TAS Market Profile Map [TASMarketProfile]

Aug 23, 2022

TAS Market Profile Map (aka​ “TAS Market Map”) displays volume​ accumulation at price using our attractive color-coded sideways histogram overlaid onto the price data pane. Hunt for high reward-to-risk opportunities with our favorite “Alligator Jaws” chart pattern setup that reveals significant volume​ gaps and actionable signals. TAS Market Map can paint up to 5 Maps​ simultaneously across time windows customized by the user.

TAS Market Map has 4 distinct colored lines:

• RED ZONE – Designates an area where there are many market participants willing to transact. This zone of red lines grouped together is known as the “value area” and contains approximately 70% of the volume​ transacted in that particular section of the price map within the overall Market Map.
  
• YELLOW LINE – Each TAS Market Map will contain at least one yellow horizontal line. This line is called the “Point of Control” (POC) and it represents the price where the most executions have occurred. In the case of multiple yellow POC lines, the one that extends closest to the price axis is considered the “Master Point of Control.”
  
• PURPLE ZONE – Represents an area where there are less people willing to transact and is referred to as being “outside of value.”
  
• BLUE ZONE – Designates areas where there is little interest on the part of commercial or institutional professionals to transact. When these areas occur on the perimeters of the TAS Market Map, they are referred to as “runaway gaps” or “rejection tails.”
  

∟ THE ALLIGATOR​ JAWS CHART PATTERN:

A popular chart pattern utilizing TAS Market Map is called the “Alligator Jaws” setup. Due to its unmistakable appearance similar to the side profile of an alligator​ with its mouth open, this chart pattern seeks to exploit when there are two significant Points of Control (yellow lines) with a large volume​ gap in between. Enter the trade as the market breaks outside of the value area (red zone) in the direction of the volume​ gap (inside the open jaws), place a stop loss on the other side of the Point of Control and preferably also across the value area (red zone). Seek to take profits at either 50% of the way through the volume​ gap or a more optimistic target just ahead of entering the opposing jawline (red zone value area). This trading technique can be applied to both long and short side entries.

Below you will find a couple examples of this chart pattern.






∟ INPUT SETTINGS:

• By default, three TAS Market Maps​ will appear. You can activate the 4th and 5th Market Maps​ easily by checking the boxes in the Input settings. TAS Market Map updates automatically at the close of each bar after it has calculated all of the volume​ from the closed bar in addition to the completed OHLC data (Open, High, Low, Close). This happens in a matter of seconds at each bar close. The analysis is not static, but rather a rolling period of analysis at each bar close.
  
  THERE ARE 3 SETTINGS FOR EACH MARKET MAP:
  
  >>> # of Lines – This represents how many horizontal lines you want to comprise the Market Map so it generates a transparency customization. The default is 50 lines. If you increase the number to, for example 100, then the Market Map will appear more prominent and less transparent on the chart. Similarly, a lower input setting would remove lines and make it more transparent.
  
  >>> BarStart – This setting dictates the starting point for that particular Market Map analysis based on the number of bars from the current bar. The default is 50 bars so this means the start of the 1st Market Map begins 50 bars from the present. At the close of each new bar, the analysis rolls to the most recent 50 bars automatically. Therefore a setting of 100 would start the analysis based on the most recent rolling 100 most recent bars.
  
  >>> BarStop – This setting dictates the end point for the analysis of that particular Market Map. By default, the 1st Market Map will have a 0 which means it runs analysis through to the most recent bar.
  
  OTHER NOTES ABOUT SETTINGS:
• You’ll notice that by default the input settings for BarStart and BarStop for all 5 of the Market Maps​ are set to 50 bar increments and don’t overlap. For example the StopBar of Market Map #2 is 51, whereas the StartBar for Market Map #1 begins at 50. It is best practice to have consistency regarding the number of bars from the start and stop of the analysis.
  
• Although not as popular, if you want to flip the orientation of the Market Map to paint from right to left instead of the default left to right, simply change the StartBar to 0 and StopBar to 50 and you’ll achieve this preference.
  

∟ INTERPRETATION AND RULES:

• When the market is inside the red zone “value area” of the Market Map, it tends to move sideways within the range of the zone. Therefore you can look to enter trades near the top and bottom of the red zones with potential exits near the POC (yellow line) or opposing side of the red zone value area.
  
• When price does break and close outside the value area zone, then the value area zone becomes new support or resistance and this can be leveraged for trailing stops. The most aggressive trailing stop would be after the market has penetrated into open space away from the value area, moving the stop to just back inside the value area. This would significantly reduce the trade risk.
  
• The use of multiple Market Maps​ allows the trader to anticipate upcoming areas of support​ and resistance​ when the market moves beyond the scope​ of the current 1st Market Map. Historical Market Maps​ provide valuable information regarding where commercial interest existed in the past and likely to revisit in the future.
  
• When multiple Market Maps​ form and the value areas align or overlap across their respective different time windows, these tend to be significant attraction zones for the market and a trader can expect sideway trading within the red value areas zones. Prudent trading is to observe the market conditions present and you the trader must adapt your trading mode to match, or not trade at all. In other words, you must trade the range during times when the market is in the value area zones and trade breakout when confirmed moves occur outside the value area zones.
  
• In the case of a Market Map that develops “multiple distribution” areas (i.e. multiple developed value areas within Market Map), we anticipate a trending move
  with price continuing in the direction the value areas are forming in relation to one another and in relation to the direction multiple Market Maps​ are forming.
  

Example of multiple Market Maps​ forming lower and revealing the bearish​ market trend:




Trade Well My Friends,