Are you worried about the accuracy of your trades? The OBV Indicator for MT4 is here to help! This article will explain how this technical indicator can be used to spot market trends and significantly improve your trading results. You won’t want to miss out on the valuable insights this tool can provide!
Introduction to the OBV Indicator For MT4

The On-Balance Volume (OBV) indicator is a market momentum indicator created by Joe Granville in 1963. The OBV attempts to measure cumulative buying and selling pressure within a market by adding volume on up days and subtracting it on down days. It does this by accumulating or decreasing a running total, which reflects the total volume of the security over time.
The OBV is derived from an equation that takes into account volume prices and directional pressure, with the trend and direction of the security being measured relative to its price range over time. This technical indicator has been widely used by traders who focus on momentum as well as those who trade breakouts or reversals from previous highs or lows. The OBV Indicator MT4 draws this data directly from the price chart and displays it as a line graph for quick reference. With this interactive display, traders can quickly identify changes in buying pressure, chart patterns, support/resistance levels, and more.
How the OBV Indicator Works
The On Balance Volume (OBV) indicator is one of the most popular volume-based technical indicators used in forex and stock markets. It’s designed to show the relationship between volume and price by calculating a cumulative total of volume, either positive or negative. When used correctly, it can be effective at forecasting trend-floatation changes, as well as potential reversals.
The OBV indicator consists of three components:
- Price – The closing price of each period is used to calculate the OBV.
- Volume – Volume data is taken from the MT4 platform and represents trades that contain a net position of either buying or selling.
- Movement – A movement’s direction depends on its preceding period, such as if there was a net increase or decrease in volume for that period. This creates either a positive or negative movement.
Using these three components, an OBV line is created from simple calculations that measure cumulative positive and negative movements within certain periods. Generally speaking, long positions should be taken when the indicator shows rises or consolidates above its average; conversely, short positions should be taken if it falls below average. As with any technical analysis tool, it’s important to use other indicators and support candlestick patterns for confirmation prior to entering any trade.

Advantages of Using the OBV Indicator
The On-Balance-Volume (OBV) indicator is a popular tool used by technical traders to evaluate buying and selling pressure in the markets. Developed by Joe Granville in the 1960s, the OBV indicator measures volume flows as they move with price movements. By keeping track of changes in volume data, market participants can analyze price trends across multiple time frames and identify emerging opportunities before they fully materialize.
One of the key advantages of using the OBV Indicator is that it helps to identify divergences between price movements and volume flows. For example, if there’s an uptrend in the market but volatility is decreasing, this might be a sign that price movement is nearing its peak. Conversely, if there’s a downtrend in the market but volume is increasing, this could be a sign that prices are about to reverse.
Using OBV can also help traders spot divergences between various timeframe charts and gain insight into market sentiment. By looking at shorter time frame charts such as 1-hour and 4-hour timeframes within a larger trend over daily or weekly timeframes, traders can look for signs that indicate whether momentum is building up or slowing down ahead of potential moving averages like Moving Average Convergence Divergence Indicators (MACD).
Another advantage of using this indicator on MT4 is its ease of use; OBV can be easily added via a few clicks on most MT4 trading platforms and generate timely alerts whenever new volume data becomes available. This helps traders stay informed about shifts in trading activity that might otherwise go unnoticed by solely analyzing individual price bars or looking at static patterns on lagging indicators like Relative Strength Index (RSI) or Bollinger Bands (BB).
How to Interpret the OBV Indicator
The On-Balance Volume (OBV) indicator is a technical analysis tool used to measure the buying and selling pressure of security. This indicator is based on the theory that as volume increases, price tends to follow. By collecting total volume information, OBV can be used to judge the strength of present market trends.
The OBV indicator plots cumulative volume information relative to a baseline value, typically the closing price of the security. As such, it consists of only two lines: a main line and a baseline line. With each period, the main line fluctuates higher or lower depending on whether buying or selling pressure is stronger at that moment in time. The baseline line stays in place as an observation point for zero-volume periods and returns to its original position after every period thereafter.
Interpreting the OBV indicator is done by analyzing divergences between price movements and OBV movements. When both move in the same direction, it indicates strengthening momentum; if one moves up while another move down or vice versa then there may be some reversal pressure present. Additionally, shifts in cumulative volume can also reveal exhaustion points at which traders have sold their positions and are no longer interested in enabling further movement within that particular trend.
By interpreting these signals traders can more accurately identify whether they should remain in their current position or exit out until better trading opportunities arrive later on down the road.

How to Use the OBV Indicator for MT4
The On Balance Volume (OBV) indicator is a technical analysis tool that uses volume changes to predict the direction of asset prices. The OBV indicator was developed by Joe Granville in the 1960s and has become a widely used tool among traders and analysts.
With the OBV indicator, traders can compare an asset’s current volume to its historical volume, and detect changes related to incremental buying or selling pressure. This information can then be used to form strategies for trading a particular stock or commodity.
Using the OBV Indicator in MT4 is easy: the indicator requires only that you set up the time frames and moving average periods you wish to use with it before it can generate signals. Once these parameters have been set up, traders can begin looking for buy or sell signals generated by its calculations.
OBV indicators also provide two distinct entry points which are generally signaled when there is a divergence between prices and the OBV line; when this occurs it usually indicates that either buyers or sellers are dominating an asset’s market. If a trader detects an increase in buying pressure, they should buy; if they detect an increase in selling pressure, they should sell.
Used correctly, the OBV Indicator for MT4 can provide traders with valuable insight into price movements and provide actionable signals which they can use to open positions on high-volume assets.
Tips and Tricks for Using the OBV Indicator
The On Balance Volume (OBV) indicator is a popular technical tool used by traders to measure the money coming into and out of a security. It is widely used in forex, indices, and commodities trading. This indicator has been around since 1975 when it was first developed by Joseph Granville.
The OBV indicator helps to identify whether a security is “overbought” or “oversold”, determining when to enter and exit trades. Traders use the OBV as an oscillator that moves between two extremes – high and low values – signaling buy/sell opportunities. It is particularly useful in markets with low liquidity, where price patterns are difficult to pick up on charts.
When using the OBV indicator in MT4 (Meta Trader 4), here are some tips and tricks that can help you maximize your profits:
- Look for divergences between price action and OBV readings – Divergences occur when the price of a security makes higher highs while its OBV readings form lower highs (bearish divergence) or vice versa (bullish divergence). These divergences can be used as an early warning sign for upcoming market reversals.
- Make sure you keep an eye on momentum – Momentum plays an important role with the OBV as it helps traders pinpoint potential entry and exit levels for their trades by comparing recent positive/negative messages that have come into the market with long-term trends for The given exchange rate or index value.
- Pay attention to volume changes – Changes in volume can indicate changes in momentum which play a major role when trading with this tactics tool; thus, make sure you pay close attention to these fluctuations when using this indicator.
- Compare different securities – If you’re having trouble pinpointing opportunities while using this tool in isolation, try comparing different values such as indices, stocks or currencies, etc., so that you can better understand what direction prices may be heading next.
Common Mistakes Made with the OBV Indicator
Using the On Balance Volume (OBV) indicator to analyze price movements of a security or market can be an effective way for traders to make successful decisions in the Forex market. Despite its benefits, there are some mistakes that traders often make when using this indicator. These common mistakes include:
- Applying too much emphasis on one period of time
- Not considering fundamental data
- Ignoring divergences and crossovers
- Relying too heavily on OBV signals rather than multiple indicators combined
- Forgetting to adjust your trading plan according to volatility
- After identifying a trend, not adjusting the position size accordingly
- Not taking into account the influence of liquidity or transaction volume on OBV readings
- Not being timely with your response to a chart movement or trend
- Using OBV as a standalone indicator instead of aligning it with other indicators and technical analysis tools
- Focusing exclusively on OBV values rather than visual patterns or trends
OBV Indicator Settings

OBV Indicator For MT4 Free Download
Final Thoughts on the OBV Indicator
The On-Balance Volume (OBV) indicator is a popular technical indicator that measures buying and selling pressure with volume. The OBV tracks the cumulative flow of money into and out of an asset to help identify potential trend reversals.
The OBV indicator is a momentum oscillator, meaning it rises when the price moves higher and falls when the price moves lower. The OBV acts as an additional confirmation tool for traders, validating already-established trends or indicating possible future ones.
As with any technical indicator, it’s important to consider additional elements before entering a trade based on the readings of an OBV signal. Moreover, it’s essential to use the correct timeframe in order to ensure you are seeing a true OBV signal. This means reviewing longer timeframes in order to receive more reliable signals from your OBV analysis. As with all technical indicators, always be sure to combine more than one technical tool in your analysis and trading plan for more accurate decision-making.