How to track your stock trades

I am a firm believer in tracking all your stock trades. In fact, you can see how all my trading strategies are performing by visiting my trading profits page. By tracking your trades according to which strategy you are using you can identify how profitable a strategy is and whether you should be using more or less money to trade it. Furthermore, tracking your trades will help you to avoid trades that are based on hunches and not on specific strategies, because it will quickly become clear how quickly you lose money on such trades.

Download below a version of the trade log spreadsheet I use. Use a separate sheet in the spreadsheet for each different trading strategy. Watch the video below if you need guidance in how to use the spreadsheet.

Excel 2000 trade log spreadsheet
Open Office trade log spreadsheet

[Edit 2013-12-3]: I created a new version that has separate columns for commissions because some people find this to be simpler (I just use formulas to include them in the trade price) and I saved this in the current Excel format. Download here.

[Edit 2015-3-24]: I finally uploaded a version to Google Docs and improved the formulas. Go to “File” > “Make a copy” to save a copy to your Google Docs so you can edit it.

Disclosure: No positions in any stocks shown in the spreadsheets or in the video.

15 thoughts on “How to track your stock trades”

  1. you got the excel and open office document links Backwards… and Thank you Very much for making this for me. I was just thinking of making one within the next week or so…

  2. Yeah same here buddy, thanks for doing this. I was working on one and me and my over thinking had this massive spreadsheet that did way more than I needed.

  3. cheers reaps, very useful insight. I like the idea of weighted avg. have a great day in the markets tomorrow!

  4. hmmm… just fiddling with Excel and this does the trick for me..

    Win/Loss ratio
    =COUNTIF(I:I,”>0″)&”:”&COUNTIF(I:I,”<0")

    where 'I' denotes column title.

  5. hmmm… just fiddling with Excel and this does the trick for me..

    Win/Loss ratio
    =COUNTIF(I:I,”>0″)&”:”&COUNTIF(I:I,”<0")

    where 'I' denotes column title…

  6. Question for you. I’m tracking my trades using the document above for Excel. When I buy and sell I don’t always get complete fills and their usually at different prices. When I average them out I don’t get the same dollar amount that TOS shows. When you keep track of your trades do you have the same issue or I am doing something wrong?

    1. I rarely use TOS … simply put, either you or the software must be doing something wrong. Most likely it is you, or the software doesn’t take commission into account.

      You can always use a new line for different fills. I’ll do this is I leg out of a position holding part of it much longer.

  7. Hey Michael – Ken here from Brisbane (Oz). Recently joined the Millionaire Challenge team.
    Thanks for the Trade tracking spreadsheet – I’m an Engineer so I like your more scientific/forensic approach to trading.

    Cheers,
    Ken Blades

  8. I’ve been using Airtable.com. That way I can check or update things while lying in bed on my phone. (I live on the west coast. The market opens EARLY!)

  9. Thanks for sharing this, the link was shared by one of the stt daily chat members when i asked about a spreadsheet, i will certainly use it to keep me on a good path, take care “galveston”

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