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When a period closes in the upper half of the high/low range, the Money Flow Multiplier will rise closer to 1. On the other hand, when a period closes in the lower half of the high/low range, the Money Flow Multiplier will fall towards -1. The closer the multiplier is to 1, the higher the buying pressure. So when you combine a highly positive multiplier with strong volume the ADL will rise. When you combine a highly negative multiplier with strong volume, selling pressure will rise and the ADL will fall.

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It tells us whether there are more buyers or sellers in that market. It also helps us identify if there’s a divergence between the price and the A/D line. By plotting the running total of these money flow volumes, we get the Accumulation/Distribution Line. The Accumulation/Distribution Indicator (A/D) is an indicator that any technical trader should understand.

The accumulation/distribution (A/D) line gives traders a visual representation of this fundamental relationship between supply and demand. When the ADL for an asset rises as the price of an asset rises, it means traders are still in the accumulation stage. Conversely, when the ADL for an asset decline as the price declines, it means traders are still distributing . The Accumulation/Distribution indicator is a useful tool for measuring buying and selling pressure in the market. Plus, it is a fantastic indicator for confirming or contradicting current trends. Remember to use the A/D indicator in conjunction with other technical tools. This way, you could be more confident in your next trading move.

However, when it comes to investing, the price movement is also closely related to volume. Professional traders profit by capitalizing on the relationship between stock prices and volume.

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For any other values, the CLV will lie somewhere between these two extremes. The above figure represents the accumulation/distribution (A/D) comparison chart of a stock for a period. The orange line is the stock price variation over the period, and the grey line is the A/D line for the same period. As you can see, the A/D line is relative to the stock price.

Notice how it is easy to compare price action when the indicator is placed “behind” the price plot. The indicator and the price trend moved in unison from February to June.

It first compares opening and closing prices to the trading range for the period, the result is then used to weight the volume traded. A bearish signal is formed when the A/D line trends downward, but the price of the security is in an uptrend . Selling pressure is beginning to increase, usually signaling a future downtrend in the price. Trading Gaps – The A/D line does not take trading gaps into consideration so these gaps, when they occur, may not be factored into the A/D line at all. Therefore, if a stock’s price has gapped upward but closes around the midpoint, that gap will be ignored because the A/D line is formulated using closing prices. Your trading platform should ideally offer a wide selection of technical indicators and other tools to support a robust yet tailored trading strategy.

Technical Analysis

With that in mind, the key to understanding the A/D line is the Money Flow Multiplier, which is what will make the ADL rise or fall. The calculation of the A/D consists of three components- money flow multiplier , money flow volume , and accumulation distribution line . The money flow index is a volume-weighted momentum indicatorcalculated using a 14-day period. When the price keeps going down, but the A/D indicator is rising, it could mean that the downward trend is likely to stall, and the buying pressure may soon overcome selling pressure. The A/D line denotes a running total of the money flow volume for a given period. First, we calculate a multiplier based on the closing high-low range.

• If during a trading range, the Accumulation Distribution is rising, then accumulation may be taking place and is a warning of an upward break out.
• The technical analysis statements that “volume precedes price” implies that, in many cases, after decline and just before a reversal, we may see an increase in the volume .
• The WAD indicator looks only at price, and therefore fails to take into account volume.
• You then calculate the money flow volume and the accumulation distribution line.
• As the formula above shows, Chaikin took a different approach by completely ignoring the change from one period to the next.
• Money flow volume piles up to make a line that either confirms or contradicts the underlying price trend.

Conversely, if a security’s price is in an uptrend while the A/D line is in a downtrend, then the indicator shows there may be selling pressure, or higher distribution. The ADL is an efficient tool for spotlighting buying and selling pressure on a security or stock. It can also be used with either RSI or MFI to refine an analysis. A stock market accumulation means buying in the stock market.

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It is usually followed by a change in the trend of the security from downward to upward. The total of the values for the positive-negative volume flow is what gives us the OBV line. Similarly, traders use the OBV line, like the A/D indicator, to confirm current trends and spot potential reversals through divergence from the asset price. A positive money flow multiplier means there is more substantial buying pressure . That pressure, in turn, should then correlate with a rising price. The chart above shows Nordstrom with the Accumulation Distribution Line.

“Accumulation” basically refers to the buying level for that security within a given period. On the other hand, “distribution” refers to the selling level for that traded security. Explanation of mechanics behind price/WAD positive divergence are similar to the explanation of mechanics behind negative divergence (see chart #2 below).

Lastly, to learn more about how to use the accumulation distribution indicator, check out this video on YouTube. The video goes into great detail about how to interpret signals from the indicator. Open a trade in the direction of the trend if the two indicators contradict during high or increasing volumes. Since the price is attempting to enter a bullish trend, we trade in this direction.

Williams’ Accumulation Distribution Analysis

This represents both the simplicity and the limitation of this indicator. We especially note that the indicator gives an unexpectedly strong signal in situations of divergence. This is understandable — trade volumes most accurately reflect the loss of interest in the current direction. The indicator is a traditional oscillator line in an additional window below the price chart. Like all teak volume technical tools, Accumulation/Distribution does not have any parameters, except for the graphic scheme. The indicator works with absolute values, so the level lines are also not used.

On the other hand, if the price of a security is in an uptrend while the ADL is in a downtrend, the indicator indicates that there may be selling pressure, or higher distribution. An investor that is accumulating stock is simply purchasing stock. Also, an investor who is sharing stock to the market is selling. As a result of this, the accumulation/distribution indicator is, therefore, an attempt to size up demand and supply, which logically drives price movement.

Williams’ Accumulation/Distribution is based solely on price data and here accumulation/distribution represents sum of positive and negative price movements. An uptrend in prices with a downtrend in the accumulation distribution line means an underlying selling pressure that could foreshadow a bearish reversal on the price chart.