R-Multiple Distribution

How your trades cluster across R values - where 1R is the dollar amount you risked. Shows whether you're cutting losses small and letting winners run.

An R-multiple distribution counts how many of your trades ended in each band of R, where 1R is what you risked. It shows the shape of your results: whether losses stop near −1R and whether winners run past +1R. Limbix uses one set of buckets on every screen, so a trade lands in the same band everywhere.

How it's calculated#

$$\text{R}_i = \frac{\text{Net P\&L}_i}{\text{Risk amount}_i} \;\longrightarrow\; \text{count per bucket}$$

Net P&L

The trade's P&L after fees. R always uses net

Risk amount

Distance from entry to stop × point value × quantity

Each trade's realized R goes into exactly one bucket:

A trade at exactly −1.0R sits in -1R to 0R: a loss that stopped at your stop counts as contained. A trade at exactly +2.0R sits in >= 2R.

Worked example#

Ten trades, each with its realized R:

In Reports (eight buckets): <= -2R 0 · -2R to -1R 1 · -1R to 0R 4 · 0R 1 · 0R to 1R 0 · 1R to 2R 1 · >= 2R 2 · No R 1.

On the Dashboard (six bars): ≤ -2R 0 · -2R to -1R 1 · -1R to 0R 4 · 0R to 1R 1 · 1R to 2R 1 · ≥ 2R 2. Above them: Loss side 1 · Contained 5 · 1R+ winners 3, and "9 of 10 trades carry an R".

Read the shape. Your losses cluster at −1R, which means your stops held. One loser, trade 9, ran to −1.2R. Three winners reached 1R or more, two of them 2R or more. That is the shape the tooltip describes as healthy.

When it shows "—"#

A winner with no stop has no R. A loser with no stop does: Limbix uses its exit as the stop, which puts it at about −1R. See R-multiple.

What is a good R-multiple distribution?#

The tooltip's guide: "Cluster around -1R for losses, spread above +1R for wins." In words: small, uniform losses and winners that run.

What the shape usually means:

One thing to know about fees. R uses net P&L, so a stop that filled exactly where you placed it lands a touch past −1R once commission is taken: −1.02R, say. That trade goes in -2R to -1R, the Dashboard's Loss side. Loss Containment allows for this with a small margin past −1R for slippage and fees, but the buckets don't. Look at the individual R values before you conclude a stop didn't hold.

How to improve it#

1. Record a stop on every trade. It shrinks the No R count and makes the chart describe your whole book. See add a stop and target.
2. Exit at the stop, not past it. Trades below −1R are losses you let run. Loss Containment scores this.
3. Let winners reach their target. A pile in 0R to 1R often means early exits, which the mistake detectors flag.
4. Plan for at least your minimum R:R. Set it in each playbook, and skip setups whose target can't pay it. See risk parameters.

Where you'll see it#

• Dashboard: the R-multiple distribution card, with the Loss side, Contained and 1R+ winners counts above six bars. See read the day.
• Reports › Breakdowns › Risk: the R-multiple distribution chart, all eight buckets in fixed order with No R kept apart, and a table view. See breakdowns.

Frequently asked questions#

What is an R-multiple distribution?#

It is a count of your trades by result, measured in units of risk. Each trade's P&L is divided by the amount you risked, and the result goes into a band such as −1R to 0R or 1R to 2R. The chart shows whether your losses stay small and uniform and whether your winners run, which a single average can't show.

Why is my stopped-out trade in the −2R to −1R bucket?#

Because fees push it just past −1R. R uses net P&L, so a stop that filled exactly where you placed it loses your planned risk plus commission, for example −1.02R. Anything below −1.0R belongs in −2R to −1R. Check the trade's R in the Trade Log: a value a hair past −1R is fees, not a moved stop.

Where do trades without a stop go?#

It depends on the result. A losing trade with no stop gets an R from its exit price, so it usually lands near −1R. A winning trade with no stop has no risk amount, so it goes in No R. Reports shows No R as its own bucket; the Dashboard leaves it out of the bars and prints "N of M trades carry an R".

Why does the Dashboard show six bars and Reports eight?#

They use the same bucket rule and group it differently. The Dashboard merges the 0R bucket into 0R to 1R and reports No R as a count above the chart rather than a bar. Reports keeps all eight buckets, with 0R and No R separate. A trade never changes bucket between the two screens.