Point of Control
Order Flow Analysis glossary · Footprint & Delta Analysis
Definition
The single price level in a session's volume profile at which the highest total volume traded — the market's accepted "fairest" price for the session. The POC anchors the value area calculation: it is the seed level placed inside the value area first, with the 70%-of-volume zone built outward from it by adding the higher-volume pair above or below at each step.
Point of Control in plain English
The Point of Control, or POC, is simply the single price where more contracts changed hands than at any other price during a session — the crowd's most-agreed-upon 'fair' price. Think of a farmers' market where one apple price drew by far the biggest swarm of buyers and sellers; that price is the POC, the center of gravity for the day. It also serves as the starting seed for mapping the value area: you plant the POC first, then build the 70%-of-volume zone outward from it by repeatedly grabbing whichever neighboring price (above or below) traded more, until you've captured that middle chunk of activity.
Learn these first
Related Order Flow Analysis terms
Order Flow Analysis practice questions · Order Flow Analysis flashcards · Order Flow Analysis study guide