11 strategie di trading sui futures per migliorare la tua posizione sul mercato

At its core, futures trading involves agreements to buy or sell an asset at a predetermined price on a future date. 

In traditional finance (TradFi), futures typically follow standardized contract specifications. But in decentralized finance (DeFi), crypto futures often take the form of perpetual swaps with 24/7 access, greater flexibility as well as some unique risks

Popular for: Beginner traders 

For those new to futures trading, directional trading can serve as a more accessible entry point. Simply put, this strategy involves predicting if an asset’s price will rise or fall and then trading based on that expectation.

When trading futures, traders can take either a long or a short position. Traders anticipating a price increase would take a long position to profit from the upward move, while traders who think a decline in price is coming would open a short position to benefit as the price falls. This fundamental concept of long and short trades serves as the basis for many advanced trading strategies.

Example of directional trading:

• A trader believes the price of Ethereum (ETF) futures will increase over the next week, so they open a long position with the expectation of selling the asset at a higher price in the future.

• If the price of ETF futures rises, the trader could close their position for a profit. 

• If another trader anticipates a market downturn for that specific asset, they might open a short position and buy back the futures at a lower price after the anticipated decline.

It’s also important to note that this strategy isn’t perfect. Directional trading can be vulnerable to sudden shifts in market sentiment or unexpected price reversals, which can occur rapidly in the dynamic futures market. 

Successfully employing a directional strategy often requires a strong belief in the anticipated price movement and a willingness to adjust quickly if market conditions diverge from expectations.

Popular for: Beginner traders

As its name suggests, trend following involves identifying and participating in the direction of the dominant market trend, whether it's showing bullish or bearish movement. 

Traders using this strategy typically seek to enter a position once a clear trend has been established, and then hold that position until there are signals that the trend is losing strength or potentially reversing. Once a trend is clearly defined, the decision-making process can become more straightforward, as the strategy often involves adhering to a set of rules for entry and exit based on trend indicators.

Popular for: Intermediate traders

Investors participating in momentum trading look for signs that the market is trending in a certain direction, then enter positions early to capitalize on the move.

This could look like increased trading volume or sharp changes in price velocity. The goal is to enter a position once momentum is confirmed and exit before it slows.

Some traders will most commonly use this approach in trending markets where prices move decisively in one direction. Momentum traders rely on quick execution and often use shorter timeframes to take advantage of short-term bursts in volatility.

Popular for: Intermediate traders

Traders using mean reversion strategies look for assets that have moved significantly from their recent average, anticipating that prices will eventually snap back. This approach assumes that extreme price swings tend to correct over time, creating trading opportunities when assets appear overbought or oversold.

This strategy is most common in range-bound markets, where prices tend to bounce between support and resistance levels. This futures trading strategy often uses technical analysis tools, such as Bollinger Bands, to help time entries and exits.

Example of mean reversion:

• A trader notices that Dogecoin (DOGE) futures have spiked far above their 20-day moving average, pushing against the upper edge of the Bollinger Band. They anticipate a pullback and open a short position, expecting the price to return toward the average.
• If the price does revert to the mean, they can close the position for a profit once it nears the moving average.
• If the price keeps climbing, it may signal a stronger trend forming — something that mean reversion strategies aren’t built to capture. Because of this, traders may choose to set tight stop-losses in order to limit risk when the market doesn’t behave as expected.

While valuable in range-bound markets, the mean reversion strategy can lose reliability in trending markets where the “mean” itself may be shifting. It also requires careful asset and timeframe selection, since misjudging the reversion point can lead to early or mistimed entries.

Popular for: Intermediate traders

In breakout trading, investors monitor assets that are consolidating within a range and prepare to act when the price moves decisively above resistance or below support. The goal of breakout trading is to catch the start of a new trend as momentum builds beyond these key levels.

A breakout above resistance may signal bullish momentum, while a breakout below support might point to a new downtrend. When it comes to breakout trading, volume is key, as a surge in volume often helps confirm that the move has strength behind it.

Breakout setups are usually planned by mapping out support and resistance levels, watching for confirmation and acting quickly when the breakout happens. If traders enter too late, the price may already be overextended. Enter too early, and the price could briefly move past a certain level only to reverse.

Popular for: Intermediate traders

Instead of entering as soon as a breakout occurs, pullback trading involves waiting for a temporary move against the trend (a “pullback”) before jumping in. The goal is to get a more favorable entry price while aligning with the broader trend direction.

This strategy is often used in traditional and DeFi markets by traders who prefer entering positions with more favorable risk-reward ratios. By entering after a retracement, traders can set tighter stop-losses and give the trade more room to continue to keep open. 

Example of pullback trading:

• A trader sees that Tron (TRX) futures are in a clear uptrend. Instead of entering during a breakout, they wait for the price to pull back to a support zone — such as the 20-day moving average — before opening a long position.
• If the TRX futures price resumes its upward move, they’ve entered at a lower price and potentially reduced risk.
• If the price continues falling, it may indicate the trend is weakening or reversing.

As with any investment, timing matters. A pullback that never comes means missing the move entirely, while a deeper pullback could signal the trend is breaking down. To help manage risk, traders often use stop-losses just below recent swing lows or support levels.

Popular for: Intermediate traders

Scaling in futures trading involves adjusting position size over time — either gradually entering a trade (scaling in) or exiting in parts (scaling out). It’s often used with other futures trading strategies to help reduce risk exposure or keep emotions like FOMO or FUD in check during volatile market conditions. 

Traders may also use scaling down, which involves reducing position size as the price moves unfavorably, often to manage risk. This approach can help smooth out entries and exits. 

Instead of going all in at once, scaling in allows traders to average into a better price, especially if the market is still finding direction. On the way out, scaling can help lock in gains while keeping some exposure in case the trend continues.

Example of scaling:

• A trader expects a breakout in Cardano (ADA) futures, but they are not sure if the initial push will hold. They buy a small position on the first breakout, then add more as volume builds and the trend confirms.
• If the trade works out, scaling in gives them a better average entry and greater exposure to the full move. If the price reverses early, their smaller initial position limits the downside.
• Later, they might scale out gradually, taking partial profits as the price climbs and reducing risk.

While scaling can improve flexibility, it also means executing more trades, which may increase fees. Without a defined plan, it can lead to overexposure or dilute potential gains.

Popular for: Intermediate traders

Some investors use hedging as a risk management strategy to protect existing positions from adverse price movements. In futures trading, this means opening a directionally opposite short position to reduce the potential impact of price decreases of assets bought and held in the spot market. 

The goal of hedging isn’t to generate profit from the hedge itself, but to minimize losses if the market moves against the original position.

This strategy is common in both traditional finance and crypto, and investors or businesses with long-term exposure often use it to guard against short-term price swings.

Example of hedging:

• In crypto, a trader that is holding Pepe (PEPE) in the spot market might open a short PEPE futures position to hedge against a potential downturn.
• If PEPE drops, losses in the spot holdings are partially or fully offset by gains in the short futures position.
• If PEPE rises instead, the hedge losses in value by nearly an equivalent amount as the increase in value of the spot market price.

Hedging can offer peace of mind, but can also reduce potential upside if the market moves in a favorable direction. Hedging can also introduce added costs, such as fees or margin requirements, and may require active monitoring to be most effective.

Popular for: Advanced traders

Day traders open and close futures positions within the same day, aiming to capitalize on small, fast price movements or irregularities. While this is considered a trading style rather than a single strategy, some investors find that it incorporates well with approaches like trend following, mean reversion or momentum trading, just on much shorter timeframes.

Popular for: Advanced traders

Traders using spread strategies open two positions at once, buying one futures contract while selling another related one. Rather than investing in a single asset’s price direction, they look to profit from changes in the price difference (or spread) between the two. 

This approach helps reduce exposure to broad market swings, since both sides of the trade often move with the general trend.

There are a few common types of spreads: 

• Calendar spreads involve contracts on the same asset with different expiration dates.
• Intermarket spreads use related assets (like BTC and ETH).
• Arbitrage spreads attempt to profit from price inconsistencies between platforms or markets. These strategies are typically used in more advanced portfolios and require a strong grasp of how markets interact.

Example of spread trading:

• A trader expects the price difference between near-month and next-month Chainlink (LINK) futures to narrow. They sell the near-month contract and buy the next-month contract, anticipating that the spread between the two will shrink.
• If the spread tightens as expected, the trader profits from the relative move, regardless of whether LINK goes up or down.
• If the spread widens instead, the trader may take a loss even if the broader market moves in their favor.

This futures strategy depends less on price direction and more on the relationship between two positions. Because spread trades often involve smaller price movements, the profit per trade is typically lower. Success requires a nuanced understanding of correlations, timing and contract mechanics.

Popular for: Advanced traders

Popular with advanced traders, scalping involves quickly opening and closing positions to capture many small profits from tiny price moves throughout the day. Trades are held for seconds or minutes — rather than weeks or months — and positions are often opened and closed in rapid succession. Because of this, scalpers rely on high liquidity, low fees and tight bid-ask spreads to operate effectively.

This strategy is less about predicting big moves and more about precision execution. It’s often used on very short timeframes and may involve techniques like momentum bursts, breakout confirmation or quick countertrend fades. Scalping is fast-paced and requires intense focus, strict risk controls, and real-time decision-making.

A solid futures trading system can help investors navigate fast-moving markets with more structure and greater clarity. It’s important to build this  plan around personal trading goals and risk tolerance to help achieve positive results in the futures market. 

Trading futures involves navigating several operational risks that can impact investment results. These include execution challenges like slippage, the dangers of leveraged positions leading to margin calls or liquidation and potential issues related to the reliability of trading platforms, whether centralized or decentralized. 

Understanding these risks before placing trades can help manage exposure and protect capital:

• Slippage and liquidity: In fast-moving markets or low-liquidity environments, traders may not get the exact price they expect when entering or exiting a position. This difference, called slippage, can eat into profits or amplify losses.
• Margin calls/liquidation risk: Futures trading often involves leverage. If the market moves against a trader’s position and their account balance falls below the required margin level, they could face a margin call, or worse, automatic liquidation.
• Exchange reliability or protocol risk (for DeFi): Centralized exchanges can experience downtime, while decentralized platforms carry smart contract and counterparty risks. Investors should always consider where they're trading and what protections are in place.

A strong mindset is just as important as any chart or strategy. Futures markets can be fast and unforgiving, and emotions like fear or greed can derail even the most well-researched plan.

• Patience and discipline: Promising setups don’t appear every hour. Waiting for the right entry and following through with any pre-established trade rules often separates experienced traders from impulsive ones.
• Be open to learning: Market conditions shift. A strategy that worked last month may not perform the same way today. The most consistent traders stay curious and adapt as they go.
• Set realistic expectations: Futures trading isn’t a shortcut to overnight success. It’s a skillset that develops over time with both wins and setbacks along the way.

Once traders understand the risks and have the right mindset, it’s time to structure a personalized approach. A well-documented strategy makes it easier to stay consistent and evaluate performance over time.

• Define the strategy: Be specific about the conditions that trigger an entry or exit, whether it’s a breakout, moving average cross or support level bounce.
• Risk parameters: Use pre-defined stop-loss and take-profit levels to protect your capital and avoid emotional decisions.
• Capital allocation: Traders should decide how much of their overall portfolio they’re willing to risk on each trade. 
• Performance tracking: Keep a trading journal. Logging trades, including the reasoning behind them and how they played out, can reveal patterns that help traders improve over time.

Understanding different futures trading strategies is just the beginning. Kraken makes it easy to explore crypto futures with a secure platform and tools designed to support traders at every level. 

Ready to dive deeper? Your futures journey starts here.

There’s no one-size-fits-all strategy, but many beginners start with directional trading or trend following. These approaches are easier to grasp conceptually and can help new traders build familiarity with technical indicators and market timing.

As traders gain experience, they may explore more nuanced methods like mean reversion or scaling. Traders can learn more about the basics of crypto futures and how to apply strategies by visiting the Kraken Learn Center.

The funding needed depends on the contract size, leverage used and personal risk limits. Some traders use a few hundred dollars to get started, while others commit more capital depending on the strategy.

Yes, in many jurisdictions, futures trading gains are considered taxable events. The rules can vary depending on location, how long traders hold their positions and the type of futures traded.