs that can be used to anticipate the downtrend.
In the attempt to manipulate uninformed traders, large traders will create what is called a number thrust, which is a false bullish breakout intended to induce uninformed traders to buy at higher prices just so that well-informed traders can sell more at an extremely good price. Since well-informed traders will be observing demand constantly, the bearish candlesticks will tend to be wider than the bullish ones. In the final stages of the distribution, the formation of lower highs and lower lows inside a distribution will occur to initiate the downtrend. The distribution will finally end when well-informed traders observe enough demand so that buying interest is very low. This will create a path of least resistance to the downside and the downtrend will start. Given these basic characteristics of accumulation and distribution structures, it's time now to move on to the seven logical events outlined by the Wycov Method.
The Wycov Methodology outlines seven logical events to help the trader read the market more accurately. The main advantage in this is that the trader knows what to expect in each market scenario, which can help reduce some of the uncertainty of trading. These events are the preliminary stop, the climax, the reaction, the secondary test, the false breakout, the breakout, and the confirmation. Next, we'll examine each of these seven events more carefully, starting with the preliminary stop. The preliminary stop is the first sign that the trend might be near its end. When we are talking about an accumulation, the preliminary stop is called preliminary support.
And when we are talking about a distribution, the preliminary stop is called preliminary supply. The main characteristic of a preliminary stop is the first entrance of large traders in the opposite direction of the main trend. This is usually displayed in two different forms, with narrow range candles that have high volume, which is a form of divergence in volume spread analysis, or with a candle that has a large tail and high volume. In other words, the preliminary stop is the first large traders attempt to absorb orders. Let's observe hypothetical examples of that, both in accumulation and distribution processes, starting with the accumulation first.
The preliminary support occurs when the downtrend is still in effect, so it's usually not the lowest point in the trend. It's just the first appearance of large well-informed traders starting to absorb supply. As I said previously, the preliminary support will appear mainly in two forms, either as a set of narrow range candles with constant high volume across them, or as a candle with a prominent large shadow and high volume. High volume across the set of narrow range candles means that the supply from uninformed traders is badly with the demand from well-informed traders. The result is a high level of activity in a narrow price range.
The other scenario where a large shadow appears is a little more explicit. The large shadow is a clear sign of entrance from well-informed traders on the other side of the trend. In the distribution, the rationale is the same, but upside down. The preliminary supply occurs when the uptrend is still in effect, so it's usually not the highest point in the trend. It's just the first appearance of large well-informed traders starting to absorb demand. As I said previously, the preliminary supply will appear mainly in two forms, either as a set of narrow range candles with constant high volume across them, whereas a candle with prominent large shadow and high volume.
The high volume across the set of narrow range candles means that the demand from uninformed traders is battling the supply from the well-informed traders. The result is a high level of activity in a narrow price range. The other scenario where a large shadow appears is a little more explicit. The large shadow is a clear sign of entrance from well-informed traders on the other side of the trend. For the trader following the Wyckoff method, the preliminary stop has two main uses. It serves as an indication that it's no longer a good idea to trade in the direction of the current trend, and the current price level might be a good place to take profits, assuming a position was taken at the beginning of the current trend. There's the possibility of a trend having multiple preliminary stops before transitioning into a sideways market due to the inertial movement of a trend. Trying to stop a strong trend is like trying to stop a cargo ship. A lot of power is necessary, so one preliminary stop might not be enough to transition the market into a sideways movement.
The climax is the second event in the Wyckoff method, coming right after the preliminary stop, and it is marked by a wide range candle in the trend direction with climatic volume. It's usually the highest high before a distribution or the lowest low before an accumulation. In the case of an accumulation, the climax is denoted as a selling climax, and in the case of a distribution, it is denoted as a buying climax. As the event name suggests, the climax will usually appear as a wide range candle with high volume, but not necessarily. The climax might also appear in similar structures to the preliminary stop, meaning a set of narrow range candles with high volume where a candlestick with large tail and high volume. In this illustration, you can see the textbook version of the buying and selling climaxes. The confirmation for the climax can only come from event number three and four, which we'll study next.
In the overall sense, the climax comes after the preliminary stop. In the case of an accumulation, the selling climax will come after the preliminary support, as you can see in this illustration. In the case of a distribution, buying climax will come after the preliminary supply. The uses of the climax are similar to the preliminary stop. It's an indication that trades in the direction of the main trend should not be taken anymore, even though what happens after the climax will determine if the trend will continue or not. Second, is probably the last chance to take profits from the current trend trade, assuming there was one. It's also important to know that a trend might not always end with a climatic volume. In that case, instead of a buying or selling climax, there will be a buying or selling exhaustion, which is the gradual decrease in volume at the end of a trend.
Decreasing volume simply means a lack of interest from one of the sides of the market. Buying or selling exhaustion represent a type of divergent relationship between price and volume, or effort and results using Wyckoff terminology. A climax is not confirmed until the third event, which is called reaction, which is characterized by a sharp movement in the opposite direction of the climax. In the case of an accumulation structure, the reaction is called automatic rally, and in distribution structures, the reaction is called automatic reaction. This is a critical event because it not only confirms the climax, but it also represents what is called a change of character in the Wyckoff terminology.
成交量减少只是意味着市场一方缺乏兴趣。买入或卖出疲软表示在价格和成交量之间、或在努力和结果之间存在一种背离关系,使用Wyckoff术语来解释。高潮(climax)直到第三个事件发生后才被确认,这个事件称为反应(reaction),其特点是价格朝高潮相反方向的急剧运动。在积累结构中,这个反应称为自动反弹(automatic rally),在分布结构中,反应称为自动回撤(automatic reaction)。这是一个关键事件,因为它不仅确认了高潮,还标志着Wyckoff术语中的所谓“性质的改变”(change of character)。
In other words, the reaction signals the end of the current trend and the beginning of the sideways movement. This change of character itself must be confirmed by the next logical event. The degree of the reaction is a key factor in determining if the market will indeed reverse after the sideways market, or if it will resume the direction of the prior trend. A strong reaction suggests that a reversal might take place while a weak reaction with low volume suggests a reaccumulation or redistribution. Generally speaking, the reaction will begin with high volume and end with low volume. In this illustration, you can see an example of an automatic rally, meaning the reaction after a selling climax. In this other illustration, you can see an example of an automatic reaction after a buying climax.
There are three main uses for the reaction event. The first is to be used as one of the boundaries for the accumulation or distribution ranges. In the case of an accumulation, the automatic rally establishes the upper limits of the range or the resistance. In the case of a distribution, the automatic reaction establishes the lower limits of the range or the support. The second use of the reaction is to confirm the climax. The automatic rally will confirm a selling climax while the automatic reaction will confirm a buying climax. The third use of the reaction is to provide context. In other words, if the reaction confirms the climax, now traders know that they should expect a secondary test at the level of the climax. This is very useful because it eliminates some of the uncertainty. In other words, using a method like Wyckoff has the benefit of knowing what to expect in different market scenarios.
The secondary test is the fourth logical event and it is characterized as a price movement aiming to test the level of the climax, but with lower volume and narrow candle ranges. Sometimes price will fall short of the climax, sometimes it will test exactly and sometimes it will surpass the level of the climax. These different situations are indications of the underlying strength of market players. The secondary test is characteristic after the reaction and you will mark the end of what is called phase A. However, other secondary tests can occur in phase B and they represent a challenge to traders using the Wyckoff methodology because they sometimes produce minor fouls breakouts. In this illustration, you can see the example of a secondary test in an accumulation structure and in this other illustration, you can see the example of a secondary test in a distribution structure.
When we talk about accumulation or reaccumulation processes, the minor fouls break out of the upper limit, which is actually a secondary test, is labeled up thrust action. If price remains in a sideways motion above the upper limit of the range for a while before returning, that action is labeled as a minor sign of strength. Recall that in this context, strength relates to demand and weakness relates to supply, not to the power behind the movements. A breakout of the lower limit of the range is labeled as secondary test as sign of weakness. In the context of a distribution or redistribution, the minor fouls break out of the upper limit, which is a secondary test, is labeled simply as up thrust. In a minor fouls breakout of the lower limit is labeled as minor sign of weakness. Don't get too worried about the correct labels though, because we can only be certain about them once we know which direction price we'll trend next. What's important here is the perception of a minor fouls breakout.
Beyond the secondary test, the method also outlines what is called a generic test. In key moments of the accumulation or distribution process, a valid test would display low volume while a failed test would display relatively high volume. The reason for low volume in a valid test is that the well-informed traders have absorbed all the orders, and the market is now ready to start a new trend. In the failed test, volume is still high because uninformed traders are still trying to push price in one direction. So the well-informed traders must keep absorbing orders, which inevitably increases volume. We have to analyze tests in terms of volume spread analysis. In other words, to know if a test is successful or not, we need to analyze price in alignment with volume. In this context, we are looking for what are called no-demand candle or no-supply candle. A no-demand candle is a narrow range bullish candle with lower volume than the last two candles. A no-supply candle is a narrow range bearish candle with lower volume than the last two candles. The no-demand candle and the no-supply candle basically means a lack of interest in the corresponding direction.
The false breakout is considered to be the most important event of all, since it represents the best trading opportunity with the greatest risk-reward ratio in the Wycoff method. It represents the ultimate point of the manipulation maneuver. In the case of an accumulation, the false breakout is called spring, and in the case of a distribution, the false breakout is called up-thrust. This event marks the end of the cause and the beginning of the effect. The false breakout happens because at the extremes of the range, different types of traders place a lot of orders, which in the Wycoff terminology creates what is called a liquidity zone. These zones turn out to be an extremely good place for large traders to absorb a lot of supply or demand, depending on what direction we are talking about.
In the false breakout, large traders make it look like a market will indeed continue in one direction in order to attract uninformed traders to trading that direction. This is only a trick to generate liquidity so that large traders can enter in the opposite side. The key factor while analyzing a market scenario like this is to look for signs of rejection. Price needs to break a certain level and then show some sign of rejection to that breakout right after. That's how we know well-informed traders are entering on the opposite side of that breakout.
This display of rejection can occur in one, two, or several candlesticks. Each case is a little different, so each market scenario must be analyzed individually. For example, in an accumulation, the false breakout is called spring and it will induce sellers to the downside by a breakout of the accumulation support. When uninformed sellers see the support being broken, they start to sell with the fear of missing out the opportunity to make a profit. Meanwhile, the large traders are aggressively absorbing supply in order to enter long positions at a low price. Because of the significant absorption of supply, price action will display signs of rejection like leaving prominent lower shadows at the accumulation support, for example. That's the well-informed trader's footprint at the spring.
In a distribution, the false breakout is called up-thrust and it will induce buyers to the upside by a breakout of the distribution resistance. When uninformed buyers see the resistance being broken, they start to buy with the fear of missing out the opportunity to make a profit. Meanwhile, the well-informed traders are aggressively absorbing this demand in order to enter short positions at a very high price. Because of the significant absorption of demand, price action will display signs of rejection by leaving prominent upper shadows at the distribution resistance, for example. That's the well-informed trader's footprint at the up-thrust.
There are three main uses of the false breakout. The most obvious one is to drive the breakout traders out of the market. These are the traders that believe it's a good idea to buy or sell on a clear breakout in the chart. This is perhaps the primary source of liquidity for the well-informed traders. The second is to trigger the stop-loss orders of other traders who happen to dwell in the liquidity zone. The third is to stop all the traders who were smart enough to anticipate the direction the well-informed traders want to trade, but entered the market too soon. In the Wyckoff method, there are two main signs traders should look for in the anticipation of a false breakout. The first sign is that the prior events must develop in a certain proportion. In other words, it's important that all the events leading up to the false breakout happen more or less in the way the method suggests.
The other sign is the absence of a false breakout in the other direction. It's interesting to note that there are different degrees in which false breakouts can develop, and there is an inverse relationship between the apparent aggressiveness of the false breakout and its true power. For example, in an accumulation, a spring that breaks the support with more violence is called terminal shakeout. However, the fact that price traveled more in the direction against the well-informed traders, the notes that uninformed traders were also powerful, so the well-informed had to work harder to observe all the supply. In a spring that only penetrates to support a little bit, the notes more power, even though it looks subtler in the chart. That's because the large traders already observed all supply and are now ready to initiate the new trend. This is analogous to the divergent relationship between a narrow range candle with high volume. The candle looks unimportant, but the fact that there is high volume implies something useful.
The breakout is the sixth event, and it represents a true breakout of an accumulation or distribution. So according to the Wyckoff method, this is the second change of character. A change of character happens when the market goes from trending to ranging mode, or vice versa. In the reaction, the climax is confirmed, and the market goes from trending to ranging. In the breakout, the market goes from ranging to trending. A true breakout of an accumulation is denominated as sign of strength, or jump across the creek. A true breakout of a distribution is denominated as sign of weakness, or fall through the ice. Notice that strength and weakness in this context are now related to the power of the movement, but to its direction. Strength is analogous to the upside, and weakness is analogous to the downside. This is a reflection of price starting to move in the path of least resistance after the large, well-informed traders have absorbed all the supply or demand depending on what direction we are talking about.
The breakout is where traders should look for the harmonic relationship between price and volume, in comparison to a support or resistance level that was pre-established by the reaction. The traders should look for is a breakout with high volume where the broken level holds price. Observing if the broken level will, in fact, hold price is absolutely critical, because if it doesn't, it might be in the face of a false breakout, which would completely change the situation. In this illustration, you can see the breakout event in an accumulation structure, also known as a sign of strength, or jump across the creek. In this other illustration, you can see the breakout event in a distribution structure, also known as a sign of weakness, or fall through the ice.
The last event is the confirmation, which is a final necessary step because it validates the breakout. This is important because in real time, it's always difficult to know if we are dealing with a true or false breakout, and that's critical for the decision-making process. In the case of an accumulation, the breakout of the range is called sign of strength or jump across the creek. The seven events, the confirmation, is called the last point of support. In the case of a distribution, the breakout of the range is called sign of weakness, or fall through the ice. The seven events, the confirmation, is called the last point of supply. The confirmation is usually a clear event in the chart.
At this point, the trend will be in effect, and this is where the harmonic relationship between impulse and corrective price movements is expected. An increase in volume on impulse movements, and a decrease in volume on corrective movements. In an accumulation, the critical moment is to wait for a confirmation formed by a no-supply candle testing Test ignore the support formed by the reaction. and after that, seeing a sign of strength candle in a medium-range bullish candle with high volume. In a distribution, the critical moment is to wait for a confirmation form by a no-demand candle testing the resistance formed by the reaction. and then after that seeing a sign of a weakness candle meaning a medium range bearish candle with high volume.
This concludes the seven logical events proposed by the Wyke-Off methodology. Keep in mind that these events don't always occur exactly like this. There's a lot of room for variation, so it's important to keep an open mind about that. We begin now with the study of market phases according to the Wyke-Off methodology. The seven logical events outlined by the Wyke-Off method form five different market phases. The identification of these phases has the main goal of providing context for the trader. In other words, the trader who uses the Wyke-Off method knows what to expect in each of the different phases, which is of great use, because it narrows down the possibilities and makes the analysis more objective to a certain degree. There are five phases labeled from A to E in the Wyke-Off method.
Phase A represents the stop of the previous trend. Phase B represents the construction of the cause. Phase C represents the test. Phase D represents the trend inside the range. And phase E represents the trend outside the range, or the effect, so to speak. The Wyke-Off phase analysis is based on the premise that, generally speaking, the market reverses through a slow pattern, meaning that the well-informed traders need some time to absorb orders and effectively create a path of least resistance to the opposite side. Beyond that, the slow pattern outlined by the method provides repeatable patterns that, if correctly identified in real time, can provide an edge to the trader. Let's now explore each of the five market phases more carefully.
We'll begin with phase A, which represents the stop of the previous trend. Phase A is composed by the first four logical events, the preliminary stop, the climax, the reaction, and the secondary test. In a general sense, phase A will provide the signs that the market is transitioning from a trend to a ranging market. The preliminary stop will provide a first indication that the well-informed traders have entered in the opposite side of the trend. The climax will create one of the boundaries of the range. The reaction will provide further indication that there is greater interest to the counter-trend direction and the opposite boundary of the range, and the secondary test will finish phase A. The trader is not supposed to look for trade opportunities in phase A. The trader must observe the four logical events from a distance and understand that they might lead to trade opportunities in the near future.
Phase A is useful for taking profits from the prior trend, assuming the trader had a position. The reason for this is logical. Phase A means that the market is transitioning from training mode to ranging mode, makes sense to lock in the profits from the trending mode, especially because the market might reverse and start to eat the profits that have been made already. One challenge here is that the trader will not be able to tell if the market is in fact in phase A until the secondary test. There are three quick signs a trader should pay attention to in order to avoid a problem of incorrectly identifying phase A. Number one, look for a climatic volume either in the preliminary stop or the climax. That is an indication that the well-informed traders are in fact starting a campaign to reverse the market. Number two, pay attention to the reaction event. The reaction will provide further confirmation about the subtle signs of counter-trend volume found in the preliminary stop and climax. The reaction move tends to look qualitatively different than the previous counter-trend moved. Number three, but ultimately confirms phase A is phase B. So the trader must wait for the development of phase B before looking for trade opportunities, even when the first four logical events appear to provide clear trade setups.
For example, you might be tempting to look for a trade after the end of the reaction, aiming for the secondary test at the climax, even though that's possible, it's not what the methodology proposes. Just for the sake of illustration, phase A in an accumulation process looks like this. Preliminary support followed by the selling climax, then an automatic rally, and finally a secondary test. In a distribution process, phase A starts with the preliminary supply followed by the buying climax, then an automatic reaction, and finally a secondary test. Phase B can be a challenge because it is composed by successive secondary tests at both limits of the range.
That's a challenge because these secondary tests might easily be mistaken by a breakout of the range, so it's key to pay attention to effort and results at the upper and lower limits of the accumulation or distribution processes. The key factor to pay attention to in phase B is time. In ideal scenarios, phase B should be longer than phase A in terms of time. The shorter the time duration of phase B, the more we approach the fast reversal patterns. By waiting for a phase B to have a longer time duration than phase A, a trader will usually avoid entering the market too soon. When phase B becomes longer than A, the trader can also increase his level of alertness while looking for a false breakout. In other words, two keys in phase B are the careful analysis of volume and price at the limits of the range. In the time duration of the phase, it should be greater than phase A. As a guideline, however, not a rule.
In this illustration, we can see the textbook version of phase B in an accumulation structure. Recall that in an accumulation, the upper and minor false breakout in the form of a secondary test is called up-thrust action. In the lower and minor false breakout is called secondary test as a sign of weakness. Phase B ends just before the spring in an accumulation. In this other illustration, we can see the textbook version of phase B in a distribution structure. Recall that in a distribution, the upper and minor false breakout in the form of a secondary test is simply called up-thrust. In the lower and minor false breakout, in the form of a secondary test, is called minor sign of weakness. Phase B will end just before the up-thrust after distribution in the distribution.
Phase C is known as the test, and it is composed by the false breakout event, which is perhaps the most important of all logical events. In the ultimate point of the market manipulation maneuver, this is where well-informed traders will attempt to induce uninformed traders to one side of the market, with the sole purpose of generating liquidity to the opposite side. This is also a way the large traders have to test if the interest in the prior trend direction has faded. If the interest in the prior trend direction doesn't fade enough, the large traders campaign will fail, and the movement after the range will be a re-accumulation or a redistribution. If the interest in the prior trend direction does fade, the large traders campaign will be successful, and the market will reverse direction. This is mainly why phase C is denominated as the test. In an accumulation structure, phase C will simply be the spring, as you can see in this illustration. In a distribution structure, phase C will simply be the up-thrust after distribution, which is the mirror image of the spring.
Phase D is composed by the last two logical events, which are the breakout and the confirmation. There are mainly three possibilities in this phase. Price can create a clear breakout in confirmation, which is what traders will expect. Price can be entered after the breakout, with some hesitation to confirm and produce the new trend, where price can create another false breakout and restart phase D. Once again, all these things cannot be really anticipated. We'll have to look for the signs of volume and price, or effort and result using Wyckoff terminology in order to assess what is really going on. In an accumulation structure, phase D will be composed by the jump across the creek, followed by the last point of support event, as you can see in this illustration. In a distribution, phase D will be composed by the fall through the ice, followed by the last point of supply event, as you can see in this other illustration.
In phase E, price will be in fact trending outside the range. This phase will be composed by the impulse and corrective movements, where the harmonic relationship between price and volume is expected. Phase E will provide opportunities to enter the market in the direction of the main trend, as long as we don't see signs that the trend might be losing its strength, like the appearance of a preliminary stop, for example. In an accumulation, phase E will be marked by impulse movements labeled as sign of strength, and corrective movements labeled as last point of support, as you can see in this illustration. In a distribution, phase E will be marked by impulse movements labeled as sign of weakness, and corrective movements labeled as last point of supply, as you can see in this other illustration.
It's important that you have the seven logical events and the corresponding market phases clear in your mind, before moving on to the study of structures. You should be able to tell what each of the logical events represent, in which phase they belong to, otherwise the study of structures will become very confusing. The study of market structures begins with a warning, even though we can study the theory of how structures should develop, in real markets, these structures never occur in the same way twice. The key takeaway here is to analyze these things, with some flexibility in mind. We'll begin the study by looking at horizontal structures, both in accumulation and distribution processes. Let's start with the accumulation process first.
The on the seven logical events and its corresponding phases, there are two important things to pay attention to. One is the creek, which is the high produced by the automatic rally after the sailing climax. This is important because it's the level we want to see price break out of. The expression jump across the creek is precisely that. The other thing to pay attention to is the presence of changes of character, in any moments where the market transitions from trending to ranging, or vice versa.
The first change of character occurs in phase A, when the market goes from a downtrend to a sideways market, and the second change of character occurs in phases C and D, when the market goes from a sideways move into an uptrend. Let's quickly review the events and phases of an accumulation structure. Phase A will be composed by the preliminary support, the first attempt of well-informed traders to absorb supply, selling climax, which is the climatic sailing volume that ends the downtrend. The automatic rally, which is a no-port price movement that is qualitatively different than the previous counter trend moves, and shows a new interest to the opposite direction of the current trend, and the secondary test.
Which will test the degree of supply at the same price level of the sailing climax. The secondary test closes phase A and opens phase B. We call that phase A establishes the first change of character. Phase B is the construction of the cause. The sideways movement that precedes the new trend, where the effect as the Wyckoff method calls it. In the case of an accumulation, we have the up-thrust action, which is the test of the upper limit of the range established by the peak of the automatic rally, and the secondary test as a sign of weakness, which is the test of the lower limit of the range established by the trough of the sailing climax.
In the case of an accumulation, phase C will begin with the spring. This is the false bearish breakouts, or bear trap that violates the lows produced in phase A and B. When the spring produces a violent movement to the downside, it is called a terminal shakeout. Phase C, which is composed only by the spring, is the beginning of the second change of character. After the spring, phase D begins, and that is composed by the trough breakout, which in the case of an accumulation is called sign of strength, or jump across the creek. In the confirmation event, which in this context is called last point of support.
This confirmation event can also be called back up to the edge of the creek. This is the final nail in the coffin of the second change of character. Now the market is in the trending upwards. Phase E is marked by successive signs of strength and last points of support, and the harmonic relationship between volume and price or effort and result. This generates the characteristic higher highs and higher lows of an uptrend. This is the complete horizontal accumulation structure according to the Wyckoff methodology.
In the distribution structure, instead of the creek, we have the ice, which is the price level formed by the low of the automatic high-level price. The other thing to pay attention is the presence of changes of character, meaning moments where the market transitions from trending to ranging or vice versa. The first change of character occurs in Phase A, when the market goes from an uptrend to a sideways market, and the second change of character occurs in phases C and D, when the market goes from a sideways move into a downtrend. Let's quickly review the events and phases of the distribution.
Phase A will be composed by the preliminary supply, the first attempt of well-informed traders to absorb demand. The buying climax, which is the climatic buying volume that ends the uptrend. The automatic reaction, which is a downward price movement that is qualitatively different than the previous counter trend moves, and shows a new interest to the opposite direction of the current trend. In the secondary test, which will test the degree of demand at the same price level of the buying climax. The secondary test closes Phase A and opens Phase B. We call that Phase A establishes the first change of character.
Phase B is the construction of the cause, the sideways movement that precedes the new trend, or the effect as the Wyckoff method determines. In the case of a distribution, we have the up thrust, which is the test of the upper limit of the range, established by the peak of the buying climax, and the minor sign of weakness, which is the test of the lower limit of the range, established by the trough of the automatic reaction. In the case of a distribution, Phase C will begin with the up thrust after distribution. This is the false bullish breakout, or bull trap, that violates the highs produced in Phase A and B.
After the up thrust after distribution, Phase D begins, and it is composed by the true breakout, which in the case of a distribution is called sign of weakness, or fall through the ice. In the confirmation event, which in this context is called last point of supply, this is the final nail in the coffin of the second change of character. Now the market is indeed trending downwards. Phase E is marked by successive signs of weakness and last points of supply, and the harmonic relationship between price and volume or effort and result. This generates the characteristic lower highs and lower lows of a downtrend. This is the complete horizontal distribution structure according to the Wyckoff methodology.
Until now, we dealt with accumulation and distribution structures as if they always developed in a perfect horizontal motion, but in the real market, that's not always the case. This leads us to the idea of sloping structures. There are two rules to keep in mind. First is that sloping structures follow the exact same logical events and phases of horizontal structures. Second, an upward sloping structure generally means that buyers have more strength than sellers, and now are in sloping structures generally mean that sellers have more power than buyers. That means there are four possible types of sloping structures. The up sloping accumulation, the down sloping accumulation, the up sloping distribution, and the down sloping distribution.
The events in phase A are critical for the determination of horizontal or sloping structures. Paying attention to phase A also allows the trader using the Wyckoff method to know where to ground channel lines, which is often a challenge to most traders who have too many options in their regard. Let's begin by analyzing the up sloping accumulation structure first. An accumulation is a structure that precedes an uptrend, the fact that it is up sloping denotes power from buyers. In other words, an up sloping accumulation is stronger than a horizontal accumulation. There is one critical detail that must be taken into account when dealing with an up sloping accumulation.
Since the construction of the cause will be tilted upwards, the spring event will not necessarily break all the previous lows from phases A and B. It will probably break some of the previous lows, but not all of them unless we are talking about a terminal shakeout event, which is a deeper spring. The key point to remember here is to look for the breakout of some lows, but also to look for the breakout of the lower channel line. That will provide another perspective about the spring. Remember that an up sloping accumulation implies an already existing advantage to buyers, so the spring event will probably not be so dramatic.
In the case of a down sloping accumulation, we also have a peculiar situation. A down sloping market implies weakness, and it will inevitably create lower highs and lower lows. That means it can be difficult to spot the spring event since the previous lows will be broken already. The key point here is that the spring event will have to be dramatic in order to create liquidity to the upside. Once again, it is important to keep an eye on the boundaries of the channel because that will help cage whether or not we are dealing with a simple secondary test or with the spring event. The mirror image of these last two situations is what occurs in sloping distribution structures.
Let's begin with the down sloping distribution. In this case, we will be looking for the up thrust after distribution event to break some of the previous highs, but since the construction of the cause is down sloping, the up thrust after distribution will probably not break off the previous highs, especially because there is already an advantage to sellers. The key is to look for some highs to be broken and then pay attention to the upper boundary of the channel to gauge whether or not we are dealing with the up thrust after distribution or simply an up thrust. In the case of an up sloping distribution, the construction of the cause will naturally produce higher highs. That means it will be difficult to detect the up thrust after distribution event if the trader doesn't pay attention to the boundaries of the channel. And of course, the relationship between effort and results, which is the main thing in the Wyckov method. In this case, the up thrust after distribution event will be characterized as an over extension in relation to the upper boundary of the channel.
It's important that you know what each of these events and phases represent without thinking too much about them. In other words, it should become second nature to you. Note that the Wyckov method is a phase analysis method. Meaning that we want to understand which phase the market is in. The Elliott wave method, for example, is also a form of phase analysis. By understanding how price goes from an upward movement to a downward movement and vice versa, we can add an extra layer in the analysis.
Another way of looking at this is that we should be able to observe this price reversal method between the events of the Wyckov cycle. First and foremost, we need to establish what sign of strength and sign of weakness candles are. A sign of strength candle is a medium to wide range bullish candle stick with medium to high volume. In other words, it's a candle that shows intent to the upside. Remember once again that in the context of the Wyckov method, strength means upside and weakness means downside. Rather intuitively, a sign of weakness candle is a medium to wide range bearish candle with a medium to high volume. In other words, it's a candle that shows intent to the downside.
A sign of strength candle in an upward price movement marks a point of control of buyers and a sign of weakness candle in a downward price movement marks a point of control of sellers. When we are in an upward price movement and we are trying to anticipate a reversal to the downside, we will mark the extremes of the latest sign of strength candle. To confirm a reversal to the downside, we want to see a sign of weakness candle that closes below the lower extreme of the latest sign of strength candle. In the same way, when we are in a downward price movement and we are trying to anticipate a reversal to the upside, we will mark the extremes of the latest sign of weakness candle.
To confirm a reversal to the upside, we want to see a sign of strength candle that closes above the upper extreme of the latest sign of weakness candle. That's an objective way of verifying if the market has reversed according to the Wyckov method. The optimal way of using this technique is to align it with the knowledge of market context provided by the Wyckov method. One problem that arises in the Wyckov method is that not all market scenarios develop the textbook version of the Wyckov cycle. So if the trader tries to identify all the events and phases in the order they appear, the trader might be frustrated a lot of the times.
It's necessary to realize that if it's not possible to recognize the textbook Wyckov cycle in a real price chart, it doesn't mean that the method cannot be used. By understanding how supplying the man and volume spread analysis work and the fact that an uptrend is preceded by an accumulation and a downtrend is preceded by a distribution, we can adapt the method to find trade opportunities. In the last parts of the course, we have seen examples of structures where either the spring or the up thrust after distribution is present, but there can be exceptions. The absence of a spring or up thrust after distribution is possible, and in this case, the situation is called structural failure.
The rationale here is simple. Once we identify two limits of a ranging market, and at some point price fails to reach one of them, and then produces a breakout in confirmation on the other direction, we are facing a structural failure. Note that this structural failure can happen in sloping structures as well. As we have been doing so far in the course, when price fails to reach a resistance line, we have weakness. When price fails to reach a support, we have strength. One common problem in the Wyckoff method is to differentiate between an accumulation and distribution structure.
There is no guaranteed way of distinguishing between an accumulation and distribution structure in real time, otherwise profiting with the Wyckoff method would be easy. We cannot know for sure until the effect occurs, but at the same time, we need to make trading decisions before the effect occurs. In other words, there will always be uncertainty about whether we are dealing with an accumulation or distribution structure. With that said, there is a checklist of things you can pay attention to in order to eliminate some of this uncertainty. Number one, the location of the secondary test in phase A. The price level where the secondary test in phase A occurs can be an indication of losing control of the market. A secondary test landing in the middle of the range implies neutrality.
A secondary test landing in the upper third of the range implies an imbalance in favor of buyers. And a secondary test landing in the lower part of the range implies an imbalance in favor of sellers. Number two, tests in phase B. Just like it's useful to observe the secondary test in phase A. We can derive meaningful information by observing the tests in phase B. When price tests the upper limit of the range will have a sign of strength. When price tests the lower part of the range will have a sign of weakness. Remember also that price failing to test one of the limits of the range is also assigned as we saw before with the structural failures. The most important thing is to analyze if these tests are being used as minor false breakouts by observing volume spread analysis. Number three, the false breakout in phase C. This is the most important moment in the Wyke of Method. Recall that a false breakout must be followed by a movement in the other direction that breaks the range and produces a confirmation. Otherwise we are not talking about false breakout event anymore.
Number four, effort and result in phase D. Ideally after a false breakout event the trader wants to see candlesticks increasing their range in the opposite direction and volume starting to increase also. That's an indication that price will indeed break the opposite end of the false breakout. For example after a spring the trader wants to see sign of strength candles and volume picking up. After an up thrust after distribution the trader wants to see sign of weakness candles and volume picking up. Number five, volume pattern during the cause. Although the volume pattern during the development of the cause is relatively the same in both accumulation and distribution structures, meaning that volume will decrease or stay relatively the same before increasing during phase D. There can be slight differences in volume between accumulation and distribution. Decreasing volume during the construction of the cause is more common during accumulation structures. Constant volume and or unusual volume patterns during the construction of the cause is more common in distribution structures simply because the urge to sell is usually greater than the urge to buy. It's time now to start combining everything that we learned so far into a more integrated trading approach. We begin this study by realizing that the theory you have studied so far about the seven logical events, the market phases, and the relationship between price and volume will provide a contextual framework for the trader using the Wyke of Method. This framework can be the difference between being on the right side of the market or not, and liking other methods of phase analysis such as the Elliott Wave Theory. There is a sense that the trader is no longer lost when looking at the price chart.
Another interesting aspect that we haven't talked about yet, but it certainly adds to the Wyke of Method is the use of other volume tools beyond the volume histogram, like the volume profile in the VWAP. The volume profile is a way to analyze market activity at different price levels, while the volume histogram shows market activity in the temporal dimension. The VWAP is a type of averaging that is commonly used in the institutional domain, and it's nothing more than a moving average adjusted for volume. We can base the VWAP on sessions, weeks, months, or anchor it in specific highs and lows, which is an interesting alternative. Volume analysis can be a whole course on its own, so focus on the most basic elements.
With that said, we can move on to the guidelines of how Wyke of Traders should look for opportunities in the market. According to the Wyke of Methodology, the trader should only look for trade opportunities in phases C, D, and E. In other words, in the false breakout of phase C, in the trend inside the range of phase D, and or in the trend outside the range of phase E. Notice that the highest quality trade opportunity of all lies in phase C because of its risk-reward potential. It's the highest quality trade, but it's also the more difficult one to catch in real time. Let's look at the possibilities in each of these three market phases.
有了这些前提,我们可以继续讨论 Wyke 交易者应当如何在市场中寻找机会的指南。根据 Wyke 方法论,交易者应该只在 C、D 和 E 阶段寻找交易机会。换句话说,即在 C 阶段的虚假突破中,D 阶段范围内的趋势中,或者 E 阶段范围外的趋势中寻找机会。请注意,在所有阶段中,C 阶段的交易机会质量最高,因为它具有最佳的风险回报潜力。这是质量最高的交易机会,但也是实时捕捉起来最困难的。现在,让我们来看一看在这三个市场阶段中的各种可能性。
Phase C. There are mainly two ways of entering the trade in phase C. The trader can enter in the false breakout itself, or he can enter in the test of the false breakout, which happens right after, and it's a slightly less uncertain type of trade. In the spring, the test will be slightly above the extreme produced by the spring, and in the up-thrust after distribution, the test will be slightly below the level produced by the up-thrust after distribution. Mechanics of the false breakout entry.
In a false breakout, there will usually be a wide range candle, and in that context, we want to observe the different ways of analyzing effort and result per volume and price. The first thing to pay attention here is that a wide range candle in a false breakout should have low volume. That's a sign of divergence according to VSA, since wide range candles usually have high volume to confirm their direction. The second thing is to observe the subsequent shift. In a divergent subsequent shift, price will start to change direction right after a wide range candle. During the appearance of the divergent subsequent shift, there might be a sign of weakness or sign of strength candle in the opposite direction of the false breakout, indicating that a trade can be opened.
Let's first take the example of an accumulation structure. In this case, we'll see a low volume wide range candle breaking the lower limit of the range, as the first divergent signal. The second divergent signal happens with the subsequent shift. One of the common triggers is to wait for a sign of strength candle to appear, indicating that sellers have been maneuvered by the spring, and our price is truly headed to the upside. In the case of a distribution, we have the same situation but upside down. We'll see a low volume wide range candle breaking the upper limit of the range, as the first divergent signal. The second divergent signal happens with the subsequent shift.
One of the common triggers is to wait for a sign of weakness candle to appear, indicating that buyers have been maneuvered by the up thrust after distribution. And our price is truly headed to the downside. If you don't remember what a divergent subsequent shift or the patterns of volume spread analysis, check out part one of the course in the YouTube card. Mechanics of the test after the false breakout entry.
In addition to everything that was outlined in the false breakout entry, in the test that can occur right after, we want to pay attention to supporting resistance breakout analysis in the context of VSA. Meaning that we should look for the appearance of no supply or no demand candles, depending on whether we are talking about an accumulation or distribution structure. We want to see the main breakout level being respected. Another possibility is a narrow range candle with high volume at the support or resistance, which means that the line indeed represents a barrier for price. Ideally, the trader wants to wait for the appearance of a sign of strength in the direction of the effect.
In the case of an accumulation, we want to see everything we have seen in the first type of trigger, meaning the wide range low volume candles tick in the divergent subsequent shift. Now we want to see price retracing to the support. Notice that either low volume or high volume can confirm the support in this case. The key here is observing how price action behaves in relation to the support line. You want to see a lower tail representing some sort of reaction to the support in a sign of strength candle after to signal a trigger to the upside.
In the case of a distribution, we want to see everything we have seen in the first type of trigger, meaning the wide range low volume candles tick in the divergent subsequent shift. Now we want to see price retracing to the resistance. Notice that either low volume or high volume can confirm the resistance in this case. The key here is observing how price action behaves in relation to the resistance line. You want to see an upper tail representing some sort of reaction to the resistance in a sign of weakness candle after to signal a trigger to the downside.
Entries in phase D. In phase D, there are a couple of opportunities to enter the market. One will be in the trend movement that occurs inside the range right after the test after the false breakouts, and the second opportunity would be in the last logical event, the test right after price breaks out of the range. Mechanics of the entry inside the range. The main way we look for an entry in the trending part inside the range in phase D is to look for the appearance of intent candles after a minor extreme.
For example, in an accumulation structure, we want to see a sign of strength candle right after a minor low. In the distribution structure, we want to see a sign of weakness candle right after a minor high. In this illustration, you can see a textbook example of an entry inside the range. Observe how the trigger occurs after a sign of strength candle appears right after a minor low. In this next illustration, you can see an example of an entry inside the range.
Observe how the trigger occurs after a sign of weakness candle appears right after a minor high. Mechanics of the entry at the test. Since we are dealing with price hitting a support or resistance line in this case, we want to observe volume spread carefully. We want to see price respecting the line either with no supply or no demand candles or with high volume narrow range candles. Interestingly enough, low and high volume work well in this case. After that, we want to see price moving in the trend direction with an intent candle. That's the trigger for the trade.
In this illustration, you can see an example of an entry at the seventh logical event in the case of an accumulation structure. In this next illustration, you can see an example of an entry at the seventh logical event in the case of a distribution structure. Phase E. In phase E, the types of entries are the same as the ones found in phase D. The difference is that in phase E, since we'll be in the stage where the trend has developed to some degree already, the risk-reward ratios might not be so attractive.
In the case of an uptrend, we want to observe the divergent relationship between effort and result, forming a last point of support, and then observe price resuming trend direction with a sign of strength candle ideally. In the case of a downtrend, we want to observe the divergent relationship between effort and result, forming a last point of supply, and then observe price resuming trend direction with a sign of weakness candle ideally. This can be done until signs of a preliminary stop begin to appear.
In terms of money management, all the entries suggested by the Wyckoff method occur near a significant high or low, so the stop loss can be placed in there. For example, if we are talking about an entry after the false breakout, the stop loss can be placed just below the lowest point of the spring, or just above the highest point of the up thrust after distribution. In most cases, the trade will be triggered with a sign of strength or sign of weakness candle that happens right after a low or a high.
The trader can use these recent lows or highs to place a safe stop loss order. In terms of take profit targets, if the reading of the market is correct, the idea is to ride the trend until the market begins to display signs that the trend might start to reverse soon. In the Wyckoff method, this sign is the preliminary stop. The best rate possible under the Wyckoff method is to enter the false breakout and only get out after the trend or the effect has fully developed, and preliminary stops begin to appear.
That will ensure a massive risk-reward ratio, but that's an ideal scenario, of course. It will not happen all the time. In this illustration, you can see the ideal scenario when it comes to stop loss and take profit orders in an accumulation structure. The red lines represent the stop loss placement levels, and the green rectangle represents the ideal take profit area, assuming that is the area where preliminary stops begin to appear. In this other illustration, you can see the optimal levels in the distribution structure. One thing that should be clear to you is that the deeper into the effect you enter the market, the less reliable the trade because the higher the chance of entering near a preliminary stop, therefore yielding a lower risk-reward potential. With these illustrations, it also becomes clear why the entry at the spring or of thrust after distribution is the best rate you can take. It has a very small stop loss order, and it captures most of the effect, therefore yielding a great risk-reward potential. Money management can also be a whole course on its own. In this course, I will leave it at just showing the optimal places to put stop and take profit orders, where there are many different techniques you can apply here in order to maximize your results like trailing stops or risk collapsing, for example, but that's for another day.
It's time now to see how all these ideas and concepts about the Wyckoff method play out in real price charts. When it comes to the financial markets, the gap between theory and practice can be quite significant. In these examples, you will notice how you shouldn't take these specific rules of the Wyckoff methodology so seriously, meaning that you should only pay attention to the general aspect of the theory. A similar effect happens with the Elliot Wave theory. If you take all the rules too seriously, the method becomes too hard to apply in real markets. It works best when you take the most powerful rules into account with a decent dose of flexibility.
We begin with an example of a horizontal distribution structure in the 3-minute chart of the EuroUSD. On the left of the chart, I marked a preliminary stop in an exhaustion event. The first detail here is the prominent upper tail in the preliminary stop. As it was demonstrated in the theoretical part of the course, that's an early sign that the well-informed traders are getting on the opposite side of the main trend. In other words, in this example, this is an early indication that the well-informed traders are starting to absorb demand. Notice how after this preliminary stop, the uptrend angle becomes less steep, which is a sign that the trend is slowing down. The uptrend produces a higher high after a while, but with lower volume. That represents the divergence between effort and result, and in this case, it's more of an exhaustion rather than a climatic event. A higher high should produce a higher peak in volume if the momentum behind the trend was intact, but that is not the case.
The market then starts to produce what would be the automatic reaction event, and it goes back to the last significant load that occurred right after the preliminary stop. Something peculiar happens in this distribution structure, which is the fact that the market has a hard time testing both ends of the range determined by the exhaustion and the automatic reaction. Eventually, price starts to go in the direction of the level determined by the exhaustion event and breaks that level with a wide-range bullish candle. Notice that there is an increase in volume in this candle, but not as much as you would expect given its wide range. This is one of the signs of an up-thrust after-distribution event. A wide-range bullish candle with low volume inducing uninformed buyers to the upside. Right after this candle, we have a divergent subsequent shift. Notice how price begins to fall immediately after it breaks out of the range. See how volume also starts to pick up after this. This is the most important event in the distribution. Price goes directly into the level determined by the automatic reaction, but it doesn't break it.
And right after that, it goes back to test the level determined by the exhaustion. By this time, we already have an up-thrust after-distribution, so we can think about a short trade at the test of this line. This is the highest quality trade according to the Wyke of Method. Price eventually falls through the ice and then comes back to produce the last event in the textbook Wyke of Cycle, which provides another opportunity to enter the market. The takeaway here is to observe that the seven logical events don't usually develop in their textbook version. There is a lot of room for variation. Now we are going to see an example of accumulation structure in the one-hour timeframe of the British pound versus the US dollar. Once again, we have a real market example developing with some degree of variation in comparison to the textbook version of the slow reversal pattern outlined in the Wyke of Method.
On the left, we have a preliminary stop. Recall that a preliminary stop is called preliminary supply in a distribution structure and a preliminary support in an accumulation structure, but both are forms of preliminary stops. Notice the prominent lower shadow of the candlestick that forms the low, which indicates some sort of supply absorption from the well-informed traders. Notice also the increase in volume in this area. Notice how the increase in volume is greater than the reaction in price, denoting that well-informed traders have absorbed some supply in a narrow price range due to a liquidity pool. Next, we have a climax event marked by a very wide range bearish candle and a spike in volume. The climax event is usually one of the easiest ones to spot due to the violence of the movement. The automatic rally and the climax form the upper and lower extremes of the accumulation structure respectively. From now on, the unconventional part of the accumulation structure begins.
We have a series of secondary tests as sign of weakness, which could easily be mistaken by a spring event. The first secondary test as a sign of weakness does serve the purpose of inducing sellers to the downside so that well-informed traders go long, but in this case, this is not the spring event yet. The series of secondary tests form a few lows that will be used later in the real spring event. In the spring event, price comes back down and breaks two lows, which would trigger sellers to the downside again just so that well-informed traders could enter in long positions once again. Notice that at this time, there is a wide-range bullish candle with a prominent lower shadow and a huge spike in volume. This volume spike comes from two things. The uninformed seller is going to the downside due to the breakdown of some important lows, and perhaps most importantly, from the well-informed buyers observing all of the supply and making the market turn to the upside. A trade can be taken at this point, where after price comes back to the climax level after testing the automatic rally after the spring.
Observe that the most important thing in this method is to pay attention to volume spread analysis, memorizing the names of each event in phase is secondary. Let's now move on to a few conclusions about the Wyke of Method. The Wyke of Method is attractive to a lot of traders because it provides a roadmap for the market very much like the Elliott Wave Theory does. The feeling of no longer being lost among many highs and lows in the chart is certainly appealing to all traders, but it comes with a caveat. Like in the Elliott Wave Theory, the rules of the Wyke of Method tend to be too specific in my opinion, and that diminishes the reliability of the method. Any method that attempts to box the market into a set of rules will always be unreliable.
The correct step is to use a method that reacts to whatever the market does instead of trying to claim what the market should do in each situation. You will notice that in the Wyke of Method, it is very difficult to find market scenarios that fit a slow reversal pattern in the way that is suggested. The real market does endless variations of such slow reversal pattern. For this reason, I believe it's much better to pay attention to volume spread analysis alone instead of trying to identify which phase the market is in or which event of the Wyke of Cycle the market is in. Volume spread analysis is a method that can be applied much more easily and reliably in basically all price movements.
With that said, the notion of how the well-informed traders interact with the uninformed traders and how supply and demand absorption works is indeed useful and can be applied to all markets and all timeframes. This concludes the Wyke of Trading course. I hope you were able to learn something useful with this video. If you enjoyed it, please help support the channel by clicking the like button, subscribing to the channel, activating the notifications button, sharing the video, and leaving your feedback below in the comments section.
If you wish to learn how to trade, check out my website, fractoflowpro.com, or send me an email at support at fractoflowpro.com. I offer a series of different courses and ebooks for beginners and advanced traders. Thank you very much for watching and take care. Thank you.