Review a trading journal without fooling yourself
Reconcile net results, understand the journal’s metric conventions and keep a recoverable local record.
Start with a consistent set of records
A review is only as useful as its inputs. Use one account currency for a SanForex journal, choose a consistent closing-date convention, and record completed trades rather than mixing realized results with open positions. The browser-local journal stores a pair, date, net result and optional note. Gross P&L and entered costs are combined into that net result when you add the record. Keep original statements separately if you need a detailed audit trail.
Reconcile the net amount first
For each completed trade, begin with the broker statement’s applicable gross result and subtract costs only if they are not already included. An example with $150 gross and $5 in separately charged costs has a $145 net result. Do not mix USD and GBP amounts into a single total or subtract the same commission twice. The journal does not import or verify statements automatically, and it cannot detect an incorrect manual entry merely because the total looks plausible.
Understand a small worked review
Suppose five recorded net results are +$150, −$100, +$75, −$50 and $0. Their sum is +$75. Positive results total $225, while the absolute negative total is $150, so profit factor is 225 / 150 = 1.50. SanForex excludes zero-net trades from win rate: two wins divided by two wins plus two losses is 50%. A different service that counts the zero among all five trades could report 40%; check the denominator before comparing dashboards.
Ask what the metric leaves out
The same example averages $15 per recorded trade, but that arithmetic does not establish expected future profit. In that chronological sequence, cumulative net results are $150, $50, $125, $75 and $75. The largest fall from a prior peak is $100, which is the journal’s closed-trade cash drawdown. It is not the $150 sum of losses or an account-equity percentage drawdown: open positions, deposits and withdrawals are absent. Close dates determine order; entry order breaks same-day ties. Five selected outcomes cannot establish a predictive pattern. Profit factor is distinct from average win divided by average loss, and a dash is shown when its denominator or supported numeric range is unsuitable.
Add notes that make later checks possible
Use concise factual notes, such as “planned entry changed” or “statement includes overnight charge,” rather than rewriting the decision after seeing the result. A review question might be whether an entered cost was missed or an exit differed from the recorded plan. Such notes can reveal a data-quality issue; they do not demonstrate a predictive trading pattern. This simple journal has no independent market reconstruction, strategy tagging or verified performance certification.
Make the local record recoverable
Temporary mode loses entries when the page is left or reloaded. Choosing local saving keeps them in this browser, but clearing site data, private browsing rules or device loss can remove them. Export JSON regularly for a recoverable copy; CSV is also available for spreadsheet review, but cannot be imported here. Importing JSON replaces the current journal after confirmation, so export the current version first if needed. CSV text cells that could be interpreted as spreadsheet formulas receive a protective prefix. Both export formats contain private notes and need protection. No cloud sync or server-side journal backup is supplied.
Sources and conventions
Examples are hypothetical. Arithmetic follows the formulas documented in our methodology. Broker contract specifications determine actual lot, margin and execution conditions. These sources document definitions and data; a source link does not imply endorsement of SanForex or a trading service.
These materials are prepared with AI assistance and checked against worked examples and deterministic calculation tests where applicable. They are not an expert suitability assessment or investment advice.
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