TradingView indicators are a crowded field with promises: "Sell there, buy here," "100% win rate," and "Never repaint." Most of them are lagging or deceptive — providing you with signals after smart money has already exited the building.
But through all the din, a few indicators do perform — if used correctly and in the proper context of the market.
This blog is your guide to discovering which TradingView indicators truly bring results, how to profitably employ them, and why most popular indicators are pure hype without any actual edge.
The Myth of More Indicators = Better Trading
There's a typical pitfall that most traders tend to fall into: piling up several indicators in an attempt to get "confirmation."
For instance, you could pile up:
- MACD
- RSI
- Stochastic Oscillator
- Bollinger Bands
- 200 EMA
You believe this makes things clearer. In fact, you're stacking five lagging indicators that all respond to what has occurred, not what's going to occur.
This triggers a false confidence and slows down your decision-making — precisely what astute money relies on.
Popular Indicators That Lag (And Why They Fail)
MACD (Moving Average Convergence Divergence)
- Based on moving averages.
- Signals entries late in the move.
- Excellent for textbook trend-following, but terrible in choppy or fast-moving markets.
RSI (Relative Strength Index)
- Appears nice with its neat 0–100 scale.
- Often used to identify overbought/oversold levels.
- In practice, it tends to fail in trending markets — RSI can remain "overbought" as price continues to rally.
Stochastic Oscillator
- Was designed to gauge momentum.
- Gives several "cross" signals, causing confusion.
- Especially poor on sharp breakouts or continuation plays.
These indicators aren't inaccurate — but they're lagging. If you're employing them for entries or exits, you're too often responding to the move, not getting in front of it.
The Indicators That Work (When Used Properly)
These tools aren't "magic," but they represent real market action — volume, liquidity, institutional levels — and assist you in acting with smart money, not against it.
1. Volume Profile Visible Range (VPVR)
Why It Works VPVR informs you where volume was traded, not merely how price moved. This identifies high-interest areas where significant players are most engaged.
How to Use-
- Recognize High Volume Nodes (HVNs) as regions of solid support/resistance.
- Employ Point of Control (POC) as a probable magnet or rejection point.
- Observe Low Volume Nodes (LVNs) for probable breakouts or rejections.
Why It Beats Traditional Indicators As opposed to RSI or MACD, which merely read price action after the fact, VPVR indicates where the trades were made — an indicator of institutional interest and imbalance.
2. Fair Value Gap (FVG) Indicator
Why It Works FVGs are minor imbalances in price where aggressive institutional orders created a gap behind them. Price tends to return to fill gaps before resuming.
How to Use-
- Label FVGs formed on the heels of aggressive price movements.
- Wait for price to back into the gap for potential entries.
- Combine with order flow bias or structure breaks.
Why It Beats Lagging Tools FVGs are price inefficiency-based, not moving averages. They indicate where intelligent money may re-enter, providing a real advantage over time-delays in indicators.
3. Order Block Indicator
Why It Works Order blocks are institutional entry points, usually the last bullish or bearish candle prior to a significant move.
How to Use-
- Recognize OBs following a structure break.
- Enter on retests of the zone with good confluence.
- Put stop-loss beyond the OB wick.
Why It Outperforms Oscillators Order blocks are structure-sensitive, price-based, and reflective of real institutional activity — while stochastic indicators tend to break down in these areas.
4. Session Tools and Liquidity Sweep Indicators
Why It Works Market structure is greatly impacted by trading sessions — particularly London and New York. These tools illustrate how price reacts with liquidity highs/lows of each session.
How to Use-
- Mark Asian range highs/lows.
- Scan for London or NY fakeouts outside of those levels.
- Trade the reversal into the range or towards a liquidity target.
Why It Beats Simple Breakout Indicators Session-based tools ride with real-time volatility cycles. Breakouts are most often false unless validated by volume, structure, and session timing — which RSI and MACD do not consider.
5. Average True Range (ATR)
Why It Works ATR reveals to you the average asset volatility over a specific timeframe. It's not directional but tremendously valuable for position sizing and risk control.
How to Use
- Use stop-loss on 1x–1.5x ATR.
- Steer away from trading under very low ATR conditions.
- Employ ATR expansion as a volatility entry filter.
Why It Beats Fixed Stop/TP Rules Whereas other tools attempt to instruct you on what to trade, ATR informs you about how much space the market requires. This allows your trades to be more flexible and professional.
Scenario-Based Example: Trading a Liquidity Sweep With Smart Tools
Suppose you're studying a forex pair heading towards the London Open.
- Asian session has traded in a tight 30-pip box.
- Price abruptly surges past the Asian high on no significant news.
- Your Liquidity Sweep indicator points to a raid through the range.
- Your Order Block Indicator indicates a bearish OB just through the sweep.
- A Fair Value Gap rests 20 pips below current price.
- VPVR reveals low volume above and high volume below — a probable drop point.
You look for a bearish reaction candle within the order block. You go short. Your stop is 10 pips above OB. Your target is the FVG fill or the POC.
Meanwhile, RSI indicates overbought. MACD signals a bullish crossover. Most retail buyers are long.
Your trade reaches target — not due to luck, but due to following liquidity, volume, and institutional logic, not trailing signals.
Key Takeaways: Build Your System Around Logic, Not Hype
Indicators are tools — not solutions. Most retail traders misuse indicators by:
- Looking for buy/sell signals in lagging tools
- Overcomplicating charts with 5+ indicators
- Ignoring structure, liquidity, and volume context
If you want consistency, use TradingView indicators that actually align with market behavior, not just price memory.
Build Your Own Trading Stack (Recommended)
Here's a practical stack of indicators to use on TradingView:
- VPVR — to track real support/resistance via volume
- FVG Indicator — to find retracement zones
- Order Block Indicator — to mark institutional entries
- Session Range Tools — to time volatility
- ATR — to set realistic stops and avoid random entries
With this stack, you're trading where and how institutions trade — not chasing the aftermath.
Final Words
Most widely used TradingView indicators are popular for a reason: they appear simple and provide clean signals. But trading is not about simplicity — it's about accuracy, timing, and context.
Stop piling on lagging tools and start using indicators that reflect volume, liquidity, and real market intent.
The distinction is subtle — but it's the difference between gambling and trading with intent.