Pristine Value Areas & MGI The Pristine Value Areas indicator enables users to perform comprehensive technical analysis through the lens of the market profile in a fraction of the time! 🏆
A Market Profile is a charting technique devised by J. Peter Steidlmayer, a trader at the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), in the 1980's. He created it to gain a deeper understanding of market behavior and to analyze the auction process in financial markets. A market profile is used to analyze an auction using price, volume, and time to create a distribution-based view of trading activity. It organizes market data into a bell-curve-like structure, which reveals areas of value, balance, and imbalance.
💠 How is a Value Area Calculated?
A value area is a distribution of 68%-70% of the trading volume over a specific time interval, which represents one standard deviation above and below the point of control, which is the most highly traded level over that period.
The key reference points are as follows:
Value area low (VAL) - The lower boundary of a value area
Value area high (VAH) - The upper boundary of a value area
Point of Control (POC) - The price level at which the highest amount of a trading period's volume occurred
If we take the probability distribution of trading activity and flip it 90 degrees, the result is our Pristine Value Area!
Market Profile is our preferred method of technical analysis at Pristine Capital because it provides an objective and repeatable assessment of whether an asset is being accumulated or distributed by institutional investors. Market Profile levels work remarkably well for identifying areas of interest, because so many institutional trading algorithms have been programmed to use these levels since the 1980's!
The benefits of using Market Profile include better trade location, improved risk management, and enhanced market context. It helps traders differentiate between trending and consolidating markets, identify high-probability trade setups, and adjust their strategies based on whether the market is in balance (consolidation) or imbalance (trending). Unlike traditional indicators that rely on past price movements, Market Profile provides real-time insights into trader behavior, giving an edge to those who can interpret its nuances effectively.
Virgin Point of Control (VPOC) - A point of control from a previous time period that has not yet been revisited in subsequent periods. VPOCs are great for identifying prior supply or demand zones.
Below is a great example of price reversing lower after taking out an upside VPOC
💠 Are all POCs Created Equal?
If POCs are used to gauge supply & demand zones at key levels, then a POC with higher volume should be viewed as more significant than a POC that traded lower volume, right? We created Golden POCs as a tool to identify high volume POCs on all timeframes.
Golden POC (GPOC) - A POC that traded the highest volume compared to prior POCs (proprietary to Pristine Capital)
We calculate value areas for the following time intervals based on the user selected timeframe:
5 Minute and 15 Minute Timeframes -> Daily Value Area
The daily value area paints the distribution of the PRIOR session's trading activity. The "d" in the label references for VAHd, POCd and VALd is a visual cue that value area shown is daily.
1 Hour Timeframe -> Weekly Value Area
The weekly value area paints the distribution of the PRIOR week's trading activity. The "w" in the label references for VAHw, POCw and VALw is a visual cue that value area shown is weekly.
1 Day Timeframe -> Monthly Value Area
The monthly value area paints the distribution of the PRIOR month's trading activity. The "m" in the label references for VAHm, POCm and VALm is a visual cue that value area shown is monthly.
1 Week Timeframe -> Yearly Value Area
The yearly value area paints the distribution of the PRIOR year's trading activity. The "y" in the label references for VAHy, POCy and VALy is a visual cue that value area shown is yearly.
💠 What is a developing value area?
The developing value area provides insight into the upcoming value area while it is still forming! It appears when 80% of the way through the current value area. As the end of a trading period approaches, it can make sense to start trading off the developing value area. When the time period flips, the developing value area becomes the active value area!
💠 Value Areas Trading Setups
Two popular market profile concepts are the bullish and bearish 80% rules. The concept is that there is an 80% probability that the market will traverse the entire relevant value area.
Bullish 80% Rule - If a security opens a period below the value area low , and subsequently closes above it, the bullish 80% rule triggers, turning the value area green. One can trade for a move to the top of the value area, using a close below the value area low as a potential stop!
In the below example, HOOD triggered the bullish 80% rule after it reclaimed the monthly value area!
HOOD proceeded to rally through the monthly value area and beyond in subsequent trading sessions. Finding the first stocks to trigger the bullish 80% rule after a market correction is key for spotting the next market leaders!
Bearish 80% Rule - If a security opens a period above the value area high , and subsequently closes below it, the bearish 80% rule triggers, turning the value area red. One can trade for a move to the bottom of the value area, using a close above the value area high as a potential stop!
ES proceeded to follow through and test the value area low before trending below the weekly value area
Value Area Breakouts - When a security is inside of value, the auction is in balance. When it breaks out from a value area, it could be entering a period of price discovery. One can trade these breaks out of value with tight risk control by setting a stop inside the value area! These breakouts can be traded on all chart timeframes depending on the timeframe of the individual trader. Combining multiple timeframes can result in even more effective trading setups.
RBLX broke out from the monthly value area on 4/22/25👇
RBLX proceeded to rally +62.78% in 39 trading sessions following the monthly VAH breakout!
💠 Market Generated Information to Improve Your Situational Awareness!
In addition to the value areas, we've also included stat tables with useful market generated information. The stats displayed vary based on the timeframe the user has up on their screen. This incentivizes traders to check the chart on multiple timeframes before taking a trade!
Metrics Grouped By Use Case
Performance
▪ YTD α - YTD Alpha (α) measures the risk-adjusted, excess return of a security over its user defined benchmark, on a year-to-date basis.
▪ MTD α - MTD Alpha (α) measures the risk-adjusted, excess return of a security over its user defined benchmark, on a month-to-date basis.
▪ WTD α - WTD Alpha (α) measures the risk-adjusted, excess return of a security over its user defined benchmark, on a week-to-date basis.
▪ YTD %Δ - Year-to-date percent change in price
▪ MTD %Δ - Month-to-date percent change in price
▪ WTD %Δ - Week-to-date percent change in price
Volatility
▪ ATR % - The Average True Range (ATR) expressed as a percentage of an asset's price.
▪ Beta - Measures the price volatility of a security compared to the S&P 500 over the prior 5 years (since inception if 5 years of data is not available)
Risk Analysis
▪ LODx - Low-of-day extension - ATR % multiple from the low of day (measures how extended a stock is from its low of day)
▪ MAx - Moving average extension - ATR % multiple from the user-defined moving average (measures how extended a security is from its moving average). Default moving average = 50D SMA
Why does MAx matter?
MAx measures the number of ATR % multiples a security is trading away from a key moving average. The default moving average length is 50 days.
MAx can be used to identify mean reversion trades . When a security trends strongly in one direction and moves significantly above or below its moving average, the price often tends to revert back toward the average.
Example, if the ATR % of the security is 5%, and the stock is trading 50% higher than the 50D SMA, the MAx would be 50%/5% = 10. A user might opt to take a countertrend trade when the MAx exceeds a predetermined level.
The MAx can also be useful when trading breakouts above or below the key moving average of your choosing. The lower the MAx, the tighter stop loss one can take if trading against that level.
Identifying an extreme price extension using MAx 👇
Price mean reverted immediately following the high MAx 👇
💠 Trend Analysis
The Trend Analysis section consists of short-term and long-term stage analysis data as well as the value area timeframe and price in relation to the value area.
Stage Analysis
▪ ST ⇅ - Short-term stage analysis indicator
▪ LT ⇅ - Long-term stage analysis indicator
Short-term and long-term stage analysis data is provided in the two rightmost columns of each table. The columns are labeled ST ⇅ and LT ⇅.
Why is Stage Analysis important? Popularized by Stan Weinstein, stage analysis is a trend following system that classifies assets into four stages based on price-trend analysis.
The problem? The interpretation of stage analysis is highly subjective. Based on the methodology provided in Stan Weinstein’s books, five different traders could look at the same chart, and come to different conclusions as to which stage the security is in!
We solved for this by creating our own methodology for classifying stocks into stages using moving averages. This indicator automates that analysis, and produces short-term and long-term trend signals based on user-defined key moving averages. You won’t find this in any textbook or course, because it’s completely unique to the Pristine trading methodology.
Our indicator calculates a short-term trend signal using two moving averages; a fast moving average, and a slow moving average. We default to the 10D EMA as the fast moving average & the 20D SMA as the slow moving average. A trend signal is generated based on where price is currently trading with respect to the fast moving average and the slow moving average. We use the signal to guide shorter-term swing trades.
In general, we want to take long trades in stocks with strengthening trends, and short trades in stocks with weakening trends. The user is free to change the moving averages based on their own short-term timeframe. Every trader is unique!
The same process is applied to calculate the long-term trend signal. We default to the 50D SMA as our fast moving average, and the 200D SMA as the slow moving average for the LT ⇅ signal calculation, but users can change these to fit their own unique trading style.
What is Stage 1?
Stage 1 identifies stocks that transitioned from downtrends, into bottoming bases.
Stage 1A - Bottom Signal: Marks the first day a security shows initial signs of recovery after a downtrend, with early indications of strength emerging.👇
Stage 1B - Bottoming Process: Identifies the ongoing phase where the security continues to stabilize and strengthen, confirming the base-building process after the initial signal.👇
Stage 1R - Failed Uptrend: Detects when a security that had entered an early uptrend loses momentum and slips back into a bottoming phase, signaling a failed breakout.👇
What is Stage 2?
Stage 2 identifies stocks that transitioned from bottoming bases to uptrends.
Stage 2A - Breakout: Marks the first day a security decisively breaks out, signaling the start of a new uptrend.👇
Stage 2B - Uptrend: Identifies when the security continues to trade in an established uptrend following the initial breakout, with momentum building but not yet showing full strength.👇
Stage 2C - Strong Uptrend: Detects when the uptrend strengthens further, with the security displaying clear signs of accelerating strength and buying pressure.👇
Stage 2R - Failed Breakdown: Detects when a security that had recently entered a corrective phase reverses course and reclaims its upward trajectory, moving back into an uptrend.👇
What is Stage 3?
Stage 3 identifies stocks that transitioned from uptrends to topping bases.
Stage 3A - Top Signal: Marks the first day a security shows initial signs of weakness after an uptrend, indicating the start of a potential topping phase.👇
Stage 3B - Topping Process: Identifies the period following the initial signal when the security continues to show signs of distribution and potential trend exhaustion.👇
Stage 3R - Failed Breakdown: Detects when a security that had entered a deeper corrective phase reverses upward, recovering enough strength to re-enter the topping phase.👇
What is Stage 4?
Stage 4 identifies stocks that transitioned from topping bases to downtrends.
Stage 4A - Breakdown: Marks the first day a security decisively breaks below key support levels, signaling the start of a new downward trend.👇
Stage 4B - Downtrend: Identifies when the security continues to trend lower following the initial breakdown, with sustained bearish momentum, though not yet fully entrenched.👇
Stage 4C - Strong Downtrend: Detects when the downtrend intensifies, with the security displaying clear signs of accelerating weakness and selling pressure.👇
Stage 4R - Failed Bottom: Detects when a security that had begun to show early signs of bottoming reverses course and resumes its decline, falling back into a downtrend.👇
Stage N/A - Recent IPO: Applies to stocks that recently IPO’ed and don’t have enough data to calculate all necessary moving averages.
Value Area
In Trend Analysis, the value area information is helpful to gauge price in relation to the value area.
▪ VA(y) - Categorizes the security based on the relation of price to the yearly value area
▪ VA(m) - Categorizes the security based on the relation of price to the monthly value area
▪ VA(w) - Categorizes the security based on the relation of price to the weekly value area
Value area states:
▪ ABOVE = Price above the value area high
▪ BELOW = Price below the value area low
▪ INSIDE = Price inside the value area
▪ Bull 80% = Bullish 80% rule in effect
▪ Bear 80% rule = Bearish 80% rule in effect
For example, in the chart above, VA(m) - ABOVE indicates a monthly value area and price is above the VAH.
💠 What Makes This Indicator Unique
There are many value area indicators, however...
Value Area
▪ Golden POC (GPOC) - This is a proprietary concept.
▪ Unique Label Customization
Pristine value areas often comprehensive and unique label customizations. Styles include options to display any combination of the following on your labels:
• Price levels associated with market profile levels
• % distance of market profile levels from security price
• ATR% extension of market profile levels from security price
Multi-Timeframe Analysis
Based on the chart timeframe, unique market generated information is shown to facilitate multi-timeframe analysis.
▪ Weekly Timeframe
On the weekly timeframe the focus is the bigger picture and the metrics reflect this perspective. Performance data includes YTD Alpha and YTD percent change in price. Volatility is measured using ATR % and the industry standard beta. Trend analysis for this higher timeframe include the 52-week range, which measures where a security is trading in relation to its 52wk high and 52wk low. Also included is the where price is in relation to yearly value area.
▪ Daily Timeframe
As one drills down to the daily timeframe, the performance metrics include MTD alpha and MTD percent change in price.
Risk analysis includes the low-of-day extension (LODx), which is the ATR % multiple from the low of the day, to measures how extended a stock is from its low of day. In addition, the moving average extension (MAx) is the ATR % multiple from the user-defined moving average, measures how extended a security is from its
moving average. The default moving average is the 50D SMA, however this can be customized in Settings.
Trend Analysis on the daily timeframe includes the Pristine Capital methodology for classifying stocks into stages using moving averages. Both short-term and long-term stage analysis data is included. Finally, price in relation to monthly value area is shown.
▪ Hourly Timeframe
An the hourly timeframe, performance metrics include WTD alpha and WTD percent change in price. Trend analysis includes the daily closing range (DCR) and price in relation to weekly value area.
💠 Settings and Preferences
💠 Acknowledgements
We'd like to thank @dgtrd, a PulseWire Pine Wizard, for his insight on the finer details when working with volume profiles.
Pristine Market Analysis Dashboard The Pristine Market Analysis indicator enables users to perform comprehensive top-down analysis of global risk assets in a fraction of the time! 🏆
Top-down analysis is important because the overall market environment has a significant impact on the success of individual trading setups.
💠 Market Analysis Insights
▪ Identify if money is flowing into equities, or equity alternatives like bonds,gold,and bitcoin
▪ Perform relative strength analysis of US vs International equities
▪ Identify rotation into risk-on or risk-off assets to determine overall market health
▪ Detect leading sectors to enable targeted stock screening, or to trade the ETFs themselves
💠 Market Analysis Metrics to Improve Your Situational Awareness!
▪ %Δ - 1-day percent change
▪ ATR Δ - 1-day percent change/ ATR %
▪ DCR - Daily closing range
▪ 52WR - Measures where a security is trading in relation to it’s 52wk high and 52wk low
▪ MAx - Measures how extended price is from a key moving average of your choosing in ATR% multiple terms
▪ ST ↑↓ (Short- Term Stage) - Measures the short-term trend using key moving averages of your choosing
▪ LT ↑↓ (Long-Term Stage) - Measures the long-term trend using key moving averages of your choosing
The indicator automatically sorts from greatest to least based on the %Δ column 👇
What is ATR?
The average true range (ATR) is a technical analysis indicator introduced by market technician J. Welles Wilder Jr. in his book New Concepts in Technical Trading Systems that measures security volatility by decomposing the entire range of an asset price for a time period.
Why do we use it?
Because converting price moves into ATR terms better contextualizes them relative to the asset's historical volatility!
Example: If the ATR is $2.50, it means the average price range each day is roughly $2.50.
We use an ATR length of 20 days in our calculation, and convert the 20D ATR into a 20D ATR %. The formula for ATR % is as follows:
ATR % = (ATR/Current Price) * 100
Why does MAx matter?
MAx measures the number of ATR % multiples a security is trading away from a key moving average.The default moving average length is 50 days.
MAx can be used to identify mean reversion trades . When a security trends strongly in one direction and moves significantly above or below its moving average, the price often tends to revert back toward the average.
Example, if the ATR % of the security is 5%, and the stock is trading 50% higher than the 50D SMA, the MAx would be 50%/5% = 10. A user might opt to take a countertrend trade when the MAx exceeds a predetermined level.
The MAx can also be useful when trading breakouts above or below the key moving average of your choosing. The lower the MAx, the tighter stop loss one can take if trading against that level.
Identifying an extreme price extension using MAx 👇
Price mean reverted immediately following the high MAx 👇
Why does 52WR matter?
Historical analysis conducted by market legends like William O’Neill and Mark Minervini indicates that stocks trading at or near 52wk highs tend to outperform over time, and vice versa for stocks trading close to 52wk lows. Avoiding stocks trading with a low 52WR metric can help traders avoid buying stocks in downtrends. Likewise, focusing on stocks trading with a high 52WR provides a technical edge.
💠 Stage Analysis Guide
Short-term and long-term stage analysis data is provided in the two rightmost columns of each table. The columns are labeled ST ⇅ and LT ⇅.
Why is Stage Analysis important? Popularized by Stan Weinstein, stage analysis is a trend following system that classifies assets into four stages based on price-trend analysis.
The problem? The interpretation of stage analysis is highly subjective. Based on the methodology provided in Stan Weinstein’s books, five different traders could look at the same chart, and come to different conclusions as to which stage the security is in!
We solved for this by creating our own methodology for classifying stocks into stages using moving averages. This indicator automates that analysis, and produces short-term and long-term trend signals based on user-defined key moving averages. You won’t find this in any textbook or course, because it’s completely unique to the Pristine trading methodology.
Our indicator calculates a short-term trend signal using two moving averages; a fast moving average, and a slow moving average. We default to the 10D EMA as the fast moving average & the 20D SMA as the slow moving average. A trend signal is generated based on where price is currently trading with respect to the fast moving average and the slow moving average. We use the signal to guide shorter-term swing trades.
In general, we want to take long trades in stocks with strengthening trends, and short trades in stocks with weakening trends. The user is free to change the moving averages based on their own short-term timeframe. Every trader is unique!
The same process is applied to calculate the long-term trend signal. We default to the 50D SMA as our fast moving average, and the 200D SMA as the slow moving average for the LT ⇅ signal calculation, but users can change these to fit their own unique trading style.
What is Stage 1?
Stage 1 identifies stocks that transitioned from downtrends, into bottoming bases.
Stage 1A - Bottom Signal: Marks the first day a security shows initial signs of recovery after a downtrend, with early indications of strength emerging.👇
Stage 1B - Bottoming Process: Identifies the ongoing phase where the security continues to stabilize and strengthen, confirming the base-building process after the initial signal.👇
Stage 1R - Failed Uptrend: Detects when a security that had entered an early uptrend loses momentum and slips back into a bottoming phase, signaling a failed breakout.👇
What is Stage 2?
Stage 2 identifies stocks that transitioned from bottoming bases to uptrends.
Stage 2A - Breakout: Marks the first day a security decisively breaks out, signaling the start of a new uptrend.👇
Stage 2B - Uptrend: Identifies when the security continues to trade in an established uptrend following the initial breakout, with momentum building but not yet showing full strength.👇
Stage 2C - Strong Uptrend: Detects when the uptrend strengthens further, with the security displaying clear signs of accelerating strength and buying pressure.👇
Stage 2R - Failed Breakdown: Detects when a security that had recently entered a corrective phase reverses course and reclaims its upward trajectory, moving back into an uptrend.👇
What is Stage 3?
Stage 3 identifies stocks that transitioned from uptrends to topping bases.
Stage 3A - Top Signal: Marks the first day a security shows initial signs of weakness after an uptrend, indicating the start of a potential topping phase.👇
Stage 3B - Topping Process: Identifies the period following the initial signal when the security continues to show signs of distribution and potential trend exhaustion.👇
Stage 3R - Failed Breakdown: Detects when a security that had entered a deeper corrective phase reverses upward, recovering enough strength to re-enter the topping phase.👇
What is Stage 4?
Stage 4 identifies stocks that transitioned from topping bases to downtrends.
Stage 4A - Breakdown: Marks the first day a security decisively breaks below key support levels, signaling the start of a new downward trend.👇
Stage 4B - Downtrend: Identifies when the security continues to trend lower following the initial breakdown, with sustained bearish momentum, though not yet fully entrenched.👇
Stage 4C - Strong Downtrend: Detects when the downtrend intensifies, with the security displaying clear signs of accelerating weakness and selling pressure.👇
Stage 4R - Failed Bottom: Detects when a security that had begun to show early signs of bottoming reverses course and resumes its decline, falling back into a downtrend.👇
Stage N/A - Recent IPO: Applies to stocks that recently IPO’ed and don’t have enough data to calculate all necessary moving averages.
💠 Historical Analysis
Users can leverage the Replay feature in PulseWire to perform historical analysis and see how the overall configuration of global risk assets looked at key turning points in the market!
To perform historical analysis:
1) Show the chart if previously hidden (see Tips and Tricks).
2) Click the Replay button on the toolbar at the top of the chart.
3) Use the slider on the chart to select the bar to begin the analysis.
💠 Comprehensive Tooltips
Hover over header labels to get detailed information about the data and relevant calculations.
For stage analysis (Short Term and Long Term), the tooltips provide a complete key of all the relevant stages.
💠 Settings and Preferences
▪ Customize this script by setting preferred colors and thresholds.
▪ There are two tables that can be customized, one on each side of the chart. For each table you can configure the location and show/hide each table. You can also specify colors for header and row data, including your preferred text size.
▪ You can customize the moving averages that are used in stage analysis. Specify your preferred fast and slow moving averages for both short-term and long-term analysis.
▪ For the ATR extension, the default moving average is 50D SMA. You can choose the length and type (SMA or EMA) to align with your trading preferences.
💠 Tips and Tricks
▪ Hide/Show Chart:
To provide a clean backdrop for the tables, it can be helpful to hide the chart. Hover your mouse over the symbol information in the upper right. Select the "..." option and choose "Hide" option. Choose the option "Show" to see the chart details if hidden.
▪ Futures Outside Regular Trading Hours (RTH):
In order for the data in the “%Δ” column of the the “Equity Alternatives” table to populate correctly when outside of regular trading hours, you must have your chart displaying a futures contract. Examples: ES, NQ, RTY, GC.
Pristine Adaptive Alpha Screener The Pristine Adaptive Alpha Screener allows users to screen for all of the trading signals embedded in our premium suite of PulseWire tools🏆
▪ Pristine Value Areas & MGI - enables users to perform comprehensive technical analysis through the lens of the market profile in a fraction of the time!
▪ Pristine Fundamental Analysis - enables users to perform comprehensive fundamental stock analysis in a fraction of the time!
▪ Pristine Volume Analysis - organizes volume, liquidity, and share structure data, allowing users to quickly gauge the relative volume a security is trading on, and whether it is liquid enough to trade
💠 How is this Screener Original?
▪ The screener allows users to screen for breakouts, breakdowns, bullish and bearish trend reversals, and allows users to narrow a universe of stocks based purely on fundamentals, or purely on technicals. One screening tool to support an entire technofundamental workflow!
💠 Signals Overview
Each of the below signals serves one of two purposes:
1) A pivot point to be used as a long or short entry
2) A tool for narrowing a universe of stocks to a shorter list of stocks that have a higher potential for superperformance
▪ HVY(highest volume in a year) -> Featured in Pristine Volume Analysis -> Entry signal
▪ Trend Template -> Inspired by Mark Minervini's famous trend filters -> Tool for narrowing a universe of stocks to a shorter list with a higher potential for superperformance
▪ Rule of 100 -> Metrics from Pristine Fundamental Analysis -> Tool for narrowing a universe of stocks to a shorter list with a higher potential for superperformance
▪ Bullish 80% Rule -> Featured in Pristine Value Areas & MGI -> Long entry signal -> Trend Reversal
▪ Bearish 80% Rule -> Featured in Pristine Value Areas & MGI -> Short entry signal -> Trend Reversal
▪ Break Above VAH -> Featured in Pristine Value Areas & MGI -> Long entry signal -> Trend Continuation
▪ Break Below VAL -> Featured in Pristine Value Areas & MGI -> Short entry signal -> Trend Continuation
💠 Signals Decoded
▪ HVY(highest volume in a year)
Volume is an important metric to track when trading, because abnormally high volume tends to occur when a new trend is kicking off, or when an established trend is hitting a climax. Screen for HVY to quickly curate every stock that meets this condition.
▪ Trend Template
Mark Minervini's gift to the trading world. Via his book "Think and Trade Like a Stock Market Wizard". Stocks tend to make their biggest moves when they are already in uptrends, and the Minervini Trend template provides criteria to assess whether a stock is in a clearly defined uptrend. Filter for trend template stocks using our tool.
▪ Rule of 100
Pristine Capital's gift to the trading world. The rule of 100 filters for stocks that meet the following condition: YoY EPS Growth + YoY Sales Growth >= 100%. Stocks that meet this criteria tend to attract institutional investors, making them strong candidates for swing trading to the long side.
💠 Market Profile Introduction
A Market Profile is a charting technique devised by J. Peter Steidlmayer, a trader at the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), in the 1980's. He created it to gain a deeper understanding of market behavior and to analyze the auction process in financial markets. A market profile is used to analyze an auction using price, volume, and time to create a distribution-based view of trading activity. It organizes market data into a bell-curve-like structure, which reveals areas of value, balance, and imbalance.
💠 How is a Value Area Calculated?
A value area is a distribution of 68%-70% of the trading volume over a specific time interval, which represents one standard deviation above and below the point of control, which is the most highly traded level over that period.
The key reference points are as follows:
Value area low (VAL) - The lower boundary of a value area
Value area high (VAH) - The upper boundary of a value area
Point of Control (POC) - The price level at which the highest amount of a trading period's volume occurred
If we take the probability distribution of trading activity and flip it 90 degrees, the result is our Pristine Value Area!
Market Profile is our preferred method of technical analysis at Pristine Capital because it provides an objective and repeatable assessment of whether an asset is being accumulated or distributed by institutional investors. Market Profile levels work remarkably well for identifying areas of interest, because so many institutional trading algorithms have been programmed to use these levels since the 1980's!
The benefits of using Market Profile include better trade location, improved risk management, and enhanced market context. It helps traders differentiate between trending and consolidating markets, identify high-probability trade setups, and adjust their strategies based on whether the market is in balance (consolidation) or imbalance (trending). Unlike traditional indicators that rely on past price movements, Market Profile provides real-time insights into trader behavior, giving an edge to those who can interpret its nuances effectively.
▪ Bullish 80% Rule
If a security opens a period below the value area low , and subsequently closes above it, the bullish 80% rule triggers, turning the value area green. One can trade for a move to the top of the value area, using a close below the value area low as a potential stop!
In the below example, HOOD triggered the bullish 80% rule after it reclaimed the monthly value area!
HOOD proceeded to rally through the monthly value area and beyond in subsequent trading sessions. Finding the first stocks to trigger the bullish 80% rule after a market correction is key for spotting the next market leaders!
▪ Bearish 80% Rule
If a security opens a period above the value area high , and subsequently closes below it, the bearish 80% rule triggers, turning the value area red. One can trade for a move to the bottom of the value area, using a close above the value area high as a potential stop!
ES proceeded to follow through and test the value area low before trending below the weekly value area
▪ Break Above VAH
When a security is inside value, the auction is in balance. When it breaks above a value area, it could be entering a period of upward price discovery. One can trade these breakouts with tight risk control by setting a stop inside the value area! These breakouts can be traded on all chart timeframes depending on the style of the individual trader. Combining multiple timeframes can result in even more effective trading setups.
RBLX broke out from the monthly value area on 4/22/25👇
RBLX proceeded to rally +62.78% in 39 trading sessions following the monthly VAH breakout!
▪ Break Below VAL
When a security is inside value, the auction is in balance. When it breaks below a value area, it could be entering a period of downward price discovery. One can trade these breakdowns with tight risk control by setting a stop inside the value area! These breakouts can be traded on all chart timeframes depending on the style of the individual trader. Combining multiple timeframes can result in even more effective trading setups.
CHWY broke below the monthly value area on 7/20/23👇
CHWY proceeded to decline -53.11% in the following 64 trading sessions following the monthly VAL breakdown!
💠 Metric Columns
▪ %𝚫 - 1-day percent change in price
▪ YTD %𝚫 - Year-to-date percent change in price
▪ MTD %𝚫 - Month-to-date percent change in price
▪ MAx Moving average extension - ATR % multiple from the 50D SMA -Inspired by Jeff Sun
▪ 52WR - Measures where a security is trading in relation to it’s 52wk high and 52wk low. Readings near 100% indicate close proximity to a 52wk high and readings near 0% indicate close proximity to a 52wk low
▪ Avg $Vol - Average volume (50 candles) * Price
▪ Vol RR - Candle volume/ Avg candle volume
💠 Best Practices
Monday -> Friday Post-market Analysis
1) Begin with a universe of stocks. I use the following linked universe screen as a starting point: www.pulsewire.com
2) Screen for the HVY signal -> Add those stocks to a separate flagged (colored) watchlist
3) Screen for the Bullish 80% Rule signal -> Add those stocks to a separate flagged (colored) watchlist
4) Screen for the Break Above VAH Signal -> Add those stocks to a separate flagged (colored) watchlist
5) Screen for the Break Below VAL Signal -> Add those stocks to a separate flagged (colored) watchlist
6) Screen for the Bearish 80% Rule Signal -> Add those stocks to a separate flagged (colored) watchlist
7) Screen for the Bearish 80% Rule Signal -> Add those stocks to a separate flagged (colored) watchlist
8) Screen for the Trend Template Signal -> Add those stocks to a separate flagged (colored) watchlist
9) Toggle through each list and analyze each stock chart using the Supercharts tool in PulseWire
10)Record the number of stocks in each list as a way of analyzing market conditions
Weekend Analysis
1) Begin with a universe of stocks. I use the following linked universe screen as a starting point: www.pulsewire.com
2) Screen for the Rule of 100 Signal. Use this as a starting point for deeper fundamental and/or thematic and/or technical research
3) Screen for stocks that meet specific performance thresholds, such as YTD %𝚫 > 100% etc
💠 Get Creative
▪Users have the ability to layer signals on top of each other when screening. To do so, filter for a signal, and then filter your new list by another signal! Play around with the screener, and find what works best for you!
Pristine Fundamental Analysis The Pristine Fundamental Analysis indicator enables users to perform comprehensive fundamental stock analysis in a fraction of the time! 🏆
For swing/position traders, fundamental analysis is essential—it informs stock selection and strengthens conviction, enabling traders to stay in positions long enough to capture larger moves. Since every ticker represents both a business and a tradable asset, fundamental analysis perfectly complements technical analysis.
💠 Fundamental Analysis Insights - Weekly Timeframe
EPS & sales trends, margins & ratios, and valuation metrics are displayed on the weekly timeframe for in-depth analysis outside market hours.
💠 Fundamental Analysis Insights - Daily Timeframe
A slimmed down version of the fundamental analysis table is displayed on the daily timeframe to provide users quick insights into the fundamentals, while allowing them to focus on technical analysis during market hours.
💠 Fundamental Analysis Metrics to Deepen Understanding of Companies!
EARNINGS & SALES TRENDS
Why does it matter? Company stock prices tend to track the growth trajectory of earnings and sales over time. By analyzing fundamentals, users can gain an edge that pure technical traders do not have. This edge is most pronounced during big market dislocations when investors are forced to liquidate their top holdings.
▪ EPS - Measures year-over-year growth, quarter-over-quarter growth, and the surprise between actuals & analyst estimates
▪ Sales Analysis - Measures year-over-year growth, quarter-over-quarter growth, and the surprise between actuals & analyst estimates
MARGIN ANALYSIS
Why does it matter? Revenue is the lifeblood of a company. Margins measure company profits and expenditures as a percentage of revenue
▪ G% - Gross margin measures the percentage of revenue a company retained after subtracting the direct costs of producing the goods or services it sells, known as the cost of goods sold (COGS)
▪ CFO% - Measures the percentage of a company's revenue that was converted to Cash flow from operations (CFO). CFO, also known as operating cash flow (OCF), is the amount of cash a company generated from its core business activities over a specific period. It reflects the actual cash inflows and outflows resulting from the company’s main operations, such as selling products or providing services, and excludes cash flows from investing and financing activities.
▪ Net% - Net margin measures the percentage of revenue that was converted to net profit
▪ ROE% - Return on Equity measures how much net income a company produced for each dollar of equity invested by shareholders
▪ R&D% - R&D margin measures how much the company invested in research & development as a percentage of revenue
▪ D/E - The Debt to Equity ratio measures how much of a company’s financing comes from creditors (debt) versus owners (equity), providing insight into the company’s financial leverage and risk profile. The indicator tracks changes in the ratio over time
VALUATION METRICS
Why does it matter? Valuation metrics provide users an understanding of the potential risk if the fundamental trajectory of the company, or the broad market, changes! The more highly valued a company is, the more downside risk is present if conditions worsen, and vice versa.
▪ PE - The Price-to-Earnings ratio measures a company’s current share price relative to its trailing twelve-month(TTM) earnings per share (EPS). It helps investors assess how much they are paying for each dollar of a company’s earnings and is often used to gauge whether a stock is overvalued, undervalued, or fairly valued compared to its peers or historical averages.
▪ PS - The Price-to-Sales ratio measures a company’s current share price relative to its trailing twelve-month(TTM) sales per share. It helps investors assess how much they are paying for each dollar of a company’s sales and is often used to gauge whether a stock is overvalued, undervalued, or fairly valued compared to its peers or historical averages.
▪ BB% - Buyback yield measures the annual percentage of stock repurchased by the company. Share buybacks reduce total share count, which directly increases earnings per share!
💠 What Makes This Indicator Unique
There are many fundamental dashboards, however, what makes this indicator unique is customized metrics that were used to achieve back-to-back top finishes in the US Investing Championship. The main purpose of the indicator is to highlight companies with a history of EPS and sales acceleration , rather than focusing on the values in isolation, or even the growth of the values. Our goal is further evolution of the metrics and color signals based on continued backtesting and analysis of real-time market data.
▪ Custom Margin Metrics : Several of the margin metrics are unique and offer significant value beyond EPS and sales data alone.
For example, there are plenty of companies that have negative EPS due to non-cash expenses and/or investments they are making into their business, but that does not by itself mean that the companies are not worthy of an investment. Roblox (RBLX) is a great example. The company has consistently negative EPS, but the CFO% margin is positive! That means the core business throws off significant amounts of cash, and a large amount of it is being allocated to aggressive R&D spend, which is captured by the R&D% metric. This could propel the fundamentals of the business well into the future.
▪ Color Signals Based on Thresholds : The background colors of metrics are based on historical analysis and apply relevant thresholds to help users identify companies with strong fundamentals
▪ Comprehensive Inline Documentation : All headers cells offer detailed information about the relevant calculations/metrics as well as in-depth information on color coding and how to interpret each value. This small, yet important detail, allows users to quickly identify accelerating fundamental trends
💠 Practical Use Case Examples
Analyzing fundamentals to trade a Power Earnings Gap setup 👇
In August 2023, APP reported a +467% YoY increase in EPS, 181% higher than Wall Street estimates! This sparked a generational trading opportunity.👇
After the first earnings report with stellar earnings growth, APP rallied > 1000% in 2 years, following the trajectory of sales and EPS.👇
💠 Settings and Preferences
💠 Tips and Tricks
Fundamentals drive price action during periods of fundamental transition
▪ Pre-revenue companies that are anticipated to start earning revenue
▪ Revenue-generating companies that are anticipated to flip from negative to positive EPS
▪ Revenue-generating companies that are anticipated to flip from negative cash flow to positive cash flow
▪ Major accelerations or decelerations in sales or EPS
