Dogpile started into it with examining breadth. Declining issues heavily were outweighing advancing in both price and volume.
I keep a screen up with these two ratios illustrated as a histogram. It's a good clue of direction.
As far as higher time frames go, I use price channels and another simple method.
If the market is trending (making new lows or highs, not expanding-ranging patterns) and it remains in the favorable 1/2 of the trend, then I expect the trend is still intact.
That is one way I bias trades. I use a timeframe about 10x as large as the chart I enter on. So I use a 90 tick chart, look for trend on 900 tick chart.
In this case, the congestion you noted on the chart above was occurring in the lower 1/2 of the impulse move down. It was also occurring below the 1/2 mark of the counter-trend move higher.
Nothing high tech here, I'm just keeping it simple. Sorry this is getting off topic from market profile. My favorite parts of MP are the ability to see a range easily (like we're in now), and the
VPOC - which I see as being very powerful.
ws