# Anchored VWAP (AVWAP)

> Volume-weighted average price from a candle you choose up to every later candle – or up to an end you choose – with optional standard deviation bands.

Updated: 2026-10-27T03:24:51Z · https://chartrider.com/docs/indicators/anchored-vwap/

## What you see
A line that starts at the anchor candle (marked with a dot and **AVWAP**) and follows the volume-weighted average price of everything traded since then. Bands at a multiple of the volume-weighted standard deviation can be shown above and below it. The legend shows the anchor after the name, e.g. **Anchored VWAP (2026-10-26 14:30)**, and the band values at the candle under the cursor.

You can have several on the chart, each with its own anchor and colours.

## Placing the anchor
- Right-click a candle and choose **Draw → Anchored VWAP** in the [chart menu](https://chartrider.com/docs/charts/chart-menu/): a new one starts at that candle.
- **Indicators → Anchored VWAP** in the chart menu: **Anchor here** moves the anchor to the clicked candle, **Pick anchor** waits for a click on a candle, **Remove** takes it off the chart (the end actions are below).
- Added from the indicator list, it waits for a click on the anchor candle. While you pick, a dashed preview follows the candle under the cursor. On touch screens it starts at the first loaded candle instead; set **Anchor** in the settings.
- Or type the time into **Anchor** in the settings (in your [time zone](https://chartrider.com/docs/charts/time-zone/)).

The anchor is a point in time, so it stays at the same moment when you change the timeframe; on a larger timeframe the sums start with the candle that contains it. If the anchor is older than the loaded candles, the legend says so; scroll back to load them.

## Ending it (looking back)
To study a past move, give it an end: **End here** in **Indicators → Anchored VWAP** stops the line and the bands at the clicked candle, **Pick end** waits for a click on the last candle (a dashed preview follows the cursor), **Clear end** lets it run to the latest candle again. Or type the time into **End (optional)**. The end must come after the anchor; moving the anchor past the end clears the end. A hollow dot marks the last value, and the legend shows both times, e.g. **Anchored VWAP (2026-10-13 18:00 → 2026-10-16 11:00)**. On a smaller timeframe the line ends with the candle that starts at that time.

## How it is calculated
For every candle from the anchor candle up to and including the current one:
- Price `p` per candle, by default `(open + high + low + close) / 4` like the [VWAP](https://chartrider.com/docs/indicators/vwap/); also `(high + low + close) / 3`, `(high + low) / 2` or the close.
- `AVWAP = sum of (p × volume) / sum of volume`.
- Standard deviation `σ = √(sum of (p² × volume) / sum of volume − AVWAP²)`; band n is `AVWAP ± multiplier × σ`.

Each value uses only the candles from the anchor up to its own candle, so it never looks ahead. Candle volume is used, so results differ slightly between timeframes.

## How to read it
- Anchored at a swing high or low, a breakout or a news candle, the line is the average price paid by everyone who traded since then: above it those buyers are in profit, below it in loss.
- Price often reacts at the AVWAP of a major swing; reclaiming or losing it is a common trend signal.
- The bands show how far price has stretched from that average; moves to the second or third band are rare.

## Using it in strategies
Outputs: `value` (the AVWAP) and `upper1`, `lower1` … `upper3`, `lower3` for the three bands, whether they are shown or not; after an end there are no values. In the [Trade Setup](https://chartrider.com/docs/strategies/trade-setup/), "Price vs line" works with the AVWAP like with any line on the price chart. In [WickScript](https://chartrider.com/docs/wickscript/), `avwap(start)` starts over at every candle where the condition `start` is true, e.g. `avwap(crossover(close, ema(close, 50)))` (from each cross above the 50 EMA); with a fixed anchor use `use indicator "Anchored VWAP" with anchorTs 1793052000000 as a` (add `endTs` for an end) and read `a.value`.

## Settings

Open the settings with the slider icon next to the indicator (Indicators, `F3`). Numeric settings can be swept as Step 1 / Step 2 parameters when you run a strategy.

### Inputs

| Setting | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anchor | Date and time | – | Time of the anchor candle. Empty (0) starts at the first loaded candle. |
| End (optional) | Date and time | – | Time of the last candle. Empty (0) runs up to the latest candle; must be after the anchor. |
| Pick anchor on the chart | Switch | Off | On: the next click on a candle sets the anchor (the chart doesn't pan meanwhile). Off / Active. |
| Price | Choice | (O + H + L + C) / 4 | Price of each candle that is averaged. Options: (O + H + L + C) / 4, (H + L + C) / 3, (H + L) / 2, Close. |

### Bands

| Setting | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band 1 | Switch | On | Shows the first pair of bands. Off / On. |
| Band 1 × standard deviation | Number | `1` | Distance of band 1 from the line in standard deviations. (min 0) |
| Band 2 | Switch | Off | Shows the second pair of bands. Off / On. |
| Band 2 × standard deviation | Number | `2` | Distance of band 2 in standard deviations. (min 0) |
| Band 3 | Switch | Off | Shows the third pair of bands. Off / On. |
| Band 3 × standard deviation | Number | `3` | Distance of band 3 in standard deviations. (min 0) |

### Styles

| Setting | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Line color | Color | `#38bdf8` | Colour of the AVWAP line and the anchor marker. |
| Line width | Number | `1.5` | Width of the AVWAP line in pixels. |
| Band color | Color | `#94a3b8` | Colour of the band lines and their fill. |
| Fill bands | Switch | On | Shades the area between each pair of bands. Off / On. |
| Anchor marker | Switch | On | Dot and label AVWAP at the anchor candle, hollow dot at the end. Off / On. |

## Outputs

These values can be used in Trade Setup triggers, filters and exits (see [Trade Setup](https://chartrider.com/docs/strategies/trade-setup/)) and in WickScript.

| Output | In WickScript | Description |
|---|---|---|
| value | `value` | The anchored VWAP. |
| upper1 | `upper1` | AVWAP + band 1 × standard deviation. |
| lower1 | `lower1` | AVWAP − band 1 × standard deviation. |
| upper2 | `upper2` | AVWAP + band 2 × standard deviation. |
| lower2 | `lower2` | AVWAP − band 2 × standard deviation. |
| upper3 | `upper3` | AVWAP + band 3 × standard deviation. |
| lower3 | `lower3` | AVWAP − band 3 × standard deviation. |

## Use in WickScript

`use indicator` creates this indicator inside a script, with settings by their ID. Each output is a field of the name after `as`. See [WickScript indicators](https://chartrider.com/docs/wickscript/indicators/).

```wickscript
wickscript 1
indicator "Anchored VWAP (AVWAP) from the list" on chart
use indicator "AVWAP" with band1 1 as myAvwap
show myAvwap.value as line "value"
```