India's options trading boom hides billions of losses for retail traders

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If you dont make money in three months, I will give you 2 million rupees [$24,000], he declares to cheers from the adoring crowd in a scene thats still playing on YouTube...

With half a million social media followers, hes pushing an especially risky strategy: trading stock options, often as all-or-nothing bets on future share prices...

His agency, the Securities and Exchange Board of India, known as Sebi, says 90% of active retail traders lose money trading options and other derivative contracts..

But promoters can offer education, a gray area they have exploited to great effect as they often make recommendations in private Telegram or WhatsApp groups that regulators struggle to police.. Many popular influencers charge fees for courses that range from $4 for a single introductory session to several thousand for a five- to six-month trading course..

Reeta Shah, a 57-year-old retired accountant in the audience, says she initially lost money when she started trading several years ago but is now making a profit..

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