Richard Wyckoff's three fundamental laws — the Law of Supply and Demand, the Law of Cause and Effect, and the Law of Effort versus Result — form the philosophical foundation of the Wyckoff Method. These laws explain why prices move, how far they are likely to travel, and whether a move is genuine or likely to fail. Every Wyckoff analysis technique derives from these three principles.
Law of Supply and Demand: price rises when demand exceeds supply and falls when supply exceeds demand. Law of Cause and Effect: a trading range (cause) must build before a trend (effect) can emerge; the size of the cause determines the magnitude of the effect. Law of Effort versus Result: volume (effort) should produce proportional price movement (result); divergence between effort and result signals weakness. Point and figure count measures the cause to project the effect's price target. These laws apply on every timeframe and across all markets.
Enter when a sufficient cause (trading range duration and width) has been built to support the anticipated move. Confirm using the effort-versus-result relationship — volume should support price movement at the breakout. Enter after a spring or upthrust that tests supply or demand within the trading range. Volume surge at the sign of strength or weakness confirms the end of the cause phase.
Use point and figure counts from the cause (trading range) to project the effect (price target). Exit when effort and result diverge at the target area — strong volume with little price progress. Exit if the cause-based projection is reached and volume begins to decline. Stop below the spring low or above the upthrust high.
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The three Wyckoff laws are deceptively simple but incredibly powerful when fully internalised. The most practical application is the effort-versus-result law — whenever you see high volume without proportional price movement, smart money is absorbing supply or distributing shares. This principle alone can dramatically improve trade selection.
Wyckoff Accumulation is the phase where institutional operators quietly buy large positions without driving price up. The schematic includes: Preliminary Support (PS), Selling Climax (SC), Automatic Rally (AR), Secondary Test (ST), Spring/Shakeout, Sign of Strength (SOS), Last Point of Support (LPS), and the eventual Markup phase.
The Wyckoff Market Cycle consists of four phases that repeat across all markets and timeframes: Accumulation (smart money buying), Markup (trending up), Distribution (smart money selling), and Markdown (trending down). Understanding which phase the market is in helps traders align with institutional flow.
Wyckoff's nine buying tests and nine selling tests are systematic checklists that traders apply to determine whether an accumulation or distribution trading range has completed its purpose and is ready to transition into a markup or markdown phase. Each test evaluates a specific aspect of price and volume behaviour within the range, providing objective criteria for entering positions at the conclusion of a Wyckoff phase.
The Composite Man is Wyckoff's conceptual framework for understanding market manipulation. Wyckoff proposed viewing the market as if a single, all-powerful operator orchestrates every move — accumulating at low prices, marking up, distributing at high prices, and marking down. While no single entity controls the market, aggregating institutional behaviour creates patterns that appear coordinated.