How to Journal Every Type of Trade
Instrument-specific fields, sample entries, and review processes for every trading style
Start Free TrialNo credit card required
Journal guides for specific markets and instruments
Forex Trades
Forex journaling should capture forex-specific data: the pair traded, pips gained/lost, session context, interest earned (if held overnight), and setup rules. Forex trades have unique...
Read guideGold (XAUUSD) Trades
Gold (XAUUSD) journaling requires volatility-adjusted position sizing, wider stop tracking, and session-specific analysis due to 200-400+ pip daily ranges.
Read guideGuides for multi-leg and complex trade structures
Journaling approaches for different holding periods
Asian Session Trades
Asian session (19:00-03:00 EST) is typically low-volatility and range-bound. Log setup type, range width, and whether price breaks or stays rangebound.
Read guideDay Trades
Day trade journaling requires tracking session-specific performance, intraday P&L targets, and ensuring all positions are closed before market close.
Read guideLondon Session Trades
London session (03:00-12:00 EST) is the highest volatility session. Log breakout confirmation, volatility level, and whether you hit your profit targets in extended moves.
Read guideNew York Session Trades
New York session (08:00-17:00 EST / 12:00-22:00 GMT) includes a 4-hour London overlap and a separate late NY phase. Track both separately for different dynamics.
Read guidePosition Trades
Position trading means holding trades for weeks to months, following longer-term trends. Journaling should focus on the trade thesis, how it's aging, and signals to exit (not just entry/exit...
Read guideScalp Trades
Scalp trade journaling must be automated — with 10-50+ trades per day, manual logging is unsustainable. Track execution speed, spread cost, and session performance.
Read guideSwing Trades
Swing trade journaling must account for overnight risk, swap/rollover costs, and multi-day position management that intraday journals ignore.
Read guideGuides for different trading methodologies
Breakout Trades
Journal breakout trades by logging the level broken, volume confirmation, retest behavior, and whether the breakout was genuine or a fakeout.
Read guideCarry Trades
Carry trades are held for days/weeks to capture interest rate differentials. Journal the entry setup, holding period, rollover costs, and overnight P&L separately.
Read guideCorrelation Trades
Journal correlation trades by logging which pairs were correlated, the divergence signal, and whether the correlation held through your trade.
Read guideFibonacci Trades
Fibonacci retracements identify price reaction levels (0.236, 0.382, 0.618) where reversals or support often occur. Log which levels you trade and your success rate at each.
Read guideGap Trades
Gaps occur when price opens above or below the previous close. Log gap size, whether it filled, and whether you traded the fill or traded the gap continuation.
Read guideHarmonic Pattern Trades
Harmonic patterns are geometric price structures with specific Fibonacci ratios. Log pattern type, ratio accuracy, and whether the pattern completed as expected.
Read guideLosing Trades
Journal losing trades by categorizing them as good or bad losses, logging emotional state, checking plan compliance, and extracting one lesson per trade.
Read guideMean Reversion Trades
Mean reversion bets on price returning to average after extreme moves. Journal the deviation level, bounce signal, and why reversion succeeded (or failed).
Read guideMulti-Timeframe Trades
Multi-timeframe trading uses different timeframes for trend confirmation, entry, and exit. Journal each timeframe's signal separately to identify where your edge comes from.
Read guideNews Event Trades
News trades profit from economic data releases (NFP, ECB decision, etc.). They're high-volatility, short-duration, high-risk/reward. Journaling should focus on: (1) expected data, (2) surprise...
Read guideNews Trades
News trade journaling requires documenting your pre-event thesis, expected vs actual reaction, slippage impact, and whether the trade followed your news protocol.
Read guideProp Firm Trades
Journaling prop firm trades requires tracking daily P&L against firm limits, monitoring drawdown in real-time, and logging rule compliance for every trade.
Read guideRange Trades
Journal range trades by tracking the defined range boundaries, number of touches, and whether you traded the bounce or the breakout.
Read guideReversal Trades
Reversal trades bet that an established trend will reverse at a key level. Log signal type, candle confirmation, and false reversal frequency to measure edge.
Read guideSmart Money / ICT Trades
ICT journaling means logging order blocks, FVGs, liquidity sweeps, BOS/CHoCH confirmation, and killzone timing for every trade you take.
Read guideTrend Trades
Trend trades involve entering with the direction of an established trend and exiting at support/resistance levels or pullback reversals. Log trend strength, session, and exit quality.
Read guideStart Your Trading Journal Today
Join thousands of traders who use PipJournal to track, analyze, and improve their performance.
Start Free TrialNo credit card required