Watching floating profit changes how exits are decided
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2026 7:03 am
Seeing the profit number tick up and down during a trade shifts attention from the plan to the money. A trade that is up 4 dollars triggers the urge to lock it in. One that is down 3 triggers hope or fear.
The result is exits driven by feelings rather than structure. Targets get cut short, and stops get moved. Over time, average wins shrink and average losses grow, which is the opposite of what the plan intended.
Displaying profit in pips rather than currency reduces the emotional charge. Hiding the profit column entirely and watching only the price relative to the planned levels reduces it further.
Some traders place both stop and target at entry and then look away, since the exits are already defined. It limits interference and often improves the consistency of results.
Comparing the actual exits with the planned ones in the journal shows how much the floating number is steering decisions.
Is floating profit visible during trades, and does hiding it change behaviour?
The result is exits driven by feelings rather than structure. Targets get cut short, and stops get moved. Over time, average wins shrink and average losses grow, which is the opposite of what the plan intended.
Displaying profit in pips rather than currency reduces the emotional charge. Hiding the profit column entirely and watching only the price relative to the planned levels reduces it further.
Some traders place both stop and target at entry and then look away, since the exits are already defined. It limits interference and often improves the consistency of results.
Comparing the actual exits with the planned ones in the journal shows how much the floating number is steering decisions.
Is floating profit visible during trades, and does hiding it change behaviour?