Volume profile
A volume profile shows how much traded at each price over a stretch of time. The busiest price is the point of control. The value area holds about 70% of the volume.
Free plan · Sign in with MT4 or MT5 · Windows 10 and 11
On a real chart
How Arka Terminal marks it
- 01Volume at each price, against the right edge of the chart.
- 02The point of control across the chart, and the value area's edges.
- 03Key level zones, including the volume cluster.
XAU/USD 30m candles, Oct 7, 2026 to Oct 9, 2026. Every drawing is Arka Terminal's AI Structure Analysis of these candles. Nothing is placed by hand.
The shape
Where the volume sits
A long range builds a thick profile. A fast move leaves a thin one.
How to read it
01
POC pulls price
The point of control is where most trading agreed on value. Price often returns to it.
02
Thin areas move fast
Prices with little volume offer little to slow a move. Price tends to cross them quickly.
03
The value area frames the range
Inside the value area, price is accepted. Outside it, price is testing new value.
04
Pick the stretch on purpose
A profile of one day and a profile of one month show different things.
Common mistakes
Treating the POC as a wall
The POC slows price. It does not have to stop it.
Forgetting what forex volume is
Spot forex has no central exchange. The volume is a tick count, an activity measure.
Mixing stretches
A profile over a trend and a range together blurs both.
In Arka Terminal
One switch in the structure panel
- 48 price rows
- The chart's stretch is cut into 48 equal price rows. Each candle's volume is spread over the rows its range covers.
- POC and value area
- The busiest row is the POC. The value area grows from it until it holds 70% of the volume.
- Part of the key levels
- The volume cluster is one of the sources the key level zones are built from.
- Free on every plan
- The analysis runs on your PC. It uses no AI credits.
- Ask about it
- Arka Copilot reads the switches you have on and answers with the same prices the chart shows.
Volume profile, marked on your own chart
- Free on every plan
- Sign in with your MT4 or MT5 account
- Nine structure switches, no AI credits
Questions
What is a volume profile?
A histogram of volume by price over a chosen stretch, drawn sideways against the chart.
What is the POC in a volume profile?
The point of control: the price with the most volume in the stretch.
What is the value area?
The price range around the POC that holds about 70% of the stretch's volume. Its edges are VAH and VAL.
Is there a volume profile indicator for MT4 or MT5?
Arka Terminal draws a volume profile with POC and value area on its charts for MT4 and MT5 accounts, free on every plan.
Related terms
Levels
- Support and resistance
- Trendlines
- Volume profile
- Pivot points
Candles
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Available for Windows 10 and Windows 11
