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Market Study Notes

Trading Journal CSV for Excel: Gross P&L, Fees and Net Results

Start with a small, inspectable journal. These two CSV files separate gross results, costs and net results so you can see exactly what is being counted before reviewing a trading sample.

Sources checked 29 September 2026

Blank journal CSV

Header-only template for your own closed-trade records.

Download file

Five-trade example CSV

Fictional rows with fixed net results you can verify.

Download file

Direct downloads without signup. Keep your personal records in your own files.

A small file with a clear input contract

The blank CSV contains a header row and no trades. The filled CSV contains five fictional, closed trades in one currency. Neither file connects to a broker, saves a live account or calculates new rows automatically. A CSV is plain data: the example's net figures are already filled in, while your own net results need to be calculated.

Columns in both downloads
ColumnWhat belongs here
trade_id, closed_atYour own record reference and closing date/time. One row per closed trade, not one row per partial fill.
currencyOne consistent account currency for the sample.
gross_pnlRealized profit or loss before the costs in the next column. Losses use a minus sign.
total_costsThe total costs you intend to subtract for that closed trade, entered once as a nonnegative amount.
net_pnlGross P&L minus total costs. The example has fixed values, not spreadsheet formulas.
notesA short process note. Keep account numbers, credentials and personal documents out of this template.

Five trades: verify the file before adding yours

Fictional values in the filled CSV
TradeGross P&LCostsNet P&L
DEMO-011205115
DEMO-02−605−65
DEMO-0380575
DEMO-04−405−45
DEMO-05000

The net total is 80 across five trades, so the mean realized result is 16 per trade. Two rows are net winners, two are net losers and one is flat: win rate is 40% when every entered trade stays in the denominator. Total positive results are 190 and total negative results have magnitude 110, giving profit factor 190 ÷ 110 ≈ 1.7273.

This is a checkable historical summary of fictional rows. It does not estimate the chance of a future win or establish a repeatable trading edge.

Open the CSV, then check the separators

  1. Download the blank file or the filled example. Keep the example separate from real records.
  2. In Excel, use the text/CSV import option if opening the file puts everything in one column. Select comma as the delimiter and inspect the preview. In another spreadsheet app, use its CSV import command with the same delimiter.
  3. Check that negative numbers stay negative and decimal values use a decimal point. A regional decimal-comma setting can require an explicit import locale; do not change only part of a number.
  4. Save a workbook copy if you add formulas or formatting. Saving back to CSV does not preserve workbook features or multiple sheets.

The exact menus vary by spreadsheet version. These files are ordinary UTF-8 CSV with comma separators and LF line endings. They contain no formulas or macros.

Use just two columns in the existing calculator

The trade journal expectancy calculator accepts gross P&L and costs, in that order. Copy those two columns from your prepared sheet, without the header. Do not paste this entire seven-column template or the net column. Up to 500 nonempty rows are accepted; commas or tabs separate the two values.

For the filled example, the complete calculator input is:

120,5
-60,5
80,5
-40,5
0,0

If a broker statement already reports net P&L, subtracting its fees again would understate the result. Either identify separate gross and cost values correctly, or intentionally analyze the already-net amount with zero additional costs. Do not mix these conventions within an unexplained sample.

Keep the review comparable

Use closed trades, one currency and complete periods that include losses and flat results. A partial-fill export is not automatically a closed-trade journal: reconcile fills and allocated costs before combining them into one trade. Keep the original statement separately so you can check the transformation.

The mean in money can move when position sizes change. This file does not normalize outcomes by initial risk, capital or holding time. Dates and notes help you separate comparable setups before drawing a conclusion. Nothing on this page asks you to upload the journal.

Use the related tool

Trade Journal Expectancy Calculator After Fees

Use the related tool

Sources and scope

Created with AI assistance. Worked examples and downloadable files are checked for consistency. Provider documentation supports the explanations; it is not a test of a broker or a prediction of trading results.