why do they say forex is zero sum game?

Theoretically, it is meant to imply that one person's loss is another person's gain. For example, if you are long XAUUSD, then someone is short, if you are on the winning side, someone else (not the exact opposite trade, could be multiple traders) is on the losing side, losing that money.

But it is not a zero sum game. It is a negative sum game, because the sum of money deposited by traders, let us say is X, then the net money that comes out is a percentage of X, less than 100%.

This is because you have brokers, liquidity providers, market makers that charge spreads, commissions & fees that gets deducted from the total sum of money. There are all sorts of charges from payment gateways to banks.

It is a negative sum business. The total money deposited by retail forex & CFD traders (same for other traders & other markets) minus total money that comes out is not zero, if that makes sense.

I’m not really focused on whether trading is a zero-sum game or not. What matters to me is simply being profitable, and that can’t happen without discipline and structure.

Sustainable results come down to following the core rules: proper risk management, trading in alignment with the prevailing market trend, and developing strong emotional control. Without these, consistency becomes difficult, no matter how good the strategy looks on paper.

I guess because most traders always end up giving back money to the market and ending up with zero

Stay long Energyyyy in the game for it to Favour you

because for you to win, somebody somewhere must lose

Calling it “zero-sum” is technically correct, but it misses the point. Stock market can be positive-sum because companies grow and create value. Forex doesn’t create value - it redistributes it.

A lot of people misunderstand the phrase "forex is a zero-sum game." It simply means that, before costs like spreads and commissions, one trader's profit comes from another trader's loss. The money isn't created; it's transferred from one participant to another.

However, I don't think that's the most important thing traders should focus on. The real question is: Who is consistently on the profitable side of that equation?

The market rewards traders who have an edge, manage risk well, and stay disciplined. Whether it's a zero-sum game or not doesn't change the fact that success comes from making better decisions than the majority. In my opinion, consistency, patience, and proper risk management matter far more than the label "zero-sum game."

You're actually right.

Market rewards those with proper risk management, discipline, patience, and consistency.

Without discipline, being profitable becomes a big challenge