TradingCalculatorTools

Profit and Loss Calculator

Calculate the result of a trade after fees, with the return percentage, the price move and the result expressed as an R multiple.

Last reviewed

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Free · No sign-up · Runs in your browser

The gross result of a trade is the price difference multiplied by the quantity. The net result is that minus the costs of getting in and out, and on short-term trades the gap between the two is not small.

This calculator reports both, along with the percentage return, the size of the price move that produced it, and - if you supply the stop you used - the result as an R multiple. That last figure is what makes trades of different sizes comparable to each other.

Your numbers

Results update as you type. Nothing is sent anywhere.

Result

Net result

$1,055

Gross result
$1,075
Total fees
$20
Return on position cost
9.93%
Price move
10.12%
R multiple
1.76
Position cost
$10,625
Exit value
$11,700
Break-even price
42.58
Fee drag
1.86%
Outcome
Profit

This tool is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not financial or investment advice, and past performance does not guarantee future results.

The R-multiple expresses the result as a multiple of the risk originally taken, which is the only way to compare trades of different sizes.

Fees are included in the net figure and in the break-even price, because a trade that recovers the entry price has not recovered its cost.

How to use the profit and loss calculator

  1. Enter the entry price, exit price and quantity.
  2. Choose long or short.
  3. Add entry and exit fees so the result is net rather than gross.
  4. Enter the stop price you used if you want the result in R.

What people use this for

  • Checking a broker statement against what the trade should have produced.
  • Seeing how much of a small win was consumed by fees.
  • Converting results into R multiples for a trading journal.
  • Working out the break-even exit price before a trade is closed.

Worked examples

Every figure below is produced by running this calculator against the example inputs, so the numbers always match the tool.

A winning long trade

250 units bought at $42.50, sold at $46.80, $10 fees each way, stop was $40.10.

Net result
$1,055
Return on position cost
9.93%
R multiple
1.76

A short trade that went the wrong way

100 units shorted at $118.00, covered at $121.40.

Net result
-$356
Fee drag
4.71%
Outcome
Loss

Fees are a fixed cost against a variable outcome

Every round trip pays commission twice and crosses the spread at least once, regardless of whether the trade works. On a position held for minutes with a small target, those costs can be a third of the gross result or more.

The fee drag figure shows what share of the position value went to costs. Traders who take many small trades usually find that number more informative than the profit itself.

Why R multiples are worth calculating

A four-hundred-dollar profit means nothing without knowing what was risked to get it. Four hundred on a hundred risked is an excellent trade; four hundred on two thousand risked is a poor one.

Expressing results in multiples of the amount risked strips out position size and makes a year of trades comparable. It is also the format most trading journals and performance calculations expect.

Long and short are not symmetrical in practice

The arithmetic is symmetrical: the direction simply reverses the sign. Reality is less tidy. Short positions can carry borrowing costs, are subject to recall, and face an unbounded loss where a long position cannot fall below zero.

None of that appears in a profit and loss calculation, and all of it matters when sizing a short.

Methodology and assumptions

What this calculator does, and what it deliberately does not do.

  • Results are arithmetic on the numbers you enter. Nothing here predicts prices or connects to an exchange, broker or market data feed.
  • Nothing you type is transmitted or stored - the calculation runs entirely inside your browser.

This tool is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

Nothing on this website is a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security, currency, derivative or digital asset. No price is predicted and no return is promised or implied.

Trading and investing carry the risk of substantial loss, including the loss of your entire capital. Leveraged products can produce losses that exceed your deposit. Tax treatment depends on your jurisdiction and your circumstances.

Frequently asked questions

Does this include overnight financing?

No. Swap, funding and borrow costs are not included. On leveraged positions held for days or weeks they can exceed the commission.

What is an R multiple?

The result divided by the amount risked. A trade that made twice what it risked is +2R. It makes trades of different sizes directly comparable.

Why is my broker figure different?

Usually financing, currency conversion, exchange fees or a partial fill at a different price. The broker statement is authoritative.

Does this work for options?

Only for simple long or short positions at a stated price. It does not handle multi-leg structures, premium decay or assignment.

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