Crypto CFD trading journal for MT5
If your broker offers crypto CFDs on MetaTrader 5, here is what to record for them, and how to automate the log. It does not cover exchanges or wallets.
Crypto CFDs on MetaTrader 5
Some brokers offer cryptocurrency CFDs on MT5; for example, Pepperstone's MT5 page lists 31 cryptocurrency CFDs, checked on 7 October 2026. A CFD tracks a price without you owning the coin. If you trade them, your journal should capture what is different about them.
What to record for crypto CFD trades
- Symbol and direction exactly as your broker shows it.
- Lot size. Contract sizes for crypto CFDs vary widely between brokers. Check the symbol Specification in MT5.
- Open and close time, including weekends. Some crypto CFDs trade when forex is closed.
- Swap or financing charges. Positions held overnight can carry charges that change the result. MT5 shows swap in the History tab, and the app records profit as MT5 reports it.
- Volatility context. A note on whether the move was news-driven.
- Plan followed or not.
What to review
- Whether your size matched the instrument's volatility or copied your forex size.
- Weekend and overnight trades versus weekday intraday trades.
- Your largest losses and what you did right after them; see how a journal helps with revenge trading.
Risk and honesty
Leveraged crypto CFDs can move sharply and losses can exceed what you expect. A journal does not reduce that risk. It shows you your own behaviour so you can make better decisions. Use the position size calculator and the margin calculator before you size a trade.
A hypothetical example entry
| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| Symbol, direction | A crypto CFD, buy |
| Size | 0.10 lots (contract size checked in the symbol Specification) |
| Open and close | Saturday 21:15 to Sunday 03:40 |
| Result | -38.20, including swap |
| Why | Chased a sharp move after a headline |
| Followed plan? | No: entry was not on my checklist |
The numbers are made up to show the layout. The useful part is the last two lines: after a few weeks, a column of 'No' answers tied to weekend entries tells you something no profit figure would.
Common journaling mistakes with crypto CFDs
- Using your forex lot size without checking. The same lots can mean a very different amount of exposure.
- Ignoring weekends. If your plan says forex hours only, a weekend trade is a rule break worth flagging.
- Leaving out swap. A small win can become a loss after holding costs. Record profit as MT5 reports it.
- Not noting the trigger. Crypto CFDs invite news chasing; write the trigger down in a few words.
A weekly review for crypto CFD trades
- Sort the week's trades by open time and mark weekend and overnight ones.
- Compare average loss on crypto CFDs with your average loss elsewhere.
- Check your largest position of the week against the size you meant to use.
- Write one rule for next week, such as a maximum size or no entries after a news spike.
Automating the log
AI Trading Journal reads your closed crypto CFD trades from your own MT5 terminal and saves them in your own journal on your PC (with an optional copy in your own Notion workspace) about every 5 minutes. It works only with MT5 on Windows and does not cover crypto exchanges or wallets; for those you would need a different tool. After a 7-day free trial it costs $19.99 once.
See also the forex journal guide and MT5 brokers.
This page is general education. It is not trading or investment advice, and it does not recommend trading crypto.
Sizing by volatility instead of by habit (hypothetical)
Contract sizes for crypto CFDs differ between brokers, so the example below assumes a made-up contract in which 1.0 lot equals 1 coin. Check the Specification of your own symbol before you use any figure like this.
| Step | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Account and risk | $5,000 at 1% per trade | $50 at risk |
| Stop distance | A $1,500 move from entry to stop | $1,500 per lot (1 coin per lot) |
| Lot size | 50 / 1,500 | 0.033, which rounds down to 0.03 lots |
The same $50 risk on a forex pair with a 20-pip stop would be about 0.25 lots. Using forex-sized positions on a crypto CFD can multiply the real exposure many times over, which is why the first thing to journal is the lot size together with the stop distance in money. The position size calculator accepts a custom contract size for exactly this reason.
Weekends, liquidity and swap
- Weekend trading. Some crypto CFDs trade when forex is closed. Spreads and liquidity can differ from weekday levels, so tag weekend trades and compare the results with the rest.
- Financing charges. Positions held overnight may carry swap charges that differ from forex. Record the profit as MT5 reports it and look at the swap column for swing trades.
- Availability. Whether a broker offers crypto CFDs, and to whom, depends on the broker and on your region. Check your own broker's list rather than assuming.
Fields to add to your journal for crypto CFDs
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Contract size | Lets you compare dollar-per-point exposure across brokers |
| Stop in money | Shows real risk at the lot size you used |
| Weekend or weekday | Separates trades in different liquidity conditions |
| Trigger (headline, level, other) | Shows how much of your trading is news-chasing |
| Plan followed | The most useful single field on any instrument |
Headline chasing
Crypto prices can move sharply on news, and a journal quickly shows who is trading the news. Add a trigger field, and after a month count how many trades were entered within a few minutes of a headline and what they earned. If the answer is negative, a rule such as 'no entries in the first ten minutes after a news spike' is easy to write and easy to test. The trading checklist template has a place for it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I journal crypto CFD trades from MT5?
What is different about journaling crypto CFDs?
Does the app support spot crypto?
Related guides
- A local trading journal for MT5
- P&L calendar for MT5
- Trade notes, ratings and screenshots
- Trading progress and goals
- Back up your journal and move it to a new PC
- An offline trading journal for Windows
- How to set monthly trading goals
- Import your whole MT5 history
- How to tag trades
- Trade screenshots for your journal
- All trading journal comparisons
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