Indicators, breadth
Nasdaq Advance-Decline Ratio
How lopsided the Nasdaq market is: advancing stocks against declining stocks, from +1 to −1.
Latest reading, Friday, November 13, 2026Negative: −0.23
Its job in a momentum trade
It shows how many stocks are behind the move. Momentum trades last longer when most of the market is on the same side.
What it measures
The share of Nasdaq market stocks that are up on the day against the share that are down. It answers whether a move in the index is carried by most stocks or by a few.
How it is computed
- Advancing issues minus declining issues, divided by advancing plus declining issues.
- The scale runs from +1 (every stock up) to −1 (every stock down). Zero is an even split.
- The dashed lines at +0.70 and −0.70 mark a lopsided tape, where about 85% of stocks are on one side.
How to read it
- Readings near zero mean a mixed market. The index can still move, but individual stocks are not moving together.
- A reading that holds beyond ±0.70 is a one-sided day. Those sessions tend to keep their direction more often than they reverse it.
- The direction of travel matters. A ratio climbing from −0.5 toward zero while the price is still low says stocks are recovering under the surface.
How to trade it
- On a lopsided day, fading the move is the low-odds trade. Look for pullbacks in the direction of the ratio.
- When NQ makes a new high and the ratio is lower than at the previous high, fewer stocks are taking part. Treat it as a caution, not a short signal.
- Near zero all day, expect ranges and failed breakouts.
What it cannot tell you
- It counts stocks, not their size. A few very large stocks can move the Nasdaq-100 against the ratio.
- These reads are how the indicator is commonly used. They have not been tested here as trading rules.
Read it with
- Nasdaq Cumulative TICK: The running total of Nasdaq-listed TICK through the session: persistent buying or selling pressure across the whole list.
- Nasdaq-100 Advance-Decline Ratio: How lopsided the Nasdaq-100 is: advancing stocks against declining stocks, from +1 to −1.
- Nasdaq Up/Down Volume: Volume in rising Nasdaq stocks against volume in falling ones: where the money is going.
- Nasdaq-100 Up/Down Volume: Volume in rising Nasdaq-100 stocks against volume in falling ones: where the money is going.
Examples
The sessions in the archive with the most one-sided reading at any point in the day. They are picked by that rule from 40 archived sessions, not chosen by hand.
Thursday, November 5, 2026
The ratio reached 0.70 from zero at its most one-sided and ended at −0.66.
15:55O 26896.25H 26906.00L 26718.00C 26744.00last bar; point at the chart to read any other
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
The ratio reached 0.59 from zero at its most one-sided and ended at −0.55.
15:55O 30183.75H 30194.75L 30148.75C 30186.00last bar; point at the chart to read any other
Monday, November 9, 2026
The ratio reached 0.59 from zero at its most one-sided and ended at +0.54.
15:55O 28029.50H 28046.00L 27991.25C 28004.75last bar; point at the chart to read any other
Recent readings
The reading at the close of each of the last 20 sessions, beside what NQ did that day.
| Session | NQ, open to close | Reading at the close | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 13, 2026 | −353 | −0.23 | Negative |
| Thu, Nov 12, 2026 | +324 | −0.52 | Negative |
| Wed, Nov 11, 2026 | +132 | +0.27 | Positive |
| Tue, Nov 10, 2026 | +92 | −0.37 | Negative |
| Mon, Nov 9, 2026 | +662 | +0.54 | Positive |
| Fri, Nov 6, 2026 | −93 | +0.19 | Positive |
| Thu, Nov 5, 2026 | −1459 | −0.66 | Negative |
| Wed, Nov 4, 2026 | +138 | +0.32 | Positive |
| Tue, Nov 3, 2026 | +34 | +0.09 | Even |
| Mon, Nov 2, 2026 | −584 | −0.07 | Even |
| Fri, Oct 30, 2026 | −271 | −0.49 | Negative |
| Thu, Oct 29, 2026 | −46 | +0.04 | Even |
| Wed, Oct 28, 2026 | +62 | +0.19 | Positive |
| Tue, Oct 27, 2026 | +252 | +0.31 | Positive |
| Mon, Oct 26, 2026 | +209 | +0.06 | Even |
| Fri, Oct 23, 2026 | +93 | −0.23 | Negative |
| Thu, Oct 22, 2026 | −371 | −0.16 | Negative |
| Wed, Oct 21, 2026 | +124 | +0.13 | Positive |
| Tue, Oct 20, 2026 | +94 | +0.34 | Positive |
| Mon, Oct 19, 2026 | −57 | −0.06 | Even |
Questions about Nasdaq Advance-Decline Ratio
What is Nasdaq Advance-Decline Ratio?
How lopsided the Nasdaq market is: advancing stocks against declining stocks, from +1 to −1. The share of Nasdaq market stocks that are up on the day against the share that are down. It answers whether a move in the index is carried by most stocks or by a few.
How is Nasdaq Advance-Decline Ratio calculated?
Advancing issues minus declining issues, divided by advancing plus declining issues. The scale runs from +1 (every stock up) to −1 (every stock down). Zero is an even split. The dashed lines at +0.70 and −0.70 mark a lopsided tape, where about 85% of stocks are on one side.
How do momentum day traders use Nasdaq Advance-Decline Ratio?
It shows how many stocks are behind the move. Momentum trades last longer when most of the market is on the same side. On a lopsided day, fading the move is the low-odds trade. Look for pullbacks in the direction of the ratio.
What was the latest Nasdaq Advance-Decline Ratio reading?
At the close of the NQ session on Friday, November 13, 2026: Negative: −0.23.