Profit / Loss Calculator
Project the real outcome of a trade - including commission and swap - before you take it, in rand or dollars.
Trade details
The result updates as you type.
Trading costs (optional, in USD)
Per lot, round turn
Per lot. Negative = credit
Net profit
+R6 410,25
Gross P&L
+R6 475,00
Before costs
Trading costs
R64,75
Commission R64,75 + swap R0,00
Price move
+70 pips
Position size
50 000 EUR
0.50 lots
Educational tool - verify with your broker
This calculator uses industry-standard formulas and the rates you enter. Contract specifications, pip values, swap charges and margin requirements differ between brokers, so confirm the numbers on your own platform before placing a trade. Nothing here is financial advice, and trading involves substantial risk of loss.
Understand the numbers
How this calculator works, and why it matters.
Why costs matter
A $7 round-turn commission on 1 lot is 0.7 pips. On a 10-pip scalp that's 7% of the move gone before spread. Cost-per-trade compounds exactly like returns do - downwards.
Swap (overnight financing)
Holding a position past your broker's rollover time (usually 22:00-23:00 SAST) incurs swap, charged or credited per lot per night. Wednesday rollovers typically charge triple to cover the weekend.
Quote vs account currency
Forex P&L is born in the pair's quote currency - dollars on EUR/USD, yen on USD/JPY. Your broker converts it to your account currency at the closing rate, which is what this calculator replicates.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate forex profit in rand?
Forex profit starts in the pair's quote currency: price change times position size. On EUR/USD that profit is in dollars, so a ZAR-account broker converts it at the USD/ZAR rate when the trade closes. A 70-pip win on 0.5 lots of EUR/USD is $350, which at 18.50 is about R6,475 before costs.
What costs reduce my forex trading profit?
Three main ones: the spread (built into your entry and exit prices), commission (typically a fixed dollar amount per lot, round turn), and swap - the overnight financing charge or credit for holding a position past your broker's rollover time. On short-duration trades the spread and commission dominate; on multi-day trades swap can exceed both.
What is swap in forex trading?
Swap is the interest adjustment applied when you hold a position overnight, based on the interest-rate difference between the two currencies plus the broker's markup. It can be a charge or a credit, and most brokers apply a triple swap on Wednesday nights to cover the weekend.
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