Your First Trade

Ready to log your first trade? This guide walks you through the process step by step.

Quick Add Method

The Fastest Way

1. Press N on your keyboard (or click + New Trade)
2. The trade entry form opens
3. Fill in the required fields
4. Click Save Trade

That's it! Let's look at each field.

Required Fields

Symbol

Enter the ticker symbol you traded:

• Stocks: AAPL, TSLA, SPY
• Options: Include full option symbol
• Forex: EUR/USD, GBP/JPY
• Crypto: BTC/USD, ETH/USD

Direction

Choose your trade direction:

• Long: You bought, expecting price to rise
• Short: You sold/shorted, expecting price to fall

Entry Details

Example Trade Entry

Let's log a real trade:

Symbol: AAPL
Direction: Long
Entry Date: December 15, 2024
Entry Time: 10:30 AM
Entry Price: $195.50
Quantity: 50 shares

Adding Exit Details

If Trade is Closed

Add exit information:

Your P/L is calculated automatically:

P/L = (Exit Price - Entry Price) × Quantity
P/L = ($197.25 - $195.50) × 50 = $87.50

If Trade is Still Open

Leave exit fields empty:

• Trade shows as "Open" in your list
• P/L updates with market (if tracking enabled)
• Add exit when you close the position

Optional but Helpful

Strategy

Select which strategy you used:

1. Find the Strategy dropdown
2. Select your strategy
3. Enables strategy-specific analytics

If you haven't created strategies yet, that's okay. You can add them later.

Tags

Add tags for easy filtering:

• Earnings play
• Gap fill
• Breakout
• Any custom tags

Notes

Document your thought process:

Example Notes:
"Entered AAPL long on VWAP bounce.
Strong market, tech leading.
Targeting $198, stop at $194."

Saving Your Trade

Before Saving

Review your entry:

• Symbol correct?
• Direction right?
• Prices accurate?
• Date/time correct?

Click Save

1. Click Save Trade
2. Trade appears in your list
3. Dashboard updates automatically
4. Analytics reflect new trade

Where to Find Your Trade

Trades Page

1. Go to Dashboard > Trades
2. Your trade appears at top (sorted by date)
3. Click to view details

Calendar

1. Go to Dashboard > Calendar
2. Find the date of your trade
3. See your trade on that day

Dashboard

The dashboard shows:

• Updated P/L totals
• Win rate changes
• Recent trades widget

Editing Your Trade

Made a Mistake?

1. Find the trade in Trades page
2. Click to open details
3. Click Edit
4. Make corrections
5. Click Save

See Editing Trades for more.

Tips for Your First Trade

Be Accurate

• Use actual fill prices, not targets
• Record exact times
• Real quantity traded

Start Simple

• Don't worry about every field
• Add more detail as you go
• Develop your routine

Make It a Habit

• Log trades immediately after execution
• Don't let them pile up
• Consistency is key

Next Steps

After your first trade:

1. Add more trades - Build your history
2. Create strategies - Organize by approach
3. Review analytics - See your metrics
4. Add notes - Develop journaling habit

Helpful Links

• Manual Trade Entry - Full entry guide
• Creating Strategies - Organize trades
• Key Metrics - Understand your numbers