POC (Point of Control)
The price level where the most volume traded. It acts as a magnet and a value reference for the session.
The POC is the price where the most contracts changed hands over the period. It's the heart of the value area: the market often returns to it, and clearly breaking it marks a shift in acceptance.
In depth
The POC is the price where the most contracts changed hands over the observed period. It marks the session's center of gravity: the level the market most 'accepted'. While it stays stable, the market is balanced around it; when it shifts clearly from one session to the next, it reveals a move in perceived value.
We distinguish the intraday POC (the current session's) from historical POCs left by prior days. An untested prior-day POC acts as a magnet: the market tends to return there to seek liquidity before continuing its move.
On DeepCharts, show the volume profile for the session and prior days to visualize the POCs. A return to a prior-day POC, confirmed by a delta reaction, often offers a low-risk entry in the direction of the rejection.
Price drifts away then comes back to test yesterday's POC before moving on.
Treating the POC as a rigid support/resistance. It's an attraction zone, not a wall: price often trades through it before reacting. What matters is the behavior around the POC (acceptance or rejection), not the exact tick.
Frequently asked
POC vs VWAP: what's the difference?
The POC is the most-traded price (a volume peak); VWAP is the volume-weighted average price. Both are value references, but the POC points to a precise level, VWAP to a dynamic average.
Does the POC move during the session?
Yes, the intraday POC shifts with trading while the session is open. Once the session closes, it becomes a fixed reference for the following days.
Why does price often return to the POC?
Because it's the price the market most accepted: it concentrates volume, hence liquidity. Participants find counterparty there, making it a natural magnet.
Want to get better at order flow?
We discuss flow, liquidity and our trades live, every day, on the OrderFlowFutures Discord. Join us, it's free.
Join the Discord for free7 online·38 members·Free · instant access