Futures trading lets you profit from both rising and falling prices, with leverage amplifying the results in both directions. Before using real money, understand the mechanics.
How futures work
You trade contracts on the price of an asset, not the asset itself. With 10x leverage and $100 margin, you control a $1,000 position. A 10% move against you liquidates your margin entirely.
Key terms
- Margin — the collateral you lock up to open a position
- Leverage — the multiplier (5x, 10x, 20x+). Higher leverage means higher risk
- Liquidation — forced close of your position when margin runs out
- Stop-loss — automatic close at a price you define to limit losses
- Take-profit — automatic close at a target price to lock in gains
- Isolated margin — risk is limited to that one position's collateral
- Cross margin — entire account balance is available as collateral
The demo account
Akunosai's futures demo account uses virtual funds but real market prices. There is no real capital at risk.
To open it: log in, go to the futures page, and switch to Demo mode in the top menu.
What to practice on demo
- Setting a stop-loss before every entry — make it a habit
- Testing different leverage levels: start at 3x, then 5x
- Calculating position size so risk per trade stays at 1-2% of balance
- Trading both directions: Long (price rises) and Short (price falls)
- Closing losing trades manually instead of waiting for liquidation
Only switch to a live account once you are consistently profitable on demo over several weeks.
Fees on Akunosai
- Maker (limit order): 0.02%
- Taker (market order): 0.06%
- Funding rate: settled every 8 hours on most contracts (see the contract details)
Also see: how to start trading, how to deposit and withdraw USDT.