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Lesson 13 of 21 · 4 min read

Williams %R: the stochastic upside down

Williams %R measures the same as the stochastic, just on a scale from 0 to −100. How it is computed, how to switch it on on Binance, why its levels are −20 and −80 and why next to the stochastic it says nothing new.

On this page

In this lesson

  • compute Williams %R and recognise the flipped stochastic in it
  • switch it on on Binance and make sense of the negative numbers
  • see why two "different" oscillators draw the same line

Larry Williams took the stochastic, turned it upside down and gave it negative numbers. The result is called Williams %R, and on Binance you find it as WR. Professor Wick studies it hanging by his feet – he says it is clearer that way.

0−100Same thing, upside down.
Williams %R is the stochastic turned upside down: 0 at the high, −100 at the low.

How it is computed#

  1. Find the highest high and the lowest low of the last 14 candles.
  2. %R = (high − close) / (high − low) × (−100).

When the price closes at the high of the range, %R is 0. At the low it is −100. The levels are therefore written as negatives: above −20 the close is near the top of the range (like the stochastic above 80), below −80 near the bottom (like below 20).

And here is the punchline: %R + 100 = the unsmoothed stochastic %K. It is exactly the same number, shifted by a hundred. On the last day of our data %R was −86.4 and the stochastic 13.6.

Where to find it on Binance#

In Original mode: the indicator icon, the Sub Indicator tab, tick WR, Save. The legend in the panel shows Wm %R(14) – a period of 14 candles.

Video (20 s): switching on Williams %R on Binance – Sub Indicator, WR 14, Save (Binance, 9 Oct 2026).

Twins#

Put %R and the stochastic one under the other and you see the same shape – just labelled differently and smoothed a little differently:

  • Stochastic 14, 1, 3 (panel below the chart: %K in blue, %D in yellow, lines at 20 and 80)
  • Williams %R 14 (panel below the chart, lines at −20 and −80)
Top: the stochastic (levels 80 and 20), bottom: Williams %R (levels −20 and −80). Same peaks, same troughs – one piece of information twice.BTC/USDT · 1D · Data: Binance Vision · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Try the period. It behaves just like the stochastic – a short one jumps, a long one drags:

14
3 · common default: 14 · 50

The line entered the overbought or oversold zone 56×. The common default setting – try moving the slider both ways.

Data: Binance Vision · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Two oscillators, one piece of information

Williams %R and the stochastic are not two independent confirmations. When both agree on "oversold", you still know only one thing: the price is near the bottom of the recent range. A second opinion only comes from another family.

Common myths#

  • "−90 is terribly low, the market is dead." It only means the close is near the low of the last 14 candles.
  • "%R is better than the stochastic." It is the same calculation with a different scale.
  • "A negative number = the price is falling." The whole scale is negative; −20 is near the top.

Summary

  • %R = (high − close) / (high − low) × (−100) over the last N candles.
  • 0 is at the high of the range, −100 at the low; the levels are −20 and −80.
  • %R + 100 = the unsmoothed stochastic %K.
  • On Binance it is WR, with the legend Wm %R(14).