// method
Paper-trade methodology
Understand how returns, win rates and prices are calculated, and the limits to comparing sources.
Lot sums are not account returns
The headline figure adds individual paper-trade lot percentage returns. More lots can produce a larger sum. It does not measure capital allocation, compounding or an account return, and cannot establish S&P 500 outperformance. Compare average lot return, win rate and sample size alongside it, especially when sources publish at different frequencies.
How a lot is calculated
Long return is (mark or exit price − entry price) ÷ entry price; shorts invert the direction. Entry uses the stored close on the mention day or the latest stored close before it. Open lots use the latest stored close; closed lots retain their exit price. Holds do not create a lot, and later bullish calls are additions. Closing and reopening creates another lot. Win rate is the share of priced lots with a return above zero, including open lots; it is not a closed-trade-only win rate.
Window and universe
The default window starts on January 1 of the current year. Dates and filters affect results. Street desks include US-listed stocks with market capitalization of at least US$50 billion; non-USD capitalization is not treated as dollars. YouTuber calls have no market-cap floor and may cover other markets. These source groups do not have identical universes, so their sums are not a fair standalone score of investing skill.
Prices, timing and missing data
Prices and bank ratings primarily use stored Yahoo Finance / yfinance records, not live quotes. Read the displayed price dates. Missing, stale or revised records affect coverage and results. The mention-day close is a research reference, especially when a video was published after that close; it is not necessarily an executable price known at publication.
Sources and automated extraction
YouTube stances are extracted from transcripts using a model and can be wrong, duplicated or incomplete; not every record has been manually reviewed. Video links identify original content; unavailable timestamps are not invented. Bank links open the upstream provider’s stock page, not an original bank research report or a permanent link to that historical rating.
Costs and selection limits
The ranking compares price changes. It does not model a funded account, financing, stock borrowing, slippage, fees or taxes. It does not guarantee complete dividend or corporate-action treatment and is not a point-in-time historical database. Channel selection, video availability and extraction quality introduce bias. Paper-trade figures do not establish future profitability and are not investment advice.