VSA Signs Of

Weakness
With Trade Set Ups
 Signs of Weakness
• Up bars, narrow or wide spread, close high, middle or low.
• Volume can be high or low.
• Narrow spread indicates supply.
• This supply “caps” any attempt to move up.
• Ultra high volume up bars (the classic trap of “Smart Money!!)
• Professionals have no interest in the upside – Low volume.
• Professionals are selling into the public buying – Higher volume.
• High + volume shows supply – public buying – smart money selling.
• Low – volume shows no interest from “Smart Money” so prices will
not go higher.
BEWARE OF ULTRA HIGH VOLUME UP
BARS – THEY ARE USUALLY WEAK
BARS DRIVEN BY NEWS
SOW – Principle 1 – The End Of A Rising Market

Up-bar on a narrow spread, close middle or low, volume

very high or stronger if ultra high. Weakness always
appears on an up-bar because professional selling has to
sell into a surge of buying. The narrow spread indicates
supply. Something has put a lid on the top of the market.
Selling, or lack of demand from professional money are
the only two things that can do this. If the volume is ultra
high this will show a serious sign of weakness. This sign
of weakness needs to have the following criteria.
 The End Of a Rising Market
• The high or ultra high volume up bar must be into fresh new ground
and will have a strong bull run in the background.
• The price range or spread should be NARROW. The example shown,
US stock JPM has a very narrow range, in fact it is within $1.00 for
the day in question, 14 October 2009.
• The NEWS will be good and that is to mislead you. You will have the
urge to buy because the media, brokers etc will be recommending
this as a strong buy when they should in fact be warning you not to
buy or indeed sell!!
• If the market is gapped up and is approaching or at previous
resistance then this is an even stronger sign of weakness.
14 October 2009 – Great News JPM
US Stock JPM 14th October 2009 –– Chart 1
Do we have an old resistance level to the left?
Chart 2
Shorting AFTER you see End Of a Rising Market

• Wait for the market to ROLL OVER, almost like the top
of a mushroom.
• We need to see a DOWNTREND forming. Look for the
market to make lower high’s on the price bar each day.
• As the market falls we wait for a NO DEMAND up bar,
an UPTHRUST on either high or low volume (which we
will explain shortly) that is the place to enter a short
position.
Mushrooming Over = Distribution – Chart 3
US Stock JPM -High Probability Short Entry – Chart 4
 Tom Williams Simple Trending
System For Short Trading
• Identify a serious sign of weakness first, such as End of a Rising Market,
Buying Climax or Ultra High Volume or Low Volume Upthrusts. These
should be followed by NO DEMAND.
• Wait for at least 10 BARS IN ANY TIMEFRAME to see the result of the
weakness.
• In a strong downtrend we should see increasing volume (not excessive or
ultra high) on down bars and decreasing volume on up bars.
• In a downtrend you can allow for 2 up bars if they are on low volume.
Ignore level bars or near level bars, that is a bar that has closed at or near
the same price as previous bar.
• The end of the downtrend is often seen by two consecutive up bars
followed by a Test or No Supply down bar.
Identifying and Staying In a Downtrend – Chart 5
GBP/USD FOREX Trade Entry To Short in a downtrend
Chart 6
SOW – Principle 2 – No Demand at Market Top

Markets are constantly being traded. A sudden down move will

lock many traders into poor positions as they wait and hope for
a rally to get out with little or no loss. If after a reaction the
market then starts to go up, then any old resistant level will
require effort to go up and through these old highs because
they have to overcome the selling from these locked in traders.
To approach an old high on low volume and narrow spreads
indicates that the old highs are not going to be penetrated
because there is no demand. A market will not rise when there
is no professional interest to the upside.
US Stock Apple - No Demand at a Market Top – Chart 7
And We Have an Old Top to the Left – Chart 8
Apple No Demand December 2007 – Chart 9
UK Stock AVIVA - No Demand at Market Top– Chart 10
Shorting AFTER you see No Demand at a Market Top

• Wait for the market to ROLL OVER, remember, we do

not know if this is the actual top until we see a change in
trend.
• Do not go short on No Demand bars like this if there is
an UPTREND still in place. Be patient.
• These bars are far more powerful places to short when
you have a serious sign of weakness in the background,
such as a Buying Climax or End of a Rising Market.
SOW – Principle 3 – No Result From Effort

This is known as no result from effort. Any indication of

strength in an uptrend you should expect a strong market.
If the next bar is down on a wide spread closing on the
lows and the low and the close is lower than the previous
bar this is a countermanding signal. You do not fight the
market but you have to assume that there has been no
result in an effort to rise therefore the market must be
weak at that time. If the original indication was genuine
SOS then professional money would immediately move
into the market giving higher prices not lower.
US Stock BIDU No Result From Effort– Chart 11
UK Stock British Airways -No Result From Effort – Chart 12
Shorting AFTER you see No Result From Effort

• This will usually appear in an uptrend but is a far more

powerful short in a downtrend.
• Do not short in an uptrend, if the market is weak it will
roll over and you will see further signs of weakness.
• This is a powerful short when there is a downtrend in
place and you see this at the TOP of the downtrend
channel.
SOW – Principle 4 – The Upthrust

The Up-Thrust. Up-thrusts are there for a very good

reason and that is to trigger stops in a weak market.
However, many chart patterns look like Up-Thrusts but fail
to live up their promises. The Up-Thrust has to look right.
It has to be in the right place. Many are created in a
strong market by gapping up at the opening then falling
off for a rest only to carry on up. The genuine ones are
easy to see. Basically you should have SOW in the
background not SOS.
JPY/USD FOREX The Upthrust – In The Right
Place – Chart 13
Gold Futures -Upthrust in Down Trend with Ultra High Volume – Chart 14
UK Stock British Land -The NO DEMAND UPTHRUST – Chart 15
Shorting AFTER you see an Upthrust

• This can and does appear in an uptrend but it is not a

genuine upthrust because you are in an uptrend, but is a
far more powerful short in a downtrend. Do not short an
upthrust in an uptrend, it is in the wrong place.
• This is a powerful short when there is a downtrend in
place and you see this push through the TOP of the
downtrend channel.
• Look for signs of weakness in the background.
SOW – Principle 5 – No Demand in a Downtrend

Up bar on volume less than the 2 previous bars. This

indicates lack of demand from professional money. It is
important that this principle, called No Demand, is on an
UP BAR, a bar closing higher than the bar behind it, and
for the best short it should appear AFTER a MAJOR SIGN
OF WEAKNESS and in a DOWNTRENDING MARKET.
After seeing a No Demand bar, do not sell at market but
place a sell stop below the bottom of the No Demand bar.
US Stock Goldman Sachs No Demand – In The Right Place – Chart 16
UK stock Thomas Cook No Demand – In The Right Place – Chart 17
Shorting AFTER you see No Demand

• This can and does appear in an uptrend but is a far

more powerful short in a downtrend. Do not short an No
Demand in an uptrend, it is in the wrong place.
• This is a powerful short when there is a downtrend in
place and price goes up to the top of the downtrend
channel on No Demand.
• Look for signs of weakness in the background, this is
particularly powerful when seen AFTER a Buying Climax
or End of a Rising Market.
SOW – Principle 6 – Wide Spread Down Bar Through
Previous Support.

A down bar on a wide spread and closing on the low

pushing down and through a previous support level with
the next bar down. You should have had some up move
behind you, and this price action is used to lock you into a
poor long trade. You will see No Demand after this to
confirm the weakness.
Oil Weekly 2008 News is Good – GOTCHA IF YOUR LONG!! – Chart 18
GBP/USD FOREX - Wide Spread Down – Chart 19
Sugar Shortage – Prices Must Go Higher
Sugar Weekly – Locking In Longs – Chart 20
Shorting AFTER you see a Wide Spread Down Bar
through previous support

• After you see this sign of weakness, it is confirmed as

major weakness if the next bar after it is also a down
bar or if it is an up bar it should look like our chart
example number 17.
• Make at least TWO lower highs to confirm the start of a
downtrend.
• Enter a short trade on a No Demand Up Bar or an
Upthrust on high or low volume.
SOW – Principle 7 – Buying Climax

Buying climax. Up bar with wide spreads closing middle

or low on ultra high volume. Very powerful SOW if there
are no old tops to the left. As a market keeps on going up
day after day a point will be reached at some time when
many traders that have sold prematurely or those that are
not in the market cannot stand the constant higher prices
and frenzy gives the trading syndicates and market
makers a golden opportunity to unload large amounts of
stock at a high price without their activity resulting in lower
prices. This marks the high point of the market.
UK Stock British Airways - Buying Climax – Chart 21
Shorting AFTER you see a Buying Climax

• Be cautious, because of the momentum of the uptrend

the market may drift up for several bars or shoot up on
an upthrust. A short trade entered as the bottom/low of
the buying climax bar has been broken and then price
goes up to that area on No Demand is the best short.
Sugar Daily- Buying Climax and a Test Chart 22
SOW – Principle 8 – Top Reversal

Top reversal. This is a common sign of weakness. The

first bar is marked up rapidly, closing on the highs (usually
on good news). The volume can be high (supply
swamping demand) or low (no demand). The next bar
rapidly reverses down, on a wide spread, closing on the
lows. If the low and the close is lower than the first bar
this adds to the weakness. As with all these indications, it
is important to read the following bars for confirmation of
continued weakness. This sign of weakness is very
powerful if you have a strong bull move up behind you.
JPY/USD FOREXTwo Bar Reversal with Failed Test – Chart 23
UK Stock KGF Two Bar Reversal – Chart 24
Shorting AFTER you see a Two Bar Reversal

• After you have seen this VSA set up which will often
mark a top you should wait for the market to trend
down, entering a short trade when you see a clear No
Demand Entry or Upthrust on either low or high volume
as the market trends down.
 Before taking a short position
• Have you seen a rollover and is the market in early stages of downtrend
or still in an uptrend?
• Is the market falling with no professional support?
• Is the low of each bar lower than the previous bar? (you may allow 1 up
bar for every 2 down bars for a downtrend)
• Are you into fresh high ground when distribution starts?
• Is there a trading range to the left?
• Is there lots of GOOD NEWS about this particular market?
• Is the market in an overbought area of the trend channel?
• Is there End Of A Rising Market / Buying Climax in the background?
• Are you entering on a down bar – remember weakness appears on up
bars?
Commodity Futures Information