The short answer
Balance is money from trades you have already closed. Equity is your balance plus or minus everything currently open. The difference between them is your floating P&L, the live profit or loss on positions you still hold. Profit is measured against your account starting balance, the figure your target and drawdown are built on.
Every number on your dashboard comes from trading against real third-party live prices, with real spreads and commissions applied uniformly. The capital is simulated, so no live capital is at risk, but the prices, the mechanics and any rewards are real, paid on a 90% trader / 10% firm split.
Balance vs equity vs floating P&L
These three numbers are the foundation. Read them together and your account makes sense at a glance.
Number | What it means |
Balance | The result of closed trades only. It does not move while a position is open. |
Equity | Balance plus or minus the live value of every open position. It moves tick by tick. |
Floating P&L | The gap between equity and balance. Positive when open trades are in profit, negative when they are not. |
When you have no positions open, balance and equity are identical and floating P&L is zero. The moment you open a trade, equity starts to move while balance stays still. When you close, the floating amount is settled and folded into balance.
Why everything is measured from your starting balance
Profit targets are always measured against your account starting balance, the size you began with. Your percentage target is a fixed share of that figure, so the same reference point stays constant from day one.
Drawdown mechanics depend on the product you are running. Some products use a fixed limit anchored to your starting balance. Others use a trailing limit that rises as your equity rises, then locks in once you cross a profit threshold. Your dashboard shows the live status for your specific product, so that is always the right place to check your current limit. The principle is the same in both cases: one clear reference keeps your limits unambiguous.
How spreads, commissions and 1:100 leverage show up in your numbers
Your stats reflect real trading costs, not a frictionless model. Spreads and commissions are applied uniformly across the instruments you can trade, the same way a live broker would charge them.
Spread means a position usually opens slightly in floating loss, the cost of crossing the bid and ask.
Commission is deducted as part of the trade and is reflected in your equity and, once closed, your balance.
Leverage of 1:100 on every account size sets how much position you can control per unit of margin. It magnifies both your floating P&L and the speed your equity moves, in either direction.
Exact spreads and commissions vary by instrument and market conditions, so check live pricing for any specific symbol rather than assuming a fixed cost.
Why your platform and dashboard can differ by a moment
You may notice your trading platform (MetaTrader 5, TradeLocker or MatchTrader) and your UZO dashboard showing figures that differ by a small margin for a second or two. This is normal.
Live prices update constantly, and the two systems sample and display them a moment apart. The platform is your real-time execution view; the dashboard is your objective and risk view. They converge as soon as the next update lands. Treat the dashboard as the reference for whether you have met a target or breached a limit.
Common misreadings to avoid
A few habits keep traders from misjudging their own progress.
Do not read floating profit as passing the target. Open profit is unrealised. Progress is judged on the basis your dashboard shows, not on equity that can still reverse.
Do not panic at a fresh open trade in the red. A small negative right after opening is usually just the spread.
Do not eyeball your equity to judge a drawdown limit. Drawdown rules vary by product. Some are fixed against your starting balance, others trail your equity peak. Your dashboard shows the live limit for your specific account.
What this is all building toward
Most evaluations do not pass, so reading your numbers accurately matters. When you do reach a reward, payout is approved in under an hour and clears within twelve hours, by bank or crypto, and your evaluation fee is refunded on that first reward. The split is 90% to you, fixed at every size.
Related
Tracking your objective progress in real time
Simulated trading, explained