Start with the strategy
Before comparing returns, understand what the trader does. A short-term leveraged strategy behaves differently from a spot accumulation strategy. Look for the assets traded, typical holding period, position sizes and use of leverage.
Choose a strategy you can explain without repeating its marketing description. If the record is mostly one successful bet, treat it as one successful bet rather than evidence of a repeatable process.
Compare the same measurement
Check the start and end dates, whether returns include open positions, and whether fees are included. Realized profit alone can look attractive while a large losing position remains open. Deposits and withdrawals also make raw balance growth a poor return measure.
For example, an account increasing from $1,000 to $1,500 after a $500 deposit has not earned 50%. A useful performance record separates trading profit from money added to the account. If a metric is unavailable, do not silently assume the most favorable interpretation.
Look at losses as carefully as wins
Drawdown is the decline from a prior equity peak. A 40% loss requires a gain of about 66.7% to recover. A strategy’s strongest month tells you little about whether you could stay with it through that decline.
Review consecutive losses, concentration and the size of its worst trades. A high win rate can coexist with poor returns when occasional losses outweigh many small gains. Longer history across different conditions provides more context than a short winning streak.
Evaluate it in your own account
Start with a deliberate allocation and review your copied fills. Smaller account sizes, minimum order sizes and execution costs can change results. Several leaders trading the same asset can create one large combined position.
In TRUE, use the published marketplace record as a starting point, then monitor the trades that reach your own account. Decide in advance what would make you reduce the allocation or stop following: a strategy change, excessive concentration or behavior you no longer understand.