Request Cumulative P/L caculation

[AlexLi]

I certainly would like to have Ninja trader can dynamically keep updating a trading seesion's cumulative Profit and Loss calculation. Right now Ninja trader does not do that.

For Example, if you short one contract of Dow at 15950 and it went up to 16050, at this point you short one more, Ninja trader will show you short two at 16000. When market start to move down, say to 16020, say you want to lock in the 30 points profit and so yo ubuy one contract back, Ninja trader still shows you are shorting one at 16000. But that is not true, in reality, you break point for the day should be 15980. NJ should move the break even point to 15980 and update your profit and loss for the day based on that. But it never does, if price moves back to 16990, NJ shows you are in the money for 10 points because it still uses the 16000 as your average when in fac you are still down by 10 points for the day because you break even is 15980. Imagine you are a frequent trader, if you do multiple trades in and out quickly but never close out, you have no clue if you are in P/L, until you close out. I really hope NJ can add this a s feature in the feature. Thank you

[NinjaTrader_Jason]

Hello AlexLi,

NinjaTrader uses average entry price if you get into a position a different prices. The 'Use FIFO for position avg. price calculations' setting at Control Center-->Tools-->Options-->General-tab is important upon calculating average position price.

If 'Use FIFO for position avg. price calculations' is unchecked and I enter the market at the following two prices

15950
16050

Average entry price

16000

Subsequently, I scale out 1 contract and the following position price is reflected.

16000


With 'Use FIFO for position avg. price calculations' checked

15950
16050

Average entry price

16000

Scale out 1 contract

16050

[AlexLi]

Hi Jason,

Thank you for reply. I know how NJ's fifo works. But the question is, as it stands, does it help the trader or confuses the trader?

I just run a simulation with FIFO turn on, as follows:

I enter buy one contract of e-mini DOW at 16100, on the chart, a bar is inserted right at the price recording my entry point and P/L starts to updating values as the market moves up or down. I love it. I moved the slider down to 15980. Now P/L shows I have a loss of $600 (16100-15980)x5. Ouch !!!

At 15980, I added my second buy of one contract, so NJ now moves the entry point to 16040, the average, showing I am long two contract at this price. Great so far.

Now I move the slider up. At 16020, I sold out one contract (in reality this could be because market moved up to 16030 then turned down again) to lock in the 40 points gain (16020-15980=40). The problem starts from here. As soon as I sold the one at 16020, NJ moved my entry point to 15980 (precisely FIFO --- it kicked out my first entry at 16100 and moved to my second entry at 15980) showing I am long one contract at 15980.

So my entry was at 15980 and the market is at 16020, the P/L indicator shows I have a profit of $200 (16020-15980)x5 = $200.

The question is, how this P/L helps me from this point on. Am I making money for the day or am I in loss. I kind of feel I am still in loss because my first entry was much higher ( 16100), if I keep the slider up, as the market keeps going up, P/L shows I am getting bigger and bigger profit. But am I in the money for the day, or still in loss, or break even? I have no clue. So when market moved up to 16050, P/L shows now I have a profit of $350, (16050-15980)x5= $350. I thought may be I am in the money now? So I hit the close button. Guess what, now P/L shows the final figure I am in the negative of -$50.

So if you agree this is how NJ's FIFO works, we are in agreement. No misunderstanding. But the thing is before I hit the close button, I have no clue if I am in profit or loss.

If I write down on a piece of paper, I can calculate it out. My break even point is 16060.
My first buy order is 16100, at 16060 I am down by 40 points (16100-16060=40). But since I bought one contact at 15980 and sold it at 16020, I gained 40 points. So 16060 is my break even point after I sold one contract at 16020. But during a trading session, who has the time to calculate this.

If NJ can do this for me, i.e. move entry point to 16060 after I sold one at 16020, then P/L would show I am still down by 40 points or -$200. And as market moves up and down, it updates the P/L based on break even point of the day which is now 16060. As I may add and reduce contracts, NJ can recalculates based on each buy and selling point. When the trader decides to close out, he knows when he hits the close button what he sees the P/L value is what he gets. No surprises !!!. The purpose of ATM is help trader concentrate on trading without worrying stop loss or target. The purpose of dynamically updated break even point and realistic P/L showing is the same, help the trader to concentrate on the trading and knows at any moment how much he is in profit or loss for the day. As it stands now, the P/L really confuses me rather than help me. Thank you.

[NinjaTrader_Jason]

Hello AlexLi,

Yes, unfortunately this is how NinjaTrader works. It will report unrealized PnL as per the position price and current market price. It does not take prior trades into consideration.

[AlexLi]

Wow, but isn't this forum for users to make suggestions and recommendations to help improving NJ?

[NinjaTrader_Jason]

I will forward your suggestion to have unrealized PnL take prior trades into consideration when scaling in. Thank you for your feedback.

[AlexLi]

Thank you Jason. Happy Holidays!

[NinjaTrader_Jason]

Happy Holidays to you as well!

[AlexLi]

If the development team would like me to demonstrate what I really want, I would appreciate an opportunity for some one to log on computer for me to demonstrate. Thank you again.

[NinjaTrader_Jason]

Sounds good, if development requires clarification I will let you know.