Trading diary/log and the details

[RobinHood]

I've been recording my trades since I began trading and recently have added more details for analysis.

Initially I would log the date, quantity, entry price, exit price, exit date, commission, p&l in %, initial risk, r:r.

Now I'm adding comments for each trade on sentiment, feelings(my blog is also a tool used for this).
I also added another indicator I called IM(inside), OM(outside). Whereby I log if the decision to place a trade was pre-planned outside market hours(including an 'entry price' watch) or it was made inside market hours(I think I have placed quite a few impulsive trades so I would like to keep track of it).



I wanted to know what do you guys record? any details you found that have been important over the years?

Any recommended software?

 

[tech/a]

In my view there is no better.

Its capabilities are extensive.

http://www.stator-afm.com

Would be interested in following your blog.

 

[Trembling Hand]

I guess it depends what type of trading you do but some sort of diary is essential I think. I keep a very detailed journal. Similar stats to what you use but I mostly look at the expectancy after brokerage and how I can improve this.

I have found that recording your number of consecutive winners or losers can be a good indicator of how your are thinking or how the market is matching your edge. Or your drawdown.

If I'm taking lots of losses but the market is not noticeably different then its a good indicator my heads on wrong. If when I look back over my trades and they look like good entries then its a warning that the market isn't suited to my usual edge and to play caustiously.

I also plot my P&L in real time as I'm a scalper making hundreds of trades per day I use this as real time feedback and the journal as after trading feed back. wrote an article recently how I do it here,http://tremblinghandtrader.typepad.com/trembling_hand_trader/2008/02/technical-anlys.html

What sort of trading are you doing. It can get tiring after a while doing it manually.

 

[treefrog]

If I'm taking lots of losses but the market is not noticeably different then its a good indicator my heads on wrong. If when I look back over my trades and they look like good entries then its a warning that the market isn't suited to my usual edge and to play caustiously.

have definately found this is true both short and longer term - the system you use works well for awhile and then poorly - appears the "mood" of the market has changed - one option I use for this is to change the timescale eg 4hr bars to 1hr or whatever to get a better fit for that period

 

[RobinHood]

swing trading is my main style. like to find something I can hold for a few months. I trade experimental ideas in another smaller account also.

added blog to profile.

stator looks great btw, I couldn't find much on whether or not I could import my trade data from my broker. Do you enter it manually t/a?

 

[tech/a]

swing trading is my main style. like to find something I can hold for a few months. I trade experimental ideas in another smaller account also.

added blog to profile.

stator looks great btw, I couldn't find much on whether or not I could import my trade data from my broker. Do you enter it manually t/a?

Initial trades yes.
Everything updated auto each night when you import.
You can open as many test portfolios as you wish using any ideas you wish and Stator will report oin a daily basis all those stats you want to know.
You can be trading 20 different ideas which you may not be able to code.
So walk forward testing although not the designers main objective for the software can be performed brilliantly.

Its great Aussi software.

 

[chops_a_must]

You can be trading 20 different ideas which you may not be able to code.
So walk forward testing although not the designers main objective for the software can be performed brilliantly.

Its great Aussi software.

Am looking for some portfolio management software, as I'm getting very tired of putting everything into excel... having about 25 different pages for everything...

Just curious if you can give me an example of something you can put into stator that may not be able to be coded...

Would need to be absolutely sure of the software before I bought it, although the $500 for the futures tracking is not so hefty when it comes to the average weekly futures gains I spose. Probably need to email the company about what data feed it would need for that I guess...

 

[Trembling Hand]

Chops have you looked at ninja trader as an execution platform rather than IBs TWS. It very good for spitting out trading stats etc.

I have use it and haven't seen anything else like it, only trouble is their DOM isn't suited to HSI which is most of my trading so have now stopped using it

 

[chops_a_must]

Chops have you looked at ninja trader as an execution platform rather than IBs TWS. It very good for spitting out trading stats etc.

I have use it and haven't seen anything else like it, only trouble is their DOM isn't suited to HSI which is most of my trading so have now stopped using it

Yeah, I did after I reading 'Mastering The Trade'.

I'm not particular sure if it would be suited to me now, because I don't do much intraday, apart from gaps. And TWS with AB seems more than adequate for that. Had I kept trading the amount I was, I could have justified paying the fees. But I see it as superfluous now. And stator appeals, because I can potentially keep track of my 3 accounts, eventually will be 4 or 5, rather than just my IB trading.

If I eventually look at some automated intraday quant type trading, which I'm studying up now, it will be a sure thing. Even if I begin to do a significant amount of share or options trading in the US, I might consider it again.