Cumulative Volume Delta, or CVD, is the running sum of volume delta. Each new interval adds its delta to the previous value; the curve continues until the selected rule resets it or changes its starting point.
In plain terms — Delta is the balance for one stage. CVD keeps the total across the journey, but you need to know where it started and when the counter returns to zero.
The sum and the reset
The basic relationship is:
current CVD = previous CVD + current delta
With deltas of +40, −15, and +25, the cumulative sequence becomes 40, 25, and 50. If the platform resets the calculation at the start of the next session, the first value in that session does not continue from 50: it returns to the configured base and adds only the new deltas.
How to read the figure — The upper section shows successive deltas; the lower section accumulates them. The reset line separates two windows that should not be compared as though they were one continuous series.
Comparing it with price
Price and CVD can move in the same direction or diverge. A divergence is a description: over that segment, price and the cumulative balance of classified volume followed different paths. It does not automatically identify absorption, distribution, or an imminent reversal.
A consistent comparison requires the same market, feed, session, and reset rule. The starting point matters too: in some implementations, changing the amount of loaded history can reconstruct a different curve.
Variants that change the result
Platforms may accumulate volume, trade count, or an estimate built from lower-timeframe bars. They may anchor the calculation to a day, week, custom session, or the entire visible range. Time zones, market breaks, size filters, and incomplete historical bid/ask data introduce further differences.
The absolute CVD value therefore has no universal meaning. Check the actual implementation before interpreting its slope or divergences; the CVD indicator guide collects the relevant configuration checks.
Sources
- Sierra Chart, Cumulative AskVolume and BidVolume Difference Bars — defines CVD as the running sum of ask volume minus bid volume and documents the start-of-day reset and historical-feed requirements.
- Sierra Chart, Cumulative Delta Bars — Volume — describes the calculation method and notes that the curve can change when the starting point of loaded data changes.
- TradingView, Cumulative Volume Delta — documents a CVD estimated from lower-timeframe bars and anchored to a configurable period.
- CME Group, MDP 3.0 — Trade Summary — shows which venue fields can support direct aggressor-side classification.