Profile shapes
Profile shapes are the recognisable outlines a volume or TPO profile takes over a session, named after the letters they resemble: D (balanced), P (acceptance high after a rally), b (acceptance low after a sell-off) and the double distribution with two separate value areas.
Senzoukria · Glossary · Updated September 2026
Why the shape matters
A profile is a histogram of activity by price. Its outline summarises the whole session in one glance: where the bulge is tells you where acceptance ended up, and the thin parts tell you where price was rejected. Reading the shape is faster than reading every level, and it frames the levels you then mark.
The four common shapes
| Shape | Outline | Usual reading |
|---|---|---|
| D-shape | Fat middle, symmetric tails | Balanced, rotational session; edges of value act as a range |
| P-shape | Bulge at the top, thin tail below | Rally that found acceptance high; often short covering |
| b-shape | Bulge at the bottom, thin tail above | Sell-off that found acceptance low; often long liquidation |
| Double distribution | Two bulges with a thin zone between | Two value areas built in one session; the gap between them is a decision line |
Reading a shape as it forms
- The shape is only final at the close. A P-shape at midday can become a D-shape if the afternoon rotates back down.
- The developing POC tracks the migration of the bulge; a POC that steps up through the session is building a P.
- Thin tails in a P or b are single prints or low volume nodes; whether they get revisited later is a separate question.
- In a double distribution, the low volume node between the two bulges separates two value areas and is often where the next session's open is judged.
In Senzoukria
Shapes are read directly from the histograms the software draws. The 'Volume Profile (session)' overlay plots volume by price on the left of the footprint chart with the POC, VAH and VAL coloured, and 'Detect HVN / LVN' shades the bulges and notches that define the outline. The 'Market Profile (TPO)' overlay draws the same outline in letters or blocks, with 'Profile statistics' printing TPO total, range and TPOs above and below the POC, which is a numeric version of whether the profile is top-heavy or bottom-heavy. On the heatmap screen, the 'Volume profile' panel draws the histogram next to the liquidity map over the history depth you choose.
Common mistakes
- Naming a shape from a partial session. Load the full session, or wait for the close.
- Reading a shape on a profile that includes a data gap; a missing hour can fake a low volume node.
- Treating the shape as a forecast. It describes what acceptance looked like; the next session tests it.
Related
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Frequently asked questions
- What does a P-shaped profile mean?
- The bulge sits near the top and a thin tail hangs below: price moved up quickly and then rotated at higher prices, so the market accepted the higher level. It often appears when shorts cover. Whether the acceptance holds is judged by the next session's behaviour at the bulge.
- Is a double distribution the same as two sessions?
- No. A double distribution forms inside one session when the market builds value, moves decisively, and builds a second value area. The thin zone between the two bulges is a low volume node inside a single profile, not a session boundary.
- Do TPO profiles and volume profiles show the same shape?
- Usually they are similar, since time and volume tend to cluster at the same prices, but they can differ: a short burst of heavy volume creates a bulge in the volume profile and not in the TPO profile. Senzoukria draws both so the difference is visible.