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Glossary / Order types

Break-even stop

Definition

Moving your stop to the entry price once a trade moves in your favour.

Why it matters

It feels safe but often cuts winners early. Compare your MFE data before adopting it as a rule.

Example

Moving the stop to entry at +1R turns a would-be -1R into a 0R, but if 40% of your winners tag entry before running, the habit costs more than it saves. The journal's MAE column settles it.

How to track it in a journal

TradeStack calculates the core performance numbers — win rate, average win and loss, profit factor, expectancy, drawdown and consistency — automatically from imported trades, so break-even stop stops being something you estimate and becomes something you read.

Related terms

Market order
An instruction to buy or sell immediately at the best available price.
Limit order
An order to trade at a specified price or better.
Stop loss
A resting order that exits a position once price reaches a set level.
Stop limit order
A stop that triggers a limit order rather than a market order.

Keep reading

Trading journal guides
Expectancy, profit factor, drawdown, backtesting and the PDT rule.
Free trading calculators
Position size, risk-reward, expectancy and options profit.
Expectancy calculator
Expected profit per trade from your own numbers.
Broker CSV export guides
Step-by-step exports for Tradovate, NinjaTrader, IBKR and more.
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