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AK FlowBook for NinjaTrader 8Getting startedAK FlowBook for NinjaTrader 8 (v5.6): OverviewRequirements: platform, data feed and market dataInstall AK FlowBook in NinjaTrader 8Quick start: your first 5 minutesThe FlowBook toolbar: every button explainedChart componentsDelta: aggressive buying minus selling per candleBig trades, Smart roles and BT2 single ordersIcebergs: hidden size that keeps refillingLevels: volume profile, naked levels and VWAPsSession levels: Asia, London, overnight and New YorkCandle volume filters: five tiers inside each candleMBO Price Map: the order book, order by orderMarket context panel: what each row meansOrder-flow event labels: what each code meansInfo line, banners and data healthAlerts: delta and candle volumeSettingsSettings referenceGuidesGuide: reading absorption with AK FlowBookGuide: watching price at HVN and LVN levelsGuide: session highs and lows as levels to watchGuide: using futures levels as a XAUUSD CFD traderHelpTroubleshootingFrequently asked questions
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Delta: aggressive buying minus selling per candle

On this page
What you seeHow to read itDelta ladder (DL)SettingsDataRelated

Delta is the aggressive buy volume minus the aggressive sell volume of one candle. A trade is aggressive when it crosses the spread: a buyer who lifts the ask, or a seller who hits the bid. Delta shows which side was in a hurry during that candle.

For example, if 120 lots were bought at the ask and 65 lots were sold at the bid, delta is +55.

What you see

  • Positive delta prints as +123 in light blue, a few ticks above the candle high.
  • Negative delta prints as -123 in orange-red, a few ticks below the candle low.
  • The forming candle shows its delta live. The number updates until the candle closes, then it is fixed.
  • Only notable candles get a label. A candle gets a number when its delta, positive or negative, reaches the Minimum Delta setting. The GC default is 50 lots.
Delta labels above and below GC candles
Delta labels above and below GC candles

Turn the layer on or off with DELTA on the toolbar.

How to read it

Delta is effort. Price movement is the result. Compare the two.

DeltaWhat price didWhat it suggests
Large positiveMoved up and closed near the highBuyers pushed and price followed.
Large positiveBarely moved, or closed lowerAggressive buying met passive sellers. This is absorption.
Large negativeMoved down and closed near the lowSellers pushed and price followed.
Large negativeBarely moved, or closed higherAggressive selling met passive buyers. This is absorption.

Delta shows who was aggressive, not who was right. Read it together with location: a large delta at a value edge or a session high says more than the same number in the middle of a range. The guide Reading absorption shows how to combine delta with the other layers.

Tip: A large delta that fails to move price is often more informative than one that works. Look at where it happened.

Delta ladder (DL)

You may also see DL labels, for example DL 3/85. DL stands for delta ladder: several prices in a row inside the candle with strong delta on the same side. The first number is how many prices, the second is a strength score. Buy-side DL labels print below the candle, sell-side labels above it. They belong to the DELTA layer and follow Show Delta Ladder in group 01A. See Events.

Settings

SettingGroupDefault
Delta numbers00 Chart ViewOn
Live delta on the forming candle00 Chart ViewOn
Show Delta Numbers01 Events & DeltaOn
Minimum Delta01 Events & Delta50 (GC recommended)
Delta Sound Alert (Optional)01 Events & DeltaOn

You can also raise the minimum for labels in the FILTERS window. A value of 0 uses the Minimum Delta setting. A value below that setting only changes the live number on the forming candle, because closed candles below the setting never get a label. This filter changes the display only.

Data

On historical bars, AK FlowBook builds delta from NinjaTrader volumetric data (see Requirements). On live bars, it builds delta from the trades as they print.

  • Alerts: get a sound when a live candle's delta is large.
  • Candle volume filters: see where inside the candle the aggressive volume traded.
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Education only. Not financial advice. Trading futures and CFDs carries a high risk of loss.