Trading Statistics Every Trader Must Track
Updated June 2026 · 8 min read
Most traders track one statistic: P&L. How much did I make or lose? But P&L is the least informative number in trading. It tells you the result, but nothing about the cause. Two traders can have identical P&L in completely different ways — one with a sustainable edge, one with luck.
These are the 8 statistics you should always track — and why each one gives you information that P&L alone cannot.
1. Expectancy (expected value per trade)
The most important statistic that most traders do not track. Expectancy = (win rate × average win) − (loss rate × average loss). A positive expectancy means your system is profitable over a sufficient number of trades. Negative expectancy means you will certainly lose in the long run.
2. Win rate
What percentage of your trades win. Only meaningful in combination with risk-reward. Calculate it separately for planned trades and impulsive trades — the comparison is always revealing.
3. Average risk-reward (RR)
The average realized risk-reward across all trades. This is not the RR you plan at entry, but the RR you actually realize after closing. If your plan is 1:2 but your average realized RR is 1:1.2, you are exiting too early.
4. Profit Factor
Total profit / total loss. A profit factor above 1 is profitable. Above 1.5 is good. Above 2 is excellent. Profit factor is more useful than total P&L because it is independent of position size — it shows you how efficient your system is.
Example
Total profit $3,000, total loss $1,800 → Profit Factor = 3000/1800 = 1.67 — solid system.
5. Maximum Drawdown
The largest peak-to-trough decline in your account (or in R-multiples). Essential for risk management: your max drawdown tells you how much pain your system can inflict before it recovers. If your max drawdown is larger than your psychological comfort zone, you will abandon your plan at the worst possible moment.
6. Discipline Score / Plan-adherence rate
What percentage of your trades met all of your entry criteria? This is the statistic that most directly measures your behavior. A low discipline score with high P&L means your success is partly built on luck. A high discipline score with negative P&L means the system itself is the problem — not your behavior.
7. Average loss on stop-moved trades
How large are your losses on trades where you moved your stop? This number is shockingly large for most traders. Stop movements are one of the most expensive habits in trading — not because of frequency, but because of the size of the individual losses they create.
8. Missed profit from early exits
For every trade you closed before your target: how much additional profit would you have made if you had stayed? This number visualizes the cost of impatience. For many traders, missed profit is larger than total realized profit — meaning early exits are their biggest problem.
How to track these
Minimum dataset per trade
Which statistic has the most impact?
If you could only choose one statistic to improve: discipline score. Not because it is the most elegant statistic, but because it influences all the others. If your plan-adherence rate goes from 60% to 90%, your win rate rises automatically, your average loss decreases, and your expectancy improves — without changing your strategy at all.
Discipline is the meta-statistic. Everything else follows.
Track all statistics automatically
Logify calculates all of these statistics automatically. Log your trades and instantly see your expectancy, profit factor, discipline score, and more — without spreadsheets.
Try Logify free →Conclusion
P&L is the result. Expectancy, win rate, RR, profit factor, drawdown, discipline score, stop movements, and missed profit are the causes. Traders who only track P&L are flying blind. Traders who understand and improve the underlying statistics build a sustainable edge.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I review my statistics?
Daily P&L is fine, but deeper statistics (expectancy, profit factor) need at least 20–30 trades to be meaningful. A weekly check of your discipline score and daily performance pattern is a good cadence.
Is a spreadsheet good enough for these statistics?
Technically yes, but in practice traders avoid complex spreadsheets. A simple tool that calculates automatically has a much higher chance of consistent use — and consistent use is everything.
What is a realistic profit factor to aim for?
Above 1.0 is profitable. 1.3–1.5 is solid for prop firm trading. Above 2.0 is excellent and rare. Most professional retail traders land in the 1.3–1.8 range over the long term.