Open Positions Indicator for Forex Sentiment

What the Open Positions Indicator shows

Each broker represents its own client base, so buyer and seller shares can differ between sources. TLAP brings together available positioning data from Alpari, DukasCopy, FXBlue, Myfxbook and Oanda. Select a currency pair to compare its Buy and Sell shares, inspect individual sources and view positioning alongside the price chart.

The percentages describe open positions reported by the corresponding source. They help show an imbalance between buying and selling and how that imbalance changes over time. The full interface includes tables, positioning history, OP ZONES, calculation settings, a backtest and an optimizer.

Currencies, Brokers and Average tabs

In Currencies, select a broker to compare its pairs. In Brokers, select an instrument to see its distribution across available sources. These views help compare different groups of traders. If a source does not report a selected pair, its value is not replaced with another broker's observation.

Average calculates the mean available Buy share for each pair. When fewer than five sources are available, the row states “from N of 5 sources”. Sell complements the displayed Buy share to 100%. A broker observation older than 30 minutes has a grey “data from HH:MM” label. Times use Moscow time and the full date is available in the label's title, so the timestamp belongs to the displayed observation.

The chart and OP ZONES

The full view places positioning history next to a price chart. OP ZONES use the historical difference between short and long shares. A central line and surrounding bands help compare the current deviation with previous observations from the selected source. The zones depend on the broker, instrument, available history window and calculation settings.

How Day and Q settings work

Day1–Day4 define calculation windows in days. A longer window covers a longer history, while a shorter one reacts more quickly to changes. Q1–Q4 define deviation quantiles used for the zone boundaries. For the outer Q4 band, values above 100 extend the range relative to the maximum historical deviation within its window. Changing these settings rebuilds the zones. Keep the same instrument and source when comparing settings.

Current percentages can be available before there is enough history to build useful zones. The “No zones” label refers to historical coverage. Different brokers can have different starting dates, so identical Day/Q settings may rely on different observation periods.

Backtesting and optimization

The backtest calculates trades using the selected zone settings and available historical prices. Inspect the trades and summary statistics, including profit, win rate and drawdown. Check the broker, instrument and history window before changing the parameters; this makes differences between calculations easier to interpret.

The optimizer evaluates combinations within the specified Day and Q ranges. Its heatmap and three-dimensional views allow neighboring combinations to be compared. Consider those neighboring results together with the number of trades and drawdown. A saved calibration belongs to its broker and instrument. Another source has its own positioning history and calculation result.

Related tools

Use the Wyckoff Scanner to compare positioning with price structure. Market Magnitude provides another view of market activity, while the Currency Heatmap helps compare currencies. Historical Quotes provide price series for further analysis.

Frequently asked questions

Why do brokers report different shares?

Alpari, DukasCopy, FXBlue, Myfxbook and Oanda have different client bases and instrument coverage. Average uses only sources that provide data for the selected pair.

What does “No zones” mean?

Current Buy and Sell shares may be available before there is enough history for OP ZONES. Check the source, instrument and history depth; historical zone coverage is tracked separately from current percentages.

Does the data update during the weekend?

Sentiment collection pauses from Friday 17:00 to Sunday 17:00 in America/New_York. The tables retain the latest available observations and their timestamps. Collection resumes in the first scheduled cycle after the market opens.

How does the backtest differ from the optimizer?

The backtest calculates trades and statistics for selected settings. The optimizer evaluates Day/Q ranges and displays combination results in a heatmap and three-dimensional views.