💡How to interpret your PnL as a professional trader?
You already know what PnL is, but now we are going to understand how to use it well.
📌 Not all PnL is the same:
There are two types, and knowing the difference can save you from more than one scare:
🟢 Realized PnL: Profit or loss already concreted. Money that has already gone through the register!
🔴 Unrealized PnL: The theoretical value of your current position. It seems like a profit... until the market turns.
🧠 How to read it without being deceived?
If you have a positive unrealized PnL, but you don’t have a plan, you could end up selling at a loss.
A negative unrealized PnL is not always bad if it is part of a strategy (e.g. DCA or swing trading).
📊 Quick visual example:
You bought BTC at $25,000
Now it’s at $27,500, but you haven’t sold yet = +$2,500 of unrealized PnL.
You sell = that becomes realized PnL.
🎯 Golden advice:
PnL only matters when you use it to make better decisions.
It’s not to feed the ego, it’s to build your strategy.
💬 Are you the type to check your PnL every day... or do you avoid it until it turns red?