What is hedging, and should beginners touch it?

Hedging means opening opposite positions so one offsets the other — which sounds clever until you realise you're paying spread twice to hold a position that can't profit. Some regulators ban it outright for retail clients.

Share your experience:

• how hedging was explained to you
• whether you've run opposite positions, and what happened
• why you'd tell a beginner to avoid or use it

Plain explanations welcome. There's no shame in admitting a hedge turned into a mess.