You can see your estimated profit and loss (PnL) data in the Lightyear app. It’s important to note that the PnL displayed is only an estimation, as both currency and investment valuation can fluctuate in real time.
Viewing-currency and exchange rates
- The PnL values you see are only ever an estimation. To see the most accurate amount in your portfolio, we always suggest you view your portfolio in the same currency as your investments whenever possible. Read more about the in-app viewing currency from our article “Choosing your portfolio currency”.
- If you deposit or hold instruments or funds in different currencies than your viewing-currency, please remember that we use the currency exchange rate from the end of previous business day to give you an estimation.
Portfolio breakdown
When you tap on “All time” information in your Portfolio balance, you’ll see a breakdown of your profit and loss. You can expand the following sections:
Portfolio
- Investments presents the estimated value of all instruments you hold
- Cash balance displays funds you currently hold across all your multi-currency accounts
Money in
- Deposits is all the funds you have ever deposited into your Lightyear account
- Rewards shows any bonuses you’ve received from Lightyear promotion programs
Money out
- Withdrawals displays amount of funds you’ve ever taken out of Lightyear
Portfolio tab
The main portfolio number at the top left corner is the sum of the approximate value of all your Investments and Cash you hold on your account. On top of your aggregated individual investment PnL, the displayed calculation also takes into consideration any PnL from foreign exchange on cash balances you have. For example, if at the time of your conversions, £1 was worth $1.2 but now the same £1 would be $1.1, this $0.1 you received when the exchange rate was higher, will be added as your gain.
Investments section
The “Your investments” tab presents you the PnL for each of your individual investment positions separately and the data will always be shown in the currency they are traded in. You can organise the returns as you wish by tapping on the filter button at the top right corner, and also dig deeper into many metrics of your individual position by tapping on one. You can learn more about these metrics from our related blog post "Making sense of stock data & metrics".
When you tap on any of your investments, alongside many metrics, targets and news, you’ll see a separate PnL section for the position:
- Current value represents the estimated value for your whole investment. For a stock price, we use the last known trading price which can change intra second while the market is open. After the market closes, we show you the value based on the global closing price. Please note that the transition time from the last known trading price to the closing price after the market closes can be a couple of hours
- Up/Down indicates how has the price per share changed since you opened the position
- Shares held shows how many shares are currently on your account
- Avg. buy price is calculated using ‘weighted average’. This means that the number you see shows the current average price for all your buys since you opened the position, as the view uses your entire activity with this instrument. As per standard method for calculating average price entry, to reset the calculation the position should be closed completely, and it would reset when opened again. Average buy price shows how much in average you’ve paid for the shares you hold and not the current market price
Please note that Lightyear cannot give tax advice as reporting profits and losses depends on individual circumstances and local tax laws. We recommend seeking a licensed professional where needed. You can at any time download statements through the app, see more in “Taxes and statements”.