Asia, London and New York VWAPs, each on its own clock.
A daily VWAP averages the whole day; a session VWAP averages only one market's hours, the price Tokyo, London or New York agreed on while it was open. Session VWAP draws all three on one chart, each with its own window, timezone and σ bands. Each line carries on past its close, so the next session can be read against it.
Asia, London and New York each follow their own market's hours, read in their own timezone. A daylight-saving change in one market does not move the others, so each session VWAP always starts at its own local open. Each session has its own line and its own σ bands.
02
After the close: VWAP or AVWAP
A session's line keeps drawing after its close, until that session opens again. In VWAP mode it freezes at the close and holds the session's final value. In AVWAP mode it keeps running as an anchored VWAP, a VWAP that carries on from a fixed starting point. Either way, Asia's and London's lines are still on the chart during New York hours.
VWAP: frozen at the session close
AVWAP: keeps running until the next open
03
σ bands for each session
Each session has up to three σ band pairs (standard-deviation bands) that show how far price has stretched from that session's VWAP. The first pair sits closest to the line, the third furthest out, and the space between the first pair can be shaded. Each session has its own band settings.
04
One stretch zone
Between the second and third bands the chart is shaded as a gradient: the deeper price pushes in, the stronger the shading. Only one zone draws at a time. It follows New York first, then London, then Asia, or whichever session is in progress, as you choose, and breaks for one bar at each handover so the shading does not smear. The upper zone takes the bearish colour and the lower zone the bullish colour.
05
Black Tide Rituals mode
In Black Tide Rituals mode New York's bands change with the time of day, following the Rituals windows set in Bangkok time; in one window no bands show. The mode draws New York's line and bands itself, whatever New York's own switches say, and the windows are entered by hand to match your Rituals settings. The Daily, Week, Month and Year VWAPs are in the companion indicator, Multi-Period VWAP.
Every session line and band can be read in the Data Window, drawn or not, and other scripts can read New York's from it
How to read it
Each line is one market's fair value for its own hours. They rarely agree, and where they disagree is the read: London building value above Asia's, New York opening below London's, a session's fair value that the next one never trades back to.
After a session closes, its line carries on, flat in VWAP mode and still moving in AVWAP mode, so you can see where the next session trades against it.
The σ bands show stretch from a session's VWAP. Strong shading in the stretch zone means price is far from that session's fair value: distance from value, not a reversal signal.
It is a context layer for your own read of the market. It is not a trade system and not a backtested strategy; nothing here signals, scores or predicts.
Alerts
Price reaches a session's second σ band.
Price reaches a session's third σ band.
Price closes back inside the second band after reaching it.
Good to know
Alerts are checked on the closed bar, so they do not repaint. They watch one session at a time, New York first, and one move out gives one alert, not one per bar.
Made for intraday charts. On higher timeframes the lines and alerts are hidden, because a session VWAP on daily bars has nothing left to average.
If you trade Black Tide Rituals, turn on its mode and set the windows to match your Rituals settings by hand.
Questions
What is the difference between VWAP and AVWAP mode?
Both keep a session's line on the chart after its close, until it opens again. VWAP mode freezes the line at the close and holds that final value. AVWAP mode keeps it running as an anchored VWAP.
Why does it disappear on the daily chart?
It is made for intraday charts. On daily bars a session VWAP has nothing left to average, so the lines and alerts are hidden on higher timeframes.
Where are the Daily, Week, Month and Year VWAPs?
In the companion indicator, Multi-Period VWAP.
Session VWAP is an analysis tool, not investment advice. Charts and examples are illustrations.