Direct answer: what you calculate “from a forex PDF”
To calculate pips from a forex PDF, you need two prices from the PDF (an entry/start price and an exit/end price) and the instrument’s pip size (the smallest standard pip step for that pair as used by your data source).
Once you have those, the core computation is:
Pips = (Price2 − Price1) ÷ Pip Size
The sign (+ or −) depends on whether the second price is higher or lower than the first.
How the calculation works (pips vs. points)
Pip: a standardized unit used to express forex price movement. In practice, it is tied to a pip size that depends on how the pair is quoted and how many decimal places the quote uses.
Point: a smaller unit sometimes used to describe the last digit movement of a quoted price. Different platforms may display “points” differently, so for a PDF-based calculation you should treat pip size as the key bridge between your PDF’s decimal formatting and pip units.
Step-by-step (inputs from your PDF)
- Identify the quoted currency pair and its decimal format as shown in the PDF (for example, how many digits after the decimal are displayed).
- Determine the pip size used for that pair in your dataset (often consistent within one broker/platform PDF).
- Pick two prices from the PDF that you want to measure: Price1 and Price2.
- Apply: (Price2 − Price1) ÷ Pip Size.
Common pip-size assumption to verify
A frequent real-world convention is:
- If the quoted price is typically shown with four decimals, the pip size is often 0.0001.
- If it is shown with two decimals, the pip size is often 0.01.
However, PDF exports can vary by instrument and data provider, so you should verify the pip size that matches the display/contract details shown in your PDF or by the PDF’s stated conventions.
Example and quick checks
Assume a PDF shows a pair where the pip size you are using is 0.0001.
- Price1 = 1.2345
- Price2 = 1.2390
Pips = (1.2390 − 1.2345) ÷ 0.0001 = 0.0045 ÷ 0.0001 = 45 pips.
Quick checks you can apply:
- If Price2 equals Price1, the result must be 0 pips.
- If you swap the prices, the pip magnitude should match but the sign flips.
- Rounding: pips are typically reported to a whole number in simple calculations, but keep more decimals during calculation and round only at the end to avoid digit errors.
Relevant limitations and risks
- Pip size can differ: Different PDFs (or different instruments within a PDF) may use different decimal conventions, pip definitions, or formatting. If the pip size is wrong, the pip result will be wrong.
- Quote direction and sign: Without defining whether you measure “from entry to exit,” you may misread the sign.
- No guarantee of matching platform reports: Even with correct math, your computed pips may not exactly match a PDF’s own calculations if the PDF uses a different convention for pip size, rounding, or contract specifications.
- Avoid assuming real-time accuracy: This method computes pips from the static prices shown in the PDF; it does not predict future moves.
If you want, paste (1) the pair name and (2) two example prices exactly as shown in the PDF, and tell me the pip size convention your PDF uses; then the arithmetic can be verified using the same formula above.