1. Mechanics of the Bid x Ask Cluster Matrix

Every footprint cell displays two numbers: the volume sold at the bid (aggressive market sellers hitting resting bids) on the left, and the volume bought at the ask (aggressive market buyers lifting resting offers) on the right.

When buying volume exceeds diagonal selling volume by 300% or greater across multiple adjacent levels, a Stacked Imbalance forms. This indicates urgent institutional participation and establishes strong intraday support or resistance boundaries.

2. Cumulative Volume Delta (CVD) & Absorption

The Delta of a candle is the total ask volume minus total bid volume. Cumulative Volume Delta (CVD) sums this delta continuously across the session.

• Absorption at Highs: Heavy positive delta (+1,500 contracts) but price fails to make new highs. Passive institutional sellers are absorbing aggressive retail buyers.
• Exhaustion Lows: Decreasing sell volume and negative delta drying up as price enters a high-volume node, signaling seller depletion.
• Delta Divergence: Price makes a lower low while CVD makes a higher low, revealing that aggressive selling pressure has exhausted.

3. Point of Control (POC) & Unfinished Auctions

Within every footprint bar, the price level with the highest total volume is marked as the Point of Control (POC). When a candle closes with high volume at its extreme wick and zero contracts opposite (e.g. 0 x 450 at the high), an Unfinished Auction is registered. Market makers frequently return to test these incomplete price discoveries before confirming a broader trend.