"Performance Tracking" with a Trading Spreadsheet

by Greg Thurman
(Las Vegas, NV)

Most amateurs won't admit they are trading for entertainment, but professionals will tell you there is only one rational reason to trade - to make money.

Tracking your performance is a vital step to becoming a professional trader. If you do not keep good records and track your performance, how can you measure your rate your progress, and how will you learn from your mistakes?

It is the goal of every professional trader to have a "steadily" rising equity curve. One of the best ways of achieving this feat is to keep good records. If you maintain scrupulous records, review them, and learn from them, your performance will improve. Bottom line, good traders keep good records.

The easiest way to do this is through some form of spreadsheet. One that is based on "your" plan, your "market", and one that keeps track of your specific style of trading.

Take a look at the picture. If your equity curve does not come close to resembling it, or even worse, you do not know what your equity curve looks like, please take the time to research out a good spreadsheet that is tailored for you.

I have created just such a spreadsheet that you may want to review. Each of the (3) spreadsheets is tailored for either Stock, Futures (E-mini) or Forex (Currency Pair) traders.

It can be viewed here at: Trading Journal Spreadsheet