Free lessons › VWAP Reclaim / Reject › Trading VWAP

Rejection short setup

Failed reclaim → continuation lower.

8 min · Intermediate

What you'll learn

  • Recognize a failed VWAP reclaim and the trapped buyers it creates
  • Structure a short entry with a stop above the rejection high
  • Size a short (or a put alternative) to 1% risk with at least 2R to the next level

Key takeaways

  • A failed VWAP reclaim traps early buyers, and their stops fuel the move lower.
  • Enter on the break of the failure candle's low or a volume-backed close under VWAP.
  • The stop belongs above the rejection high, not just above VWAP.
  • For puts, size on the premium at risk per contract (price x 100), not the stock's stop.

Glossary

  • Failed reclaim — Price closes back above a level such as VWAP but falls back below it within a few bars, trapping buyers.
  • Rejection high — The highest price reached during a failed attempt at a level; shorts place their stop above it.
  • Trapped traders — Traders caught on the wrong side of a failed move whose exits add momentum in the other direction.

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