IG Markets Trading Journal - Auto Import

IG Markets traders can import their full trade history — including CFDs, spread bets, and forex positions — into JournalPlus via CSV export from IG’s Transaction History section. The import captures not just entry and exit prices but also the overnight funding charges that IG reports as separate line items, which JournalPlus automatically reconciles against their parent positions. The result is a CFD trading journal that reflects true economic performance rather than raw price movement.

Key Features

Overnight Funding Reconciliation

IG calculates its daily funding charge using the formula: position notional value × (relevant benchmark rate ± IG’s admin spread) ÷ 365, applied to every position held past 10pm UK time. These charges appear as distinct rows in the exported CSV, not embedded in the trade P&L. JournalPlus parses each funding row and matches it to the corresponding open position by market and date, so traders see the full cost-of-carry picture without manual calculation.

To illustrate: a UK trader buys 5 contracts of UK 100 (FTSE 100) CFD at 7,850, where each contract is worth £1 per point. Notional exposure is £39,250; at 20:1 leverage, margin required is £1,962.50. After 4 nights, the position closes at 7,920, generating a gross P&L of +£350 (70 points × 5 contracts × £1). At SONIA + 2.5% admin spread, overnight funding runs to approximately £3.85 per night — £15.40 over 4 nights. JournalPlus displays the trade card as: gross P&L +£350, overnight funding -£15.40, net P&L +£334.60. That is a 17.1% return on margin deployed. Without this reconciliation, the stated profit would be overstated by 4.4%.

Leveraged Position Tracking

Because ESMA caps retail CFD leverage at 30:1 for major forex, 20:1 for major indices, and 5:1 for individual shares, the margin a trade consumes is not the same as its true market exposure. JournalPlus records both figures — notional size and margin used — for every IG trade. Traders can filter by effective leverage, track whether they are consistently operating at the limit of retail caps, and measure their returns on capital at risk rather than on headline position value.

Spread Bet vs CFD Segregation

Spread betting is available exclusively to residents of the UK and Ireland and is exempt from Capital Gains Tax and stamp duty under current HMRC rules. JournalPlus detects spread bet positions in the IG import and flags them accordingly, keeping them out of CGT calculations and segregated from CFD activity in all P&L and performance reports. Traders who run both account types get clean, audit-ready records with no manual sorting.

Market Label Mapping

IG’s CSV identifies instruments by its own market names — “UK 100”, “Wall Street”, “Germany 40” — rather than exchange ticker symbols. JournalPlus maps these labels to standardised identifiers on import, so an IG trader can compare their FTSE 100 performance directly against a trader using Interactive Brokers or Trading 212 without any manual relabelling.

Multi-Account Portfolio View

Traders who hold both a CFD account and a spread betting account with IG can upload both CSVs to a single JournalPlus portfolio. Aggregate win rate, average R-multiple, maximum drawdown, and P&L curves are calculated across the full activity, while account-type segregation is preserved in the underlying data. This gives a complete picture of trading performance without flattening the regulatory distinction between the two account types.

How to Connect IG Markets

Step 1: Log in to your IG account

Go to ig.com and sign in. Click your account name or profile icon in the top navigation to open the account menu.

Step 2: Navigate to Transaction History

Select My Account, then choose History and Statements, followed by Transaction History. Set the date range for the period you want to import — IG allows exports covering up to 2 years per download, so traders with a long history may need multiple files.

Step 3: Export the CSV

Click the Download or Export button and select CSV format. The file will include all executed trades with open price, close price, size, direction, and P&L, plus overnight funding charges as separate dated rows, each timestamped at 10pm UK time when the charge was applied.

Step 4: Open JournalPlus and start an import

In JournalPlus, navigate to Import Trades and select IG Markets from the broker list. This loads the IG-specific parser, which distinguishes trade rows from funding rows and knows IG’s column format for both CFD and spread bet exports.

Step 5: Upload and review

Drag your CSV into the upload area. JournalPlus previews the parsed trades before committing, showing gross P&L, attributed funding costs, and net P&L for each position. Review the preview to confirm the funding attribution looks correct, then confirm the import.

Step 6: Merge additional accounts if needed

If you have a separate spread betting account, repeat the export and upload for that account. JournalPlus merges both into your portfolio and applies the tax-exempt classification to spread bet positions automatically.

What Gets Imported

Data Field	Description
Trade Date and Time	Exact execution timestamp for open and close
Market	IG market name, mapped to standardised instrument identifier
Direction	Buy (long) or Sell (short)
Size	Number of contracts or points per unit
Opening Level	Entry price as reported by IG
Closing Level	Exit price as reported by IG
P&L	Gross profit or loss in account currency
Overnight Funding	Daily funding charges, matched to parent position
Account Currency	Original currency denomination preserved

Data that requires manual entry includes trade rationale, setup tags, emotional state, and pre-trade notes. These fields are available in JournalPlus for every imported position, but they must be filled in by the trader after import.

Analytics and Insights

Once IG trades are imported, JournalPlus calculates performance metrics using the net P&L figures — funding included — rather than gross price movement. Win rate, average win, average loss, and expectancy are all computed on true returns. Traders who have historically focused on entry-to-exit price movement often see their actual win rate shift once carry costs are factored in, particularly for positions held multiple nights.

The leverage analytics panel shows effective leverage per trade alongside the applicable ESMA cap for that instrument class. A trader running indices at 18:1 versus 20:1 maximum can see at a glance how much headroom they were using and whether high-leverage trades outperformed or underperformed lower-leverage entries in the same market.

For forex trading journal users, multi-currency P&L is preserved in the account currency IG reports, with the original instrument denomination available for reference. This avoids distortion from post-hoc currency conversion and keeps the P&L figures consistent with what appears in the IG account statement.

UK and Ireland traders operating both a CFD and a spread bet account can view a blended dashboard covering total capital deployed, total net P&L, and aggregate risk metrics, while the underlying breakdown maintains the regulatory separation that matters for tax reporting.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I import IG Markets trades into a trading journal?

In IG’s platform, navigate to My Account, then History and Statements, then Transaction History. Export a CSV for your chosen date range, then upload the file to JournalPlus using the IG Markets importer. JournalPlus handles both trade rows and overnight funding rows from the same file, linking charges to their parent positions automatically.

Does JournalPlus work with IG spread betting accounts?

Yes. JournalPlus supports both IG CFD and spread betting accounts. Spread bet P&L is classified as tax-exempt and kept separate from CFD activity in all reports, reflecting the HMRC treatment available to UK and Irish residents. Traders can upload both account types and view them in a unified portfolio.

How does JournalPlus handle IG overnight funding charges?

IG reports overnight funding as separate line items in its Transaction History CSV, timestamped at 10pm UK time each night the position was held. JournalPlus automatically matches each funding debit or credit to the open position it belongs to, so the trade card displays gross P&L, total funding cost, and net P&L together rather than treating funding as unattributed account debits.

Can I import both my IG CFD account and my spread betting account?

Yes. Export a CSV from each account separately and upload both to JournalPlus. The platform merges them into one portfolio view while maintaining the CFD and spread bet distinction in all reporting, including the tax-exempt classification for spread bet positions.

What leverage limits apply to IG retail CFD accounts?

Under ESMA regulations, retail clients face maximum leverage of 30:1 on major forex pairs, 20:1 on major indices, 10:1 on non-gold commodities, and 5:1 on individual shares. JournalPlus records both notional exposure and margin used for every trade, so traders can track effective leverage against these caps and analyse whether higher-leverage positions delivered proportionally better or worse risk-adjusted returns.