Futures trading originated from futures contract trading, which, in turn, evolved from spot forward trading. As early as ancient Greek and Roman times, there were central trading places, bulk commodity trading, and trading activities with futures trading characteristics. Spot forward trading involves verbal commitments between two parties to deliver a certain quantity of goods at a specified time. As the range of trades expanded, these verbal commitments were gradually replaced by sale and purchase agreements, giving rise to the term "futures contracts."
As these futures transactions became more complex, intermediaries were needed to ensure the timely delivery and payment between buyers and sellers. Consequently, the world's first commodity forward contract exchange, the Royal Exchange, was established in London in 1571, and the first modern futures exchange was founded in Chicago, USA, in 1848.
To adapt to the continuous development of the commodity economy and improve transportation and storage conditions, in 1848, 82 merchants organized the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). In 1851, CBOT introduced forward contracts, and in 1865, the Chicago Grain Exchange introduced a standardized agreement called "futures contracts," replacing the previously used forward contracts. These standardized contracts allowed for the transfer of contracts between parties and gradually improved the margin system. As a result, a futures market specialized in trading standardized contracts was formed, and futures became an investment and wealth management tool for investors.
Although contracts have been around for over 100 years, cryptocurrency futures trading only started to develop around 2013. Since then, many exchanges have shown interest in cryptocurrency futures. However, the types of futures traded back then were not perpetual futures as we see on MEXC today. Instead, they were the predecessors of perpetual futures: settlement contracts.
Settlement futures are futures contracts in which both parties agree to buy and sell at the agreed upon price on a specified date, known as the settlement date. These contracts are digital currency contracts that utilize USDT as the pricing and settlement unit, and they involve settlement on a fixed date. The contract price is determined entirely by market mechanisms, and the PNL is calculated using the last price, rather than the index price.
Perpetual futures are an innovative type of futures contract that falls under the category of financial derivatives in the cryptocurrency market. Unlike traditional contracts, perpetual futures do not have expiration or delivery dates and can be held indefinitely, hence the name "perpetual futures." On MEXC, perpetual futures can be denominated and settled in either USDT or the respective digital currency.
Perpetual futures have significant differences from settlement futures in terms of trading regulations.
The most significant difference in design mechanism between perpetual futures and settlement futures is the absence of a settlement date in perpetual futures. Unlike settlement futures, perpetual futures do not have an expiration date for settlement, allowing traders to hold them indefinitely as long as the contract is not liquidated.
Delivery futures have clear expiration and settlement dates. For example, traders can trade a June contract after the previous contract expires in March, and trade a September contract after the previous contract expires in June. On the expiration date, the contract trading stops. After the settlement is completed on the settlement date, the contract becomes worthless.
Many exchanges employ the socialized loss rule for settlement futures. In cases of significant market fluctuations that lead to certain futures users being unable to close their positions in time and experiencing bankruptcies, where their margin cannot cover the losses, all profitable users must share the losses incurred by the bankrupt users.
Perpetual futures utilize an auto-deleveraging (ADL) system (please refer to theserelevant MEXC Learn articlesfor more detailed information) to automatically reduce positions and mitigate market risks, thereby eliminating the necessity for socialized loss scenarios. MEXCers can close their positions and withdraw the profits at any time after opening the positions.
In 2022, MEXC witnessed an astounding 1,200% growth in its perpetual futures trading volume, ranking among the top ten globally in terms of daily trading volume. At the same time, MEXC was ranked Top 1 in terms of liquidity for perpetual futures among other exchanges.
The auto-deleveraging mechanism safeguards traders' interests by implementing a complete deleveraging mechanism instead of a risk-sharing mechanism. This approach ensures that forced liquidation losses are borne accordingly, effectively protecting traders from significant losses arising from high-risk speculators.
Adjustable leverage of up to 200x: On MEXC, perpetual futures trading offers a maximum leverage of up to 200x (e.g., BTC/USDT perpetual future). Traders have the flexibility to adjust the leverage after opening positions based on their needs, providing a risk-adjustable platform while ensuring the best trading experience for users.
Risk Warning: Trading entails risks, and investment should be approached with caution. This content does not constitute investment advice. Please make your investment decisions based on your individual investment goals, financial situation, and risk tolerance.