NEW LOTTERY: THE HUMAN COST OF F&O TRADE
Mint Mumbai|November 07, 2023
Influenced by experts’, retail traders are flocking to derivatives trading. Most lose their money
Aprajita Sharma & Jash Kriplani
NEW LOTTERY: THE HUMAN COST OF F&O TRADE

Mohit Mehta, a 32-year-old dentist in Mumbai, had been trading in the stock market since 2018. After incurring losses of nearly ₹4 lakh, he was left with just ₹20,000-30,000 in his trading account in March 2020, when the covid-19 pandemic surfaced in India. Being a medical professional, he could sense its severity.

“I knew a lockdown was coming, in line with other countries. I decided to bet on the stock market falling as a last lottery ticket to recover my losses," Mehta recollects. “I bought put options expecting the markets to fall."

In trading lingo, put options represent a bearish outlook while call options imply a bullish view of the market or a stock.

That’s exactly what happened. Not only did Mehta recover his losses but he also made a profit.

And then, he kept dabbling in futures and options (F&Os) in the following months. Amused by an expert who would often appear on television channels, he subscribed for his premium services. “Initially, all was good. But after two-three months, in 2021, his calls started going wrong. Whatever he would tell us to buy in the morning would fall by afternoon. I sensed a pattern," Mehta recollects.

“After the market went on a downtrend, his language changed. He would tell us to hold on to his recommended stocks. My portfolio was already down 40%. I booked losses and invested the remaining money in Nifty Next 50 Junior BeES (an index fund)," he says.

Mehta broke down before his parents. “I had never taken a penny from them after I graduated. I had lost all my confidence."

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 07, 2023 من Mint Mumbai.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 07, 2023 من Mint Mumbai.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

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