Heatmap
A map of liquidity: resting buy/sell orders colored by size. You see where large volume hides before it acts.
The heatmap stacks the order book over time: each column is a moment, each row a price, and color shows the size of resting orders. You spot liquidity walls, their appearance and removal, well before price reacts.
In depth
Unlike a classic order book that only shows a snapshot, the heatmap keeps history: it paints each price level second by second. A persistent hot color reveals a resting order that stays in place, an actor ready to defend that price. A color that appears then wipes out at once, often just before price reaches it, instead reveals fake liquidity (spoofing) or a pulled order.
What matters is not just the size of a wall, but how it behaves when price tests it: does it hold and absorb the flow, or vanish? Reading the heatmap means tying these walls to what actually happens at execution, that's where it combines with delta and footprint.
On DeepCharts, tune the color scale so only genuinely large orders stand out (otherwise everything is noise). Watch levels where liquidity stays stable for several minutes: those are the real battle points. When price arrives, see whether the wall thickens (defense) or melts (retreat).
A big orange blob just above price = a sell wall; while it holds, it often caps the move.
Assuming a big wall means price will necessarily stop there. A wall is only information while it holds: large players often display liquidity to get filled in the opposite direction to what a beginner expects. Wait for the reaction at execution before concluding.
Frequently asked
What's the difference between a heatmap and an order book (DOM)?
The DOM shows the current state of resting orders, column by column. The heatmap adds the time dimension: it remembers the history of those orders, letting you see liquidity appear, hold or disappear.
Does the heatmap work on every market?
It needs real-time level 2 order book data. So it's mostly used on futures (NQ, ES, FDAX…) and crypto, where that data is available and reliable.
Can you trade with the heatmap alone?
Possible but risky: the heatmap shows intent (resting orders), not executions. It's most valuable combined with delta and footprint, which show what is actually traded.
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