Previous Volume Value Area High (pVAH)

Previous Volume Value Area High (pVAH) is the Value Area High from the immediately prior completed volume profile, most commonly the previous session or previous day. It is the highest price level included in that prior profile’s Value Area, where the Value Area represents the chosen percentage of total traded volume, commonly 70%.

A Volume Profile shows where trading is concentrated by price. The Value Area is the “core zone” where most of that volume traded, and VAH is the top edge of that zone. pVAH is simply that prior completed VAH carried forward into the current session so traders can compare today’s price action to yesterday’s upper value boundary. Because it comes from a completed profile, it is a historical reference level, not a developing one.

• Choose the prior completed profile window, such as the previous session or previous day.
• Build the Volume Profile for that completed period using volume-at-price data
• Start at the prior session’s POC, then expand outward through nearby price rows until the selected Value Area percentage is reached. The highest included price row becomes that session’s VAH.

Note: When that completed level is projected into the current session, it becomes pVAH. Like other profile-derived levels, it can change if session template, row size, or source resolution changes.

pVAH is commonly used in three connected ways:

• Boundary of prior value: price trading below pVAH is still below the prior session’s upper value boundary, while price trading above it is outside prior value and may require a continuation-versus-rejection decision.
• Acceptance vs rejection test: holding above pVAH can suggest acceptance above prior value, while quickly failing back inside can suggest rejection and rotation back into the prior value area.
• Support/resistance reference: pVAH often acts as resistance from below and support from above because it marks the top of a previously high-participation zone.

• Previous-session overlays: some tools and scripts display prior-session POC, VAH, and VAL directly across the current session for comparison.
• Developing vs. previous value area levels: many platforms distinguish between developing VAH for the active session and prior completed VAH from the last finished profile.
• Extended “naked” value area lines: some platforms can extend prior value-area boundaries forward until price trades them again.

• Treating pVAH as the prior session high. pVAH is the top of the prior Value Area, not necessarily the highest traded price of that session.
• Assuming pVAH is universal. The level depends on the chosen profile window, Value Area percentage, row size, and session definition, so different settings can produce different pVAHs.
• Confusing pVAH with a breakout signal by itself. A move above prior value is context, not a guaranteed trend. It is stronger when read together with prior VAL, prior vPOC, acceptance/rejection behavior, and broader session structure.
• Ignoring data limitations. Volume-based levels depend on the underlying volume source and platform calculation method, which can vary across instruments and feeds.