Risk disclosure

Market risk

Shares, bonds, funds, commodities and digital assets can fall in value, sometimes by a large amount and for a long time. Past prices are not a baseline. Diversification reduces the damage from one holding and does not remove a broad decline.

Leverage, CFDs, futures, options and forex

Leveraged products multiply losses as well as gains. CFDs are contracts with a provider and can be closed out. Futures require margin that can exceed the cash you first posted. Options buyers can lose the premium; options sellers can lose more. Retail forex is usually a leveraged contract, not a seat in the interbank market. A regulatory cap on leverage is not a statement that the product is suitable.

Cryptoassets and prediction markets

Cryptoassets can become illiquid or worthless, and an exchange can fail or halt withdrawals. Registration of a firm is not cover against a price fall. Event contracts can expire at zero and can resolve on wording you did not read. They may also be unlawful where you live.

Private markets and other alternatives

Private equity, private credit, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer loans, infrastructure, hedge funds and collectibles can be illiquid, complex and hard to value. Capital can be locked. A missing daily price is not stability. Lending products can lose money when borrowers or platforms fail. They are not deposits.

Counterparty, custody and currency

A firm can fail. Client-money and compensation rules, where they exist, have limits and exclusions and do not cover market losses. Assets held in another currency move when that currency moves. Tax treatment depends on your circumstances and can erase a gain that looked real before the filing.