Make sequence-level costs visible
Our eight-trade sample shows USD 150 in gross results and USD 40 in costs, leaving USD 110. With short holding periods, this difference is an important reconciliation check. A 50 percent win rate alone does not explain how costs and size affect the result.
Capture a few fields consistently
A short entry can include setup, session, planned stop, adherence and a screenshot. Use stable tags so later grouping remains interpretable. If you record only keywords during the session, identify expanded notes as retrospective review.
Partial fills are not automatically independent trades. Specify whether you count executions or completed positions. Keep account copies and size changes visible so a large record count is not mistaken for many new decisions.
One question per review
For example, examine whether later entries for the same setup show higher costs relative to net results or more rule deviations. Include every matching trade in the defined period. Treat an observed pattern as a hypothesis and check it on another sequence.
A reproducible example
| Measure | Before costs | After costs |
|---|---|---|
| Sum of winning trades (USD) | 550.00 | 530.00 |
| Absolute sum of losing trades (USD) | 400.00 | 420.00 |
| Balance: wins minus losses (USD) | 150.00 | 110.00 |
| Profit Factor | 1.375 | 1.262 |
USD 550 in wins − USD 400 in losses = USD 150 balance before costs. After 8 × USD 5 in costs, USD 110 remains. Net profit factor first deducts costs from each trade: 530 / 420 ≈ 1.262.
- Balance before costs
- 150.00 USD
- Total costs
- 40.00 USD
- Balance after costs
- 110.00 USD
- Profit factor after costs
- 1.26
- Expectancy per trade
- 13.75 USD
- Max. drawdown
- 175.00 USD