AlphaTRADER Academy
Volume Spread Analysis
Tom Williams modernized Wyckoff for the screen era. Every single bar is a forensic record of who acted and how hard. Decode three variables — spread, volume, close position — and you read smart money's footprint live.
"Volume is the cause; price is the effect. Read them together or you're guessing." — Tom Williams
The VSA Triad — Three Questions Per Bar
Every bar must be interrogated through these three lenses before any interpretation.
SPREAD
High to low of the bar.
Wide = strong activity. Narrow = lack of interest or absorption.
VOLUME
Effort behind the move.
Compared to recent average, never absolute. High effort should produce result.
CLOSE
Position within the range.
Top = buyers won the bar. Bottom = sellers won. Middle = battle still on.
The Bar Lab
INTERACTIVEBuild any bar by adjusting the three sliders. The lab classifies it instantly using VSA logic.
Live Candle
VSA Signal Library
The eight most actionable VSA bar types. Memorize their fingerprints.
No Demand
BearishNarrow up-bar on low volume after rally. Buyers gone — no real demand pushing higher.
No Supply
BullishNarrow down-bar on low volume. Sellers exhausted — supply dried up. Bullish.
Stopping Volume
BullishWide down-bar, massive volume, closes off the lows. Smart money absorbing.
Selling Climax
ReversalExtreme wide down-bar with climactic volume. Capitulation — supply transferred.
Upthrust
BearishSpike up rejected, closes near low on high volume. Supply hit the offer.
Effort to Rise
BullishWide up-bar, high volume, closes on highs. Demand in control. Sign of Strength.
No Result
DivergenceHigh effort, weak result. Volume huge but spread tiny. Hidden absorption — trend at risk.
Test Bar
ConfirmationQuick dip on very low volume, closes mid/high. Test passed — supply absent.
Sequence Reading Quiz
INTERACTIVESingle bars are clues. Sequences are the story. Read these 3-bar combinations.
Where VSA Bars Appear in Wyckoff Phases
Bar signals don't fire randomly — they cluster predictably inside specific schematic phases.
| VSA Signal | Accumulation Phase | Distribution Phase |
|---|---|---|
| Stopping Volume | Phase A — at the SC | — |
| Selling Climax | Phase A — bottoming bar | — |
| Test Bar | Phase B/C — confirms Spring | — |
| No Supply | Phase C/D — confirms LPS | — |
| Effort to Rise | Phase D — Sign of Strength bar | — |
| No Demand | — | Phase B/C — confirms LPSY |
| Upthrust | — | Phase B/C — UT or UTAD bar |
| No Result (Effort/No Result) | — | Phase A/B — at Buying Climax |
Common Mistakes
Where retail loses money applying VSA in isolation.
Test Your Understanding
4 questions — instant feedback, no scoring stored.