quick background: -ive only been at trading seriously for 18 months -i started with 50k, got up to 160k, then down to 3k. IMO, though I haven't traded futures, my understanding of them is that they offer extreme leverage(similar to options without expiration). What I have traded - very agressively, are stock options. I have felt first-hand the kind of leverage options can give you and quadruple-digit returns yoy are the norm for people that know what they are doing.