RT-Split Volume

Split Volume is a volume analytics tool that separates estimated buy and sell volume for each bar, highlights abnormal activity, and makes it easier to see when larger participants may be stepping in or out of the market.

Split Volume Introduction
Traditional volume tools only show you the data for the candle that "won". This leaves traders in the dark about the balance between buying and selling behind each bar. Often a candle close is a photo finish between bulls and bears, and other times it is hardly a battle at all.

The Split Volume Indicator looks at both sides of the flow and identifies which volume candles have been flagged as anomalies compared with the surrounding volume bars. It is designed to provide additional context around where and how volume is flowing, rather than only showing total volume per candle.

Traditional Volume vs Split Volume
While volume is one of the most important signals a trader can watch, traditional volume indicators only show a single bar for each candle. Only looking at one side of the story puts the trader at a disadvantage. Sometimes the battle between the bears and the bulls is a photo finish, and sometimes it is hardly a battle at all.

In the comparison chart below, the middle pane shows TradingView's built in Volume indicator, while the lower pane shows Split Volume, so you can compare a single bar view with the split buy and sell view side by side.

Split Volume estimates buy and sell pressure separately and plots them on different halves of the panel. This gives a clearer picture of what is actually happening in the underlying order flow, not just which side closed the bar.

How Split Volume Works
The Split Volume Indicator uses an algorithm to estimate the buy and sell volume for each candle. All of the estimated buy volume is placed on the upper half of the indicator, while all of the estimated sell volume is placed on the lower half of the indicator.

As the bulls and bears trade back and forth on each candle, the algorithm also calculates a baseline average of the volume being traded over a rolling window. This dynamic baseline is shown by the gray Ghost Line.

When either the buy side or the sell side volume spikes well above that Ghost Line, the corresponding bars are flagged as abnormal. These abnormal spikes are color coded so they stand out against normal background activity.

Volume Candle Types

• Green volume candles - Normal buying volume above the midline.
  
• Blue volume candles - Abnormal buying volume above the Ghost Line.
  
• Red volume candles - Normal selling volume below the midline.
  
• Yellow volume candles - Abnormal selling volume below the Ghost Line.
  

Volume Impulses
One key pattern to watch with Split Volume is volume impulses: short bursts of concentrated activity that stand out from the Ghost Line baseline. These can be easy to miss with standard volume bars but become very obvious when normal and abnormal buy and sell flows are separated.

Settings

• Volume in USD toggle On/Off - Switch between volume being displayed in USD or in the number of units (stocks or tokens) being traded. This change is reflected on the Y axis of the indicator.
  
• Volume smoother - Changes the smoothness setting of the Ghost Line. Higher values make the baseline slower and smoother, and lower values make it more responsive to recent changes in activity.
  
• Volume displacement shifter - Adjusts the vertical height of the Ghost Line. This lets traders control where they want abnormal blue and yellow volume candles to start triggering.
  

What Makes This Tool Different

• Separates estimated buy and sell volume into their own zones instead of showing a single undifferentiated volume bar.
  
• Uses a dynamic Ghost Line baseline so spikes are judged relative to recent activity, not a fixed threshold.
  
• Highlights abnormal volume with clear color coding, making it easier to see when activity is concentrated on one side of the tape.
  
• Emphasizes volume impulses and clusters that can precede or accompany larger moves, rather than only tracking total daily or session volume.
  

This indicator is intended to provide additional context around order flow and volume behavior. It is not a standalone signal generator and should always be used together with your own analysis, risk management and trading plan. Historical volume patterns do not guarantee future results.

🐋 Tight lines and happy trading!