Trading Profit/Loss Calculator
Calculate profit or loss on a long or short trade after fees and commission.
Please note: Trading carries substantial risk of loss. These calculators are planning tools, not trading advice, and no position sizing method prevents losses.
What the Trading Profit/Loss Calculator does
Profit on a long trade is the price gain multiplied by quantity; on a short it is the price fall multiplied by quantity. Fees come off both sides, so your break-even exit is never exactly your entry price.
Formula
Long P&L = (Exit − Entry) × Quantity − FeesShort P&L = (Entry − Exit) × Quantity − FeesReturn = Net P&L ÷ (Entry × Quantity) × 100
Inputs explained
| Input | Unit | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direction | one of 2 options | Yes | — |
| Entry price | selected currency | Yes | Accepts more than 0. |
| Exit price | selected currency | Yes | Accepts more than 0. |
| Quantity / units | number | Yes | Accepts more than 0. |
| Total fees & commission | selected currency | Optional | Both sides combined. Accepts 0 or more. |
| Currency | one of 10 options | Optional | — |
How to use it
- Choose Direction and Currency.
- Enter Entry price, Exit price and Quantity / units.
- Optionally add Total fees & commission.
- Select Calculate.
Worked example
Long 500 shares bought at $42.50 and sold at $46.20, with $12 total commission.
- Direction
- Long
- Entry
- 42.50
- Exit
- 46.20
- Quantity
- 500
- Fees
- 12
Gross (46.20 − 42.50) × 500 = $1,850, net $1,838, a return of 8.65%.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my break-even above my entry price?
Because you pay fees on entry and exit. The price must move far enough to cover both before you make anything.
How is a short different?
You sell first and buy back later, so you profit when the price falls. The maximum gain is capped (the price cannot go below zero) but the loss is not.
Method and sources
Method. Price difference times quantity, signed by direction, less the fees entered — with the return expressed against the capital committed at entry.
Assumptions
- Entry and exit fill at the prices entered, and all costs are captured in the fee figure.
- The position is opened and closed in full at single prices rather than scaled.
Limitations
- Return measured against entry value understates the risk taken on a leveraged position, where the capital actually committed is the margin rather than the notional.
- Financing on positions held overnight, currency conversion and slippage are not included unless folded into fees.
- A realised result says nothing about whether the trade was sound. A profitable trade can be a badly sized one that happened to work.