Trader's Glossary

AccumulationWyckoff Accumulation

The phase where smart money quietly buys from retail in a sideways range, before markup. Identified by phases A–E.

Accumulation is the multi-week-to-multi-month sideways phase that follows a downtrend, during which smart money quietly absorbs supply from panic-selling retail. Five Wyckoff phases: A (stopping action), B (building cause), C (Spring), D (markup begins), E (markup continues).

Identifying accumulation is the highest-leverage skill in swing trading. The Spring in Phase C is your entry. Holding through Phases D–E captures the meat of the new uptrend. Daily and Weekly timeframes are ideal — sub-4H is too noisy to read the structure cleanly.