Previous Volume Point of Control (pvPOC)

Previous Volume Point of Control (pvPOC) is the Point of Control from the immediately prior completed profile period, most commonly the previous session or previous day. It is the single price level where the highest volume traded in that prior profile, carried forward as a reference level for the current session.

A Volume Profile shows where trading happened by price. The vPOC is the heaviest volume price inside that profile. The pvPOC is simply yesterday’s, last session’s, or last completed profile’s vPOC projected into the current session so traders can compare current price to the prior session’s main area of agreement. Because it comes from a completed profile, it is treated as a historical reference level rather than a developing one.

• Choose the prior completed profile window, such as the previous day, previous session, or another finished profile period.
• Build the Volume Profile for that period using volume-at-price data.
• Identify the single price row with the highest traded volume. Carry that level forward into the current session as the pvPOC reference.

Note: Like any profile-derived level, pvPOC can change if the session template, row size, or source resolution changes.

pvPOC is commonly used in three ways:

• As a support/resistance reference based on prior heavy participation.
• As a rotation or “magnet” level when the current session is balancing around prior value.
• As a context marker alongside prior VAH, prior VAL, and HVN/LVN structure to judge whether the market is accepting, rejecting, or moving away from the previous session’s core trade zone. Volume Profile documentation explicitly frames POC, VAH, and VAL as the key significance levels derived from a completed profile.

• Previous-session overlays: some tools and scripts display the entire previous session profile, including prior POC, VAH, and VAL, across the current session for comparison.
• Developing vs. previous POC: many platforms separately support a developing POC for the active session and a prior-session POC from the last completed profile.
• Extended or “naked” prior POC: some platforms can extend a prior POC forward until price trades that level again, treating it as an uncovered historical reference.

• Treating pvPOC as a prediction or guaranteed target instead of a historical reference level. Volume Profile is a reactive tool that shows where trading already happened.
• Confusing pvPOC with naked vPOC. A prior-session POC is not automatically “naked”; it only becomes naked if price has not traded that level again after the profile ended.
• Copying pvPOC levels from someone else’s chart without matching the same session definition, row size, and data resolution. These settings can change profile output.
• Ignoring instrument-specific volume limitations. Volume Profiles may use trade volume for stocks, tick volume for some markets, and base or quote volume for crypto, which can affect the level produced.