An R-multiple expresses a trade’s result as a multiple of what it risked: 1R is the distance from entry to stop, so a trade that makes twice its risk is +2R and a full stop-out is −1R. Measured in R, a $50 trade on a $1,000 account and a $5,000 trade on a $100,000 account become directly comparable.
Enter your entry, stop and exit below — direction is inferred from where the stop sits. Add a quantity if you also want the dollar P&L.
Why traders measure in R
Dollar P&L mixes two things: how good the trade was, and how big you happened to size it. R separates them. It also makes journals honest — a +0.4R winner that you sized huge looks impressive in dollars and mediocre in R, which is the truthful reading.
R is also the language of expectancy: average R-multiple across a sample IS your expectancy per unit risked. Our published strategy research reports avg R per trade for every run for exactly this reason.
The catch: R is only as honest as your stop
The R-multiple assumes the initial stop is the real risk. Move the stop wider mid-trade and the denominator lies. If you journal in R (Secuora computes it on every replay and journal trade automatically), commit to the entry-time stop as the measure.
Frequently asked questions
What does 2R mean in trading?
A profit equal to twice the initial risk. If you bought at $100 with a stop at $98, 1R is $2 of price distance — exiting at $104 is +2R, and getting stopped at $98 is −1R.
What is a good average R-multiple?
Average R across all trades (winners and losers) is your expectancy per unit risked, so anything reliably positive after costs works. The trade-off is structural: higher fixed targets in R usually mean lower win rates — a 2R-target system below roughly 33% win rate loses money before costs.
How do I calculate R if I scaled out of the trade?
Use the weighted average exit. If half the position exited at +2R and half at +1R, the trade is +1.5R. Most journals (Secuora included) compute this from the actual fills rather than asking you to do it by hand.