Updated 2026-07-25
The point of control, or POC, is the single price level with the highest traded volume over a chosen period, taken from a volume profile. It marks where the most business was actually done, which tends to be where both buyers and sellers found the price acceptable.
Traders use the POC as a reference rather than a signal. Price returning to it often finds two-way interest, because that is where the largest number of participants have positions and a reason to act. Price accepting away from it can mark a shift in where value is being agreed. The POC is descriptive by construction: it is a summary of completed transactions, so it carries no forecast. It is most useful in combination with structure that describes future conditional pressure, such as a liquidation map, and with the high and low volume nodes around it.