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FreeIndicators·ThinkorSwim

Cumulative Advance/Decline

Running breadth line to confirm or doubt the market move.

How to install in ThinkorSwim

  1. In ThinkorSwim, open a chart, then go to Studies → Edit Studies.
  2. Click Create, clear the editor, and paste the code.
  3. Name it, click Apply, then OK, and it draws on your chart.

How to Use — WeTradePro Cumulative Advance/Decline Line

The classic breadth line: how many stocks are actually going up vs down, added up. Exposes narrow rallies built on a few mega-caps. Educational, not advice.

What it is (one line)

A cumulative Advance/Decline line built from NYSE breadth ($ADD, or $ADVN - $DECN) — when it confirms price the rally is broad and healthy; when price rises but the A/D line lags, the move is narrow and fragile.

Who it's for & best timeframe

Trader typeHow you use itBest timeframeanchorMode
Day traderIntraday breadth: is the whole tape participating today?1-min – 5-minSESSION
Swing traderBest fit — confirm index trends and spot breadth divergences before topsDailyALL
Position traderLong-horizon health check: is the bull market broad or thinning?Daily / WeeklyALL

Best overall: Daily chart with `anchorMode = ALL` to track the multi-month breadth trend, and `SESSION` on a 5-min chart when day-trading the index.

What you see (lower panel)

  • Green/red line: the cumulative A/D line — green when rising (breadth expanding), red when falling (breadth contracting).
  • Dashed zero line: breadth-neutral reference (most relevant in SESSION mode).
  • Labels: the A/D line value, whether breadth is EXPANDING or CONTRACTING, and this bar's net advancers.

How to use it

  1. Confirm trends. Index makes a new high AND the A/D line makes a new high = broad, healthy rally — trust it.
  2. Hunt divergences. Index makes a new high but the A/D line makes a *lower* high = fewer stocks participating — a classic warning that a top may be forming.
  3. Read the slope intraday (SESSION). Rising line = buyers across the tape; falling = broad selling. Pairs well with Cumulative $TICK.
  4. Bottom signal. Price keeps dropping but the A/D line stops making lower lows = selling is narrowing — possible base.

Settings (inputs)

  • source (ADD) — use the ready-made $ADD net-advancers feed, or switch to ADVN_DECN to compute advancers minus decliners directly.
  • anchorMode (SESSION) — SESSION resets each day (intraday breadth); ALL runs the total across all chart history (the classic A/D line).

Best on

  • Index ETFs and futures (SPY, QQQ, ES, NQ) and broad-market analysis. These are NYSE internals, so use them to judge the *market*, not a single thin stock.

Common mistakes

  • Reading divergences in SESSION mode for swing calls — use ALL for the meaningful multi-day divergence picture.
  • Applying it to one small-cap ticker — the A/D line is the whole market, not your stock.
  • Confusing a falling line above zero with a crash — in ALL mode the absolute level matters less than the slope and divergence vs price.
  • Forgetting SESSION resets daily — early-session values are small by design.

Video script outline (for your WeTradePro tutorial)

  1. Hook: "The index is green — but are most stocks actually up? The A/D line tells you."
  2. Confirm: new index high + new A/D high = broad rally.
  3. The divergence: index up, A/D line making lower highs = narrowing market.
  4. SESSION vs ALL mode — intraday breadth vs the long-term line.
  5. Pairing it with Cumulative $TICK for a full internals read.
  6. $ADD vs $ADVN-$DECN sources.
  7. Recap + "import link in description."

Educational analysis, not financial advice.

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