Record keeping for thousands of trades

[Amanhasnoname]

A scalper may close tens of thousands of trades a year. Records for taxes, audits, and analysis need to be organized, complete, and secure.

Platform history provides a start, but exporting it regularly to a safe location is essential. Brokers may limit how far back statements can be retrieved, or close accounts and remove access. Monthly statements in PDF and raw trade data in CSV, stored in several places, protect against loss.

Include supporting information: deposits, withdrawals, fees, and currency conversions. Keep a log of expenses related to trading, such as data subscriptions and servers, if relevant to the tax situation.

Tax treatment of forex trading varies widely by country and by the classification of the activity. A qualified accountant familiar with the local rules is the right source for guidance.

Automation reduces the burden. A script that downloads and archives the history each week, with checks for completeness, prevents gaps.

Records also serve the trader: they are the raw material for every analysis discussed in the forum.

How are trade records backed up, and when was the restore process last tested?