Profile Reader

Lessons › Module 2: Building a TPO Profile › Lesson 2.5

Lesson 2.5 · about 5 minutes

Profile Shapes: D, P, b and Thin

ObjectiveAfter this lesson you can name the four basic profile shapes and describe what each says about where time was spent.

Concept

A collapsed profile has an outline, and the outline has a shape. A D-shape is fat in the middle and thin at both ends: the market spent most of its time near the centre, which fits balance. A P-shape has its bulge near the top and a thin stem below: price moved up early, then built time higher. A b-shape is the mirror image: price moved down, then built time near the low. A thin or elongated profile has few letters on many rows: price kept moving and rarely paused, which fits imbalance. Shapes summarise a finished session. They do not say what happens next.

Four profiles side by side: a D-shape fat in the middle at 104; a P-shape with its bulge at 105-109 and a thin stem down to 100; a b-shape with its bulge at 100-104 and a thin stem up to 110; and a thin profile stepping from 100 to 112 with at most three letters per row. A B C D F G I A B C D E F G H I A B C D E F G H I J A B D E F G H I J A D E F B C G C D E E D-shape VA 102-106 POC 104 A A A A B A B B C F H B C D E F G H I B C D E F G H I J C D E F G H I J C D G P-shape VA 105-109 POC 107 A B A B A A A B C D E F G H I J B C E H B C C D E F G H J C D E F G H I J D G b-shape VA 101-105 POC 103 A A B A B C B C D C D D E D E F E F G F G H G H I H I J I J J Thin VA 102-110 POC 106 112 111 110 109 108 107 106 105 104 103 102 101 100 XYZ (hypothetical): four separate sessions, four shapes Hypothetical data. Shaded = each day's Value Area; orange line = POC
XYZ (hypothetical): four separate sessions, four shapes. Hypothetical, synthetic data generated from code. Four profiles side by side: a D-shape fat in the middle at 104; a P-shape with its bulge at 105-109 and a thin stem down to 100; a b-shape with its bulge at 100-104 and a thin stem up to 110; and a thin profile stepping from 100 to 112 with at most three letters per row.

Worked example

Four separate hypothetical XYZ sessions, ten periods each. D-shape: range 100–108, with the POC at 104 (10 TPOs) in the middle and one letter at each extreme. P-shape: A trades 100–104 and B 103–107; from C onward every period trades between 105 and 109, so the POC is 107, near the top, and 100–102 hold only A. b-shape: A trades 106–110, B and C trade lower, and periods D to J stay between 100 and 104; the POC is 103 and 108–110 hold only A. Thin: each period trades a little higher than the last, from 100 to 112, and no row has more than 3 letters.

Key takeaway

D: time in the middle. P: time near the top. b: time near the bottom. Thin: little time anywhere.

Check yourself

Pick an answer to see instantly why it is right or wrong.

Question 1 of 3

A profile has a thick bulge near its high and a thin stem of single letters below it. What shape is it?

Question 2 of 3

What does a thin, elongated profile describe?

Question 3 of 3

You see a b-shaped profile. Which conclusion stays within what the profile can tell you?

Not financial advice. Educational content only, not financial advice. All tickers and prices are hypothetical, synthetic data. Market Profile is an organizing tool, not a trading system or a prediction. Trading involves substantial risk of loss.