What is Trade Book in Trading Account? How to Read Trade History
The trade book is a record of all successfully executed trades in your trading account. Unlike the order book which shows all orders including pending and cancelled ones, the trade book shows only the trades that actually went through. Each entry represents a real transaction where shares changed hands and money moved.
If the order book is your list of everything you tried to order at a restaurant, the trade book is the receipt of what you actually received and paid for. Only completed transactions appear here.
What information does the trade book contain?
| Column | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Trade time | Exact time the trade was executed on the exchange |
| Stock/Symbol | Which stock was traded |
| Buy/Sell | Whether you bought or sold |
| Quantity | Number of shares that were traded |
| Price | Actual execution price |
| Order type | MIS (intraday) or CNC (delivery) |
| Exchange | NSE or BSE |
Why is the trade book important?
Your trade book is the source of truth for calculating your profit and loss, filing taxes, and verifying that all trades executed at the expected prices. The contract note your broker sends at the end of each day is generated from trade book data.
For active traders making multiple transactions daily, reviewing the trade book helps identify patterns in execution quality. If you consistently get worse prices than expected, it might indicate slippage issues or timing problems with your order placement.
Investments in securities market are subject to market risks. This article is for educational purposes only.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my trade book show two entries for one order?
If your order was partially filled at different times or prices, each fill appears as a separate trade in the trade book. A single order to buy 1,000 shares might result in 3 trades if the order was filled in batches of 400, 350, and 250 at slightly different prices. This is normal for limit orders and larger quantity orders.
Can I see my trade book from previous days?
Yes. Most broker platforms provide historical trade books going back weeks, months, or even years. Some platforms call this section 'Trade History' or 'Past Trades.' You can filter by date range, stock, and trade type. This historical data is essential for tax computation.
How is the trade book used for tax filing?
Your trade book contains all the information needed to calculate short-term and long-term capital gains: purchase price, sale price, dates, and quantities. Many brokers provide a consolidated tax statement that summarises this data. A CA can use the trade book or the P&L statement derived from it to compute your tax liability.
Does the trade book show brokerage and other charges?
The trade book typically shows the execution price and quantity. Brokerage, STT, exchange charges, and GST are shown in the contract note, not in the trade book itself. Some broker platforms have a separate charges breakdown section that shows all costs associated with each trade.
What if a trade in my trade book looks incorrect?
Contact your broker immediately. Verify the details against the contract note sent to your email. If there is a genuine discrepancy, the broker is required to investigate and rectify it. SEBI's investor grievance redressal mechanism (SCORES) is available if the broker does not resolve your complaint satisfactorily.
Investments in securities market are subject to market risks. This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
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