Trade journaling · Beginner

Why Keep A Trading Journal

A 1-minute lesson from the MarketPro academy, one of 14 in trade journaling and review.

Last reviewed by the MarketPro research desk · Editorial policy

Short answer

A trading journal is a written record of every trade you take, along with the reasoning behind it. It turns trading from a blur of decisions into a dataset you can actually study, which is the foundation of improving as a trader.

A trading journal is a written record of every trade you take, along with the reasoning behind it. It turns trading from a blur of decisions into a dataset you can actually study, which is the foundation of improving as a trader.

Without a journal, memory alone decides what you "remember" about your trading, and memory is unreliable. Traders tend to recall big wins vividly and downplay small losses, which creates a distorted picture of how a strategy is actually performing.

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Not investment advice. Past performance is not indicative of future results.