How Trades Are Tracked | The Disciplined Trader

Auto-synced via API

Trades are pushed to this portal automatically from the trading platform. There is no manual entry of prices or shares.

Timestamped to the millisecond

Every trade carries the exact millisecond it was executed. The timestamp is set by the trading platform, not by me.

No cherry-picking

All trades are recorded — winning and losing. There is no mechanism to hide, delete, or backdate a trade once it is in the system.

Starting capital: $25,000

The portfolio started with exactly $25,000. All performance calculations are anchored to this starting value.

Cash

Cash = Starting Capital − Total Bought + Total Sold

Cash is the uninvested portion of the portfolio. It increases when positions are closed (sold) and decreases when new positions are opened (bought).

Realized P&L

Realized P&L = Σ (Sell Proceeds − Cost Basis) for each closed trade

Cost basis for a sell is calculated as: buy price × shares sold, matched to the original buy lot via a lot ID. Each closed trade's gain or loss is summed to give total realized P&L.

Unrealized P&L

Unrealized P&L = Current Market Value of Open Positions − Total Cost of Open Positions

Current market value uses the last known price from the trading platform. Unrealized P&L changes every time prices are updated and is not locked in until a position is closed.

Total Portfolio Value

Total Value = Cash + Current Market Value of Open Positions

This is the estimated liquidation value of the entire portfolio at current prices.

Portfolio Return %

Return % = (Total Portfolio Value − $25,000) ÷ $25,000 × 100

Performance is measured against the $25,000 starting capital, not against the current invested amount. This is a simple time-weighted return from inception.

Win Rate

Win Rate = Winning Trades ÷ Total Closed Trades × 100

A trade is a win if the sell proceeds exceed the cost basis. A 60% win rate means 6 out of every 10 closed trades were profitable.

Profit Factor

Profit Factor = Total Gross Profit ÷ Total Gross Loss

A profit factor above 1.0 means total gains exceed total losses. Above 1.5 is considered solid; above 2.0 is excellent. A portfolio can be profitable with a win rate below 50% if the profit factor is high enough.

Benchmark (S&P 500)

SPX Return = (SPX Current − SPX at Start) ÷ SPX at Start × 100

The S&P 500 is used as the benchmark index. SPX percentage returns are shown alongside portfolio returns for comparison. The benchmark is normalised to the same $25,000 starting capital for dollar-value chart comparison.

	Taxes and Fees All returns shown are gross of taxes and trading commissions. Real-world returns will be lower after accounting for capital gains taxes and any brokerage fees.
	Slippage Prices recorded are the actual execution prices from the trading platform. In fast markets there may be minor differences between the displayed price and the fill price — these are reflected in the recorded data as-is.
	Dividends Dividends received on open positions are not currently included in performance calculations. This means the total return may be slightly understated for dividend-paying stocks.