Get the gross loss of a TradingView strategy in Pine Script

TL;DR
Track strategy.grossloss to understand how much capital closed losing trades have consumed and when to stop trading.

At a Glance


Difficulty	Beginner
Time to implement	10-15 min
Category	Strategy Basics

Quick Actions

Quick Start

//@version=5
strategy("Gross loss tracker", overlay=false)

if strategy.grossloss > 5_000
    strategy.close_all("Pause trading – loss limit hit")

plot(strategy.grossloss, "Gross loss", color=color.red)

Tip. `strategy.grossloss` is the sum of all closed losing trades. It ignores current open positions—use `strategy.openprofit` for unrealised P/L.

Why It Matters

Knowing how much your strategy has already lost helps enforce risk rules: stop trading after a drawdown, adjust position sizing, or alert the operator. Since the variable is updated on every bar, you can check thresholds mid-backtest or intrabar with calc_on_every_tick.

What You’ll Learn

Accessing strategy.grossloss on the current bar and historical bars
Setting loss limits or visualising cumulative drawdown
Combining gross loss with other metrics (average loss, lowest drawdown)
Avoiding false assumptions about open position losses

Quick Reference

Call	Purpose
`strategy.grossloss`	Series representing cumulative currency loss from closed losers.
`strategy.close_all()`	Stops trading when the loss limit is breached.
`ta.lowest(series, length)`	Finds the worst (maximum) gross loss over a period.
`ta.sma(series, length)`	Calculates smoothed drawdown averages.
`plot(series)`	Displays loss metrics directly on the chart.

Implementation Blueprint

Inspect gross loss on each bar
Because strategy.grossloss is a series, you can reference the current value or prior bars using the history operator.
```
currentLoss = strategy.grossloss
lossOneDayAgo = strategy.grossloss[1]
```

Trigger actions when loss thresholds are breached
Use conditional logic to stop trading, reduce size, or send alerts.

lossLimit = input.float(5_000, "Stop after loss", step=100)
if currentLoss > lossLimit
    strategy.close_all("Loss limit reached")
    alert("Gross loss exceeded " + str.tostring(lossLimit))

Visualise and analyse loss history
Plot raw, lowest, and averaged losses to understand drawdown behaviour.

length = input.int(50, "Lookback")
lowestLoss = ta.lowest(strategy.grossloss, length)
avgLoss    = ta.sma(strategy.grossloss, length)

plot(strategy.grossloss, "Gross loss", color=color.red)
plot(lowestLoss, "Lowest loss", color=color.new(color.red, 50))
plot(avgLoss, "Average loss", color=color.orange)

Example Playbook

//@version=5
strategy("Gross loss monitor", overlay=true, pyramiding=1)

fastLen = input.int(20)
slowLen = input.int(50)

fast = ta.ema(close, fastLen)
slow = ta.ema(close, slowLen)

plot(fast, "Fast EMA", color=color.green)
plot(slow, "Slow EMA", color=color.orange)

if ta.crossover(fast, slow)
    strategy.entry("Long", strategy.long)

if ta.crossunder(fast, slow)
    strategy.close("Long")

lossCap    = input.float(3_000, "Global loss cap", step=100)
lookback   = input.int(100, "Loss lookback")
lowestLoss = ta.lowest(strategy.grossloss, lookback)

plot(strategy.grossloss, "Gross loss", color=color.new(color.red, 0))
plot(lowestLoss, "Lowest loss", color=color.new(color.red, 60), style=plot.style_cross)

if strategy.grossloss > lossCap
    strategy.close_all("Stop after drawdown")
    alert("Loss cap reached: " + str.tostring(strategy.grossloss))

Why this works.

Gross loss is cumulative—comparing it with a threshold implements a simple drawdown governor.
The lowest-loss plot shows the deepest drawdown over the chosen window.
Alerts and `strategy.close_all` prevent further trades once the cap is breached.

Pro Tips & Pitfalls

strategy.grossloss resets only when the backtest starts over (or in live trading when you reset the strategy). Store the starting value if you need session-level loss caps.
Combine with strategy.closedtrades.profit(trade_num) to inspect individual losing trades.
Use strategy.openprofit alongside strategy.grossloss for a complete picture of realised vs unrealised drawdown.
Remember that gross loss ignores winning trades. For net performance, check strategy.netprofit.

Troubleshooting & FAQ

Why does gross loss stay at zero?

The strategy might not have any closed losing trades yet. Gross loss increases only after a losing trade is closed.

Can I reset gross loss mid-test?

No; it’s a read-only series. Use custom variables to track session-based loss caps if needed.

Key Takeaways

strategy.grossloss reports cumulative realised losses from closed trades.
Leverage it to enforce drawdown limits, notify operators, or inform analytics.
Pair with plotting or averages to visualise drawdown behaviour over time.
Always complement gross loss with other equity metrics for a full risk view.

Keep Going

Open AI Editor to apply the pattern with guided assistance
Browse Strategy Examples for ready-to-run templates
Connect to Live Trading when you are ready to automate

Adapted from tradingcode.net, optimised for Algo Trade Analytics users.