Previous Time Value Area Low (ptVAL)

Previous Time Value Area Low (ptVAL) is the Time Value Area Low from the immediately prior completed TPO profile, most commonly the previous session or previous day. It is the lowest price level included in that prior profile’s Value Area, where the Value Area contains a chosen percentage of total TPO blocks, commonly 70%.

A TPO profile organizes market activity by time spent at price rather than by traded volume. The Value Area is the core zone where the market spent the most time during that profile, and tVAL is the bottom edge of that zone. ptVAL is simply that prior completed tVAL carried forward into the current session so traders can compare current price to the previous session’s lower boundary of time-based acceptance.

• Choose the prior completed TPO profile window, such as the previous session or previous day. Set the block size, row size, and Value Area percentage.
• Build the TPO profile by counting how many blocks print at each price row, start from the TPO POC, then expand outward through nearby price rows until the chosen percentage of total TPO blocks is included.
• The lowest included price row becomes that session’s tVAL.

Note: When that completed level is projected into the current session, it becomes ptVAL.

ptVAL is commonly used in three connected ways:

• Boundary of prior value: price below ptVAL is trading below the previous session’s lower time-based value boundary, while price inside or above it is still interacting with prior value.
• Acceptance vs rejection test: holding below ptVAL can suggest acceptance below prior value, while quickly reclaiming it can suggest rejection and rotation back into the prior value area.
• Support/resistance reference: ptVAL is often treated as a structural reference level, especially when read together with ptVAH and ptPOC rather than as a standalone signal.

• Extended ptVAL lines or labels: platforms can extend prior completed VAH, VAL, and POC levels beyond the profile period for future interaction.
• Developing vs completed profiles: platforms often distinguish between developing value-area levels in the active profile and prior completed levels carried forward into the current session.

• Defining ptVAL as time and volume. ptVAL is time-based and derived from TPO blocks; volume-based VAL is a separate construct.
• Assuming ptVAL is universal. Changing block size, row size, session rules, or Value Area percentage can change the computed level.
• Comparing ptVAL across charts without matching settings. Session selection, custom sessions, row size, and block size all affect profile construction.
• Treating ptVAL as a guaranteed signal. It is better used as a structural reference inside a broader market context than as a deterministic trade trigger.