Indicators, breadth
Nasdaq Cumulative TICK
The running total of Nasdaq-listed TICK through the session: persistent buying or selling pressure across the whole list.
Latest reading, Friday, November 13, 2026Bearish: −4437, 41% of bars added
Its job in a momentum trade
It shows whether the whole market has been pushing the same way as the trade, bar after bar. A momentum move with the TICK total running against it is on its own.
What it measures
TICK is the number of Nasdaq-listed stocks whose last trade was on an uptick minus the number on a downtick. A single reading is noisy and swings from one minute to the next. Added up through the session, it shows which side has been pressing all day.
How it is computed
- Each five-minute bar of $TIKQ contributes the average of its high, low and close.
- The contributions are summed from the first bar of the regular session, and the total restarts at zero every day.
- A bar is green when it added to the total and red when it subtracted from it.
How to read it
- A line that climbs steadily means upticks have dominated bar after bar. That is broad buying, and it rarely happens on index moves driven by a handful of stocks.
- A line that falls steadily is the same thing on the sell side.
- A flat or zigzag line means neither side is in control, whatever the price is doing.
- The slope matters more than the level. A total that is still deeply negative but has turned up says the selling pressure has stopped.
How to trade it
- Use it to qualify a move in NQ, not to trigger one. A rally in price with cumulative TICK rising is supported by the wider market. A rally with cumulative TICK flat or falling is narrow.
- A new price high or low that the cumulative TICK does not confirm is a reason to tighten a position rather than add to it.
- After a one-sided morning, watch for the first stretch of bars in the other color. A change of slope often comes before the price stops trending.
What it cannot tell you
- It restarts every session, so the first few bars carry little information.
- These reads are how the indicator is commonly used. They have not been tested here as trading rules.
Read it with
- Nasdaq Advance-Decline Ratio: How lopsided the Nasdaq market is: advancing stocks against declining stocks, from +1 to −1.
- 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 that ended with the largest total, in either direction. They are picked by that rule from 40 archived sessions, not chosen by hand.
Monday, November 9, 2026
The total ended the session at +24759.
15:55O 28029.50H 28046.00L 27991.25C 28004.75last bar; point at the chart to read any other
Thursday, November 5, 2026
The total ended the session at −21692.
15:55O 26896.25H 26906.00L 26718.00C 26744.00last bar; point at the chart to read any other
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
The total ended the session at −20689.
15:55O 30183.75H 30194.75L 30148.75C 30186.00last 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 | −4437, 41% of bars added | Bearish |
| Thu, Nov 12, 2026 | +324 | −13451, 17% of bars added | Bearish |
| Wed, Nov 11, 2026 | +132 | +10208, 82% of bars added | Bullish |
| Tue, Nov 10, 2026 | +92 | −5626, 40% of bars added | Bearish |
| Mon, Nov 9, 2026 | +662 | +24759, 96% of bars added | Bullish |
| Fri, Nov 6, 2026 | −93 | +6698, 69% of bars added | Bullish |
| Thu, Nov 5, 2026 | −1459 | −21692, 14% of bars added | Bearish |
| Wed, Nov 4, 2026 | +138 | +5047, 63% of bars added | Bullish |
| Tue, Nov 3, 2026 | +34 | −1212, 49% of bars added | Mixed |
| Mon, Nov 2, 2026 | −584 | −4374, 42% of bars added | Bearish |
| Fri, Oct 30, 2026 | −271 | −15731, 10% of bars added | Bearish |
| Thu, Oct 29, 2026 | −46 | −4705, 46% of bars added | Mixed |
| Wed, Oct 28, 2026 | +62 | +1953, 59% of bars added | Bullish |
| Tue, Oct 27, 2026 | +252 | +11428, 82% of bars added | Bullish |
| Mon, Oct 26, 2026 | +209 | +595, 50% of bars added | Mixed |
| Fri, Oct 23, 2026 | +93 | −4495, 32% of bars added | Bearish |
| Thu, Oct 22, 2026 | −371 | −7180, 33% of bars added | Bearish |
| Wed, Oct 21, 2026 | +124 | +3985, 71% of bars added | Bullish |
| Tue, Oct 20, 2026 | +94 | +1953, 55% of bars added | Bullish |
| Mon, Oct 19, 2026 | −57 | −6550, 29% of bars added | Bearish |
Questions about Nasdaq Cumulative TICK
What is Nasdaq Cumulative TICK?
The running total of Nasdaq-listed TICK through the session: persistent buying or selling pressure across the whole list. TICK is the number of Nasdaq-listed stocks whose last trade was on an uptick minus the number on a downtick. A single reading is noisy and swings from one minute to the next. Added up through the session, it shows which side has been pressing all day.
How is Nasdaq Cumulative TICK calculated?
Each five-minute bar of $TIKQ contributes the average of its high, low and close. The contributions are summed from the first bar of the regular session, and the total restarts at zero every day. A bar is green when it added to the total and red when it subtracted from it.
How do momentum day traders use Nasdaq Cumulative TICK?
It shows whether the whole market has been pushing the same way as the trade, bar after bar. A momentum move with the TICK total running against it is on its own. Use it to qualify a move in NQ, not to trigger one. A rally in price with cumulative TICK rising is supported by the wider market. A rally with cumulative TICK flat or falling is narrow.
What was the latest Nasdaq Cumulative TICK reading?
At the close of the NQ session on Friday, November 13, 2026: Bearish: −4437, 41% of bars added.