In the following section, we explore how retail traders can use this data practically. Again, stock markets have many more participants than just five, but market depth is still an essential factor to consider, even for retail traders. This is because the market depth for the asset being traded is exceptionally shallow. For example, stock markets like the NASDAQ and the NYSE allow people to buy and sell shares and act as a trusted third party for the trade. Market depth can seem like an old-fashioned indicator in today’s investing and trading landscape, but it’s one of the most common metrics that active and passive traders use every day.
The market depth chart is the visual representation of the orders and their respective size. The color of the graph in the market depth chart will match the color of the bid/ask data. Level 2 quotes display the size of the best bids and offers with their respective depths. Day traders use Level 2 stock data to gauge the direction of the stock market over the short-term. Numbers flash on the screen and then disappear quickly, especially during volatile trading moments. Also, it can be hard to tell what order are buy order, and what orders are sell orders.
When there are buyers offering to purchase at higher prices, one can expect the price to increase. On the other hand, if there is increased selling interest, the price will likely drop. Market depth compares the activity of buyers and sellers and helps understand the interest how to read market depth chart of investors in the particular asset. The greater the number of orders, the deeper or more liquid the market. Many of these orders may not get filled since there might not be a match between what buyers are willing to pay and what sellers are willing to accept.
Securities with strong market depth will usually have strong volume and be quite liquid, allowing traders to place large orders without significantly affecting the market price. Meanwhile, securities with poor depth could be moved if a buy or sell order is large enough. This is the amount of crypto traded over time and can be used to identify trends in the crypto markets. If the volume is consistently high, then it’s likely that there is a lot of interest in crypto. However, if the volume is low, then it’s likely that the crypto is not being actively traded.
Always give the longer term trend the benefit of the doubt when there are short-term market swings. It’s very tough to know when one trend is ending and a new one is beginning. The accumulation phase is where investors that are in the know are purchasing https://www.tokenexus.com/ an asset before the market catches on. Then the absorption phase begins and rapid price changes begin as the larger public starts to participate. Lastly, the distribution phase is when early investors begin to sell off their holdings.
Fortunately, there are several sources to get accurate international market depth data for almost any asset you can think of. For example, Interactive Brokers comes with real-time data feeds from markets worldwide. However, most premium stock trading or analysis apps should also offer market depth. For real-life markets, a similar table exists known as the market depth chart.
Adam received his master’s in economics from The New School for Social Research and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in sociology. He is a CFA charterholder as well as holding FINRA Series 7, 55 & 63 licenses. He currently researches and teaches economic sociology and the social studies of finance at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Day Trading Game Day Trading is by far the hardest form of trading. In day trading, there are a number of factors, which will prevent a… We make it easy to replay every single one of them for up to 3 years worth of intraday data.
DOM data is available from most online brokers for free or for a small fee. Additionally, traders also have to deal with margin requirements and trading restrictions which further constricts traders’ ability to manipulate the market beyond natural reason. The current quote in the security, MEOW shares, is $13.62 – $13.68, with 3,000 shares on the bid and 500 shares on the offer. If all 3,000 shares were sold at $13.62, the next best bid would be $13.45, but only for 16 shares. Adam Hayes, Ph.D., CFA, is a financial writer with 15+ years Wall Street experience as a derivatives trader. Besides his extensive derivative trading expertise, Adam is an expert in economics and behavioral finance.