SpeedTrader Trading Journal - Auto Import

SpeedTrader traders can import their full trade history into JournalPlus using the platform’s Trade Blotter CSV export — no API required. The import captures ECN fees alongside commissions, so the P&L figures you review in your SpeedTrader trading journal reflect true net performance rather than gross profit that ignores a cost that can determine whether a scalp was actually profitable.

Key Features

CSV Blotter Import

SpeedTrader’s Trade Blotter export (accessed via Activity in the platform) generates a CSV with all execution-level fields JournalPlus needs: Symbol, B/S, Qty, Price, Route, Commission, and ECN fee. Upload the file and JournalPlus maps each column automatically — no manual configuration, no reformatting. For traders running DAS Trader or Lightspeed as well, the same import workflow applies with broker-specific column mappings.

Partial Fill Consolidation

Direct-access routing means a single order often fills across multiple ECN venues at slightly different prices. A 5,000-share buy might arrive as three fills — 2,000 at $2.44, 2,000 at $2.45, and 1,000 at $2.46 — each appearing as a separate line in the blotter CSV. JournalPlus consolidates these into one trade entry with a volume-weighted average entry price of $2.448, while storing the individual fill records for execution quality analysis. This lets you track metrics like average slippage per venue without inflating your trade count.

True Net P&L After ECN Fees

ECN fees are not a rounding error for direct-access traders. Removing liquidity on EDGX costs approximately $0.003 per share — on a 10,000-share position that is $30 in fees before accounting for commissions. SpeedTrader’s flat rate is approximately $2.95 per trade; on small-cap scalps, ECN charges often exceed the commission itself. JournalPlus sums both cost columns from the blotter CSV so every P&L figure you see is net of all fees.

Consider this scenario: a scalp on BBIG, buying 5,000 shares in 3 partial fills (average $2.448) and selling all 5,000 at $2.52. Gross P&L: $335. Flat commission: $2.95. ECN remove-liquidity fee at $0.003 per share on 5,000 shares: $15.00. Net P&L: $317.05. Without ECN fee capture, this trade logs as $332 net — a 5% overstatement. Multiply that distortion across 30 trades per day and the performance picture becomes meaningfully misleading.

High-Volume Batch Import

Active SpeedTrader users execute 20-50 trades per day, or 200-1,000 per month. At 2 minutes per manual entry, that is 7-33 hours per month spent on data entry. Research from UC Davis (Brad Barber) found that the most active day traders underperform the market by 6.5% annually net of fees — a statistic that makes accurate fee tracking, not rough estimates, essential. Batch CSV import eliminates manual entry entirely: one upload per day covers the full session.

Day-Trader Performance Metrics

Once SpeedTrader data is in JournalPlus, the analytics relevant to scalpers and momentum traders become available automatically: average hold time (benchmark: under 15 minutes for scalp strategies), win rate by stock price tier (under $5, $5-$20, over $20), P&L breakdown by ECN route (ARCA vs. BATS vs. EDGX), and session consistency score. These metrics are not visible in the SpeedTrader platform itself — they require an external trading journal for penny stocks that can aggregate and filter across sessions.

How to Connect SpeedTrader

Step 1: Log In and Open Activity

Log in to your SpeedTrader account portal. Navigate to the Activity section in the top navigation. This section contains your trade history, blotter, and reporting tools.

Step 2: Open the Trade Blotter

Select Trade Blotter within Activity. Set the date range for the session or period you want to import. For a daily import habit, select the current trading day. For initial setup, select up to 30 days to build a backfill baseline.

Step 3: Export the CSV

Click the Export or Download CSV button to save the blotter file to your computer. The file includes one row per fill, with columns for Symbol, B/S, Qty, Price, Route, Commission, and ECN fee.

Step 4: Upload to JournalPlus

In JournalPlus, navigate to Import Trades and select SpeedTrader from the broker list. Upload the CSV. The importer will display a field preview — confirm the column mapping and click Import.

Step 5: Review Consolidated Trades

After import, review trades flagged for partial fill consolidation. JournalPlus groups fills by symbol, side, and timestamp to reconstruct orders. Confirm that the consolidated entry price and quantity match your intended order before proceeding.

Step 6: Tag and Annotate

Add setup tags, trade rationale, and emotional state notes to imported trades. These fields are not available in any broker export and are where journaling compounds into an edge over time. Even a one-line note per trade builds a searchable pattern database after 30 days. For structured approaches to this habit, see the guide on day traders use cases.

What Gets Imported

Data Field	Description
Trade Date & Time	Execution timestamp per fill
Symbol	Ticker symbol
Side	Buy or Sell
Quantity	Shares per fill
Price	Execution price per fill
Route	ECN venue (ARCA, BATS, EDGX, etc.)
Commission	Broker commission per trade
ECN Fee	Add/remove liquidity charge per fill

Fields that require manual entry after import: trade rationale, setup tag, emotional state, pre-trade bias, and post-trade review notes. These are the fields that distinguish a trade log from a journal.

Analytics & Insights

With SpeedTrader data in JournalPlus, P&L calculations are fully automated and fee-accurate from the first import. The dashboard breaks down performance by symbol, session, day of week, and stock price tier — useful for identifying whether your edge is concentrated in a specific market cap range or time window.

Execution quality analytics use the per-fill venue data to surface route performance: average fill price versus the consolidated order price, slippage by ECN, and rebate capture rate for traders who add liquidity. If you route to EDGX consistently on momentum names and consistently see negative slippage, that pattern becomes visible within a week of importing data — something that is invisible in the SpeedTrader platform itself.

For scalpers specifically, the hold time distribution report shows what percentage of trades close under 5 minutes, 5-15 minutes, and over 15 minutes, cross-referenced with win rate and average winner size. The most common finding for active SpeedTrader traders: win rate is higher on sub-5-minute holds but average winner size is lower, while 10-15 minute holds show the opposite profile. Knowing which regime your account performs in lets you set hold time guidelines that are data-driven rather than arbitrary.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does JournalPlus support SpeedTrader CSV import?

Yes. JournalPlus accepts SpeedTrader’s Trade Blotter CSV export and maps all standard columns — Symbol, B/S, Qty, Price, Route, Commission, and ECN fee — automatically. No manual field configuration is required.

How does JournalPlus handle SpeedTrader partial fills?

JournalPlus consolidates multiple fills for the same order into a single trade entry using a volume-weighted average price. Per-fill detail is preserved in the trade record so you can review execution quality and slippage across ECN venues.

Does SpeedTrader have an API for trade export?

SpeedTrader does not currently offer a native API for trade data export. The Trade Blotter CSV export via Activity is the supported import method for JournalPlus. Similar direct-access brokers like Centerpoint and Cobra Trading also rely on CSV-based imports.

Will JournalPlus capture ECN fees from SpeedTrader exports?

Yes. SpeedTrader’s blotter CSV includes a separate ECN fee column. JournalPlus sums the commission and ECN fee fields to calculate true net P&L per trade — critical for high-volume strategies where ECN charges often exceed the base commission.

How often should I import my SpeedTrader trades?

A daily import habit works best. Exporting and uploading one session’s blotter takes under 2 minutes and keeps your journal current. Waiting to batch a week or more makes it harder to attach accurate trade notes and makes pattern recognition lag behind your active trading.