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 the same 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 provides information that P&L simply doesn't.

1. Expectancy (expected value per trade)

The most important statistic that most traders don't track. Expectancy = (win rate × avg win) − (loss rate × avg loss). A positive expectancy means your system is profitable over enough trades. Negative means you'll definitely lose in the long run.

More on expectancy: What is Expectancy?

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. 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're 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's independent of position size.

Example

Total profit $3,000, total loss $1,800 → Profit Factor = 3000/1800 = 1.67 — good system.

5. Maximum Drawdown

The largest peak-to-trough decline in your account. Essential for risk management: your max drawdown tells you how much pain your system can inflict before recovery. If your max drawdown exceeds your psychological comfort zone, you'll abandon your plan at the worst possible moment.

6. Discipline Score / Plan-adherence rate

What percentage of your trades met all 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 after stop extensions

How large are your losses on trades where you moved your stop? This number is shockingly large for most traders. Stop extensions are one of the most expensive habits in trading — not because of frequency, but because of the size of individual losses.

8. Missed profit from early exits

For every trade you closed before your target: how much additional profit would you have made if you'd stayed in? This number visualizes the cost of impatience. For many traders, the missed profit is larger than total realized profit.

How to track these statistics

Minimum dataset per trade
Date and time→ for day/session analysis
Instrument→ for per-instrument analysis
Risk (in $)→ for RR calculation
Result (in $)→ for P&L and expectancy
Met criteria?→ for discipline score
Stop moved?→ for stop extension analysis
Exited early?→ for missed profit analysis

Which statistic has the most impact? If you can only choose one to improve: discipline score. If your plan-adherence rate goes from 60% to 90%, your win rate automatically rises, your average loss drops, and your expectancy improves — without changing your strategy.

All statistics tracked automatically
Logify calculates all these statistics automatically. Log your trades and instantly see your expectancy, profit factor, discipline score, and more — without spreadsheets.
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Frequently asked questions

How often should I review my trading 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 patterns is a good cadence.
Is a spreadsheet good enough for tracking these statistics?
Technically yes, but in practice traders abandon complex spreadsheets within a month. 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 sit at 1.3–1.8 over the long term.

Read also: What is Expectancy? · How to analyze your trading journal