05 · Crypto Perpetuals
Crypto derivatives are the world's hottest — and most brutal — casino: 24/7 trading, 100x leverage, funding rates, wick-hunt liquidations... This chapter explains the mechanics and risks of perpetual swaps, funding rates, and the wider zoo of crypto derivatives (options, leveraged tokens, dual investment, on-chain contracts). Perpetual swaps carry extreme risk — read the margin and liquidation sections of 03-Futures first, then come back here.
Suggested Learning Path
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① 01-Perpetual Swaps (understand the contract mechanics and how the liquidation price is calculated)
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② 02-Funding Rates (understand why the perpetual price hugs the spot price)
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③ 03-Crypto Derivatives (meet each advanced product one by one, and dodge each trap one by one)
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④ 04-Perpetual Trading in Practice & Risk Control (pass the 8-question checklist before opening any position; review blow-ups with the template afterwards)- Read the futures chapter before this one: a perpetual swap is essentially "a futures contract that never settles" — the principles of leverage, margin, and liquidation are identical to futures. Without the foundation of 02-Futures, the liquidation-price formulas and position management in this chapter have nowhere to stand.
- Crypto contracts trade 24/7 with no price limits and no circuit breakers, and leverage can exceed 100x — volatility moves far faster than in traditional futures.
- Every article carries a "⚠️ Risk Warning" box. Read the risk box before the body text.
If 01-Getting Started is like learning to drive, crypto perpetuals are a supercar on a straight race track: stomping the accelerator feels great, but when the brakes fail there is no runoff zone to save you.
Conventions
- All rates, contract sizes, leverage tiers, settlement times, and similar data in this chapter are general teaching values; always defer to the latest rules of Binance, OKX, and other exchanges.
- Every section covering leverage and derivatives contains a "⚠️ Risk Warning" box.
- Prices in the examples only illustrate the calculations and are not trading advice of any kind.