Relative volume (RVOL)

What relative volume is, why a move on heavy volume matters more than one on light volume, and how Breakaway scores it.

What it is

Relative volume, or RVOL, compares today's shares traded with the stock's average. That average usually covers 20 trading days. An RVOL of 2.0 means twice the normal volume. It tells you whether a move has real volume behind it. A 5 percent gain on half the usual volume means few people took part. The same gain on twice the volume means a crowd changed its mind.

How relative volume is calculated

RVOL is today's volume divided by the stock's average daily volume over the lookback, usually the last 20 sessions. A stock that trades 4 million shares on a normal day and has traded 10 million today has an RVOL of 2.5.

During the session, a fair reading compares today's volume so far with what usually trades by the same time of day, since most shares change hands near the open and the close. At 10:30 AM, a stock that has already traded its usual full day reads far above 1.

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Volume vs relative volume

Volume is a raw count of shares traded, and it cannot be compared from one stock to another: 5 million shares is a quiet day for one company and a record for another. Relative volume divides by the stock's normal volume, so 2.0 means the same thing on any stock, twice its usual trading.

What relative volume counts as high?

There is no official line. Traders commonly read 1.5 as above normal and 2 or more as unusual. Breakaway's VOL check fires at 1.5 on the finished day, and the scanner's Moving on volume list starts at 2. A reading of 5 means five times the usual trading. That is rare, and it most often comes on a day with news, such as an earnings report.

How Breakaway uses it

The VOL check fires when RVOL is at least 1.5 times the 20-day average. It counts on the finished day: during the session it keeps the last close's answer. It is the volume check most people look at first. The Unusual volume list filters the scanner down to stocks at 2.0 or more. During the session the RVOL figure sets today's volume so far against what usually trades by that time of day, so 1.0 means a normal day at any hour; the check itself waits for the finished day. RVOL is printed at the bottom of every card, so you get the number and not just the chip.

Volume can confirm a move or come before one. That is why RVOL and its opposite, volume dry-up, cannot both be true. A stock is either quiet or loud on a given day. So at most 13 of the 14 chart checks can fire at once.

How to read it

High RVOL on an up day with a close near the high is what a breakout looks like. High RVOL on a down day means holders are selling out. High RVOL with a small price change can mark a top, especially after a big run. Buyers and sellers are trading heavily at the same price. Always read the volume together with the bar it came on.

An example from Oct 19, 2026

At the close on Oct 19, 2026, Royal Bank of Canada (RY) had traded 2.1 times its usual volume on a day it fell 0.8 percent. Cardinal Health (CAH) traded 2.2 times its usual volume and PayPal (PYPL) 2.3 times. They were three of the 57 stocks with a page on Breakaway in the scanner's Moving on volume list that day.