Trading articles

Four real-format trading journal examples (a good win, a good loss, a bad win and a weekly review) showing exactly what to write and what to look for.

Why most prop firm challenges are lost to rule breaks, not bad setups, and what to record in a journal to stay inside the daily loss and drawdown limits.

Tradervue is a solid, long-running journal for US stock traders. Here's what it costs, where it fits forex traders less well, and the alternatives.

TraderSync is powerful but costs from $29.95 to $79.95 a month. Here's who it suits, who it doesn't, and a one-off alternative for forex and gold traders.

What Myfxbook does well, what it doesn't do as a trading journal, and the alternatives for forex and gold traders who want setups, rules and privacy.

What a forex trading journal should record that MT4 and MT5 don't: session, setup, R and rules. With an example entry, a weekly review routine and a free template.

Five genuinely free ways to keep a trading journal, from a ready-made spreadsheet to Myfxbook, with what each one is good at and where each falls short.

Download a free trading journal template for Excel and Google Sheets: a trade log that works out your R:R, result in R and P/L, plus win rate and results by setup.

Why yesterday's high and low are some of the most watched levels in forex and gold, how to trade a sweep or a break of them, and where the day really starts.

The UK and the US change their clocks on different weekends. Here's what moves an hour earlier for UK traders in those gap weeks, with the dates for 2026 and 2027.

The Asian range in UK time, why London so often runs one side of it, and simple rules for telling a sweep from a breakout. With a worked gold example.

What a good kill zone indicator should show, why most get UK time wrong twice a year, and how to set up and use the free TTL Kill Zone Clock on MT4 or MT5.

How to draw a Fibonacci retracement properly, which pullback depths matter, the OTE pocket at 61.8 to 78.6%, and where to put your stop and targets.

The New York session in UK time: the 12:00 to 15:00 kill zone, US data at 13:30, the stock open at 14:30, and the weeks each year when it all moves an hour.

What a pin bar is, the five rules a real pin must pass, where pin bars work best, and a complete plan for entry, stop loss and targets. With diagrams.

Why one lot of NAS100 or US30 is worth different amounts at different brokers, how to check it in MetaTrader, and worked lot size examples for indices.

How daily loss and maximum loss limits change your position sizing, how much to risk per trade on a funded challenge, and worked examples on a $100k account.

Why most traders risk 0.5% to 2% per trade, what each level does to your account in a losing streak, and how to choose the right risk for you.

What a pip is, how to calculate pip value for dollar, pound and yen pairs, gold and indices, and how to convert it into pounds. With a pip value table.

What 0.01, 0.10 and 1.00 lot of gold is worth per $1 move and per pip, how much margin it needs, and a lot size table for XAUUSD on a UK account.

How to keep a trading journal for MT4 and MT5: what MetaTrader already records, what it misses, and a simple routine for forex and gold traders.

An honest Edgewonk alternative for UK forex and gold traders: compare price, psychology tracking and data, plus a journal you pay for once.

Looking for a TradeZella alternative? An honest comparison on price, features and data, and a one-off £19 journal for UK forex and gold traders.

We compare TradeZella, TraderSync, Edgewonk and Tradervue on price and features, and show forex and gold traders a one-off journal with no monthly fees.

Volume profile explained: the POC, value area, high and low volume nodes, which profile to use, and three practical ways to trade it on forex and gold.

BOS vs CHoCH in plain English: what each one is, how to mark swings, why closes beat wicks, and how they fit with sweeps and CISD. With a diagram.

How long a losing streak to expect at your win rate, why a 50% drawdown needs a 100% gain, and how risk per trade decides if you survive a bad run.

Why revenge trading happens, the warning signs, and seven practical rules, from a daily loss limit to a cooling-off timer, that stop it costing you.

A free fill-in trading plan template for forex and gold: markets, hours, setups, risk rules, trade management and review, with a worked example.

Forex market hours in UK time: the Sydney, Tokyo, London and New York sessions, the 13:00-17:00 overlap, and what changes when the clocks change.

When gold moves in UK time: the Asian range, London open, LBMA auctions, US data at 13:30, the New York session, and the hours to avoid.

How gold trading works, what moves the price, the best UK hours, how to size a XAUUSD trade, the news that matters and the mistakes that blow accounts.

How to keep a trading journal that improves your trading: what to record on every trade, a weekly review routine, and the mistakes that make journals useless.

What risk to reward ratio means, the breakeven win rate for 1:1, 1:2 and 1:3 trades, how to calculate expectancy, and why a higher R:R isn't always better.

What an order block is, how to tell a valid one from a random candle, how a failed one becomes a breaker block, and clear rules to trade both.

CISD in plain English: what a change in state of delivery is, how it differs from a break of structure, and how to use it as an entry after a sweep.

The three Silver Bullet windows converted to UK time, what changes when the clocks go forward or back, and a simple rule-based way to trade the setup.

Fair value gaps in plain English: how to spot a bullish or bearish FVG, why price returns to them, and a step-by-step plan for entry, stop and target.

What a professional trading journal must track, and an honest 2026 comparison of Edgewonk, TraderSync, Tradervue, TradeZella, TradesViz and spreadsheets.

The lot size formula, pip values for forex, gold and indices, and worked UK examples for EURUSD, USDJPY, XAUUSD and NAS100. Free calculator included.

The London kill zone in UK time, how the clock changes affect it, and three London open setups: the Judas swing, the kill zone reversal and the breakout.

What a liquidity sweep is, where liquidity sits, how to tell a sweep from a breakout, and a five-step plan for entry, stop and target. With diagrams.