Why can a profitable MT5 trade show a negative net result?

Keep the components visible

Net P&L = profit + commission + swap
Example: 12 + (-8) + (-6) = -2 account units

In this fictional example the trade made 12 units before the listed costs, yet lost two after them. Calling it a winner because the profit field is positive would misclassify the economic outcome. The example describes arithmetic, not expected fees for any broker or instrument.

Do not subtract an already negative commission a second time. Adding signed values preserves the source record. A positive adjustment should likewise retain its sign instead of being forced into a cost simply because of its field name.

A missing value is a data question

Chart Reporter's calculation treats missing commission or swap as zero for the arithmetic. That convention does not establish that the broker charged nothing. If a result looks surprising, inspect the recorded components and reconcile them with the broker's relevant history.

Some statement lines may represent account movements or charges outside the selected trade record. Keep those distinctions explicit rather than forcing a broker balance change to equal a sum of selected trades. Also check whether the broker view is displaying an open position's floating value while the journal statistic uses completed outcomes.

Reconcile one trade before an entire month

Choose a known completed trade and compare its account, ticket, final-close state, profit, commission and swap. Then confirm that both views use the same currency and date basis. Once the individual record agrees, expand to a larger sample under identical filters.

The same habit improves review notes. Record the result after costs and retain the breakdown when fees materially affect it. A strategy built from many small gross gains can look very different after costs, but that observation needs the actual sample and its coverage. One illustrative trade cannot establish a strategy's profitability or a forecast of future results.