Up-Thrust After Distribution (UTAD)
Volume Spread Analysis glossary · Climaxes, Tests, Springs & Upthrusts
Definition
An up-thrust that occurs at the top of a distribution range: price pushes above the upper boundary of the range (triggering buy-stops and drawing in breakout traders), then immediately falls back inside the range, closing on or near the low. Volume can be high (supply entering) or low (no genuine demand behind the breakout). The UTAD is the bearish mirror of the Spring; it confirms that distribution is complete and the mark-down is about to begin, and is one of the highest-conviction short signals in the framework.
Up-Thrust After Distribution (UTAD) in plain English
Picture a range where the big players have spent weeks quietly SELLING their shares to the public (that's 'distribution'). Right at the top, the price suddenly bursts above the ceiling of that range—triggering everyone's automatic buy orders and pulling in breakout traders who think it's finally taking off—and then it immediately drops back inside and closes near the low. That fake-out breakout is the UTAD, and it's the mirror image of a 'Spring' (which fakes people out to the DOWNSIDE at a bottom). It's one of the most reliable 'get ready to fall' signals there is, because it shows the pros finished dumping their shares and the real decline is about to begin.
Also called: UTAD
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