Reason i started this thread is to get a idea of what people thought of trading journals. My programer and I are about ready to release the beta version of our Automated Trading Journal. The beta wont be fully automated, but the plan is to have it fully automated very soon. This trading journal will include many features including... automated information on the stock when ya enter and exit a trade. Screenshots of charts....stock and futures at the time...expectations of trade, mood, etc. etc...many features. I plan on giving free trials to anyone that is willing to try it and give me feedback. Ive heard to many people say that trading journals are to much work. Let the software do all the work for ya! No more Piles of notebooks in your desk drawer. If you guys have any ideas of what you would like to see in a automated trade journal...just PM me or post it here.
wasnt suppose to be a sales pitch...but it can only be a sales pitch if im selling something...im just asking for some feedback
Basically id like to get it were it is connected to your order entry platform and automatically gets all information data wise ....and then you just fill in stuff like expectations, mood.....stuff the computer dont know...takes a few seonds after trade and then it saves to a book format or some sort....also would like to program some statistics calcs into in the future...like for example....being able to see what timeframe was worst for you to trade in (example 11-12 maybe) and other stats like that.
My experience exactly. I have to say that I think the automated journal idea could be an awfully valuable tool, especially for newbies as it would give them an easy way to compare good and bad trades. A statistical summary would also be a very cool feature. I think going back over your trades is a worthwhile effort, say every week or so, depending on trade frequency. I'm not sure recording the subjective stuff will add much.
i agree with the subjective stuff....but for some it does help...maybe some traders are moddy..and they notice that when they are mad or tired...they dont trade as well...they learn from it... and of course all features dont have to be used
I agree an automated journal would be a good idea for newbies. Even though I don't keep a journal, I do review my trades every day and if I do something stupid I make a note on my monthly P/L statement to explain why I lost money on a particular day. Most common note is a reminder not to trade after a night out.
i keep a daily journal but i rarely go back and re-read them. its more for reinforcement more than anything. i seem to remember things better when i write them down. i typically will only write about new things i see, or something that i might be able to tweak in my approach to entries/exits. but lately its been getting sparse (i guess thats a good thing!). just a daily summary of how i traded and how i felt, and the totals for the day.
Hey guys...did throw a lil rough webpage up for some feedbadk and ideas if you are willing to help and share... http://www.bdgsoftware.com/ATJ/