diff --git a/app/services/backtest_service.py b/app/services/backtest_service.py
index 45aa35a..beb978c 100644
--- a/app/services/backtest_service.py
+++ b/app/services/backtest_service.py
@@ -4230,6 +4230,7 @@ async def run_backtest(
                 )
             except Exception:
                 logger.exception("Benchmark load for the portfolio sim failed")
+                await _rollback_quietly(db, "portfolio-sim benchmark load")
 
             for policy in ("target", "hold"):
                 sim = _simulate_portfolio(
@@ -4250,6 +4251,7 @@ async def run_backtest(
                 live_exit_policy = await get_exit_policy(db)
             except Exception:
                 logger.exception("Live exit policy load failed; monitor uses defaults")
+                await _rollback_quietly(db, "exit policy load")
             portfolio_monitor_report = _portfolio_monitor(
                 candidates, price_columns, spy_closes, hold_horizon,
                 live_exit_policy=live_exit_policy,
@@ -4269,6 +4271,11 @@ async def run_backtest(
                 )
         except Exception:
             logger.exception("Portfolio simulation failed")
+            # Catches the price_columns fetch loop, which has no handler of its
+            # own. The inner handlers above may already have rolled back; a
+            # rollback on a clean session is a no-op, so this stays safe as the
+            # backstop for whichever DB call actually failed.
+            await _rollback_quietly(db, "portfolio simulation")
 
     report = {
         "generated_at": datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat(),
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_backtest_service.py b/tests/unit/test_backtest_service.py
index 9742582..c196a9c 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_backtest_service.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_backtest_service.py
@@ -1656,3 +1656,35 @@ async def test_run_backtest_rolls_back_a_failed_ticker_fetch(session, monkeypatc
     # the surviving ticker is still replayed after the rollback
     assert report["tickers"] == 2
     assert report["candidates"] >= 1
+
+
+async def test_run_backtest_rolls_back_a_failed_portfolio_sim_load(session, monkeypatch):
+    """The portfolio-sim block loads the benchmark and the live exit policy from
+    the same session, well after the replay loop. A failure there poisons the
+    transaction exactly as one in the loop does, and the report write pays for it.
+    """
+    await _seed_oscillating_ticker(session, "OSC")
+
+    rolled_back: list[str] = []
+    called: list[str] = []
+
+    async def failing_exit_policy(db):
+        called.append("x")
+        raise RuntimeError("simulated exit-policy read failure")
+
+    real_rollback = session.rollback
+
+    async def tracking_rollback():
+        rolled_back.append("x")
+        await real_rollback()
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        "app.services.paper_trade_service.get_exit_policy", failing_exit_policy
+    )
+    monkeypatch.setattr(session, "rollback", tracking_rollback)
+
+    report = await bt.run_backtest(session)
+
+    assert called, "the portfolio-sim block never ran; test proves nothing"
+    assert rolled_back, "a failed portfolio-sim load left the session un-rolled-back"
+    assert report["tickers"] == 1