Setup & First Steps
FX Volume shows institutional long/short positioning data for 8 major currencies. Unlike tick volume, this is real positioning data from external sources, delivered through SI Connect.
Prerequisites: SI Connect must be running before you load FX Volume.
Setup:
- Start SI Connect on any chart first
- Wait for SI Connect to show "Connection established"
- Attach FX Volume to a chart (separate sub-window)
- The panel populates automatically once data arrives
Key Parameters
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| FXV_CHANGES_HOUR | 8 | Compare current volume with X hours ago |
| FXV_BACK_TIMEFRAME | BACK_HOURS | Unit for comparison (hours or minutes) |
| FXV_HISTORY_MODE | Net Long Change | What the history lines in the sub-window show |
| FXV_HISTORY_VOLUME_BIGTOTAL | false | Show total market volume as additional line |
Choosing the Lookback Period
- 4-6 hours: Good for intraday trading, captures session-level shifts
- 8 hours (default): Balanced view covering about one full session
- 24 hours: Daily comparison, best for swing trading
Panel Views
Switch between views by clicking the view buttons:
| View | Shows | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Volume Total | Total volume per currency vs. reference period | Seeing which currencies attract interest |
| Ratios Change | Long/short ratio changes | Directional bias |
| Net Long | Absolute net long positions | Current positioning |
| Net Long % Change | Net long change in percentage | Momentum of positioning shifts |
| Net Long Delta | Change in net long positioning | Rate of change |
Recommended starting view: Net Long % Change - shows most clearly whether institutional positioning is shifting.
Reading the Data
The key insight from FX Volume: When institutional volume rises for a currency AND the currency is strong in FX Power NG, the setup has institutional backing.
- Rising total volume + rising net long = institutions are accumulating long positions
- Rising total volume + falling net long = institutions are building short positions
- Falling total volume = decreasing interest, move may not sustain
Alert Configuration
FX Volume has the most extensive alert system of any SI product. Alert types include:
- Currency Index rise/fall
- Volume Total rise/fall
- Volume Long rise/fall (optional: only dominant side)
- Volume Short rise/fall
- Net Long % Change rise/fall
- Big Total Volume rise/fall
- Symbol Delta rise/fall
All alerts are off by default. Start with Net Long % Change alerts (2% threshold) and Total Volume alerts.
Practical Tips
- SI Connect must always run: Without it, FX Volume shows no data. Keep SI Connect on a dedicated chart.
- Net Long view is most useful: It shows the clearest picture of where institutional money is positioned.
- Multiple instances: Run two FX Volume instances with different lookback periods (e.g., 8h and 24h) for short-term and longer-term comparison.
- Currencies panel: Click currencies to deactivate ones you don't trade, reducing visual noise.
- Big Total: Enable this to see overall market activity, not just individual currencies.
- Weekend behavior: FX Volume pauses during weekends. The display will show the last available data.
Common Issues
"Please start SIConnect EA" - SI Connect is not running or not detected. Start it on any chart and wait for connection.
Panel is empty / no data - Check SI Connect status. If it shows "Connection lost", check your internet connection and that the SI server URL is allowed in MetaTrader options.
Data doesn't change - Either SI Connect lost connection, or it's the weekend (normal behavior).
"X units back input must be greater than 0" - FXV_CHANGES_HOUR was set to 0. Set it to at least 1.