# Swing Trading Journal with Research Built In · DT Terminal

> A trading journal for traders who take a few positions a month: keep the thesis with the trade, read seasonality and positioning beside it, and track goals.

For swing traders

AI trading improvement · Swing trading

# Fewer trades, so each one keeps its thesis.

Sync the broker and each position arrives on its own, with the reason you took it written beside it. A swing trader has time to write down why, and the research that argued for it sits in the same terminal, not another tab.

[Start free](https://www.thedtterminal.com/login?signup=true&from=product_journal) [See the live demo](https://www.thedtterminal.com/tour)

Tendency by month, per instrument Seasonality

Positioning beside the chart COT

Auto-tracked from your trades Goals

Pro, per year $199

The pairs you watch, and what is driving them.

You end up with the reason for each trade still there at the close.

## Your week on DT Terminal

One way a week runs, using the tools on this page.

1. Monday
   **Positions arrive verified**
   Synced on Plus or Pro, with your reason beside each
2. Tuesday
   **Build the case**
   Trend, carry, positioning and news, scored in one board
3. Wednesday
   **Check the season**
   Tendency by month, with COT positioning beside it
4. Thursday
   **Add notes as it runs**
   A position open for weeks gathers notes as it goes
5. Friday
   **Goals move on their own**
   Process and outcome goals read the record

How it works

1. **Build the case**
   Trend, carry, positioning, seasonality and the calendar for the instruments you watch, scored in one board.
2. **Log the thesis with the trade**
   Entry, stop, target and the reasoning, plus the chart you were looking at when you took it.
3. **Hold, then review**
   A position open for weeks gathers notes as it goes, and the review at the end has all of them.

Research board

## The case for the trade, in one board.

Each instrument you follow gets a card scoring what is driving it, so a swing thesis is assembled from the same place each time rather than from whatever you happened to read that morning.

- Trend, carry, positioning and news scored
- Your own watchlist, not a firehose
- Edge reads the board when you ask it to

Seasonality

## What this instrument usually does this month.

Seasonal tendency by month over the lookback you choose, and COT positioning beside it. Context for a hold measured in weeks, which a chart alone does not give you.

- Tendency by month and by grain
- Lookback years you choose
- COT positioning per instrument

The thesis

## Why you took it, still there in March.

A swing trade closed six weeks after the entry is unreadable without the reasoning. Notes, tags and the screenshot stay on the trade, and the review at the end can see all of it.

- Reasoning and chart saved at the entry
- Notes added while the position is open
- Guided review and a Reviewed mark at the close

Goals

## Progress measured over a season, not a day.

Set process and outcome goals and watch them against the record. They read the journal and update themselves on every account, so the number in front of you is the true one.

- Process and outcome goals with a health view
- Auto-tracked from the record on every plan
- Monthly reports on Plus and Pro for the longer view

What is free

## Journal, set goals and have them track themselves for free.

MT4 and MT5 sync and monthly reports start on Plus, $9 a month.

| Feature | Free | Plus | Pro |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Journal entries, structure included | Included | Included | Included |
| Journal Trades view The day's trades inside your journal entry | Included | Included | Included |
| Auto-synced goal progress | Included | Included | Included |
| Broker auto-sync Into your journal: MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradeLocker, Tradovate and supported crypto exchanges. Free syncs its one account into your journal every hour | Into your journal, hourly | Into your journal | Into your journal |
| Monthly performance reports Free has weekly reports, PDF export and the weekly report email. Filtered PDFs come with Plus and Pro | Not included | Included | Included |

Full comparison on the [pricing page](https://www.thedtterminal.com/pricing).

FAQ

### Is this useful if I take four trades a month?

That is what it is for. Fewer trades means the record is thin on statistics and thick on reasoning, so the journal keeps the thesis, the chart and the notes rather than only the numbers.

### What does the seasonality view show?

How an instrument has tended to behave by month over the lookback you pick, with the grain and the years under your control. It is context for a hold of weeks, not a signal.

### Where does the positioning data come from?

COT positioning is in the Research workspace beside the calendar, news and seasonality, for the instruments on your watchlist.

### Do goals update themselves?

Yes, on every account. A goal reads the record and moves on its own, free included. Pro adds the health score and every month behind the current one.

### Is there a written method for swing trading?

The Swing Trader playbook is free to read at /playbook/swing-trader-playbook, and covers building the case, sizing for a longer hold, managing through the noise and reviewing at the close.

## Write down why, while you still remember.

Free to journal. The research sits beside it either way.

[Start free](https://www.thedtterminal.com/login?signup=true&from=product_journal) [See the live demo](https://www.thedtterminal.com/tour)

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Risk disclosure: Futures, forex and options trading contains substantial risk and is not for every investor. An investor could potentially lose all or more than the initial investment. Risk capital is money that can be lost without jeopardizing one's financial security or lifestyle. Only risk capital should be used for trading and only those with sufficient risk capital should consider trading. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. [Read the full risk disclosure](https://www.thedtterminal.com/legal/risk-disclosure).

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