Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) caught the attention of traders watching order flow data on Wednesday morning when a key bullish indicator flashed during early trading hours. The signal arrived at an opportune moment, right when the stock was drifting lower in the opening hour.
What Happened
At 10:15 AM EST on December 18th, GOOG triggered a Power Inflow signal at $301.21. Leading up to that moment, the stock had been slipping during the opening hour of trading. But something shifted. Both retail and institutional traders started leaning heavily toward the buy side, and the stock responded immediately. By the time the buying pressure played out, Alphabet had climbed to a post-alert high of $305.26, a tidy 1.35% gain for anyone paying attention to the signal.
This type of alert is designed to spot exactly these moments when buying interest surges across different trader types, potentially signaling where smart money might be entering positions.
Breaking Down the Power Inflow Signal
The Power Inflow alert comes from TradePulse, and it's built to do one thing well: catch meaningful shifts in order flow during the critical first two hours of the trading day. When the alert fires, it means there's been a pronounced trend toward buying activity, suggesting the stock has a decent shot at bullish price movement for the remainder of the session.
For traders who follow order flow analytics, this matters because it goes beyond just watching price and volume on a chart. Order flow analysis digs into real-time buying and selling patterns by examining not just how much is being traded, but when those trades happen and how large they are. It separates retail activity from institutional activity, giving traders a more granular view of what's actually driving price movements and where market sentiment might be headed.
The Numbers Behind the Move
When the Power Inflow signal hit, GOOG was sitting at $301.21. The intraday high following the signal reached $305.26, marking a 1.35% move higher from the alert price.
That might not sound like a massive swing, but for active traders working on intraday timeframes, it's exactly the kind of move that makes monitoring order flow worthwhile. Anyone who entered a position shortly after the signal would have captured an immediate gain, illustrating how real-time data can provide an edge when stocks are stagnant or declining.
Today's alert on Alphabet demonstrates how order flow analytics can reveal bullish momentum that might not be obvious from price action alone. The signal identified a potential reversal point during a period of weakness, offering what could have been an advantageous entry for traders tracking institutional and retail buying patterns. These are the types of short-term opportunities that make order flow data valuable for those looking to capitalize on intraday movements.