This FAQ is designed to help you understand how Profit & Loss (P/L) is calculated in your portfolio and why certain numbers may appear the way they do. It covers the most common questions users ask about realized and unrealized P/L, cost calculation logic, transfers, fees, price changes, and differences between what you see in the app versus exchanges.
To keep things easy to follow, the FAQ is organized into the following sections:
General Questions
Unrealized P/L Questions
Realized P/L Questions
Transaction & Calculation Questions
Fees & Transfers
Multiple Currencies & Holdings
Technical Questions
Troubleshooting
This FAQ focuses on quick answers. For a deeper explanation and examples, see the full Profit & Loss User Guide.
1. General Questions
Why is my All P/L negative even if I made money on some trades?
All P/L = Realized P/L + Unrealized P/L
Your All P/L can be negative if:
Your realized losses are bigger than your unrealized gains
Your unrealized losses are bigger than your realized gains
Both values are negative
Example:
Realized P/L: +$5,000
Unrealized P/L: –$8,000
All P/L = –$3,000
You may have winning trades, but your overall performance can still be negative.
What’s the difference between realized and unrealized P/L?
Realized P/L — Actual profit/loss from assets you already sold
Unrealized P/L — Profit/loss on assets you still hold (based on current price)
Which P/L should I focus on?
Realized P/L → your actual realized profit
Unrealized P/L → your potential profit if you sold today
All P/L → your full performance
Last Transaction P/L → performance of your most recent trade
Most users rely on All P/L for overall performance.
2. Unrealized P/L
Can unrealized profit turn into a loss?
Yes. If the market price drops below your cost basis, unrealized profit becomes an unrealized loss.
Why does my unrealized P/L keep changing?
Because it reflects real-time market prices. As the price moves, unrealized P/L updates automatically.
When does unrealized P/L become realized P/L?
Only when you sell. The portion you sell moves from unrealized → realized.
3. Realized P/L
Can I have positive realized P/L but negative unrealized P/L?
Yes, example:
Sold some assets for +$5,000 (realized)
Remaining holdings are at –$2,000 (unrealized)
Overall you’re still +$3,000.
Does realized P/L change after I sell?
No. Once the sale is complete, realized P/L is fixed.
4. Transactions & Calculations
How does the system decide which coins are sold?
CoinStats uses matches your earliest buys with your earliest sells for cost calculations — the oldest purchases are sold first.
Why does my Last Transaction P/L keep changing?
Because it compares:
The price from your last transaction
The current market price
As the market moves, this value changes.
How often is P/L updated?
Whenever transactions are added or edited
Whenever prices update
Whenever you refresh your portfolio
Realized P/L updates only when you sell.
Unrealized P/L updates continuously.
5. Fees & Transfers
Do fees affect P/L?
Yes, fees reduce profit or increase loss.
Included in:
Realized P/L
All P/L
Not included in:
Unrealized P/L
How do transfers affect P/L?
It depends on your Transfer Settings:
If transfers are included:
Incoming transfers = treated as buys
Outgoing transfers = treated as sells
These affect both realized and unrealized P/L
If transfers are excluded:
Only actual buys/sells count
Transfers do not affect cost basis
Unrealized P/L is calculated only from assets you purchased
Assets received via transfer do not contribute to unrealized P/L
Example (transfers excluded):
Received 10 BTC (transfer)
Bought 5 BTC at $50,000
Unrealized P/L is calculated only on the 5 BTC you bought.
This is the most common reason unrealized P/L appears lower or zero.
Are fees included in both realized and unrealized P/L?
Realized P/L: Yes
Unrealized P/L: No
All P/L: Yes
6. Multiple Currencies & Many Assets
I hold several currencies. How is P/L calculated?
Each currency has its own:
Realized P/L
Unrealized P/L
All P/L
They are only combined when viewing your total portfolio.
What if I buy the same asset at different prices?
The system tracks every purchase separately.
On selling:
For cost calculation we match your earliest buys with your earliest sells
Oldest purchases are sold first
Remaining assets keep their original cost basis
Unrealized P/L uses the weighted average cost of your remaining holdings.
7. Technical Questions
What happens if I delete a transaction?
All P/L values are recalculated from scratch:
Realized
Unrealized
All P/L
Last Transaction P/L
Can I change how P/L is calculated?
By default all transactions are included in P/L calculation logic.
You can change:
Include/exclude transfers from P/L
Include/exclude specific transactions as needed
You cannot change:
Core calculation rules
These are standard across all CoinStats users.
Why doesn’t my P/L match the exchange?
Common reasons:
Different price sources
Different rounding
Exchanges often ignore transfers
Fees handled differently
Price updates at different times
Check:
All transactions imported
Fees included
Transfer settings
Price source
8. Troubleshooting
My P/L seems incorrect. What should I check?
All transactions imported
Correct price data
Fees added
Transfer settings
Prices updating correctly
Why is my unrealized P/L zero even though I have holdings?
Most often:
Transfers are excluded, and
All your holdings came from transfers
Other possibilities:
Cost basis equals current price
Missing price data
Check your transfer settings first.
If something still doesn’t look right:
Review the P/L User Guide
Check your transaction history
Verify transfer settings
Confirm fees and prices
Contact support via in-app/on-site chat!
What's Next?