Insights from ChartsWatcher
Relative Volume vs Relative Volume at Time: Which Filter Should You Use?
Relative volume compares activity with a baseline. Relative volume at time compares activity with a time-matched baseline. The useful choice depends on whether you are looking for a recent burst or an unusually active session.
Two questions, two filters
In ChartsWatcher, Relative volume compares the current candle's volume with the average of the preceding 15 candles on the selected timeframe. Its value is expressed as a percentage: 200% means twice that average, not a 200% increase.
Relative volume at same time instead describes how much volume has traded by this point compared with the normal amount by the same time on prior days. The public reference does not specify the historical lookback length, so do not assume it uses the same 15-candle baseline.
| Your question | More directly relevant measurement |
|---|---|
| Is this candle busier than recent candles? | Candle-based relative volume |
| Has this session been unusually active by now? | Same-time relative volume |
| Have enough actual shares traded? | Absolute volume over a defined interval |
An example where the readings disagree
Imagine a stock has traded 60,000 shares in its current five-minute candle. The previous 15 five-minute candles averaged 20,000 shares. Its candle-based relative volume is 300%, or three times the baseline.
By the same moment, suppose the session has accumulated 400,000 shares against a time-matched historical average of 800,000. That comparison is 50%. There is a local burst inside an otherwise quiet session. Neither reading contradicts the other.
These numbers are hypothetical. They explain the measurements, not a recommended scan threshold.
Build a filter you can explain
Choose the question first, then the filter. Record the candle timeframe, session and units alongside any threshold. If participation matters, inspect absolute volume separately: a large ratio against a tiny baseline can still represent little trading.
Be careful with an unfinished candle. Its volume is still accumulating, whereas the historical candles used for comparison are complete. A reading early in the candle is not directly equivalent to its eventual closing reading.
Start with the filter directory, add the relevant columns, and review matching symbols on a chart. Relative volume describes activity; it does not establish direction or predict a profitable trade.
Comparing two platforms rather than choosing a filter? See why stock scanners show different relative-volume numbers.