UTM Platform User Trading Flows

Audience: End users learning how to trade with UTM Purpose: Step-by-step guide to all trading workflows

Overview: How Trading Works in UTM

UTM provides two ways to trade:

Direct Orders - Place orders manually through the web interface
Signal-Based Trading - Create signals (manually or via webhooks) that convert to orders

Both methods result in the same outcome: orders sent to your broker, executions tracked, and trades managed.

The Trading Pipeline

Signal (optional)     Order            Execution         Trade
    │                   │                  │               │
    │   "I want to      │   "Buy 100       │   "Filled     │   "Long position
    │    open long      │    AAPL at       │    50 @ 175,  │    in AAPL,
    │    AAPL"          │    market"       │    50 @ 176"  │    avg cost $175.50"
    │                   │                  │               │
    ▼                   ▼                  ▼               ▼
┌─────────┐       ┌─────────┐       ┌──────────┐     ┌─────────┐
│ Signal  │ ───▶  │  Order  │ ───▶  │Execution │ ──▶ │  Trade  │
└─────────┘       └─────────┘       └──────────┘     └─────────┘
                       │
                       ▼
                   [Broker]

Part 1: Getting Started

1.1 Account Setup

Before trading, you need to connect a broker.

Step 1: Navigate to Settings

Open Settings from the sidebar (or the nav drawer on mobile), then go to the "Brokers" tab
Or click your profile in the top-right and select the "Brokers" quick-link to jump straight to the tab

Step 2: Add a Broker

Broker	Auth Method	Supported Features
Alpaca	API Key	Full trading, positions, orders
TradeStation	OAuth	Positions, orders (read-only trading)
Interactive Brokers	API Key	Positions, orders (read-only trading)

For Alpaca (Recommended for full trading):

Click "Add Alpaca"
Enter your API Key ID and Secret Key
Choose paper or live environment
Click "Connect"

Your accounts will sync automatically.

1.2 Paper vs Live Mode

UTM has a mode switcher that controls which accounts you see and can trade.

Paper Mode (Default):

Shows only paper/demo accounts
Orders go to paper trading environment
Safe for testing strategies
Green indicator in header

Live Mode:

Shows only live accounts
Orders go to real brokers with real money
Irreversible trades
Red indicator in header

To Switch Modes:

Click the mode indicator in the header
Select "Paper" or "Live"
Confirm if switching to Live

Safety Feature: UTM blocks orders if your selected account doesn't match your mode. You cannot accidentally place live orders while in paper mode.

1.3 Setting Your Primary Account

Each mode (paper/live) has a primary account used as the default for orders.

Go to Settings → Accounts
Find your preferred account
Click "Set as Primary"

The primary account appears first in all account selectors.

Part 2: Direct Order Placement

2.1 Placing a Market Order

The fastest way to enter or exit a position.

Step 1: Open Order Entry

From Dashboard or Positions page
Click "Place Order" button

Step 2: Fill Order Details

Account: Select your trading account
Symbol: Enter ticker (e.g., AAPL, MSFT)
Action: Buy or Sell
Quantity: Number of shares
Order Type: Select "Market"
Time in Force: Usually "Day"

Step 3: Review and Submit

Click "Review Order"
Verify details on confirmation screen
Click "Place Order"

What Happens Next:

Order sent to broker (status: Pending)
Broker acknowledges receipt (status: Accepted)
Order fills (status: Filled)
Trade created/updated automatically
Position reflects new holdings

2.2 Placing a Limit Order

Get a specific price or better.

Same as Market Order, except:

Order Type: "Limit"
Limit Price: Your target price
- For Buy: Order fills at limit price or lower
- For Sell: Order fills at limit price or higher

Example: Buy 100 AAPL at $175 limit

If AAPL is at $176, order waits
If AAPL drops to $175, order fills
Order expires at market close (if DAY)

2.3 Stop and Stop-Limit Orders

Protect positions or enter on breakouts.

Stop Order:

Becomes market order when stop price is reached
Stop Price: Trigger price
Use for: Stop-losses, breakout entries

Stop-Limit Order:

Becomes limit order when stop price is reached
Stop Price: Trigger price
Limit Price: Execution price after trigger
Use for: Controlled stop-losses with price guarantee

2.4 Time in Force Options

How long your order stays active:

TIF	Name	Behaviour
DAY	Day Order	Expires at market close
GTC	Good til Cancelled	Stays active until filled or cancelled
IOC	Immediate or Cancel	Fill immediately or cancel unfilled portion
FOK	Fill or Kill	Fill completely or cancel entirely
OPG	Market on Open	Execute at opening auction
CLS	Market on Close	Execute at closing auction

2.5 Extended Hours Trading

Trade before market open (pre-market) or after close (after-hours).

To Enable:

Toggle "Extended Hours" in order entry
Only works with Limit orders
Wider spreads and less liquidity

Extended Hours Sessions:

Pre-market: 4:00 AM - 9:30 AM ET
After-hours: 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM ET

Part 3: Signal-Based Trading

Signals are trading intentions that can be processed into orders.

3.1 Why Use Signals?

Automation: Receive signals from TradingView, custom scripts, etc.
Review Before Execution: Create signals, review them, then execute
Quantity Flexibility: Specify shares, % of equity, or dollar amounts
Strategy Tracking: Link signals to strategies for performance analysis
Scheduled Execution: Schedule signals for future times

3.2 Signal Actions Explained

Signals use four actions that combine direction and intent:

Action	Direction	Intent	Resulting Order
`openLong`	Long	Open	Buy
`closeLong`	Long	Close	Sell
`openShort`	Short	Open	Sell (short)
`closeShort`	Short	Close	Buy (cover)

Why not just "buy" and "sell"?

Because "buy" is ambiguous:

Buying to open a long position?
Buying to close a short position?

Signal actions make intent explicit, reducing errors.

3.3 Creating a Manual Signal

Step 1: Navigate to Signals

Click "Signals" in the navigation
Click "New Signal"

Step 2: Fill Signal Details

Field	Description
Account	Which account to trade
Symbol	Ticker symbol
Action	openLong, closeLong, openShort, closeShort
Quantity Type	How to interpret quantity
Quantity	Amount based on quantity type
Strategy	Optional - for tracking
Limit Price	Optional - for limit orders
Stop Price	Optional - for stop orders

Quantity Types:

Type	Quantity Meaning	Example
Fixed	Number of shares	100 = 100 shares
Percent Equity	% of account equity	5 = 5% of equity
Dollar Amount	Dollar value to invest	1000 = $1000 worth

Step 3: Save Signal

Signal enters "Pending" status
Ready for processing

3.4 Processing a Signal

Converting a signal to an order.

Single Signal:

Find signal in the Signals table
Click "Process" button
Order is created and sent to broker
Signal status: Executed

Batch Processing:

Select multiple pending signals
Click "Process Selected"
All signals convert to orders

What Can Go Wrong:

Rejected: Invalid symbol, account issue
Expired: Signal passed its validUntil time
Cancelled: You cancelled before processing

3.5 Webhook Signal Ingestion

Receive signals from external systems (TradingView, custom scripts).

Step 1: Create an API Key

Settings → API Keys
Click "Create API Key"
Select signals:write scope
Save the key (shown only once!)

Step 2: Send Signals via Webhook

curl -X POST https://api.universaltrademanager.com/api/v1/signals/ingest \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-API-Key: utm_your_api_key" \
  -d '{
    "symbol": "AAPL",
    "action": "openLong",
    "accountId": "your-account-uuid",
    "quantity": 100
  }'

For TradingView:

Create alert on your indicator/strategy
Set webhook URL to the ingest endpoint
Format message as JSON with signal fields
Add X-API-Key header (requires Pro+ plan)

3.6 Exit Rules (Auto-Close)

Automatically create exit signals when entry fills. Exit fields sit directly on the signal payload, not nested under an exitRule object.

Example: Close position at market close

{
  "symbol": "AAPL",
  "action": "openLong",
  "accountId": "your-account-uuid",
  "quantity": 100,
  "exitTriggerType": "minutesBeforeClose",
  "exitTriggerMinutes": 5,
  "exitOrderType": "moc",
  "exitTimeInForce": "cls"
}

See the Exit Rules section in the Signals guide for the full field list and trigger-type behaviours.

Part 4: Managing Positions

4.1 Viewing Positions

Dashboard → Positions Snapshot:

Quick view of current holdings
Unrealised P&L for each position

Positions Page:

Full position details
Filter by account, symbol
Sort by various fields

4.2 Understanding Position Data

Field	Meaning
Symbol	Ticker symbol
Quantity	Number of shares held
Avg Cost	Average entry price
Market Value	Current market value
Unrealised P&L	Current profit/loss
Last Sync	When data was refreshed

4.3 Closing a Position

From Positions Page:

Find the position
Click "Close"
Opens order entry pre-filled with:
- Action: Sell (for long) / Buy (for short)
- Symbol: Position symbol
- Quantity: Full position size

Partial Close:

Modify quantity to close only part of position
Remaining shares stay open

Part 5: Managing Trades

5.1 Trade vs Position vs Order

Concept	What It Represents	Lifecycle
Order	Single broker command	Pending → Filled/Cancelled
Position	Current holdings (broker view)	Snapshot in time
Trade	Aggregated position (UTM view)	Open → Closed

Why Trades?

Positions show what you hold now. Trades show:

When you entered
Multiple orders that built the position
Exit prices and P&L
Strategy attribution

5.2 Trade Statuses

Status	Meaning
Pending	Trade created, no fills yet
Open	Position established
Partial Close	Some shares sold
Closed	Fully exited
Expired	Order never filled

5.3 Trade Views

Trades Page Tabs:

Pending: Trades with unfilled orders
Open: Active positions
Closed: Completed trades with P&L
Expired: Orders that expired unfilled
Net Positions: Aggregated by symbol
Import Review: Broker executions needing review

5.4 Editing Trades

Limited fields can be edited:

Field	Always Editable	Notes
Strategy	✅	Re-attribute to different strategy
Notes	✅	Add trade notes/comments
Opened At	Only imported	Fix import date
Closed At	Only imported	Fix import date

Financial fields (price, quantity, P&L) cannot be manually edited - they reflect actual executions.

Part 6: Reconciliation

6.1 What is Reconciliation?

Reconciliation compares:

UTM's view: Trades and positions tracked in UTM
Broker's view: Actual positions at the broker

Discrepancies can occur if:

Orders placed outside UTM (other platforms)
Sync issues or timing gaps
Manual broker interventions

6.2 Viewing Discrepancies

Accounts Page → Reconciliation Tab

Shows any mismatches:

Positions in broker but not UTM
Positions in UTM but not broker
Quantity differences
Side mismatches

6.3 Resolving Discrepancies

Missing in UTM (broker has position, UTM doesn't):

Click "Import" to create trade from broker position
Optionally assign to a strategy
Optionally split across strategies

Missing in Broker (UTM has trade, broker doesn't):

May indicate closed position not synced
Click "Close Trade" to mark as closed
Or "Ignore" if intentional

Quantity Mismatch:

Review the difference
Adjust UTM trade or investigate broker

6.4 Pending Imports

Broker executions that don't match any UTM order.

Common Causes:

Trades placed via broker's platform
Mobile app orders
Pre-existing positions before UTM

Resolution:

Navigate to Trades → Import Review tab
Review pending imports
Choose:
- Approve: Create new trade
- Merge: Add to existing trade
- Reject: Ignore this execution

Part 7: Strategies

7.1 What are Strategies?

Strategies let you categorise and track trading approaches.

Examples:

"Momentum" - Trend following trades
"Mean Reversion" - Buy dips, sell rallies
"Earnings Plays" - Around earnings dates

7.2 Creating a Strategy

Navigate to Strategies page
Click "New Strategy"
Fill details:
- Name: Strategy identifier
- Description: What it does
- Type: Category (trend, mean reversion, etc.)
- Auto-Close: Whether to close at market close

7.3 Strategy Tracking

Each strategy shows:

Total Trades: Number of trades
Win Rate: Percentage of profitable trades
Total P&L: Cumulative profit/loss
Last Trade: Most recent trade date

7.4 Auto-Close Feature

Automatically close positions at market close.

Enable on Strategy:

Edit strategy
Toggle "Auto-close at market close"
Set "Minutes before close" (0-30)

How It Works:

Auto-close uses an event-driven design with a startup failsafe.

Primary path (event-driven):

A trade linked to this strategy transitions to OPEN.
UTM schedules a close-position job for that day, timed at market close minus the configured minutes.
When the job fires, UTM creates and submits the close order.

Startup failsafe:

When the API starts up, UTM runs a one-time auto-close-startup-check job. This scans all strategies with auto-close enabled and schedules any close-position jobs that are missing for today. The check is idempotent, so it skips strategies that already have a job scheduled. This catches any gaps from a restart or missed trigger during the trading day.

You can also trigger the startup check manually from Admin > Scheduled Jobs > Scheduled tab > Trigger Auto-Close.

Use Case: Day trading strategies that should not hold overnight.

Part 8: Dashboard Overview

8.1 Dashboard Components

Portfolio Summary:

Total equity across all accounts
Day P&L (dollar and percentage)
Cash available
Market value of positions

Equity Chart:

30-day balance history
Visual trend of portfolio value

Positions Snapshot:

Top open positions
Quick unrealised P&L view

Orders Snapshot:

Recent order activity
Quick status check

8.2 Syncing Data

Manual Sync:

Click sync icon next to broker
Refreshes positions, orders, balances

Automatic Sync:

After placing orders: 7-second delay, then sync
Periodic background sync (when implemented)

Sync Status:

Green checkmark: Recently synced
Yellow: Stale data
Red: Sync error

Part 9: Common Workflows

9.1 Day Trade Workflow

Morning: Check dashboard for overnight news impact
Open Positions: Use signals or direct orders
Monitor: Watch positions page for P&L
Close Before EOD: Use auto-close or manual exit
Review: Check closed trades for P&L

9.2 Swing Trade Workflow

Entry: Place order when setup triggers
Set Stop: Place stop order for risk management
Monitor Daily: Check positions
Adjust: Move stops, take partials
Exit: When target hit or stop triggered

9.3 Automated Strategy Workflow

Setup: Create API key, configure webhook
Signal Source: TradingView alerts, custom scripts
Ingest: Signals arrive via webhook
Execute: Signals process immediately (or schedule with scheduledProcessAt)
Track: View in Signals page
Analyse: Review strategy performance

Part 10: Troubleshooting

10.1 Order Not Filling

Check:

Market hours (is market open?)
Order type (limit price too aggressive?)
Account has buying power?
Symbol tradeable on this broker?

Resolution:

Check order status for rejection reason
Verify account balances
Try different order type

10.2 Position Not Showing

Check:

Sync status (when was last sync?)
Correct account selected?
Right trading mode (paper vs live)?

Resolution:

Click manual sync
Wait 30 seconds
Check broker directly

10.3 Trade P&L Looks Wrong

Common Causes:

Commission not included
Average cost from multiple fills
Currency conversion (if applicable)

Check:

View trade details → Executions
Verify each fill price
Check commission field

10.4 Signal Rejected

Common Reasons:

Invalid symbol
Account not found
Insufficient buying power
Market closed

Check Signal Details:

Error message field
Validation details
Account status

Quick Reference: Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
`G` then `D`	Go to Dashboard
`G` then `P`	Go to Positions
`G` then `O`	Go to Orders
`G` then `T`	Go to Trades
`G` then `S`	Go to Signals
`N` then `O`	New Order
`N` then `S`	New Signal
`Esc`	Close modal

Glossary

Term	Definition
Signal	Trading intent, can be processed to order
Order	Command sent to broker
Execution	Filled portion of an order
Trade	Aggregated position with P&L tracking
Position	Current holdings snapshot
Strategy	Category for trade attribution
TIF	Time in Force - order duration
P&L	Profit and Loss
MOC	Market on Close order
Reconciliation	Comparing UTM and broker data

Last updated: 2026-02-23

Overview: How Trading Works in UTM​

The Trading Pipeline​

Part 1: Getting Started​

1.1 Account Setup​

1.2 Paper vs Live Mode​

1.3 Setting Your Primary Account​

Part 2: Direct Order Placement​

2.1 Placing a Market Order​

2.2 Placing a Limit Order​

2.3 Stop and Stop-Limit Orders​

2.4 Time in Force Options​

2.5 Extended Hours Trading​

Part 3: Signal-Based Trading​

3.1 Why Use Signals?​

3.2 Signal Actions Explained​

3.3 Creating a Manual Signal​

3.4 Processing a Signal​

3.5 Webhook Signal Ingestion​

3.6 Exit Rules (Auto-Close)​

Part 4: Managing Positions​

4.1 Viewing Positions​

4.2 Understanding Position Data​

4.3 Closing a Position​

Part 5: Managing Trades​

5.1 Trade vs Position vs Order​

5.2 Trade Statuses​

5.3 Trade Views​

5.4 Editing Trades​

Part 6: Reconciliation​

6.1 What is Reconciliation?​

6.2 Viewing Discrepancies​

6.3 Resolving Discrepancies​

6.4 Pending Imports​

Part 7: Strategies​

7.1 What are Strategies?​

7.2 Creating a Strategy​

7.3 Strategy Tracking​

7.4 Auto-Close Feature​

Part 8: Dashboard Overview​

8.1 Dashboard Components​

8.2 Syncing Data​

Part 9: Common Workflows​

9.1 Day Trade Workflow​

9.2 Swing Trade Workflow​

9.3 Automated Strategy Workflow​

Part 10: Troubleshooting​

10.1 Order Not Filling​

10.2 Position Not Showing​

10.3 Trade P&L Looks Wrong​

10.4 Signal Rejected​

Quick Reference: Keyboard Shortcuts​

Glossary​

Overview: How Trading Works in UTM

The Trading Pipeline

Part 1: Getting Started

1.1 Account Setup

1.2 Paper vs Live Mode

1.3 Setting Your Primary Account

Part 2: Direct Order Placement

2.1 Placing a Market Order

2.2 Placing a Limit Order

2.3 Stop and Stop-Limit Orders

2.4 Time in Force Options

2.5 Extended Hours Trading

Part 3: Signal-Based Trading

3.1 Why Use Signals?

3.2 Signal Actions Explained

3.3 Creating a Manual Signal

3.4 Processing a Signal

3.5 Webhook Signal Ingestion

3.6 Exit Rules (Auto-Close)

Part 4: Managing Positions

4.1 Viewing Positions

4.2 Understanding Position Data

4.3 Closing a Position

Part 5: Managing Trades

5.1 Trade vs Position vs Order

5.2 Trade Statuses

5.3 Trade Views

5.4 Editing Trades

Part 6: Reconciliation

6.1 What is Reconciliation?

6.2 Viewing Discrepancies

6.3 Resolving Discrepancies

6.4 Pending Imports

Part 7: Strategies

7.1 What are Strategies?

7.2 Creating a Strategy

7.3 Strategy Tracking

7.4 Auto-Close Feature

Part 8: Dashboard Overview

8.1 Dashboard Components

8.2 Syncing Data

Part 9: Common Workflows

9.1 Day Trade Workflow

9.2 Swing Trade Workflow

9.3 Automated Strategy Workflow

Part 10: Troubleshooting

10.1 Order Not Filling

10.2 Position Not Showing

10.3 Trade P&L Looks Wrong

10.4 Signal Rejected

Quick Reference: Keyboard Shortcuts

Glossary