Trading Blog
I've structured the guides around topic pillars, making it easier to research everything from trading journals and templates to specialized software, prop tracking, and integrations.
Topic pillars
Let's start with the cluster page. From there, you can dive into the spoke that directly corresponds with your search.
- Trading Journal Basics: Definition, Benefits & Mistakes
What a trading journal is, why the habit matters, how to review weekly, and the mistakes that kill consistency.
- Trading Journal Software & AI Analysis
How to choose trading journal software: screenshot capture, AI field drafts, imports, scorecards, and when TradeLogger is the wrong tool.
- Trading Journal Comparisons
Compare TradeLogger with TradeZella, Edgewonk, Tradervue, and spreadsheets by capture friction, review tools, and the job you will actually run.
- Prop firm trading journal
Journal prop-firm and FTMO-style evaluations: daily loss, drawdown headroom, setup tags, and why TradeLogger does not replace the firm dashboard.
- Trading Journal Integrations: TradingView, OANDA & cTrader
How to journal from TradingView screenshots or CSV, connect OANDA or cTrader for account context, and when screenshot capture is still required.
All articles
Prop firmsFutures Prop Trailing Drawdown and Consistency Checklist
A checklist of trailing-drawdown and consistency rule types for US futures evaluations (Topstep, Apex, and similar). Copy live numbers from the firm. No frozen percents or prices.
October 20, 2026 · 7 min read
- Prop firms
How to Track an Apex Trader Funding Evaluation in a Journal
Journal an Apex-style futures evaluation: copy live trailing-drawdown and daily-loss headroom from Apex’s dashboard, log ES/NQ screenshots, and treat consistency and news restrictions as rule types—not frozen percentages.
October 20, 2026 · 6 min read
Prop firmsHow to Track a Topstep Evaluation in a Trading Journal
Journal a Topstep-style futures evaluation: copy live daily-loss and trailing-drawdown headroom from Topstep’s dashboard, log ES/NQ screenshots, and measure consistency without inventing current rule numbers.
October 20, 2026 · 6 min read
IntegrationsHow to Journal NinjaTrader Trades with Screenshots or Exports
Journal NinjaTrader (NT) futures from chart screenshots or a CSV/export file. TradeLogger has no NinjaTrader API. Confirm fields, tag the New York session, and review in R.
October 20, 2026 · 6 min read
IntegrationsHow to Journal Tradovate Trades with Screenshots or Exports
Journal Tradovate futures from chart screenshots or an export. TradeLogger has no Tradovate API. Confirm fields, tag the New York session, and review ES/NQ in R.
October 20, 2026 · 6 min read
- Prop firms
Prop Firm Drawdown Tracker: Journal Plus Calculator, Not the Firm Dashboard
How to track prop-firm and FTMO-style drawdown with a personal journal, a free drawdown calculator, and the firm's official metrics. TradeLogger does not replace the evaluator dashboard.
October 8, 2026 · 6 min read
CompareTradeZella Alternative for Screenshot Logging
Looking for a TradeZella alternative? Compare a focused screenshot-first journal with a broader replay-and-import suite, and pick the job you will actually do weekly.
October 8, 2026 · 6 min read
- Software
Trading Journal with Screenshots: How Chart-First Logging Works
A trading journal with screenshots keeps the chart next to the trade row. Learn when screenshot-first logging beats imports or spreadsheets, and how AI extraction fits.
October 8, 2026 · 6 min read
IntegrationsConnect cTrader to your trading journal with Open API OAuth
Link cTrader through Spotware Open API OAuth in TradeLogger to see balance, equity, and deal-based daily P/L next to your screenshot journal.
October 2, 2026 · 6 min read
AIAI Trading Journal vs ChatGPT in 2026: Screenshot, Broker-Sync, or Chat?
ChatGPT is not a trading journal. Compare screenshot vision tools, broker-sync AI agents, and chat logs — then choose the record you can actually review.
August 15, 2026 · 8 min read
Trading ProcessSeriously: How to Master Trading
The unglamorous path to better trading: define one setup, control risk, collect evidence, review mistakes, and repeat long enough to improve.
July 30, 2026 · 12 min read
TemplatesBest Free Trading Journal: Start Simple, Upgrade on Evidence
Create a functional, free trading journal using a spreadsheet. You must also honestly compare all the free tiers available, and learn to recognize those specific workflow signals that justify making the upgrade.
July 17, 2026 · 5 min read
- Forex
Forex Trading Journal: Fields, Sessions, and Review Guide
Build a forex trading journal around pair, session, spread, risk in R, chart evidence, execution, and a repeatable weekly review.
July 17, 2026 · 5 min read
StocksStock Trading Diary: Fields, Examples, and Weekly Review
You should structure your stock trading diary by analyzing catalysts, assessing risk in R, documenting chart evidence, reviewing execution quality, and conducting a repeatable weekly review.
July 17, 2026 · 5 min read
- Compare
TradeLogger vs TradeZella: Focused Journal or Broader Suite?
Let’s put TradeLogger's screenshot-first journal side-by-side with TradeZella, considering its modern dashboard, replay capabilities, imports, and wider trading workflow.
July 17, 2026 · 5 min read
IntegrationsThe 212 Trading Journal: My Honest Look at the Screenshot Workflow
A Guide to Creating a Trading 212 Journal: Tracking Chart Screenshots, Using Verified Fields, Standardizing Tags, and Implementing Calendar Reviews—All While Avoiding Claims About Unsupported API Sync.
July 17, 2026 · 5 min read
TemplatesTrading Journal Template: Excel and Google Sheets Fields
A practical trading journal template for Excel, Google Sheets, or Notion, with core columns, formulas, screenshot handling, and a weekly review routine.
July 17, 2026 · 7 min read
FundamentalsHow to Review a Trading Journal Weekly
A weekly review checklist, designed for 30–60 minutes, that converts your trade logs into specific rules for the following week.
July 16, 2026 · 5 min read
- Prop firms
Prop Firm Trading Journal: Track Rules Before You Blow Up
Tracking your progress during proprietary firm challenges requires disciplined journaling. You must rigorously track daily loss, maximum drawdown, profit targets, and the number of trading days.
July 16, 2026 · 5 min read
CompareTradeLogger vs Edgewonk: Screenshot Speed or Deeper Homework?
Compare TradeLogger and Edgewonk by capture friction, psychology work, analytics depth, and the type of trader each journal serves.
July 16, 2026 · 5 min read
- Compare
TradeLogger vs Tradervue: Which Journal Fits Your Workflow?
We’re running an honest comparison between TradeLogger and Tradervue—a detailed look specifically for discretionary traders who rely on screenshots, as well as those who operate using imported data.
July 16, 2026 · 5 min read
- Audience
A Trader's Journal for Day Trading
You need session tags, screenshots, and same-day logging—tools that reliably survive when you hit high trade volume.
July 16, 2026 · 4 min read
Fundamentals7 Common Trading Journal Pitfalls That Obscure Your True Outcomes
Seven typical trading journal errors—and how they mess up your review—plus a practical workflow for creating records that are both complete and truly comparable.
July 16, 2026 · 5 min read
Researchveto vs strict · refresh bars · reversal skipA Forecast You Can't Cheat
Optional bias gate with causal context windows
Treat Kronos as a causal filter, not an oracle: no peeking ahead, scheduled refreshes, and disk-cached forecasts for research.
July 8, 2026 · 8 min read
Live30s poll cap · incremental OHLCV · event logLive Means Closed
Polling for finished candles, not chasing ticks
Live trading on closed bars only: rebuild signals from history, then ask the broker—never treat websocket ticks as signals.
July 7, 2026 · 7 min read
Data720d · 15m merge · validate coverageBacktesting on Index Prices
When the chart exchange isn't the fill exchange
GMX history is thin on fine timeframes. We backfill index candles with native tail plus cache—same parquet, different upstream.
July 6, 2026 · 6 min read
Executionprepare · sign · relay · exposure checksOrders That Leave the Exchange
On-chain brackets without living in a browser wallet
On-chain perps risk: collateral, express routes, and duplicate guards. Split candle data from fills; size from the real wallet.
July 5, 2026 · 9 min read
Productbacktest gate · strategy JSON · live statusA Terminal, Not a Dashboard
FastAPI, a candle chart, and a deploy button
One local screen: load history, tune params, gated backtest, save config, deploy. Static HTML, Python backend, parquet data.
July 4, 2026 · 5 min read
Backtestclosed · forming · repaintThe Repaint Tax
Why your backtest might be flirting with the future
HTF filters can cheat. Closed, forming, and repaint modes are an honesty ladder—live trading refuses the peek-ahead mode.
July 3, 2026 · 7 min read
Strategymax_open_trades per leg · chronological fillsTwo Clocks, One Ledger
Shared capital across 15m entries and 4h entries
Shared capital across two timeframes: sizing, open-trade limits, and one chronological equity curve—not two parallel backtests.
July 2, 2026 · 6 min read
ArchitecturePine parity · signal columns · no drawing fluffWhen Pine Script Leaves the Chart
Porting a multi-filter strategy without losing the plot
TradingView is for discovery. Production needs tests and an owned execution path—we ported VuManChu + Fib swings to Python.
July 1, 2026 · 8 min read
FundamentalsTrading Journal Guide: Setting Up a Review System That Endures
Learn what to record, how to choose between spreadsheets and software, and how to turn trade evidence into a practical weekly review.
June 13, 2026 · 8 min read
IntegrationsHow to Connect OANDA to Your Trading Journal
To connect OANDA, just link it using your API token, and you can monitor everything—your balance, daily P&L, and win/loss stats—right inside TradeLogger.
May 24, 2026 · 5 min read
- Integrations
How to Import Trades from TradingView
Journal TradingView trades honestly with a screenshot-first workflow: paste or upload charts, confirm suggested fields, and add setup context.
May 24, 2026 · 4 min read
- Prop firms
How to Track Performance for FTMO Challenges
To ensure you stay compliant with FTMO rules, make sure you are constantly tracking your daily loss, drawdown, profit target, and total trading days.
May 24, 2026 · 4 min read
ProductTradeLogger Trading Journal App: Workflow, Fit, and Limits
A transparent guide to TradeLogger's screenshot-first capture, editable AI extraction, tags, calendar review, best-fit users, and limitations.
May 15, 2026 · 5 min read
- AI
How AI-Driven Trade Analysis Can Secure Your Market Edge
You can leverage screenshot field suggestions and structured pattern review to cut down on journal friction, allowing you to properly test various possible trading edges without the trap of overselling automation.
March 7, 2025 · 5 min read
FundamentalsWhat Is a Trading Journal? Definition, Fields, and Examples
A complete definition of a trading journal, the fields it should contain, how it differs from broker history, and how to start.
January 20, 2024 · 5 min read
FundamentalsWhy a Trading Journal Is Important: 6 Practical Benefits
The value of trading journals for discipline, psychology, and risk management—and what they simply cannot accomplish.
January 15, 2024 · 5 min read