Above 80 / below 20 is an extreme backed by volume · more reliable than RSI alone.
The short answer
- What is the Money Flow Index (MFI)?
- Money Flow Index: RSI weighted by volume.
- When does MFI get it wrong?
- Needs clean volume data · goes astray in thin markets. See its current reading on the platform's symbols, at the latest daily close, in the "Current reading" table on this page. See current reading →
Reading now
| Ticker | Value | Five sessions ago | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPY | 50.03 | 55.48 | Between 20 and 80 |
| QQQ | 45.44 | 71.24 | Between 20 and 80 |
| IWM | 27.03 | 41.05 | Between 20 and 80 |
| DIA | 57.29 | 48.23 | Between 20 and 80 |
A description of where the number sits against its thresholds. It is not an entry or exit signal.
Indicator limit
Needs clean volume data · goes astray in thin markets.
Read it with
Average Directional Index: an extreme in a strong trend can last, and ADX tells you when.
It answers: has the move stretched? Does volume support it?
What it actually does
The Money Flow Index resembles the Relative Strength Index but weights each session by its volume. It computes a cash flow (typical price × volume) and divides the positive by the negative inside the window. So it asks not only "how many days rose?" but "how much money rose with them?"
How it is read in practice
The common thresholds are 80 and 20. Its real value is in comparing it with its unweighted twin: a rise that lifts the Relative Strength Index but not this one means a move on weak volume, a thin-based move. When the two agree, participation is real.
Volume divergence
Because volume is built in, its divergences carry more weight. A higher price peak with a lower flow peak says money did not follow price. It is a classic distribution signal, watched by those who read institutional distribution.
Hypothetical example
A stock rises six sessions in a row while its money flow index falls: the rise is happening on shrinking volume. The reader doesn't necessarily sell, but may tighten a stop and stop adding to the position.
Where it errs and why
It distorts on mechanical event days, when volume swells with no directional view, and on thinly traded symbols, where a single trade can flip it. Like its sibling: overbought is not an order to sell.
Read it with
Read it with the Relative Strength Index as a comparison, not a replacement: when they agree it confirms, and when they split it reveals a move with no money behind it · with On-balance volume, since each reads flow differently · and with Relative volume, which separates an abnormal day from a normal one before you interpret any reading.
Where to see it on the platform
The flow scanner picks up abnormal volume on contracts, and the symbol card gathers momentum and volume readings in one readable view.
