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Making sense of the numbers

When Tendrill sends you an alert like “Your position is up +$6,600 (+3.4%)”, what do those numbers actually mean? This guide helps you understand how to read and interpret portfolio impact calculations.

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Anatomy of a portfolio impact alert

Example alert: “$NVDA just jumped 3.2% after earnings” Your position: +$6,600 (+3.4%)
  • +$6,600 = Dollar change in your value
  • +3.4% = Percentage change
Position details:
  • Shares owned: 50
  • Previous value: $194,100
  • Current value: $200,700

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Understanding each component

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Dollar change (+$6,600)

This is the absolute change in your position’s value:
  • Previous value: What your shares were worth before the move
  • Current value: What they’re worth now
  • Dollar change: Current - Previous = $6,600
The dollar change tells you the real-world impact on your wealth. A 3% move on a 1,000position(1,000 position (30) feels different than 3% on a 200,000position(200,000 position (6,000).

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Percentage change (+3.4%)

The percentage change shows the relative move:
  • Stock moved: 3.2%
  • Your position moved: 3.4%
Why might your position percentage differ from the stock’s move? A few reasons:
  • Cost basis differences affect gain/loss percentages
  • If you added shares at different prices
  • Rounding in the display

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Position vs. portfolio impact

Tendrill sometimes shows both: 
Position impact: +$6,600 (+3.4%)
Portfolio impact: +1.2% of total
MetricWhat It Shows
Position impactHow much that specific holding changed
Portfolio impactHow much your TOTAL portfolio changed because of this stock
Example:
  • NVDA is 35% of your portfolio
  • NVDA goes up 3.4%
  • Your portfolio goes up approximately 1.2% (35% × 3.4%)

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Reading different alert types

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Earnings alerts

AAPL earnings results: Stock reaction: +5.2% Your position: +$1,040 (+5.2%) Portfolio impact: +0.8% of total value You own 50 shares worth $21,040 (now) AAPL is 8% of your portfolio
How to interpret:
  • Apple went up 5.2% on earnings
  • Your Apple shares are worth $1,040 more
  • Your entire portfolio is up 0.8% just from this one stock

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Daily summary

Today’s portfolio: +$2,340 (+1.8%) Top contributors:
  • NVDA: +$1,200 (+2.7%)
  • AAPL: +$620 (+3.0%)
  • MSFT: +$380 (+1.9%)
Top detractor:
  • TSLA: -$180 (-2.9%)
How to interpret:
  • Your total portfolio gained $2,340
  • Most of that ($1,200) came from NVIDIA
  • Tesla partially offset gains with a loss

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Decline alerts

TSLA down 8% today Your position: -$992 (-8.0%) Portfolio impact: -0.9% of total You own 15 shares worth $11,408 (now) TSLA is 8.7% of your portfolio
How to interpret:
  • Tesla dropped 8%
  • You lost $992 in value on paper
  • Your overall portfolio is down less than 1% from this

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Common questions about portfolio impact

Not until you sell! These are “paper gains” or “paper losses.” If NVDA goes up 6,600todaybutdown6,600 today but down 6,600 tomorrow, and you didn’t sell, you’re back where you started. Real gains/losses happen when you actually sell shares.
Because you own other things too. If NVDA is 35% of your portfolio and drops 10%, your portfolio only drops about 3.5%. Diversification in action!
  • Change today: Movement since market open (or since yesterday’s close)
  • Total gain/loss: Movement since you bought the stock (your cost basis)
You might be up 500todaybutstilldown500 today but still down 2,000 overall if you bought at higher prices.
Different services calculate percentages slightly differently:
  • Time of price quote
  • Whether pre/after-market is included
  • How dividends are handled
Small differences are normal. The trend and direction matter more than exact decimals.

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Calculating your own impact

Want to verify Tendrill’s math? Here’s how:

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Position dollar change

Dollar Change = Shares × (Current Price - Previous Price)

Example:
50 shares × ($890 - $862) = 50 × $28 = $1,400

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Position percentage change

% Change = (Dollar Change / Previous Value) × 100

Example:
($1,400 / $43,100) × 100 = 3.25%

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Portfolio impact

Portfolio Impact = (Position Dollar Change / Total Portfolio Value) × 100

Example:
($1,400 / $131,200) × 100 = 1.07%

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Weight matters more than you think

Big position, small move

NVDA (35% of portfolio) up 1% = Portfolio up 0.35%

Small position, big move

TSLA (5% of portfolio) up 10% = Portfolio up 0.5%
The math: Position weight × Move = Portfolio impact This is why concentration risk matters. A 35% position can move your whole portfolio significantly, even on small percentage moves.

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Tips for interpreting alerts

Focus on dollars for large positions

A 2% move on 100,000(100,000 (2,000) matters more than 10% on 1,000(1,000 (100)

Focus on percentages for comparisons

Is 8% normal for this stock? Check historical volatility

Consider your time horizon

Daily swings matter less if you’re investing for 20 years

Watch portfolio impact, not just position

A 15% drop in a 2% position barely dents your portfolio

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Next steps

Allocation Analysis

Understand your sector and position weights

Understanding News Context

How Tendrill summarizes market events