advanced · TRADING LEARNING GUIDE
Chapter 17 — Liquidity Heatmaps — Resting vs. Executed
Buy aggression → lifts offers · Sell aggression → hits bids
What is this concept?
A heatmap tracks displayed liquidity over time. Bright resting levels can move or cancel. Executed trade bubbles are a separate layer with a separate meaning.
Daily learning workflow
1. Identify the instrument, venue and observation interval. 2. Read the chapter definition and reproduce its worked calculation. 3. Watch the supporting workshop and compare its platform conventions with your data. 4. Annotate a displayed level, its changes and any executions. 5. Record what happened, what you inferred and what would invalidate your interpretation.
Evidence and interpretation
Keep three separate notes: observed transactions or book changes; your explanation of those observations; and a paper rule with a defined failure condition. Compare at least one counterexample. Do not turn an illustration into a live claim.
Worked example
Hypothetical worked example: A bright ask at 101 vanishes without matching prints: do not count it as a sale.
Common mistakes and limits
Do not treat this observation as a guaranteed signal. Check the venue, data classification, session boundaries and costs. A candle or aggregated order book does not reveal the identity or total holdings of traders.
Practice
Annotate a displayed level, its changes and any executions. Use recorded or paper data. Log the observation before revealing the outcome.
Resources and further reading
These sources explain definitions and underlying mechanics. Worked examples are original illustrations; a source does not establish the profitability of a custom pattern.
Public creator-hosted education. Embedding does not mean open-source licensing or endorsement.
Primary reference for footprint display and bid/ask volume conventions. Platform-specific settings must be checked.