ChartsPod Footprint Bid-Ask View: Settings to Check Before Your First Analysis
A bid-ask footprint shows, at each price, how much traded on the bid and how much on the ask. A few settings decide whether those numbers mean what you think.
Short answer
Before reading ChartsPod's footprint in a bid×ask view, check: the venue and contract shown in the tool; the row size (ticks per row); whether cells show contracts, coins or quote value; whether the comparison for imbalances is horizontal (same price) or diagonal (bid at one row vs ask at the row above); the imbalance ratio and any minimum volume; and that the current bar is treated as unfinished. Sellers hitting bids appear on the bid side; buyers lifting asks on the ask side.
Reading a bid×ask cell
| Cell | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Left number (bid) | Volume sold into bids (aggressive sellers) |
| Right number (ask) | Volume bought from asks (aggressive buyers) |
| Row | Price bucket of fixed size |
| Highlighted | Imbalance per your threshold |
Settings to check
Control names in the terminal can change between releases. If a label differs from this guide, look for the setting that does the job described.
Mistakes
Reading bid and ask columns in reverse (the bid column is selling into bids, not 'buying'); comparing cells across different row sizes; treating a highlighted imbalance on the live bar as final; and comparing imbalance counts with another tool that uses a different (horizontal vs diagonal) comparison.
Example
Illustrative row at 60,000: bid 42 BTC, ask 9 BTC. With a 300% ratio, the bid side is 4.7× the ask: a sell imbalance. If the minimum volume per row is 50 BTC, it is not highlighted. Same data, different display.
Related: ChartsPod Footprint Setup: Row Size, Imbalance and Coverage Checks, Stacked Footprint Imbalances: Row Size and Minimum-Volume Effects, ChartsPod Footprint Delta View: Settings to Check Before Your First Analysis.
Open the footprint and switch to the bid×ask view.
Open the live chart in ChartsPodConfirm venue, rows, units and imbalance rules before reading bid×ask footprints.
See Footprint Bid-Ask View on live data in the free ChartsPod terminal.
Open the ChartsPod terminalQuestions readers ask
What does the bid number mean?
Volume that traded on the bid: aggressive selling.
What is a diagonal imbalance?
Comparing bid at one price with ask at the adjacent price; tools differ.
Why are my imbalances not highlighted?
A minimum volume or ratio setting may exclude them.
Sources and methodology
ChartsPod capabilities were checked against its public overview, documentation index, markets and indicator pages on 17 October 2026. Exact control names inside the terminal can change between releases, so this guide describes what to set and check rather than quoting menu labels. Venue availability is shown per tool in the terminal. Worked examples use illustrative numbers.
- ChartsPod: product overview, pricing and FAQ — free terminal, venues, modules, no order placement; checked 17 Oct 2026.
- TradingView: Volume footprint charts, a complete guide — intrabar method, row size, imbalance, repainting.
This article explains research tools and workflows. It is not financial advice, does not recommend buying or selling any asset and does not predict prices. Crypto derivatives carry a risk of rapid and total loss of margin.
CHARTSPOD EDITORIAL EDITION · RESEARCH AND EDUCATION ONLY · NOT FINANCIAL ADVICE.