Air pockets
Between large levels the map can show very little size. That describes the map. It does not promise a fast move.
What traders mean
A stretch of strikes with small readings between two larger ones is often called an air pocket. Velocity is how quickly price is covering ground. The usual story is that with little exposure in the way, price can cross that stretch quickly.
What we can and cannot say
The map can show you that a stretch is thin. It cannot tell you whether price will enter it, or how fast it will go if it does. We tested trading these empty stretches and did not find an edge. Treat a thin stretch as a description of the map, not a signal.
A sketch
This is an illustration, not a record. An index spends an hour inside 5 points, then covers 30 points in two minutes, and the strikes it crossed show small readings. On another day price crosses a similar stretch slowly, or never reaches it. Both days have the same map shape.
Using it
- Measure the distance to the next large reading on each side. It is a plain fact you can plan around.
- If you hold a position across a thin stretch, size it as if the move could be quick.
- Check the signs on either side. The lesson on sitting between two levels covers what they do and do not tell you.
- Read velocity from the chart. A thin map does not prove a fast move, and a fast move does not need a thin map.