Order-flow event labels: what each code means

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Where they appear The codes Event Sensitivity Near levels only How to read them Advanced tuning

Event labels are short codes that AK FlowBook prints when order flow does something specific: a rejection, a sweep, absorption and more. They turn a busy tape into a few readable moments. Read them as observations of what happened and where, not as instructions.

Where they appear

Buy-side events print below the candle low. Sell-side events print above the candle high.
Each label is a code, sometimes with a value, for example ABS 120.
By default, events print only near important levels, such as value edges, VWAPs, naked levels and session highs and lows. Away from levels, order-flow events carry less context, so AK FlowBook leaves them out.

Event labels are off in the TRADE view, which is also the starting view. To show them, turn on Event labels in the 00 Chart View settings group and keep Show Important Order-Flow & MBO Events (group 01 Events & Delta) on. If you already used the toolbar on this chart, the saved toolbar state is used instead; see the note in Settings.

The codes

Code	Name	What it describes	Default
`REJ`	Rejection	Price probed a level and was pushed back.	On
`SWP`	Sweep	Price ran through a level, taking the resting orders beyond it.	On
`ABS`	Absorption	Heavy aggressive volume met passive orders, and price barely moved.	On
`AF`	Aggression failure	The aggressive side pushed, but price did not follow.	On
`DL`	Delta ladder	Several prices in a row inside the candle with strong delta on the same side. `DL` labels are drawn with the DELTA layer.	On
`IMB`	Diagonal imbalance	One side clearly outweighed the other when buys and sells are compared diagonally across prices.	On
`CVD`	CVD divergence	Cumulative delta and price disagree: one makes a new extreme and the other does not.	On
`EXH`	Exhaustion	Aggression faded at the end of a move.	On
`TRAP`	Trap	Aggressive traders pushed beyond a level and price came back against them.	On
`TS`	Tape sweep	A fast burst of aggressive trades through several prices.	Off
`ICE`	Iceberg	An iceberg was detected at this price.	Off
`VAC`	Vacuum	Very little resting liquidity, so price can move through easily.	Off
`PS`	Pull / stack	Resting orders were pulled from, or stacked into, the book.	Off

Switch each code on or off in the 01A Event Controls group. See Settings.

Event Sensitivity

Event Sensitivity (group 00 General) sets how selective AK FlowBook is:

Value	Effect
0 Strict	Fewer labels. Only the clearest events.
1 Balanced	The default. Recommended.
2 High Recall	More labels. Includes weaker events.

Event Detail in group 01 Events & Delta is also set to 1 Balanced by default. Its options are 0 Clean, 1 Balanced and 2 Detailed.

Near levels only

Events Only Near Important Levels (group 01A Event Controls) is on by default. Turn it off to see events anywhere on the chart. Expect many more labels.

How to read them

Start with location. An ABS at the weekly VAL is a different story from an ABS in the middle of the range.
Look for agreement between layers. An ABS label, a FAIL big trade and an iceberg at the same price describe the same thing from three angles.
Labels describe the past. What price does next is what matters.

The guide Reading absorption shows event labels together with the other layers.

Advanced tuning

Advanced users can adjust how events are detected in the 01B Event Score Overrides and 07 Manual Thresholds groups. Use Manual Event Scores is off by default. We recommend the defaults with Use Preset Thresholds on.

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Education only. Not financial advice. Trading futures and CFDs carries a high risk of loss.