Top 5 Features Every Custom Algo Trading Dashboard Needs

Vikram had a problem. His algo was making money of ₹40K-60K monthly on a ₹85 lakh portfolio. The strategy worked. The execution was solid. But he had no idea WHY. When I asked him, "Which market conditions favor your edge?" he couldn't answer.

His custom algotrading software was a black box. Then one morning in March 2024, his algo lost ₹3.2 lakhs in 90 minutes. The logs showed orders executed, but not the context. That's when he realized: Automation without visibility is just gambling with code.

The Dashboard Problem Most Traders Ignore

Here's what most traders do: Build strategy > Code execution > Deploy and hope > Panic when wrong. The dashboard gets treated as an afterthought. Let me be clear: A dashboard isn't a nice-to-have. It's the difference between running a professional trading operation and playing roulette with Python.

Feature 1: Real-Time Position and P&L Tracking

Most dashboards just show current positions and today's P&L. Professional dashboards need Position-Level Detail (Entry price, unrealized P&L, Time in trade), Multi-Account Aggregation (Individual and aggregate P&L across accounts), and Context (Returns relative to capital, not just absolute numbers).

"Meera: "My old dashboard showed total P&L, but I couldn't see that Account B was down ₹80K while Account A was up ₹95K. That imbalance was a warning sign I missed. Now I track per-account metrics in real-time.""

Feature 2: Strategy Performance Analytics (Not Just P&L)

Your algo made money. Great. but why? The metrics that actually matter are Win Rate (relative to risk-reward), Sharpe Ratio, Maximum Drawdown, and Market Regime Analysis (Do you bleed in choppy markets?).

Rohan discovered his strategy had a 72% win rate in low-VIX but only 45% when VIX > 18. Insight came from analytics, not gut feel.

Feature 3: Risk Monitoring and Circuit Breakers (Your Safety Net)

Priya's algo bug doubled position size on losses. She lost ₹1.2 lakhs before noticing. Essential metrics: Current Exposure, Daily Loss Tracking, Position Concentration, Consecutive Loss Counter, and Margin Utilization. Your dashboard should YELL when thresholds breach.

Feature 4: Execution Quality Monitoring (Speed Matters)

Your strategy says buy at ₹100. Execution at ₹100.35. That ₹0.35 slippage adds up. Track Order-to-Execution Latency, Slippage Analysis, and Fill Rates. Compare broker performance if using multiple brokers.

Feature 5: Historical Strategy Review and Backtesting Validation

Is your live performance matching your backtest? Dashboard should show Backtest vs. Live Comparison, Regime Detection (Is current volatility outside backtest range?), and Strategy Degradation Alerts (Is win rate declining over time?).

Bonus Feature: Broker Health Monitoring

If your broker is slow, your edge suffers. Monitor API Response Times, Connection Status, Rate Limit Consumption, and API Error Rates.

Dashboard Design: Clarity Over Clutter

The 30-Second Health Check: Instantly see Algo status, P&L, Open positions, Risk metrics, and Connection health. Everything else should be a click away.

Mobile Accessibility

You're not always at your desk. Mobile dashboards need fast load times, critical metrics, and one-tap emergency controls. Rohan paused his algo from a movie theater when VIX spiked.

The Arkalogi Dashboard Philosophy

Your Next Move

If your custom algo trading software is trading blind, you're one bad day away from disaster. Show us your current setup, and we'll recommend what visibility you actually need. 1,800+ strategies delivered with dashboards integrated from day one.