Quick question about how you guys account for your more complex trades that involve scaling in, out, and holding overnight. For instance, when you have a swing trade on in a particular symbol but want to also day trade it, do you account for the interim trades as separate day trades or as just part of the active management of the swing trade (thereby having the swing trade P&L be the aggregate of the core position plus all the day trading around it)? Thanks.
I number every trade in my stats and treat trades differently depending on whether they are Day, Swing or Position (which for me is a longer hold than swing). I scale in (and usually out) of every trade unless it's a quick in-out day trade, and only treat the trade as closed when I liquidate completely. This means some trades remain open for weeks. All overnight holds are marked to market, and I also maintain a cash ledger to differentiate between what's real and what's on paper.
I keep it all in one account but keep track on a spreadsheet. I then make sure I get the cost basis right when i unwind. This way I can use the assets in longer term trades and investments as collateral if I ever need margin.
Separate accounts are ideal and I have thought about splitting up my stuff into separate accounts by strategy: buy and hold and trading. But you can't use one account as collateral against another.