Trading Metrics That Actually Matter
Understand the key metrics that separate profitable traders from the rest
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Average Hold Duration
The average time you hold a trade from entry to exit. Longer doesn't mean better—it depends on your strategy.
Learn more PerformanceAverage R Per Trade
A good average R per trade is 0.3R or higher. Above 0.5R indicates a strong edge. Below 0.1R means your system is marginally profitable and likely sensitive to execution costs.
Learn more PerformanceAverage Win Size
Average win size is the total profit from all winning trades divided by the number of winning trades. If your winners total $12,000 across 30 wins, your average win is $400.
Learn more PerformanceBreak-Even Win Rate
Break-even win rate is the minimum wins needed to profit at your risk-reward ratio. A 2:1 R:R needs 33% wins; a 1:1 R:R needs 50%.
Learn more PerformanceEdge Ratio
Edge ratio is (Average Win Size × Win Rate) / (Average Loss Size × Loss Rate). It shows your mathematical advantage per trade. An edge ratio above 1.0 means positive expectancy.
Learn more PerformanceEquity Curve
Your equity curve is a visual plot of your account balance over time. A healthy curve trends upward with controlled drawdowns — not spikes and crashes.
Learn more PerformanceTrading Expectancy
Positive expectancy means each trade has a positive expected value. If your expectancy is above 0, your system makes money over time — regardless of win rate.
Learn more PerformanceLargest Winner
Your largest winner is the single most profitable trade you have made. If your biggest trade netted $2,400, that is your largest winner. Shows your strategy's maximum potential.
Learn more PerformanceMonthly Account Return
A good monthly account return for a retail forex trader is 3–8%. Returns above 10% are possible but typically carry elevated risk; below 2% may indicate underperformance relative to risk taken.
Learn more PerformanceNet Profit/Loss
Net profit/loss is your total trading gains minus total trading losses, expressed in absolute dollars. A $5,000 net profit means you have $5,000 more than when you started trading.
Learn more PerformanceWin Rate by Pair
A good win rate by pair is 50% or higher on pairs you trade frequently, with consistency across 30+ trades. Any pair below 40% after 50+ trades signals you have no edge and should be dropped.
Learn more PerformancePayoff Ratio
Payoff ratio is your average win divided by your average loss — above 1.5 is good, above 2.0 is excellent for most strategies.
Learn more PerformanceAverage Pips Per Trade
A good average is 10-30 pips per trade for day traders and 50-150+ for swing traders. But pip value varies by pair — 10 pips on XAU/USD is not the same as 10 pips on EUR/USD.
Learn more PerformancePip P&L
A healthy monthly Pip P&L is strategy-dependent: scalpers aim for 100-300 pips/month, swing traders 200-600 pips/month. The key is that your average winning trade in pips exceeds your average.
Learn more PerformanceProfit Factor
A good profit factor is above 1.5. It means your gross profits are 1.5x your gross losses. Below 1.0 means you're losing money overall.
Learn more PerformanceR-Multiple Distribution
A good R-Multiple Distribution has a positive mean above 0.3R per trade, with more frequent small losses than large ones and occasional large winners creating a right-skewed shape.
Learn more PerformanceRecovery Factor
Recovery factor divides net profit by maximum drawdown — a value above 3 indicates strong recovery capability.
Learn more PerformanceRisk-Adjusted Return
Risk-adjusted return is your net profit divided by your total risk deployed across all trades. Example: $5,000 profit / $20,000 total risk = 0.25 (25% return on risk).
Learn more PerformanceRisk-Reward Ratio
A good risk-reward ratio in forex is at least 1.5:1, meaning you risk 1 unit to make 1.5. Most consistently profitable traders target 2:1 or higher.
Learn more PerformanceROI (Return on Investment)
ROI measures profit as a percentage of initial capital (ROI = Profit ÷ Starting Capital × 100). Essential for comparing forex returns to stocks, bonds, or savings.
Learn more PerformanceSharpe Ratio
A good Sharpe ratio for trading is above 1.0. It measures risk-adjusted returns — how much return you earn per unit of volatility.
Learn more PerformanceSortino Ratio
A good Sortino ratio is above 2.0, measuring risk-adjusted returns using only downside deviation rather than total volatility.
Learn more PerformanceTime of Day Performance
A strong Time of Day Performance shows at least 60% of net profits generated in 2-3 peak hours, with win rate and expectancy measurably higher in those windows than off-peak hours.
Learn more PerformanceWin Rate by Session
A good win rate by session is above 50% in your primary session. Anything above 55% in a session signals a genuine edge there; below 40% signals you should reduce or stop trading that session.
Learn more PerformanceWin Rate
A good win rate in forex trading is 40-60%, but it depends entirely on your risk-reward ratio. A 40% win rate with 2:1 R:R is more profitable than 70% with 0.5:1.
Learn moreAverage Loss Size
Average loss size is the total loss from all losing trades divided by the number of losing trades. If losses total $8,000 across 40 losing trades, average loss is $200.
Learn more RiskCalmar Ratio
Calmar ratio divides annualized return by maximum drawdown — above 1.0 is acceptable, above 3.0 is excellent.
Learn more RiskMaximum Drawdown
An acceptable maximum drawdown is under 20% for retail traders and 5-10% for prop firm traders. FTMO enforces a strict 10% max drawdown rule.
Learn more RiskLargest Loser
Your largest loser is the single trade with the highest loss. If your worst trade lost $1,200, that is your largest loser. Shows your maximum downside risk.
Learn more RiskMaximum Consecutive Losses
At a 50% win rate over 100 trades, expect a max losing streak of 7. At 40%, expect 9-10. Size your positions so the worst streak doesn't breach drawdown limits.
Learn more RiskMaximum Drawdown
Maximum drawdown is the largest peak-to-trough decline in account equity. Pro traders target under 10%, beginners under 20%. Above 30% signals overleveraging.
Learn more RiskOpen Trade Correlation Risk
Open trade correlation risk is manageable when your Correlation-Adjusted Risk Ratio stays below 0.75, meaning simultaneous positions share less than 75% of fully additive risk.
Learn more RiskPair Correlation Coefficient
A coefficient near 0 indicates pairs move independently — ideal for diversification. Above 0.70 signals high positive correlation, meaning concentrated directional risk across trades that.
Learn more RiskPip Volatility by Pair
Major pairs average 50-120 pips/day (EUR/USD ~70, GBP/USD ~100). GBP crosses and exotic pairs range 150-400+ pips/day. Match your stop-loss size to at least 30% of the pair's average daily range.
Learn more RiskRisk Per Trade
The dollar amount you're willing to lose if your stop loss hits. Fixed percentage of your account per trade.
Learn more RiskSwap Cost Percentage
A healthy swap cost percentage is under 5% of gross profit. Above 10% signals rollover fees are meaningfully eroding your edge and warrant review of hold times or broker swap rates.
Learn moreBest Day of Week Performance
Most traders peak Tuesday–Wednesday due to London–New York session overlap. Friday typically underperforms. Track at least 30 trades per day before acting on any day-of-week pattern.
Learn more ConsistencyConsecutive Wins / Losses (Streak)
A healthy streak profile shows max consecutive losses of 4-6 for most strategies. More than 7 consecutive losses warrants a full strategy review; more than 10 suggests a structural edge problem.
Learn more ConsistencyConsistency Score
Consistency score measures how evenly your profits are distributed across trades. Prop firms require it — one lucky trade shouldn't account for most of your P&L.
Learn more ConsistencyDaily Pip Target
A realistic daily pip target is 20-50 pips for scalpers and 30-100 pips for intraday traders, calibrated to your strategy's average win size and win rate — not an arbitrary number.
Learn more ConsistencyDaily P&L Variance
A good daily P&L variance has a coefficient of variation below 75%, meaning your daily results cluster tightly around your mean and your strategy executes predictably.
Learn more ConsistencySetup Grade Score
A well-graded system has A-grade setups producing a profit factor above 2.0, B-grades above 1.3, and C-grades at or below 1.0 — if not, your criteria need recalibration.
Learn more ConsistencyStreak Analysis
Longest win streak, longest loss streak, and average streak length. Reveals if results are random or consistent.
Learn more ConsistencyTrade Frequency
Trade frequency measures how often you trade, helping identify overtrading or undertrading relative to your strategy.
Learn moreATR Multiplier R-Value
A well-calibrated ATR Multiplier R-Value of 1.5 to 2.5 means your stop loss sits 1.5 to 2.5 ATR units from entry — wide enough to avoid noise, tight enough to keep R-value risk efficient.
Learn more ExecutionAverage Hold Time
Average hold time varies by style: scalpers hold 1-15 minutes, day traders 15 minutes to hours, swing traders hold days to weeks. Consistency matters more than duration.
Learn more ExecutionAverage Risk-Reward Ratio
A good average R:R is 1.5:1 or higher. But your actual R:R matters more than your planned R:R — most traders give back 30-50% of their target.
Learn more ExecutionCost Per Trade
Spread + slippage + commissions = total cost per round-trip (entry + exit). Track as dollars and pips.
Learn more ExecutionMaximum Favorable Excursion
A good MFE capture rate is 60% or above, meaning you exit within 40% of the peak move. Consistently below 40% signals premature exits or poor take-profit placement.
Learn more ExecutionSession P&L Breakdown
A strong session breakdown shows one session generating 50% or more of net P&L with a win rate at least 10 percentage points above your other sessions, confirming a real session-based edge.
Learn more ExecutionSpread Cost Percentage
A good Spread Cost Percentage is under 15%, meaning spreads consume less than 15 cents of every dollar earned in gross profit. Above 30% signals serious friction that erodes your edge.
Learn more ExecutionTime In Market
The percentage of your trading week you're holding positions. Higher ≠ better; alignment with strategy matters.
Learn moreTrack Every Metric Automatically
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