Return measures the change in equity seen in a strategy. It is updated once every hour with statistics that calculate the change in a strategy’s equity from the beginning to the end of a specified period of time.
Return calculation
Balance operations like deposits, withdrawals, or transfers split the period into sub-sections. Returns are calculated for each and then multiplied to get the final rate. This is to ensure such transactions don’t affect the return calculation. Return is constantly updated and compounds over time.
Example
Month | Starting equity | Equity increase | Return |
January | 500 USD | 600 USD | (600-500)/500 = 0.2 or 20% |
Strategy provider makes a 400 USD deposit (600+400 = 1000 USD) | |||
February | 1000 USD | 1500 USD | (1500-1000)/1000 = 0.5 or 50% |
Overall return | |||
K1 = January Return + 100% = K1 = 20% + 100% = 120% |
K2 = February Return +100% = K2 = 50% + 100% = 150% |
||
Return over time = (K1* K2) - 100% = (120% * 150%) - 100% = 180% - 100% = 80% |
*The use of the months of January and February as a time period is for the purpose of examples only.
Return calculations are strictly made between balance operations (deposits, withdrawals, and internal transfers), of which there is no limit. The return from previous months is added into the current calculations. When a strategy stop out occurs, the strategy return is calculated to -100% and the strategy is archived.
Return graph
The return graph displays the cumulative return over time and provides a way for investors evaluate how strategies have performed historically. The percentage of profit or loss in an account's balance is shown for a certain period.
Important: Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results, so while the return graph is a useful tool, it should be just one of many factors to evaluate a strategy.
The return graph is visible within a strategy's statistics, under the overview tab on the Copy Trading app and Copy Trading web.
Investment return drift
For investors, when investing in a strategy, there could be differences between the strategy’s return and the investment return. This may be due to the time at which the investment was initiated can affect the investment return. Investment performance could be higher or lower than a strategy performance.