F&O 'Side Income' Dream: 93% Lose Real Money
F&O trading is sold online as easy side income, but SEBI data shows 93% of retail traders lose money. Here's what's really happening to your savings when you trade options.
The average F&O loser loses ₹1.1 lakh/year — that's 11,000 cups of chai gone.
Only 7 in 100 traders actually profit — are you in the other 93?
Key Takeaways
Check your actual P&L on your broker app across 12 months — not just your best trades — before calling it 'income'.
Avoid any YouTube/Instagram course promising F&O income; SEBI-registered advisors are legally required to show past performance disclosures.
If you must explore trading, limit it to a fixed 'entertainment budget' of under 2% of savings — money you can afford to lose entirely.
F&O trading is sold online as easy side income, but SEBI data shows 93% of retail traders lose money. Here's what's really happening to your savings when you trade options.
Here's what happened: SEBI's 2024 study found 93% of individual F&O traders lost money, with average losses of ₹1.1 lakh per year per trader.. Social media is flooded with 'profit screenshot' reels that hide thousands of losing trades — only wins get posted publicly.. Options trading triggers dopamine hits similar to gambling, making it psychologically addictive even when your account is bleeding..
What you should do: Check your actual P&L on your broker app across 12 months — not just your best trades — before calling it 'income'.. Avoid any YouTube/Instagram course promising F&O income; SEBI-registered advisors are legally required to show past performance disclosures.. If you must explore trading, limit it to a fixed 'entertainment budget' of under 2% of savings — money you can afford to lose entirely..
Pro tip: F&O profits are taxed as business income at your slab rate (up to 30%), plus you must file ITR-3 — most 'side income' traders forget this and get a tax notice.
Explore Safer Investment Options
Open GoCredit App →References
- [1]
This article is reported by GoCredit's Editorial Team based on the source above. GoCredit synthesises, contextualises, and adds India-borrower-relevant analysis. We are not the original publisher.