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Context is everything.
Detailed stories on technology startups, business and economic current affairs.
Detailed stories on technology startups, business and economic current affairs.
The markets regulator has taken little by way of decisive action, with industry resistance and its own wait-and-watch approach getting in the way.
Equity derivatives, particularly the options segment, continue to take a heavy toll on retail investors. They lost Rs 91,685 crore in FY26, with 87.7% of them ending up in the red. The average loss per trader also rose 2% to Rs 1.17 lakh, according to SEBI’s August 2026 study. This was despite a decline in the number of individual derivatives traders from 106.2 lakh in FY25 to 87.5 lakh. Participation may have fallen, but the financial damage remains staggering.
And the damage does not stop with traders’ accounts. As we wrote in The hidden cost of India’s derivatives obsession: …
A market dominated by speculative activity is enriching sophisticated traders at the expense of retail investors, distorting exchanges and brokerages, and putting household savings at risk.
Lenders stand to gain a lot more than borrowers in the current challenging market environment
A dismal track record in portfolio management services doesn’t help the firm as it takes its first steps in a crowded industry dominated by some heavyweights.
