Compound growth calculator
Set a starting balance, an average gain per trade and how many trades you expect to take. It draws the curve and gives the ending balance, which is usually either more sobering or more surprising than people expect.
Compound Growth
Why per trade and not per year
Most compounding calculators think in years, which is useless to a trader. What you actually control is the average result of a single trade and how many of them you take, so that is what this one asks for.
Ending balance = start × (1 + gain per trade)number of trades
Read the curve, not the final number
The chart matters more than the total. Compounding is almost flat for a long time and then bends sharply, which is exactly why people quit in the flat part. Seeing the shape before you start is the point of the exercise.
An honest warning
A steady 2% per trade over 100 trades looks extraordinary on this chart, and almost nobody achieves it, because real results are not a smooth average — they arrive as streaks, with drawdowns in between. Treat the output as the ceiling of a plan, never as a forecast.
Questions people ask
What is a realistic gain per trade?
Far lower than most calculators imply. Consistent traders often work with a small average R per trade and accept that the equity curve is lumpy. Model modest numbers and be pleased if you beat them.
Why does the curve look flat at the start?
Because compounding grows in proportion to what is already there. Early gains are small in absolute terms; the same percentage later is a much larger amount, which is where the bend comes from.
Does this account for losses?
It compounds an average, so losses are already inside that average. Enter a negative gain to see how fast a negative expectancy erodes an account.
Does it include fees or spreads?
No. Subtract your typical costs from the average gain before entering it, or the result will be flattering.
Keep the numbers after you close the tab
These calculators do the arithmetic once. The Trader's Edge journal is the same maths as a 64-page workbook plus a spreadsheet that sizes every position for you, and the strategy write-ups explain the reasoning behind all of it.