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Profit and Loss

Trading Term

In trading, profit and loss (P&L) refers to the financial outcome of a trade, showing whether you gained or lost money from that particular trade or investment.

  1. Profit:
    • When you sell a financial asset (like stocks, commodities, or currencies) at a price higher than what you bought it for, you make a profit. This is the difference between the selling price and the purchase price, minus any associated costs (like transaction fees).
    • For example: If you bought a stock for $100 and later sold it for $120, your profit would be $20 (excluding fees).
  2. Loss:
    • A loss occurs when you sell an asset for a lower price than what you paid for it.
    • For example: If you bought a stock for $100 and sold it for $80, you would have a loss of $20.

As it pertains to IBKR Activity Statements, this is a selection available only when you create a Customized Activity Statement that allows you to choose your preferred method of calculating profit and loss across all transactions, positions and asset types.

Note that your Profit and Loss selection overrides your section selection in a Customized Statement. You can select the following Profit and Loss options in a Customized Statement:

  • MTM and Realized P/L – Displays statement sections and fields that pertain to Mark-to-Market and Realized profit and loss.
  • MTM Only – Displays statement sections and field that pertain to Mark-to-Market profit and loss. Sections and fields pertaining to Realized P/L will be omitted from the statement.
  • Realized P/L Only – Displays statement sections and field that pertain to Realized P/L profit and loss. Sections and fields pertaining to Mark-to-Market P/L will be omitted from the statement.
  • None – Displays trade data in your statement without sections and fields pertaining to profit and loss.

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