# Reading the footprint & analysis workflow

This page is a **practical read map**: what to look at first, how to relate rows to candle structure, and how to combine footprint detail with **context** (trend, levels, volatility).

***

### Step 1: Anchor on the structure

Before reading numbers, mark:

1. **Trend/bias** on your trading timeframe (or explicit “no trade” if chop).
2. **Key levels** — prior day high/low, VWAP, obvious support/resistance, range boundaries.
3. **Volatility** — wide-range bars need wider ticks or aggregation; very quiet markets may need **finer** ticks.

The footprint **confirms or challenges** your structural idea; it rarely replaces it.

***

### Step 2: Read the current bar top-down

#### Range and POC

* Scan **where the POC sits** relative to open/close.
* **Close near the high** with a **supportive delta** (more aggressive buying in the lower half of the bar) often interests long-biased flow readers.
* **Close near the low** with **selling dominant** in the upper half often interests short-biased readers.

Treat single-bar patterns as **hypotheses** until the **next bar** confirms (continuation) or fails (reversal/trap).

#### Stacked imbalances

When **several adjacent prices** show the **same side** dominating (e.g., repeated large bid-initiated prints without proportional asks), flow traders describe **stacked buying** or **stacked selling**. The engine can flag **imbalance stacks** as **IMB** signals.

Interpretation:

* In a **trend**, stacks **in the trend direction** may show **continuation pressure**.
* **Against** a level (e.g., into resistance with stacked sells above), some traders look for **rejection** or **absorption** (see signals doc).

#### Thin vs thick areas

* **Thick** levels = high participation → potential **magnet** or **battleground** on retest.
* **Thin** levels = low trade interest → price may **move through quickly** (air pocket) unless new liquidity appears.

***

### Step 3: Relate the footprint to the wick and body

| Area           | Typical questions                                                                                           |
| -------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Upper wick** | Did sellers **aggress** into buyers’ lift? Any **absorption** (large opposite volume without continuation)? |
| **Body**       | Where is **value** building? Does delta **support** the close?                                              |
| **Lower wick** | Did buyers **defend** with aggressive lifts?                                                                |

If price **pierces** a level on **thin** volume and **reverts**, some traders label it a **liquidity grab** or **stop run** — footprint helps **quantify** aggression at the excursion prices.

***

### Step 4: Multi-bar context

* Compare **this bar’s POC** to the **previous bar’s POC** — rotation of POC can mark **short-term balance shift**.
* Watch **delta footprint** mode across several bars for **persistent one-sided delta** (trend of aggression) vs **choppy two-sided** trade.
* Align with **higher timeframe**: a bullish footprint on **1m** into **daily resistance** still faces a **larger auction constraint**.

***

### Step 5: Combine with other tools

| Tool                            | Combination                                                            |
| ------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Orderbook heatmap**           | See **where liquidity was**; footprint shows **what actually traded**. |
| **CVD / cumulative delta**      | Session bias vs **per-bar** footprint detail.                          |
| **Volume profile (TPO / VRVP)** | Longer-horizon **value** vs intrabar footprint.                        |

***

### Language precision

* **Footprint describes traded volume**, not limit orders that never filled.
* **“Buyers strong”** in flow terms usually means **aggressive buys**, not “every participant is bullish.”
* Always note the **session** (Asia/Europe/US) and **news** — flow patterns **change** under event risk.

***

Next: Signals & trade ideas.


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.mrd-indicators.com/terminal/widget/footprint-chart/reading-the-footprint-and-analysis-workflow.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.