Who it's for — Anyone reading footprint or tape who wants to see whether aggressive pressure is «winning» the session, not just bar by bar.
Cumulative delta (CD, CVD) sums delta bar by bar: a curve showing whether aggressive buying or selling dominates overall. It is the natural tool to compare price and aggressive pressure over hours or days.
In plain terms — One candle's delta can mislead; the cumulative curve shows who is pushing with urgency over time — useful for divergences and trend confirmation.
Operational reading
| Pattern | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| Price ↑ and CD ↑ | Bullish trend confirmation |
| Price ↑ and CD ↓ or flat | Possible distribution / absorption |
| Price ↓ and CD ↑ | Possible accumulation on decline |
| Session reset | CD restarts at zero — compare similar sessions |
CD does not replace levels from Volume Profile or Value Area: it shows who is pushing, not where the market accepted prices.
Common mistake — Positive CD = «I must buy» — in a downtrend CD can stay positive on technical bounces without structural reversal.
Example — New session high with CD lower than the previous high: bearish divergence — wait for structure break or footprint confirmation before shorting.
Summary card
- What it is: running sum of volume delta.
- What changes: filters bar-by-bar noise.
- Quick check: are price and CD aligned?