Investment styles: Could you imagine Scott Bessent apologizing if the US retail trader loses heavily on leveraged products? Korea is different.

[Minister apologizes as Korean leveraged ETF investors nurse heavy losses amid chip stock rout](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/29/korea-leveraged-etf-kodex-sk-hynix.html)

In the US leverage in retail is considered normal and even at historic heights.

[https://www.advisorperspectives.com/dshort/updates/2026/07/20/margin-debt-finra-june-2026](https://www.advisorperspectives.com/dshort/updates/2026/07/20/margin-debt-finra-june-2026)

* **Millions of little Leopolds in US waiting for uncle Ken to pull the plug of their financial bathtubs?**
* In the US this is considered part of the game. Going in levereaged up to the gills, all or nothing. Maybe still the heritage of the wildwest gambling houses? What do you think?
* And, like in the old times of Clondike, the perpetual losses keep the less wealthy, who often lose on leveraged gambling and are subject to FOMO trades, in the eternal threadmill?
* I remember well my first visit on reddit (only visitor - not member) - it was during that first crazy Gamestonk wave some years ago. I saw the ususal mom and pop investors bragging about their buying- throwing in substantial sums. Only they did not buy the stock - they bought options far far out of the money. Probably because it seemed so cheap for them ...