Why Does My Futures Balance Decrease Even Though the Trade is Positive? (The Cost Effect)

In Futures, something happens that often confuses many: you can close trades with a positive PNL, yet your total balance still decreases.
This occurs when the gross profits from the trade are less than the associated costs, resulting in a negative net PNL.

In very short trades—like scalping from 1 to 5 minutes—the commissions and the funding rate can eat up almost all the profit.
Your trades are profitable… but not enough to cover everything you pay to operate.

What really affects the final balance:
Double Commission: For opening and for closing the position (maker/taker rate).
Funding Rate: If the rate applies against you at that moment (especially in scalping).
Profit Volume vs. Cost: If the gross ROI is very low (e.g. 0.30%) and the total cost is similar, you end up negative.

Before engaging in aggressive scalping, it's wise to measure how much it costs to open and close each operation, and adjust the size or entry style so that the profit is significantly greater than the cost.
The details of the commissions can always be seen in the transaction history.

Knowing this
Do you consider the funding rate a significant factor in your scalping strategy?

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