Required return
Return per period needed to reach a target in a given number of periods.
Example inputs, not market prices: change them to your trade.
Result
How it is computed
r = (Target ÷ Start)^(1 ÷ N) − 1
The return per period that turns the starting balance into the target in N periods, compounded.
Worked example
Inputs
- Start
- 10,000
- Target balance
- 20,000
- Number of periods
- 24
Result
Return per period
+2.93%
- Total return
- +100%
Computed on the server by the same code as the form above (calculator table 2026-10-04.1).
Questions
Why is it not the total divided by N?
Returns compound: each period's gain earns in the next ones, so the rate needed per period is lower than the simple average.
Can the target be below the start?
Yes: the rate is then negative, the loss per period that leads there.
Which period should I use?
Any unit: months, years or trades. The rate is per that unit.
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A calculation, not a forecast. Not investment advice.