Once you understand the Point of Control (POC), there's a close cousin worth knowing: the naked POC. It's a simple idea that points at some of the cleaner levels on a chart — prices the market left behind and often comes back to finish.
This guide explains what a naked POC is, why it matters, and how traders use one.
(Quick note: nothing here is financial advice. A naked POC is a level to watch, not a guaranteed move.)
What is a naked POC?
A POC is the busiest price of a session — where the most volume traded. A naked POC is a POC from a past session that price hasn't returned to test yet. It's "naked" because it's been left uncovered — untouched since it formed.
Think of it as unfinished business. A price where heavy trading once happened, that the market has since walked away from without coming back. Those loose ends tend to get tied up.
Why untested POCs matter
Markets have a habit of revisiting high-volume prices. When a POC forms and price drifts away without retesting it, that level often stays like a magnet in the background. Sooner or later, price frequently returns to it.
There are a couple of reasons traders care:
They act as targets. If price is heading toward a naked POC above or below, that level is a logical place for the move to reach — a natural target.
They act as reaction points. When price finally returns to a naked POC, it often reacts there — bouncing, stalling, or reversing — because it's a price the market once cared a lot about.
Once a naked POC is tested, it's no longer naked; it's been "filled." So they have a shelf life: they matter until price returns to them.
How traders use naked POCs
A few practical uses:
As profit targets. Heading long and there's a naked POC above? That level is a sensible place to consider taking something off, since price often reaches for it.
As reaction zones. Watching price approach a naked POC, traders slow down and look for a reaction — using their order flow tools to see if buyers or sellers step in there.
As a map of the chart. Marking every naked POC gives you a set of meaningful levels above and below current price — a cleaner map than random lines.
The key is combining them with what you actually see when price arrives. A naked POC tells you where to pay attention; your order flow reading tells you what's happening when it gets there. (See How to Read Order Flow for that part.)
Finding them without the manual work
Marking naked POCs by hand means scrolling back through days of sessions, finding each POC, and checking whether price has returned. That's tedious and easy to get wrong.
A Naked POCs indicator does it automatically — it tracks each session's POC and keeps the untested ones marked on your chart, removing them once they're filled. The Edge Bundle includes one, or you can spot them by hand once you know the idea. Either works; the automation just saves the scrolling.
What you need
You need a volume profile to see POCs in the first place. ATAS includes one, and its free trial lets you practice spotting naked POCs on live charts.
The bottom line
A naked POC is simply an untested Point of Control — a busy price the market left behind and tends to revisit. Use them as targets and reaction levels, mark them on your chart, and pair them with your order flow reading when price returns. They're one of the cleaner, simpler edges volume profile gives you.
Not sure how to find the POC in the first place? Start with How to Find the POC.