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Trade Summary

Overview​

Trade Summary provides a comprehensive view of aggregated buy and sell volumes at different price levels throughout the trading day. This powerful analytical tool helps traders understand trading activity patterns, identify significant institutional trades, and detect potential support and resistance levels based on actual traded volumes.

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Trade Summary data updates in real-time for Pro plan and above subscribers, while Basic plan users receive delayed data.

Understanding Trade Summary​

What is Trade Summary?​

Trade Summary aggregates all executed trades for a stock and displays them by price level, categorizing them by trade size. This provides insights into:

  • Trading activity at different price points
  • Institutional vs retail participation through volume categorization
  • Support and resistance levels based on actual traded volumes
  • Market sentiment through buy/sell volume comparison

Subscription Tiers​

Trade Summary access varies by subscription level:

  • Basic Plan: Delayed data (15-minute delay)
  • Pro Plan: Real-time data updates
  • Elite Plan: Real-time data updates

Real-time data helps you react quickly to market changes and identify trading opportunities as they develop.

Trade Summary Display​

Layout Structure​

The Trade Summary display consists of two main components:

Chart Display​

A visual bar chart showing aggregated volumes at each price level:

  • Price Levels: Displayed on the Y-axis (vertical layout) or X-axis (horizontal layout)
  • Volume Bars: Stacked bars showing different trade categories
  • Active Price: Highlighted with a dashed border showing the current trading price
  • Color Coding: Different colors for buy and sell volumes across categories

Summary Table​

A data table at the bottom showing total volumes by category:

  • Buy Row: Total buy volumes across all categories
  • Sell Row: Total sell volumes across all categories
  • Columns: XL, XXL, Normal, and Total volumes
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  • Prices higher than the previous close are displayed in green
  • Prices lower than the previous close are displayed in red
  • Prices equal to the previous close are displayed in default color
  • The current trading price is highlighted with a dashed border on the chart

Volume Categories​

Trade Summary categorizes all trades into three groups based on trade value:

  1. Normal Trades - Trade value below RM100,000

    • Typically retail traders
    • Small to medium-sized orders
    • Displayed in blue/teal for buys, red for sells

  2. XL (Extra Large) Trades - Trade value between RM100,000 and RM500,000

    • Larger retail or small institutional orders
    • Displayed in lighter blue for buys, darker purple for sells

  3. XXL (Double Extra Large) Trades - Trade value above RM500,000

    • Major institutional trades
    • Significant market participants
    • Displayed in dark blue for buys

Visual Indicators​

Active Price Highlighting​

The bar corresponding to the current trading price is highlighted:

  • Dashed border around the entire bar
  • Makes it easy to see current price relative to volume distribution
  • Updates in real-time as the price changes

Volume Labels​

Total volumes are labeled at the end of each stacked bar:

  • Formatted in compact notation (e.g., 150K, 1.2M)
  • Shows combined total of all three categories
  • Helps quickly assess total liquidity at each price level

Features and Settings​

Vertical Layout​

Toggle between horizontal and vertical chart layouts:

  1. Check or uncheck the "Vertical Layout" checkbox above the chart
  2. Unchecked (Default): Prices on Y-axis, volumes on X-axis (horizontal bars)
  3. Checked: Prices on X-axis, volumes on Y-axis (vertical bars)

Use Case: Choose the layout that best fits your screen size and personal preference. Vertical layout works well for wider screens, while horizontal layout is better for taller displays.

Scrollable View​

Enable scrolling for charts with many price levels:

  1. Check or uncheck the "Scrollable" checkbox above the chart
  2. Unchecked (Default): Chart fits within available space
  3. Checked: Chart expands to full height, enabling vertical scrolling

Use Case: Enable scrollable view when trading volatile stocks with many price levels to see all data clearly. Disable it for a compact overview that fits on screen.

How to Read Trade Summary​

Basic Reading​

  1. Identify Volume Concentration

    • Look for price levels with the tallest bars
    • High volumes indicate significant trading interest
    • These levels may act as support or resistance

  2. Assess Buy/Sell Balance

    • Dominant buy volume suggests bullish sentiment
    • Dominant sell volume suggests bearish sentiment

  3. Locate Current Price

    • Find the bar with the dashed border
    • See how current price relates to volume distribution
    • Assess if price is at a high-volume or low-volume level

Advanced Reading​

  1. Institutional Activity Detection

    • Look for significant XXL (dark blue/purple) segments
    • Clusters of XXL trades indicate institutional accumulation or distribution
    • XL trades may indicate smaller institutions or large retail

  2. Support and Resistance Levels

    • Price levels with high buy volumes act as support
    • Price levels with high sell volumes act as resistance
    • The thicker the bar, the stronger the level

  3. Volume Distribution Analysis

    • Uniform distribution across prices suggests balanced trading
    • Concentration at specific levels indicates key price zones
    • Gap between buy and sell heavy areas shows potential price range

  4. Category Composition

    • Price levels dominated by Normal trades show retail interest
    • Levels with significant XL/XXL components show institutional interest
    • Mixed composition indicates broad market participation

  5. Price Movement Prediction

    • If current price is below high-volume areas, resistance ahead
    • If current price is above high-volume areas, support below
    • Breaking through high-volume levels may indicate strong momentum

Practical Examples​

Example 1: Strong Support Level​

If you see a price level with:

  • Large buy volumes (especially XXL)
  • Much larger than surrounding levels
  • Below the current price

This indicates a strong support level where institutions accumulated shares. If the price falls to this level, it may bounce back up.

Example 2: Distribution Pattern​

If you notice:

  • Multiple price levels with high sell volumes
  • Dominated by XL and XXL categories
  • Above the current price

This suggests institutions are distributing (selling) shares. The price may struggle to break through this resistance zone.

Example 3: Balanced Trading​

When you observe:

  • Similar buy and sell volumes at most levels
  • Primarily Normal category trades
  • Evenly distributed across the price range

This indicates balanced retail trading with no clear directional bias. The stock may continue trading in its current range.

Example 4: Breakout Setup​

If the current price is:

  • Near a level with minimal past trading volume
  • About to break above a high-volume resistance area
  • Supported by increasing buy volumes

This could signal a potential breakout opportunity, especially if accompanied by increasing institutional participation (XL/XXL trades).

Important Notes and Limitations​

Real-Time vs Delayed Data​

  • Pro and Elite subscribers: Real-time data updates throughout the trading day
  • Basic subscribers: 15-minute delayed data
  • Real-time data is crucial for intraday trading and quick decision-making
  • Delayed data is suitable for end-of-day analysis and swing trading

Data Aggregation​

  • Trade Summary shows executed trades only, not pending orders
  • Data accumulates throughout the trading day
  • Resets at the start of each new trading session
  • Historical data is not available for previous days

Volume Categories​

  • Trade value thresholds are fixed at RM100,000 and RM500,000
  • These thresholds are calibrated for the Malaysian market
  • Same stock can have different category distributions on different days
  • Lower-priced stocks may have less XXL activity due to higher unit costs

Market Context​

Trade Summary should be interpreted within market context:

  1. Price trend: Volumes mean different things in uptrends vs downtrends
  2. News and events: Corporate actions affect trading patterns
  3. Market conditions: Bull markets show different patterns than bear markets
  4. Stock characteristics: Blue chips trade differently than small caps

Best Practices​

  1. Combine with Price Charts

    • Use Trade Summary alongside candlestick or line charts
    • Volume patterns confirm or contradict price action
    • Look for volume-price divergences

  2. Monitor Intraday Changes

    • Watch how volume distribution evolves during the day
    • Early accumulation may predict price direction
    • Late-day selling may indicate profit-taking

  3. Focus on Significant Levels

    • Not every price level is important
    • Focus on levels with notably high volumes
    • Look for multiple bars clustering around key prices

  4. Track Institutional Activity

    • Pay special attention to XL and XXL trades
    • Institutional flows often lead retail
    • Accumulation patterns may precede price rises

  5. Set Up Your Preferences

    • Choose layout (vertical/horizontal) based on your screen
    • Enable scrollable view for stocks with many price levels
    • Experiment to find what works best for your trading style

  6. Compare Buy vs Sell Totals

    • Check the summary table for overall market sentiment
    • Large imbalances suggest directional pressure
    • Balanced totals indicate consolidation

Frequently Asked Questions​

Q: What's the difference between Trade Summary and Market Depth?​

A: Market Depth shows pending orders (bids and asks) that haven't executed yet, while Trade Summary shows actual completed trades. Market Depth tells you what might happen; Trade Summary shows what already happened.

Q: Why are trade values categorized at RM100,000 and RM500,000?​

A: These thresholds are set to distinguish retail traders (Normal), affluent investors and small institutions (XL), and major institutional players (XXL) in the Malaysian market. These levels help identify the type of market participant behind the trading activity.

Q: Does Trade Summary work for all stocks?​

A: Yes, Trade Summary is available for all stocks on Bursa Malaysia. However, thinly traded stocks may show sparse data with fewer price levels.

Q: What does the dashed border on the chart mean?​

A: The dashed border highlights the bar representing the current trading price. This helps you quickly locate where the stock is currently trading relative to the day's volume distribution.

Q: How often does the data update?​

A: For Pro and Elite subscribers, data updates in real-time as trades execute. Basic subscribers see data delayed by 15 minutes.

Q: Why don't I see any XXL trades?​

A: Not all stocks have XXL trades every day. Lower-priced stocks or less liquid stocks may have fewer large-value trades. Also, RM500,000 is a significant threshold that not many trades reach.

Q: How should I interpret equal buy and sell volumes?​

A: Equal total buy and sell volumes indicate balanced trading with no clear directional bias. Look at the price distribution to see where buying and selling occurred - this can reveal support and resistance levels even when totals are balanced.

Q: What if I only see Normal category trades?​

A: This indicates primarily retail trading activity. While retail traders can move prices, the absence of institutional (XL/XXL) trades may suggest less conviction or interest from larger players.

Summary​

Trade Summary is a powerful analytical tool that provides transparency into actual trading activity throughout the day. By categorizing trades by size and displaying them by price level, it helps traders:

  • Identify institutional accumulation and distribution patterns
  • Locate support and resistance levels based on real trading activity
  • Assess market sentiment through buy/sell volume analysis
  • Detect potential price movements before they occur
  • Understand the composition of market participants at different levels

Remember that Trade Summary is one tool in your trading toolkit. Always combine it with price charts, technical indicators, fundamental analysis, and market news for comprehensive decision-making.

For optimal results, upgrade to Pro or Elite plan for real-time Trade Summary data, enabling you to react quickly to changing market conditions and trading opportunities.