AMT Volume Range Ratio
Wyckoff effort vs result — volume to price range per bar
Calculates the ratio of volume to price range (in ticks) per bar, revealing Wyckoff-style 'effort vs result' dynamics. When a bar has high volume but a small range, the effort didn't produce a proportional result — suggesting absorption or value building at that price.
The Concept
Wyckoff taught that effort (volume) should produce a proportional result (price movement). When volume is high but the price range is narrow, someone is absorbing the flow — passive orders are meeting aggressive ones, preventing price from moving. This is a classic sign of accumulation or distribution. Volume Range Ratio quantifies the relationship between effort and result, with a moving average for baseline comparison so you can spot when current activity deviates from the norm.
How to Read It
The histogram shows volume-to-range ratio per bar with an SMA baseline.
- Bars exceeding the threshold (default 1.5x SMA) are colored orange — high effort, low result
- Orange bars at support may indicate accumulation — passive buyers absorbing sellers
- Orange bars at resistance may indicate distribution — passive sellers absorbing buyers
- Normal blue bars indicate effort and result are proportional — no unusual activity
Practical Tips
Works on any chart type. The SMA Period (default 20) sets the baseline for 'normal' effort vs result. The High Effort Threshold (default 1.5x) controls sensitivity — lower values flag more bars, higher values only flag extreme absorption. Pair with delta studies to determine the direction of absorption.
Input & Settings
| No. | Input Name | Function |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMA Period | Period for the Volume Range Ratio moving average baseline. Default: 20. Range: 1–500. |
| 2 | High Effort Threshold (x SMA) | Multiplier of SMA above which bars are flagged as high effort. Default: 1.5. Range: 1.0–10.0. |
Period for the Volume Range Ratio moving average baseline. Default: 20. Range: 1–500.
Multiplier of SMA above which bars are flagged as high effort. Default: 1.5. Range: 1.0–10.0.
Subgraphs
| No. | Subgraph Name | Function & Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | VRR | Default: Bar. Volume-to-range ratio histogram. Blue normally, orange when exceeding the threshold. |
| 2 | SMA | Default: Line. Moving average of the VRR, displayed as a gold line for baseline reference. |
| 3 | Zero | Default: Line. Zero reference line. |
Default: Bar. Volume-to-range ratio histogram. Blue normally, orange when exceeding the threshold.
Default: Line. Moving average of the VRR, displayed as a gold line for baseline reference.
Default: Line. Zero reference line.
Free with the AMT Toolkit
This study is part of the AMT Toolkit — a free collection of Sierra Chart studies for orderflow, market structure, and chart utilities.
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