I noticed that newcomers often mix up three completely different things:

a regular stock,

bStock,

and perpetual futures on the asset’s price.

On a chart, they can look similar.

But the mechanics are completely different.

Let’s imagine I want exposure to NVIDIA.

Option 1 — a regular stock

I buy the stock through a traditional broker.

This is direct ownership of the stock, according to the structure of the brokerage account and the laws.

Option 2 — bStock

I buy the corresponding bStock via crypto infrastructure.

For me, this is a convenient way to get price exposure to a traditional asset using the familiar Binance environment.

But this does not mean that I own a regular NVIDIA stock and receive all the shareholder rights.

Option 3 — perpetual futures

Here, the situation is already completely different.

I trade a derivative that tracks the price of the underlying asset.

You can use leverage, but along with the potential to increase profits, the risk of losses also increases.

And here I’ve formulated a simple rule for myself:

You can’t choose an instrument based on the asset name alone.

First, I ask myself:

What exactly am I trying to get?

Long-term exposure?

24/7 trading?

Leverage?

Or just diversify my crypto portfolio?