PsC index: the index's closing price of the previous session
PsC index stands for previous session close, index: the closing price of the official index itself — for example the Dow or the FTSE 100 — at the end of the previous trading session. It is the number in every market report, and the whole market measures the new day against it. On a futures chart you can't simply draw it: futures such as YM or MNQ trade tens to hundreds of points away from their index (the cash-future difference), so a line at the price where the index closed would sit far from where it matters. Basics converts the index's closing price to futures prices with the current cash-future difference, so the line sits exactly where the index's closing price lies on your futures chart. On CFD and index charts, which follow the index itself, it shows the official closing price as it is. This page explains what the line shows, how it differs from the future's own closing price and how to adjust it.
On this page
16:00 · Dow closes
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- 1Thursday 16:00 — the Dow closes at 50,926.56. YM traded about 300 points above the index that day, so in YM prices the index's closing price sits at about 51,230. The line starts at that moment.
- 2Friday 11:00–11:25 — YM falls from 51,518 to 51,243 in 25 minutes and stops just above the line.
- 311:25–11:40 — buyers step in at the previous Dow close: YM climbs 190 points to 51,436 within 15 minutes.
Part of Basics
Free TradingView indicator with all session, week and month levels for index, futures and CFD charts.
Install Basics (free) →Part of Straydog Zones & Levels
TradingView indicator that draws the daily DAX zones and levels from Straydogtrading.com on index, CFD and futures charts.
Install Straydog →What the official closing price of the index is
Every index has one official closing value per trading day. The index provider calculates it from the closing prices of the stocks in the index, when the stock market closes: 16:00 New York time for the Nasdaq-100, S&P 500, Dow and Russell 2000, 17:30 Berlin time for the DAX and 16:30 London time for the FTSE 100.
That number is the reference for the next day. "The Dow is up 0.5 %" means: half a percent above yesterday's official closing price. News sites, brokers and index charts all use it, which is why many traders treat it as a level when price comes back to it.
Why you don't see it on a futures chart
A future trades at a premium or discount to its index: the cash-future difference. On 1 October YM traded about 300 points above the Dow. Draw a line at 50,926 on a YM chart and it lands 300 points below the level that matters. The same goes for every other index future, for example RTY or the micro MNQ. The article on the level you can't see walks through a full example.
Basics solves this by converting the official closing price of the index to the price of your futures chart with the current cash-future difference. A CFD such as US30 follows the index itself, without the futures premium, so there the line is the official closing price as it is: 50,926.56 for the Dow on 1 October.
PsC index or PsC future?
Futures keep trading after the stock market closes: US index futures until 17:00 New York time, the DAX future until 22:00 Berlin time. So there is a second close: the future's own last price of the session, which Basics draws as PsC future.
| PsC index · PsC future | |
| What it is | Official closing price of the index · last traded price of the future |
| Time (US / DAX) | 16:00 New York / 17:30 Berlin · 16:59 New York / 22:00 Berlin |
| Set by | The stock market · the futures market, including the hour(s) after the stock market closed |
| Default line | Pink, solid · pink, dashed |
Sometimes the two land close together — on 1 October YM's last price was 51,234, almost on the converted Dow close. On other days news after the stock market close moves the future, and they are tens or even more than a hundred points apart. That is why Basics shows both, each as its own line.
How Basics shows it
PsC index is not only for index charts. Basics draws it on every supported chart — futures (main, mini, micro, nano), CFDs and the index itself — each time at the right price for that chart. On ES or MES, for example, the price where the S&P 500 closed is converted with the cash-future difference.
| Default look | Pink, solid, width 2 |
|---|---|
| Label on the chart | PsC index (renamable) |
| Switched on by default | Yes |
| Where the line starts | At the moment the index closed (16:00 New York, 17:30 Berlin, 16:30 London, 17:30 Amsterdam); it appears when the next session begins |
| Timeframes | Charts from 1 minute up to the daily chart, on seconds charts too, unless the level needs more history than the chart loads; not on weekly or monthly charts |
| Markets | Nasdaq-100, S&P 500, Dow, Russell 2000, DAX, FTSE 100 and AEX — all tickers |
| Price on your chart | Futures (main, mini, micro, nano): converted with the current cash-future difference. CFD and index charts: the official closing price itself |
| Lookback | 1 — the previous session only (up to 20 sessions, set in the indicator settings) |
First trading day of the week or month? Then the previous session close is also last week's or last month's close, and the label reads PsC/PwC index or PsC/PmC index — one line with all names instead of two lines on the same price.
The same close on other instruments
Click a chart to enlarge it.
Why don't I see the line?
- The index has only just closed.The new close becomes PsC index when the next session begins — for US futures at 18:00 New York time. Until then you still see the previous one.
- The label shows another name.On the first trading day of the week or month the line is labelled PsC/PwC index or PsC/PmC index.
- You are on a weekly or monthly chart, or a seconds chart.The line is drawn on charts from 1 minute up to the daily chart. On a seconds chart, a level that needs more history than the chart loads is hidden.
- Price is far away from it.Lines are hidden while the level is more than 5 % from the current price, so they don't squeeze the chart. You can change this under General → Level visibility range.
- It is switched off.Check the PsC index box and the master switch Show all objects in 'Index levels' group in the indicator settings.
- Your ticker is not recognised.See the supported tickers — and if yours is missing, let me know: requests are very welcome.
What you can change
Everything about the line can be adjusted in the indicator settings (the gear icon next to Basics on your chart), under Index levels.
| Show / hide | PsC index checkbox · Index levels |
|---|---|
| Colour, width, style | Any colour · width 1–5 · solid, dashed or dotted |
| Label text | Default PsC index |
| Lookback | 1–20 sessions (default 1: the previous session only) |
| Label size, line end, visibility range | Shared with all lines · General |
Charts and defaults on this page: Basics v11.72.8 · updated 21 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the previous closing price of an index such as the S&P 500 or the DAX?
The official closing value of the index at the end of the previous trading session: 16:00 New York time for the US indices, 17:30 Berlin time for the DAX. The index provider calculates it from the closing prices of the stocks in the index. Every daily change in percent is measured against it.
Why doesn't my ES or YM chart show the S&P 500 or Dow close?
A future trades at a premium or discount to its index and keeps trading after the stock market closes, so the official closing price of the index is a different number on a different price scale. Basics converts it to futures prices with the current cash-future difference. See why you don't see it on a futures chart.
Can I see the Dow's previous closing price on MYM or a CFD?
Yes. On YM, MYM and other index futures Basics converts the official closing price of the index to futures prices. On a CFD such as US30 it is shown at the index price itself, because index CFDs follow the index without the futures premium.
What is the difference between PsC index and PsC future?
PsC index is the official close of the index itself; PsC future is the last traded price of the future at the end of its own, longer session. See PsC index or PsC future and the PsC future page.
Related levels
See PsC index on your own chart
Basics is free on TradingView. Add it to any supported chart — for example ES or a UK100 CFD — and the official closing price of the index appears in your chart's prices without any setup.