In order flow trading, DELTA represents the difference between the number of aggressive buyers and aggressive sellers during a specific time period. It is a key metric used to analyze the strength or weakness of market participants and helps traders assess buying and selling pressure.
Here's a breakdown:
1. Aggressive Buyers: Traders who are willing to buy at the ask price (the price sellers are asking for). 2. Aggressive Sellers: Traders who are willing to sell at the bid price (the price buyers are offering).
How Delta is Calculated: - Delta = (Aggressive Buy Volume) - (Aggressive Sell Volume)
- Positive Delta: Occurs when there are more aggressive buyers than aggressive sellers. It suggests strong buying pressure, potentially indicating a rising market. - Negative Delta: Occurs when there are more aggressive sellers than aggressive buyers. It indicates selling pressure, which could suggest a falling market.
Types of Delta in Order Flow: 1.Cumulative Delta: Tracks the running total of the delta over a certain period (e.g., throughout a trading session or a chart’s timeframe). It shows the net flow of buy and sell orders and can help identify whether the market is controlled by buyers or sellers over time.
2. Delta Per Bar: Shows the delta for each individual bar or candle, useful for analyzing immediate buying or selling pressure within a smaller timeframe.
Importance of Delta in Trading: -Trend Identification : Positive delta in a rising market suggests strong buyers, confirming an uptrend. Negative delta in a falling market shows selling strength, confirming a downtrend. - **Divergence**: Delta divergence occurs when price moves in one direction, but delta suggests the opposite (e.g., price goes up, but delta shows negative values). This can be an early sign of a potential reversal.
Reversals and Exhaustion : Sharp changes in delta, such as a large increase or decrease, can indicate that a market is exhausted and about to reverse.
Delta is primarily used in futures, options, and other exchange-traded markets where the order flow and volume data are available.