SEBI Study Finds Nearly 90% of F&O Traders Ended FY26 in Losses
What Happened
SEBI's latest study found that 87.7% of individual F&O traders lost money in FY26, with cumulative losses of ₹91,685 crore. While retail participation cooled, with active traders declining 18% and new entrants dropping 40%, options trading remained the biggest source of losses, accounting for 92% of total losses.
Key Takeaways
Even as fewer people traded F&O, the odds remained heavily stacked against retail investors, reinforcing concerns that speculative options trading continues to erode household wealth.