# What is Imbalance?

> Also called: Bid-ask imbalance, Diagonal imbalance, Stacked imbalances, Buying imbalance, Selling imbalance

**In short.** An imbalance is a footprint cell where the contracts traded at the ask are a multiple (usually 3× or more) of the contracts traded at the bid one tick lower, or the reverse. It marks a price where one side was far more aggressive. Three or more imbalances at consecutive prices (stacked imbalances) are a strong push, and often a level that holds when revisited.

Imbalances are compared diagonally: the ask at price P against the bid at P − 1 tick, because a buyer at the ask lifts the offer at P while a seller at the bid hits the bid at the price just below. Most platforms, [DeepCharts](https://my.deepcharts.com/redirect/deepchart?affId=OFF&utm_source=fillprint&utm_medium=affiliate) included, let you set the ratio (300 %, 400 %) and the minimum volume.

Imbalances at the end of a move without price following through are a sign of exhaustion: aggressive orders are hitting a wall of resting liquidity. At the start of a move from a level, stacked imbalances are confirmation.

- Guides on this term: [Reading a footprint chart, from the first cell](https://fillprint.io/en/journal/reading-a-footprint-chart)
- Read next: [Footprint chart](https://fillprint.io/en/glossary/footprint-chart)
- Read next: [Delta](https://fillprint.io/en/glossary/delta)
- Read next: [Exhaustion](https://fillprint.io/en/glossary/exhaustion)

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