VaultCharts
trend Indicator

What Is Typical Price (TP)?

Typical Price is the average of high, low, and close for each bar, providing a smoothed price line that reduces single-price noise.

Quick Answer

Typical Price is the average of high, low, and close for each bar, providing a smoothed price line that reduces single-price noise.

What Does TP Measure?

Typical Price (also written HLC/3) averages the high, low, and close of each bar into a single value. It represents a fair midpoint of the bar's trading range rather than relying solely on the closing price. Typical Price is used as the basis for indicators like CCI and VWAP, and can be plotted as a standalone overlay to visualize a smoothed price path. On VaultCharts desktop charts, Typical Price can be added as a free overlay to compare against close-based moving averages.

Formula:
Typical Price = (High + Low + Close) / 3

How to Read TP

  • 1Typical Price smooths out close-only noise from wicks and spikes
  • 2Price above Typical Price suggests bullish intrabar bias
  • 3Typical Price converges with close in narrow-range bars
  • 4Useful as input for volume-weighted calculations like VWAP

How to Use TP in Trading

Visualize a smoothed price line across the chart
Use as a reference for fair value within each bar
Compare against close-based moving averages
Understand the basis for CCI and VWAP calculations

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Expecting Typical Price to generate standalone trade signals
Confusing Typical Price with OHLC4 (which includes open)
Using Typical Price overlay where close-based MA signals are needed
Ignoring that Typical Price lags slightly behind close in trending bars

Use TP in VaultCharts

VaultCharts includes Typical Price with customizable settings. Combine it with our automated pattern detection and trade signals for better analysis.

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