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Chaikin Money Flow (CMF)
An indicator measuring buying or selling pressure over a period, based on where each period's close falls within its trading range, weighted by volume.
Chaikin Money Flow (CMF), developed by Marc Chaikin, measures buying or selling pressure over a set period, based on where each period's closing price falls within its own high-low trading range, with that reading weighted by the period's trading volume and averaged over the window.
CMF oscillates around a zero line — positive readings suggest accumulation (buying pressure), and negative readings suggest distribution (selling pressure). See Kaavon's dedicated CMF article for the full calculation, including its relationship to the Accumulation / Distribution Line.
Examples
- CMF staying consistently positive over several periods is commonly read as sustained accumulation, even if price itself hasn't moved much yet.
- CMF is built from the same close-within-range concept as the Accumulation / Distribution Line, but averaged over a fixed period rather than accumulated indefinitely.