PnL screenshots: reconcile the money before admiring the return

A displayed return is only meaningful when the calculation is understood. This analytical checklist does not assume fraud in a particular screenshot. It explains the questions needed before treating an account's performance as a reproducible trading result.

Define the calculation Identify the period, starting capital, deposits, withdrawals and treatment of open positions. Separate realised proceeds from a mark-to-market estimate. Establish whether fees and failed transaction costs are included. A token balance multiplied by the latest price is not necessarily the amount that can be sold.

Reconcile external flows Transfers into a wallet are not automatically trading profits. Transfers out are not automatically losses. Trace the relevant funding and disposal transactions before assigning them an economic meaning. Where an account is only one part of a larger operation, say that the broader cost basis is unknown.

Test the exit assumption Estimate how the stated position compares with available liquidity and avoid presenting an indicative valuation as realised cash. A screenshot can accurately display a platform's chosen metric while still creating a misleading impression. Explain the metric and its exclusions instead of letting a large green percentage do the argumentative work.