Markets Glossary
Delivery Volume
The portion of a stock's traded volume that actually results in shares changing demat accounts — a proxy for conviction versus intraday speculation.
By Amit Tyagi, Fitoor Capital · AletheiaAI Glossary
Definition
Delivery volume (deliverable quantity) is the part of a day's trading volume that is settled by actual transfer of shares, rather than squared off within the day. If 10 lakh shares traded and 3 lakh were delivered, the delivery percentage is 30%.
High delivery percentage suggests buyers intend to hold — investment demand. Low delivery percentage means most of the day's volume was intraday trading — the price moved on speculation rather than accumulating ownership. A price spike on low delivery is a weaker signal than the same spike on high delivery.
India Context
NSE and BSE publish deliverable quantity and delivery percentage for every stock daily — it is one of the most underused free datasets in Indian markets. Delivery data is particularly useful for checking rally quality in small- and mid-caps, where operator-driven intraday volume can manufacture the appearance of interest without any real change in ownership.
Example
A small-cap stock jumps 15% in a week on visibly higher volume. The exchange's delivery data shows delivery percentage fell from 45% to 12% during the move — most of the “volume” was intraday churn, not investors building positions. The rally's evidentiary quality is much weaker than the chart suggests.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I find delivery volume data?
On the NSE and BSE websites — daily security-wise deliverable quantity reports and the delivery percentage shown on each stock's quote page.
What is a 'good' delivery percentage?
There is no universal threshold — compare a stock against its own history. A sustained rise in delivery percentage alongside price strength is the constructive pattern; a collapse in delivery during a spike is the caution flag.
Related Terms
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