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Event contracts vs futures

How fixed-payout event contracts differ from perpetual futures — and when each makes sense.

Event contracts

An event contract pays a fixed amount if a specific outcome happens — it settles to yes or no. Your risk is capped at what you paid to enter.

Perpetual futures

A perpetual tracks a continuous price and moves up or down with it. Gains and losses scale with how far the price moves and how much leverage you used.

Choosing

Use event contracts for defined yes/no questions with capped risk; use perpetuals for continuous price exposure in either direction.

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Demo clone — this guide is original placeholder content, not Kalshi's, and is not financial advice. Trading perpetual futures involves risk, including the loss of collateral.