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    Perpetuals on Padre Terminal: Leverage With a Plan

    Padre Research
    February 26, 2026
    4 min read

    Perpetuals let you express a directional view with leverage and, crucially, trade the downside. Used carelessly they end accounts. Used with defined risk they are a genuinely useful complement to spot trading.

    Why traders use perps

    Perps allow shorting, capital efficiency and hedging. If you hold a spot bag you are unwilling to sell, a short perp position can neutralise exposure through a drawdown without triggering a spot exit.

    Leverage is position sizing

    Leverage is not a conviction dial. Decide the maximum you are willing to lose on the trade first, then let that determine size and leverage — never the other way around.

    Funding and liquidation

    Funding accrues against crowded positions and quietly erodes returns on long holds. Liquidation price should always be far outside the range where your thesis is still valid.

    Combining perps with spot

    The strongest use of perps for memecoin traders is hedging rather than speculating. Keep leverage low, hold for shorter durations, and treat any perp position as time-limited.

    Perps sit alongside spot trading — see the full product on the Padre Terminal platform.

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