Absorption: the wall takes the hit

Large players cannot buy 5,000 contracts in one go without blowing price out. They hide, absorb and sometimes manipulate. This module teaches you to recognize these behaviors: it is the institutional level of heatmap reading. The first, and most reliable, is absorption.

What it is

A large passive wall takes a wave of aggressive orders without giving way. On the heatmap: a heavy band that stays (or reloads) despite a cluster of bubbles hitting it. Price stops advancing while volume is enormous.

How to read it

1. The wall: a persistent band, ideally on a value level (VWAP, POC, value area edge).
2. The attack: a cluster of large bubbles of the opposite color, hitting the wall.
3. The result: price does not progress, or by one tick. In the DOM, the BT/AT column shows executed volume well above the size displayed at the level, and the Stack column shows the level reloading.
4. The conclusion: the attacking bubbles shrink (exhaustion). Price leaves in the absorber's direction.