If the price scale on your ProRealTime chart appears compressed, making it hard to read or analyze, the issue may be caused by one of the following factors:

1. Scale is linked to indicators values – ProRealTime may not be automatically adjusting the price scale to price only, leading to an unnatural compression of the graph if some indicators are returning offset values (such as 0 or 1 for instance).
2. Large Price Gaps or Outliers – A sudden price spike or an extreme historical data point can force the scale to adjust disproportionately, squashing the rest of the chart.
3. Too Many Indicators – Some indicators, such as Bollinger Bands or moving averages, might have extreme values compared to the current price, distorting the scale.
4. Incorrect Vertical Scaling Settings – The scale may be set to a fixed range rather than adjusting dynamically to the price action.
5. Zoom Level Too Broad – If you are viewing too much historical data at once, the chart may shrink everything to fit, making price movements look compressed.
6. Logarithmic Scale Setting – If the chart is set to a logarithmic scale instead of linear, price movements might appear distorted depending on the asset’s volatility.

Solution

To fix the squashed chart, try the following steps:

1. Enable Auto-adapt to price

   • Right-click on the chart and select Chart properties, then look after vertical scale adapt, and choose “price only”.

2. Manually Adjust the Price Scale

   • Click and drag the price axis (right side of the chart) up or down to expand or contract the scale.

3. Check for Extreme Price Points

   • Identify any price spikes that may be forcing the scale to adjust. You can temporarily exclude outliers by adjusting the visible price range in the settings.

4. Adjust Indicator Display Settings

   • If indicators are affecting the scale, try hiding them temporarily or adjusting their parameters.

5. Zoom In to a Smaller Timeframe

   • Use the zoom function to focus on a shorter period and see if the scale normalizes.

6. Switch Between Logarithmic and Linear Scale

   • Right-click on the price axis and toggle between logarithmic and linear to see which provides a better visual representation.

7. Reset the Chart Layout

   • If none of the above works, try resetting your chart settings to default to eliminate any configuration issues.

By following these steps, you should be able to restore a normal price scale and improve the readability of your chart.