Momentum Tails for Sierra Chart (V1)

Momentum Tails is a Sierra Chart DOM study that displays where price has traded and the relative speed of movement. Color-coded tails appear on every price touch and fade over time, providing a visual record of momentum directly on the DOM. A delta histogram, HUD meter, and Volume overlays are included.

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Key Features

Color-Coded Fading Tails – Every price touch lights up and gradually fades through up to 10 customizable color levels. Fast moves create long bright tails, slow moves create short faded ones.
Color Presets – Quick-start presets for white, dark, and light gray backgrounds, plus a Jigsaw-inspired palette. Custom color schemes can also be created manually.
Volume Display Modes – Volume numbers can be displayed on active tail rows only, across the entire visible range, or hidden completely. Last-traded rows use distinct styling to indicate the most recent print.
Split Column Mode – Both Bid and Ask can be assigned to the same DOM column (GP1/GP2/Label). The study automatically splits the column 50/50 with an optional separator line.
Combine Increment Aware – Auto-detects your DOM price scale on first load so tails, histogram bars, and volume text always align with the grid. Set to Auto or override manually.
Detection Modes – Two modes control when tails appear. Trade Volume Only creates tails strictly where trades occurred. Bid/Ask Movement triggers on Top-of-Book changes for broader coverage, which may include untouched price levels.
Intermediate Tails – Optionally fill in all price levels between trades to create a continuous trail effect. When disabled, tails only appear at exact trade prices, showing gaps where price skipped levels.

Delta Histogram – Overlay histogram bars on tail edges showing delta or volume at each price level. Three modes are available (Delta, Delta Diagonal, Volume), with five color-intensity thresholds and variable bar width that scales by value.
Cumulative Delta Display – Displays cumulative delta across all active tails (Ask minus Bid Volume) directly on the DOM. Auto-positions above or below tails, or pin it to a fixed location.
HUD Meter – A visual gauge displays cumulative delta across active tails, with gradient or segmented fill, peak indicators that track min/max over a configurable window, and multiple presets from compact value-only to full gauge.
Right-Click Quick Toggles – Toggle the HUD Meter, Delta Display, and Histogram on or off from the right-click menu without opening Study Settings. Re-enabling restores your last-used mode.
Subgraph Output – Delta, Min Delta, and Max Delta are available as subgraphs for spreadsheet output, alerts, or referencing from other studies.

How It Works

Momentum Tails visualizes recent price activity directly on your DOM / Chart DOM. When price trades at a level, that row lights up in your brightest tail color. Over a configurable time interval, the color fades through each level (from hot to cool) until it disappears entirely.

The result is a visual heat trail. Areas of high activity stay bright longer, while isolated prints fade sooner. The display shows how far price swept, which levels had the most Volume, and where activity is concentrated or thinning.

On top of the tails, optional layers add depth: a histogram showing delta or volume magnitude at each price, a cumulative delta display summarizing the net direction of all active tails, and a HUD meter providing a visual gauge of that delta with peak tracking. Each layer works independently. One, some, or all can be enabled depending on the amount of information needed on screen.

Histogram

The histogram overlays bars on the edges of tail columns, displaying delta or Volume magnitude per Price Level. Bars draw on the winning side (Ask side for positive delta, Bid side for negative), indicating which side is dominant at each level.

Three Display Modes

Delta – Compares Bid and Ask Volume at the same price. The bar appears on the winning side, sized by the absolute delta.
Delta Diagonal – Compares Ask Volume at one price against Bid Volume one Tick Size below (the diagonal relationship). This mode displays the relationship between aggressive and passive flow across adjacent levels.
Volume – Draws both Bid and Ask bars simultaneously, sized by raw Volume. Both sides of activity are displayed at every price.

Threshold Color Intensity

Up to five user-defined thresholds control bar color intensity. As delta or volume grows, bars progress from the mildest color to the strongest. Values below the first threshold use a neutral color, keeping the display clean when activity is light. Each threshold level has its own configurable color for both positive (Ask winning) and negative (Bid winning) sides.

Variable Bar Width

Bars can scale proportionally by value so larger deltas or volumes produce wider bars. Two scaling modes are available: By All Rows uses the global maximum across all active rows as the 100% reference, and By Per Row scales each row independently so its largest value fills the full width. This allows the strongest levels to be identified visually without reading numbers.

Independent Duration

Histogram bars can persist independently of the tails themselves. Set a custom duration so bars remain visible after the tail fades, or set it to zero to tie bar lifetime to the tail. Histogram presets are available to quickly configure thresholds, colors, and layout.

HUD Meter

The HUD Meter is a visual delta gauge, showing the cumulative delta of all active tails as it changes. Positive delta fills upward, negative fills downward, reflecting overall momentum direction and strength.

Multiple Presets – Choose from Default, Value Only, Basic Meter, Full Gauge, Compact, or Value Only with Title. Each preset configures size, layout, and visible elements for you.
Peak Indicators – Track min and max delta over a configurable time window. Peaks display as colored markers on the meter with optional numeric values, so you can see the extremes even as the current value moves.
Gradient and Segmented Fill – Choose between a smooth gradient fill or segmented bars for the meter visualization. Segment height and spacing are fully configurable.

Flexible Positioning – Place the meter in any corner or along the middle edges of the chart. X and Y pixel offsets allow precise positioning. Width, height, and value-only height are all adjustable.
Scale and Labels – Scale markers, position indicator, title, and value readout are all optional. Each element has its own font size and color settings. The scale can display inside the meter or on either side.
Full Color Control – Separate colors are provided for positive, negative, zero value, zero line, background, and border. The container box has its own background, border, and spacing settings.

Setup

Setup requires a few steps. The study reads volume data from Sierra Chart’s built-in Recent Bid/Ask Volume columns, so those need to be visible before the study will display tails.

Enable Required Columns – Go to Trade > Customize Chart/Trade DOM Columns and move Recent Bid Volume and/or Recent Ask Volume from Hidden Columns to Visible Columns. At least one must be visible.
Add the Study – Open Analysis > Studies on the Chart or DOM where you want tails, search for “gc: DOM Momentum Tails,” and add it. Assign the Bid and Ask columns in the Study Settings.
Set Combine Increment – Leave at 0 (Auto) to auto-detect from your DOM price scale, or set a manual value. Auto mode reads from your Scale Settings and keeps everything aligned.
Check Chart Update Interval – Since tails are time-sensitive, a lower update interval captures more activity. Go to Chart Settings > General > Chart Update Interval. Sierra Chart warns that very low intervals (50ms or less) across many charts can increase CPU load and cause data lag. Adjust based on your system and number of open charts.

Note: You can install the study directly into a Recent Bid/Ask Volume column. The study will overlay tails on top of the existing volume data, saving you a column. The study includes a repaint option to cleanly overlay its own volume text on top of Sierra Chart’s native text.

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What columns do I need visible?

At least one of Recent Bid Volume or Recent Ask Volume must be visible in your DOM. Go to Trade > Customize Chart/Trade DOM Columns and ensure they are listed under Visible Columns.

Can I use this on a regular Chart instead of a DOM?

Yes. The study works on both as long as your Chart has Chart DOM enabled. Trade->Trading Chart DOM On

Why do I see ghost tails when I first add the study?

If the Recent Bid/Ask Volume columns already contain old data when the study is added, a few stale tails may appear initially. They will fade within the configured timeout period.

What does Combine Increment do?

It controls the price grouping for tails and histogram bars. Set to 0 (Auto) to match your DOM’s price scale automatically, or set a manual value. This ensures tails align with the DOM grid.

Can I use the histogram without showing tails?

The histogram and delta display work independently of the volume display mode. You can set Volume Display to None and still see histogram bars, delta text, and the HUD meter based on active tail data.

What are the subgraphs for?

The study outputs Delta (SG0), Min Delta (SG1), and Max Delta (SG2) as subgraphs. These can be used for spreadsheet output, alert conditions, or as inputs to other studies. Min and Max track peaks over a configurable time window.

Why does my chart update interval matter?

Momentum Tails is update-sensitive. If your Chart Update Interval is set too high, brief volume prints can be missed between refreshes resulting in gaps in tail coverage. A lower interval captures more activity and gives the most accurate tail representation. It is recommended to run your execution charts on a dedicated Sierra Chart instance set to the lowest Chart Update Interval your system can handle without impacting overall performance.

What data type should I use?

Tick-level data is recommended. The study relies on recent bid and ask volume which updates on each trade. Tick-by-tick data ensures every print is captured. Higher timeframe or aggregated data may miss brief volume events.

Will this impact my CPU or performance?

For the best experience use a modern multi-core processor, enable OpenGL in Sierra Chart (Global Settings > Graphics Settings – Global), and make sure your graphics card drivers are up to date. If you notice performance issues, try increasing the Combine Increment (fewer rows to process) or disabling features you don’t need (histogram, HUD meter).

Should I enable OpenGL?

Yes, OpenGL is recommended. Sierra Chart’s OpenGL rendering mode offloads drawing to your GPU, which significantly reduces CPU usage for studies with frequent visual updates like Momentum Tails. Enable it in Global Settings > Graphics Settings – Global > Other > Use OpenGL for Chart Graphics.

Can I run multiple instances of the study?

Yes, you can add the study to multiple charts or DOMs. Each instance runs independently with its own settings. Keep in mind that each instance adds processing overhead, so on slower systems you may want to limit the number of active instances or reduce features on less critical windows.

What happens when Recent Bid/Ask Volume is cleared?

The study reads from Sierra Chart’s Recent Bid/Ask Volume data. When that data is cleared, the histogram resets regardless of its own duration timer. This can happen through a manual clear shortcut, Sierra Chart’s built-in “Clear Recent Bid Ask Volume Inactive Time” timer, or a custom study that clears volume on a bar or time interval (such as the free gc: Clear Recent Bid/Ask Volume study available on this site). Tails are tracked independently and are not affected by volume clears.

What Sierra Chart version is required?

The study is built for Sierra Chart version 2784 and above. Testing has been completed on version 2813 and higher. Newer versions may include API improvements that enhance performance and compatibility.

v1.1.0.0 Changelog:

Last Traded Highlight modes – Outline/Fill dropdown replaces Yes/No toggle. Fill option fills the cell background (like SC native), Outline draws a border (previous behavior)
Display Both Last Traded Highlights – New toggle to show both bid and ask last traded highlights simultaneously (Yes, default) or only the most recently traded side (No)
Repaint dropdown consolidated – “Independent Bid/Ask Background” folded into the Repaint dropdown
Fixed input overflow – Inputs exceeded SC’s 128 limit and last input was hidden

v1.0.0.0 Changelog:

Initial Study Release

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