← Futures · lesson 10 of 12
By the end of this one you'll know the real published loss rates for beginner futures traders, and the three quiet leaks, leverage, fees, and revenge trades, that cause most of it.
In parts of the world, regulators make brokers print right on the website what share of their customers lose money, and the number usually lands between 70 and 85 out of every 100. I want to talk about why, with zero shame in the room, because it's not about being dumb, it's about structure. First leak: leverage, which means borrowed buying power, turns a totally normal price wiggle into a huge hit, so beginners get knocked down by weather that experienced folks just stand in. Second leak: every single trade pays a fee, so trading a lot is hauling water in a leaky bucket, and busy fingers drain it faster than bad luck ever could. Third leak: after a loss, people bet bigger to win it back, same as a first-year farmer betting the whole barn on one late-season crop, and that's how a bad Tuesday becomes a lost account. None of these leaks care how smart you are, which is exactly why knowing about them matters more than being clever.
Same lesson, told by a hundred dollar bill. Tap to walk it one step at a time.
In this example, a beginner has $100, uses 20x leverage, and pays about 0.
05% of the position in fees each way.
Every trade is a $2,000 position, so fees run about $1 in and $1 out, $2 per round trip.
Ten trades a week is $20 in fees, a fifth of the whole account gone weekly, before counting a single win or loss.
Even a perfect coin flip record loses money through that hole.
The neighborhood dads' group chat lights up on a Tuesday night. One guy posts a screenshot of a $40 win on a futures app, and within an hour three others say they're downloading it tonight. Your phone keeps buzzing on the nightstand.
Pick your move. Then peek at the other roads if you're curious.
The published numbers say 70 to 85 of every 100 beginners lose at this, not because they're dumb, but because leverage, fees, and revenge trades leak money no matter how smart you are.