FreeIndicators·ThinkorSwim
Cumulative TICK
Running NYSE TICK to read intraday buying vs. selling.
How to install in ThinkorSwim
- In ThinkorSwim, open a chart, then go to Studies → Edit Studies.
- Click Create, clear the editor, and paste the code.
- Name it, click Apply, then OK, and it draws on your chart.
How to Use — WeTradePro Cumulative TICK
$TICK is noisy bar-to-bar; summing it across the day turns it into a smooth read of net buying or selling pressure. Educational, not advice.
What it is (one line)
A running session total of the NYSE $TICK (stocks ticking up minus down) that builds across the day — a grinding-higher line means persistent buying (risk-on), a bleeding-lower line means persistent selling (risk-off).
Who it's for & best timeframe
| Trader type | How you use it | Best timeframe | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day trader | Best fit — gauge whether the whole market is being bought or sold all day | 1-min – 5-min | Resets each session; this is an intraday tool |
| Swing trader | A daily check on intraday breadth to confirm gap-and-go vs fade days | 5-min | Use as context, not a swing trigger |
| Position trader | Rarely — breadth pressure is too short-horizon for position timing | n/a | Not designed for this use |
Best overall: 2-min or 5-min chart, intraday. It's a market-internals tool — strongest for timing index (SPY/QQQ/ES) entries and confirming whether a move has broad participation.
What you see (lower panel)
- Green/red line: the cumulative $TICK for the session — green above zero (net buying), red below (net selling).
- Dashed zero line: net-neutral reference.
- Labels: current cumulative value, day pressure (BUYING/SELLING), and the session high/low water marks of the line.
How to use it
- Read the slope. A line grinding up all day = broad, persistent buying — favor long setups. Bleeding down = favor shorts / stay defensive.
- Confirm breakouts. Index or leader breaks out AND cumulative $TICK is making new session highs = real participation behind it.
- Spot divergences. Price makes a new high but cumulative $TICK rolls over / makes a lower high = the rally is thinning out; tighten up.
- Use the water marks. When the line reclaims its session high, buyers have re-taken control; losing the session low flips it.
Settings (inputs)
smoothLength(1) —1sums raw $TICK. Set2–5to smooth the raw reading before summing if your timeframe is very fast and choppy.
Best on
- Index ETFs and futures (SPY, QQQ, ES, NQ) and large-cap NYSE names that move with the broad market.
$TICKis a NYSE internal, so it's most relevant to broad-market and large-cap trading.
Common mistakes
- Using it on a Daily chart — there's no intraday session to sum; this is an intraday tool.
- Trading a single thin stock off it — $TICK reflects the whole NYSE, not your one ticker.
- Ignoring slope, fixating on the raw number — the *direction and persistence* of the line is the signal.
- Forgetting it resets each day — morning readings are small by design.
Video script outline (for your WeTradePro tutorial)
- Hook: "Raw $TICK is a seizure. Add it up and it tells a clean story."
- Show the jittery $TICK vs the smooth cumulative line.
- Slope = pressure: up all day = risk-on, down = risk-off.
- The breakout confirmation: new price highs + new cumulative highs.
- The divergence warning: price up, cumulative rolling over.
- Why it's an intraday-only, index-focused tool.
- Recap + "import link in description."
Educational analysis, not financial advice.
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