The anatomy
Each candle becomes a column of cells, one per price increment, showing seller-initiated volume against buyer-initiated at that exact level. From this, the classic patterns: stacked imbalances, consecutive levels where one side traded a multiple of the other, marking aggressive campaigns; high-volume nodes, the level where the candle did its real business; and finishing auctions at extremes, whether the last push traded into volume or vacuum.
The reads that earn their keep
Absorption localisation: the absorption signature visible at its exact price, heavy sell clusters at a low that refused to break. Imbalance trails behind initiative moves, which later act as the move's support ledger. And unfinished business, extremes that closed mid-fight, which price habitually revisits. Each read sharpens a structure decision; none replaces one.
The requirements and limits
Footprints need classified per-trade data, so spot gold offers none honestly; our footprint runs on a labelled proxy tape, per the CVD honesty rules. And the detail invites narrative-spinning: every candle contains cells that look meaningful in hindsight. The tool serves traders who arrive with a specific question, was that low absorbed?, and punishes those browsing for stories.
FAQ
Do I need footprints to trade gold well?
No. They refine level-behaviour reads for flow-focused traders. Structure and risk discipline carry far more weight.
What is a stacked imbalance?
Several consecutive price levels where one side's initiated volume exceeds the other's by a large multiple: the trail of an aggressive campaign, often defended on retests.
Why does the footprint use proxy-market data?
Because spot gold has no classified tape. The proxy is a genuinely classified 24-hour market, and the label says so rather than pretending.
ⓘ See these ideas on real price: open the free XAUUSD live chart.