What it does
Detects consolidation phases built from inside bars — candles whose entire range sits within the previous bar's range — and marks the boundaries of the resulting congestion box, then signals when price breaks out of it. Inside bars represent contracting volatility and agreement about value; a stack of them forms a coiled range whose eventual break tends to be directional. The study automates spotting these coils and their resolution.
How to add it
Click Indicators (ƒx) in the header.
Search “Dext Consolidation and Breakout(inside bars)” and click the result.
Hover its legend row and click the gear to open settings.
How traders use it
- A single inside bar after a strong move is a continuation pause; trade the break of the mother bar's high or low in the trend direction.
- Multiple consecutive inside bars build a tighter coil with a more energetic breakout; the marked box's edges are the trigger lines.
- Place the stop at the opposite edge of the consolidation box so the coil itself defines risk.
- Prefer breakouts aligned with the higher-timeframe trend and accompanied by a volume pickup; counter-trend breaks fail more often.
- A failed break (price re-entering the box quickly) is itself a signal — expect a test of the opposite edge.
Inputs
| Input | Type | Default | Range / Options |
|---|---|---|---|
| Min Inside Bars | number | 2 | 1–50 |
| Max Inside Bars | number | 20 | 1–100 |
| Mark Breakout | boolean | On | — |
| Colorize Inside Bars | boolean | On | — |
| Inside Bar Color | color | #FFB74D | — |
Plots & styling
| Plot | Style | Default color |
|---|---|---|
| Parent High | line | #26A69A |
| Parent Low | line | #EF5350 |
| Breakout Up | line | #00C853 |
| Breakout Down | line | #D50000 |
Every plot's color, line width and visibility can be changed on the Style tab. Precision, price-scale labels and status-line values are configurable at the bottom of the Style tab.
Tips
- Use Add to favorites in the legend menu; starred studies surface at the top of the picker.
- The legend eye toggles it off without losing your settings — handy for before/after comparisons.
- Its price-scale label can be switched off per-indicator at the bottom of the Style tab if the axis gets crowded.
Watch out for
- Inside-bar breakouts are prone to false triggers, especially around news; many traders wait for a closing break rather than a tick beyond the level.
- On higher timeframes inside bars are meaningful, but on very low timeframes they occur constantly and mostly represent noise.