WR Indicator: How to Identify Market Extremes in Crypto Trading

If you have traded in the crypto space, you should have heard of the Percent Range Williams—a tool used to capture market “overheating” and “overcooling” moments. Developed by Лесли Уильямс, this indicator’s core goal is to help traders make decisions when the market is about to reverse.

What exactly does the WR indicator measure

In simple terms, WR is used to gauge the relative position of the price within a certain period. It doesn’t look at the absolute price but rather how far the current price is from the highest and lowest points. This way, you can determine whether the market has been overhyped (перекупленность) or excessively sold off (перепроданность).

How to understand the calculation method in one minute

The logic behind WR calculation is quite straightforward:

Formula: WR = ((H_n - C) / ((H_n - L_n) × -100@

Where:

• C is the current price
• H_n is the highest price over the past n periods (usually 14)
• L_n is the lowest price over the past n periods

The resulting value ranges between -100 and 0.

How to interpret the values

This indicator’s logic is inverted, so it takes some getting used to:

When approaching -100 → The market is in an oversold state, retail investors panic sell, possibly signaling a bottom

When approaching 0 → The market is overbought, hot money is aggressively buying, risk is beginning to accumulate

-20 to 0 range → Be cautious of excessive optimism; a rebound sell signal may appear

-80 to -100 range → Bottom formation area, rebound opportunities are worth watching

How to use this indicator in practice

Bottom-fishing idea: When WR drops below -80, it indicates selling pressure has largely been released. If confirmed by other indicators (such as on-chain data, abnormal volume), consider positioning.

Top-selling idea: When WR is above -20, market enthusiasm is high. Once a bearish divergence or a break of the K-line occurs, consider reducing positions or taking profits.

Don’t rely too heavily on WR

Although this indicator works well in ranging markets, especially in volatile crypto markets, it has limitations—it’s prone to false signals in trending markets. The best approach is to combine it with other technical tools (moving averages, MACD, volume) to improve accuracy.