i do agree with malcolm789 ,
either no market is risky or every market is risky , it depend upon ur position capital , needs market circumstances etc , every thing depends upon , which kind of position u r making , u may be a speculator , hedger ,or arbitrager ,
on one side it may be a very- very risky thing but on other it is a risk removing or decreasing tool .
if u r speculator and wanna bet on market movement for earning fast money it may be risky or very risky because if market went against u , m to m losses and high leverage will kill u , most of people making millions or committing suicide generally belongs to this category .
as a hedger u may reduce the risk of any adverse price movements on ur positions by taking opposite position in futures market , or may remove the index or any perticular stock's adverse effect by its use .
as an arbitrager u make positions which are 100% secured and have no risk at all , whatever may be the position of market , ur profit becomes fixed and u could even borrow loan for such position and its called risk free profit.
so futures market is both risky as well as risk less , depend upon u , which kind of position u make .
happy trading
abhi