> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.stellartrail.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Trade Journal

> The foundational database of your market performance.

# The Trade Journal

The Trade Journal is the central nervous system of StellarTrail. Without quality data, [Analytics](/features/analytics) are impossible, and the [AI Coach](/features/ai-coach) cannot provide personalized guidance.

Consistent, honest journaling is the single largest differentiator between amateur and professional market participants.

## Logging a Trade

To log a new market action:

1. Navigate to the **Journal** tab.
2. Click the **Log New Trade** button to open the entry modal.

### Required Fields

* **Asset Ticker:** (e.g., AAPL, SPY, BTC/USD).
* **Direction:** Long or Short.
* **Status:** Open or Closed.
* **Entry & Exit Data:** Price and timestamps.

### The Rationale (Crucial)

The **Rationale** field is a qualitative text entry where you explain *why* you took the trade. What did you see on the chart? Were you feeling FOMO? Did you follow your plan?

**This is the most important field in the entire application.** The AI Coach reads your rationale using Natural Language Processing (NLP) to identify behavioral patterns like revenge trading, hesitation, or systemic sizing errors.

## Tags and Categorization

Use **Tags** to easily categorize your trades based on setups (e.g., `Breakout`, `Mean Reversion`, `News Event`). This allows you to filter the journal later and isolate which specific strategies are actually generating alpha.

## Reviewing Past Performance

The Journal interface provides a tabular view of all your actions. You can sort by date, profitability, or asset.

When you expand a trade row, you will see a `Review` button. Clicking this takes you to a dedicated review page where the AI Coach provides a post-mortem analysis of that specific trade, comparing your entry against market volatility and helping you extract a lesson.