Price Last Seen

Price Last Seen answers a question every trader asks: when was price last at this level? It shows how many bars ago and on what date price last traded where it last closed, marks that bar on the chart, and does the same for the levels just above and below. When price has never been this high (or low) in the loaded history, it says so. On US500 D1, 15% of the last 2000 daily closes were at prices never traded before in the loaded history; over all four markets tested, 55% to 66% of closes were at a level price had visited within the 10 bars before. Closed bars only, so it never repaints. Every number is verified against a separate implementation before each release.

What it does

A dot marks the last bar that traded at the price of the last close, with a dashed line from it to now and its date. Next to the last bar, a label says how long ago that was, or "never higher" or "never lower". Six dotted levels around price, half an ATR apart by default, carry their own "last seen" label; levels not seen for a long time (250 bars by default) or never seen are in pink. A small panel lists the same: the last close, when price last traded there and the date, how many bars the current visit has lasted, and each level above and below with its bars ago and date.

How it works

A bar traded at a price when the price lies between its low and its high. For the last close, the bars of the current visit (the run of recent bars that all traded there) are skipped, and the last earlier bar that traded there is the one shown. All loaded history is searched, so the answer can go back years. Only finished bars count.

How it was tested

Every figure (the visit, the last bar and bars ago for the price and for each level, and the never higher / never lower cases) is recomputed by a separate implementation from the same broker data and matches it to the last decimal, on gold, EURUSD, US500 and USDJPY across H1, M15, D1 and H4, at ATR lengths from 5 to 100, level steps from 0.1 to 2.5 ATR and many history lengths.

Results and risks

Over the last 2000 closes, the share of closes at a level price had visited within the 10 bars before was 63% on EURUSD M15, 55% on US500 D1, 59% on USDJPY H4 and 66% on gold H1. On US500 D1, 15% of the closes were at prices never traded before in the loaded history (since August 2012). These describe the past on your broker's data: the answer depends on how much history your terminal has loaded.

Recommended use

Any symbol and any timeframe, from M1 to monthly. Typical uses: seeing at a glance whether price is at a level it visited yesterday or one it has not seen for months, finding the date it was last there, and spotting prices that are new in the loaded history.

Inputs

• Levels around price: step in ATRs (0.5 by default, 0.1 to 5).
• ATR bars: 14 by default (5 to 100).
• Long unseen: after this many bars (250 by default).
• The mark at the last-seen bar and the levels around price: each can be switched off.
• Colours for recently seen and long unseen.
• Panel: show or hide, any chart corner, distance from the edges in pixels, and size (small, normal, large). One key (H by default) hides or shows everything the indicator draws.
• Alert when price closes at a level not seen for a long time, or never: pop-up, push, email or sound, on a closed bar.
• Hide the chart grid: on by default.

Risk notice

Trading forex, metals, indices and other leveraged products carries a high risk of loss. Price Last Seen is an analysis tool: it does not give investment advice or trading recommendations, and it does not guarantee any result. All figures describe past data, and past behaviour does not guarantee future behaviour. You are responsible for your own trading decisions.

Support

Questions? Message me through MQL5 chat.

Useful? A short review helps other traders find it.

A full guide with pictures: https://www.mql5.com/en/blogs/post/778765