You bring up some great points in this posting which I am responding to (I have cut most of it out to save space).Quote from newbie2006:
Continued.....
So lets develop a simple strategy using the above.
I call this "The wall resistance"
For futures (I will use the ES as an example) there is a phenomena that can happen in all instruments I presume near critical s/r levels. This phenomena is called "stop-running", and many times traders are fooled by this into thinking there is a breakout taking place through a critical price level.
For the ES, a "stop-run" is usually 1.5 points beyond the market profile level (what I use for s/r levels). This is merely commercial traders running the stops near these critical levels to grab inventory, to most likely flatten there positions that were carried to that s/r level. They are passing their held positions off to weaker hands (this happened 4 times at the 1347's on the 3'rd of Oct) at areas they determine support or resistance should hold.
These are the same short bursts of initiated trading activity that many mistake for a breakout at key levels. The delta is the best way I have been able to differentiate initiated trade activity that is of "breakout" material versus stop-running activity at key s/r levels. Here is an example of the process of an actual "breakout" that was clear to me from yesterday at the 1347's which have been in play for two days now.
Here was a SHORT off the 1347.25 market profile level bounce......
http://www.charthub.com/images/2006/10/04/ES_317_VB_5.png
Here was a "snap-back" to trend LONG entry after a delta divergence up into the 1347 area.........
http://www.charthub.com/images/2006/10/04/ES_317_VB_6.png
Here you can see there was no real significant diminishing of the momentum as the 1347.25 MP level was approached......the commercials kept the gas pedal down as they finally popped the 1347's at this point. Price did not really lose momentum until we were then getting close the the recent ES highs at the 1350's.....
http://www.charthub.com/images/2006/10/04/ES_317_VB_7.png
Here is what the delta looked like when a real breakout again took place, and the busting out of the recent 1350.50 previous high level for the ES..........
http://www.charthub.com/images/2006/10/05/ES_317_VB.png
As you can see, the delta can be used to differentiate when trading activity is a breakout or stop-running at significant s/r levels once the process is understood.