Institutional Buying %

This is an Institutional Footprint Detector that identifies when large traders (institutions, hedge funds, market makers) are actively accumulating or distributing. Unlike retail-focused indicators, it detects the specific signatures institutions leave in the market:

• Absorption (high volume, low movement)
  
• Liquidity grabs (stop hunts)
  
• Volume delta (buying vs selling pressure)
  
• Hidden divergences (smart money disagreeing with price)
  

What it catches:

• Sustained institutional accumulation
  
• Directional conviction with volume
  
• When smart money is aggressively buying/selling
  

Divergences:

• Hidden bullish div: Price makes lower low, but delta makes higher low
  
• Translation: "Price falling but institutions secretly buying"
  

• Hidden bearish div: Price makes higher high, but delta makes lower high
  
• Translation: "Price rising but institutions secretly selling"
  

Absorption
Example:

• Price at support: $100
  
• Volume: 3x average
  
• Range: Only $0.50 movement
  
• Close up → Bullish absorption (institutions eating supply)
  

What it catches:

• Institutions absorbing supply without moving price
  
• Stealth accumulation at support
  
• Distribution at resistance
  
• Classic "they're loading the boat" behavior
  

ATR-adaptive zones: Works on crypto, stocks, futures automatically
Liquidity Grabs
Example:

• Recent low: $98
  
• Price spikes to $97.50 (breaks low, triggers stops)
  
• Strong wick recovery, closes at $99.50
  
• Bullish grab → Institutions hunted stops, now buying
  

Filters:

• Wick must be >1.2x opposite wick (real rejection)
  
• Range expansion (filters inside bars)
  
• Volume confirmation
  
• This is pure market manipulation detection

Higher timeframe institutional flow Confirmation
Purpose:

• Prevents trading against the institutional trend
  
• Acts as a confirmation filter, not primary driver
  
• "Don't fight the bigger money"
  

Adjustable: 5% for pure signal, 15% for strong trend following

How to Read the Signals
The Histogram (Main Display)
Green Zone (>65%): Strong institutional buying

• All 4 components aligned bullish
  
• Safe to be long-biased
  
• Look for entries on pullbacks
  

Orange Zone (35-65%): Neutral/Consolidation

• Mixed signals
  
• Institutions not committed
  
• Wait for clarity
  

Red Zone (<35%): Strong institutional selling

• All 4 components aligned bearish
  
• Reduce longs, consider shorts
  
• Institutions distributing
  

Background Highlights
Lime Background: Bullish divergence detected

• Hidden accumulation happening
  
• Price may be about to reverse up
  
• Major signal - institutions disagree with price decline
  

Red Background: Bearish divergence detected

• Hidden distribution happening
  
• Price may be about to reverse down
  
• Major signal - institutions disagree with price rally
  

Optional: Cumulative Delta Line
Shows session-level institutional flow:

• Rising line → Net buying pressure this session
  
• Falling line → Net selling pressure this session
  
• Resets daily (or your chosen session boundary)
  

Use: Confirms the histogram direction with intraday flow

How to Trade With It
Setup 1: Divergence + Absorption (Highest Probability)

1. Wait for divergence background (lime or red)
   
2. Check if absorption is occurring (enable debug plot for absorption Percent)
   
3. Enter when histogram crosses into green/red zone
   

Example:

• Price falling, making lower lows
  
• Lime background appears (bullish divergence)
  
• Histogram crosses above 65%
  
• Entry: Go long, institutions are accumulating
  

Setup 2: Liquidity Grab Reversal

1. Price breaks obvious support/resistance
   
2. Strong wick rejection appears
   
3. Histogram confirms direction (green for bullish grab, red for bearish)
   

Example:

• Price breaks $100 support, hits $99
  
• Long lower wick, closes $101
  
• Histogram >65% green
  
• Entry: Long, stop hunt complete
  

Setup 3: HTF Alignment (Trend Following)

1. Set HTF to 240min or Daily
   
2. Increase HTF weight to 10-15%
   
3. Only trade when histogram aligns with HTF
   

Example:

• Daily timeframe shows strong accumulation
  
• On 15min chart, wait for histogram >65%
  
• Entry: Long on any green bar
  

Setup 4: Session Reset Play (Day Traders)

1. Enable cumulative delta plot
   
2. At session open, watch for delta direction
   
3. Enter when histogram confirms
   

Example:

• Market opens
  
• Cumulative delta immediately spikes positive
  
• Histogram moves into green zone
  
• Entry: Long, institutions showing hand early
  

Best Practices
✅ DO:

• Wait for histogram to cross thresholds clearly
  
• Trust divergences - they're ±35 point boosts for a reason
  
• Use HTF as confirmation filter, not primary signal
  
• Tune divergence sensitivity per instrument
  
• Combine with price action at key levels
  

❌ DON'T:

• Trade in orange zone (institutions not committed)
  
• Ignore divergence backgrounds (major signals)
  
• Fight histogram when it's strongly green/red
  
• Use on extremely illiquid assets
  
• Enable all debug plots on 1min charts (lag)
  

This indicator gives you institutional x-ray vision. When the histogram is green, the big money is buying. When it's red, they're selling. The divergences show you when they're doing it secretly. Trade with them, not against them.

The label on the price scale shows the current Institutional Buying Percentage - it's a real-time reading of the indicator value.

What the Number Means
The label displays a value between 0 and 100:
Example readings:
75 (Green) → Institutions are strongly buying

• 75% buying pressure vs 25% selling pressure
  
• All components (delta, absorption, liquidity, HTF) aligned bullish
  
• Safe to be long-biased
  

50 (Orange) → Neutral/Balanced

• Equal buying and selling pressure
  
• Institutions not committed either way
  
• Wait for clarity before entering
  

25 (Red) → Institutions are strongly selling

• 25% buying pressure vs 75% selling pressure
  
• All components aligned bearish
  
• Reduce longs, consider shorts