Is the range midpoint the same as the point of control?

No. The midpoint is halfway between the high and the low, whatever traded there. The point of control is the price with the most volume, or the most TPOs. They coincide on a symmetric, balanced profile and separate when volume concentrates toward one end of the range.

Why does the session midpoint move during the day?

Because it is computed from the running high and low. Every new extreme moves it by half the extension. Its final value is only known at the close, so a midpoint read at midday is a developing reference.

Range midpoint (session mid)

The range midpoint is the price halfway between a period's high and low, sometimes called the half-back by Market Profile traders. It is a geometric reference, independent of volume, used to judge whether a session is trading in the upper or lower half of its range and, compared with the point of control, where the profile's weight sits.

Senzoukria · Glossary · Updated September 2026

Definition

Midpoint = (high + low) / 2 for the period chosen: a session, an initial balance, an opening range or a multi-day balance area. During a session, the running midpoint moves every time a new high or low is made, so the developing value and the final value can differ. Unlike the point of control, the midpoint says nothing about where trading concentrated; it only splits the range in two.

A worked example

A session's range is 4,990.00 to 5,030.00, so its midpoint is 5,010.00. Its point of control is 5,002.00, below the midpoint: most of the volume traded in the lower half of the range. Price closes at 5,021.00, above the midpoint, at 77.5% of the range. The reading is a session that built value low and finished high, the shape of a late move away from value that the next session will have to confirm or reject.

How traders use it

As a balance reference: in a balanced session, price often rotates around the midpoint and the point of control sits near it.
As a test after a failed extension: returning through the midpoint shows the extension's side losing control of the session.
For a multi-day balance area, the midpoint of its range is a natural center to compare with the composite point of control.
Relative to the previous session: opening above or below yesterday's midpoint places the open in the upper or lower half of the prior range.

In Senzoukria

The Market Profile (TPO) overlay has a 'Mid-point line' option, described as half of the profile range, where balance sits when the POC drifts. The Session Mid indicator draws the developing midpoint of the session, (running high + running low) / 2, reset at each session open and defined from the first bar. Session Range Position expresses the close's place in the running session range from 0 to 100, where 50 is the midpoint, and Opening Range Bands use the midpoint of the opening range as their basis. The indicators follow the engine's session, which begins at 17:00 Chicago time on CME futures.

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Frequently asked questions

Is the range midpoint the same as the point of control?: No. The midpoint is halfway between the high and the low, whatever traded there. The point of control is the price with the most volume, or the most TPOs. They coincide on a symmetric, balanced profile and separate when volume concentrates toward one end of the range.
Why does the session midpoint move during the day?: Because it is computed from the running high and low. Every new extreme moves it by half the extension. Its final value is only known at the close, so a midpoint read at midday is a developing reference.

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