- EUR/USD:1.2024-0.0049-0.41%
- Natural Gas:2.8610-0.0020-0.07%
- Gold:1,713.16-21.215-1.24%
- GBP/JPY:148.32-0.0720-0.05%
- Bitcoin:48,963+2,573.51+5.26%
- WTI Oil:59.869-1.7700-2.96%
- S&P 500:3,901.82+90.670+2.38%
- AUD/USD:0.7757+0.0054+0.70%
- Ethereum:1,553.03+117.43+7.56%
- Silver:26.108-0.5635-2.16%
- USD/CAD:1.2677-0.0055-0.43%
- XRP:0.4382+0.0169+3.86%
- EUR/USD:1.2024-0.0049-0.41%
- Natural Gas:2.8610-0.0020-0.07%
- Gold:1,713.16-21.215-1.24%
- GBP/JPY:148.32-0.0720-0.05%
- Bitcoin:48,963+2,573.51+5.26%
- WTI Oil:59.869-1.7700-2.96%
- S&P 500:3,901.82+90.670+2.38%
- AUD/USD:0.7757+0.0054+0.70%
- Ethereum:1,553.03+117.43+7.56%
- Silver:26.108-0.5635-2.16%
- USD/CAD:1.2677-0.0055-0.43%
- XRP:0.4382+0.0169+3.86%
Best Share CFD Brokers 2021
Stock brokers formerly were people that executed the trades on your behalf. Now for retail traders, everything is conducted online with the provision of online platforms. There is a wealth of broker firms and specialists online. So how can you choose who to work with? We know that the best stock brokers are those who make sure that their clients have the best conditions, user experience and of course the best outcomes. In order to help you, we have road-tested hundreds of brokers to find a shortlist of the very best. We have put them through very stringent tests to make sure they can deliver the goods.
We look at factors like their fee structure, the education they offer traders old and new, and the customer service they bring to the table. These brokers have excellent trading conditions, sensible fee structures and great reputations. That gives you the trust you need to have before you trade. We work carefully with user feedback and our own expert analysis to bring you a list like this. With the huge amount of stock trading going on day in and day out, you have to be pretty special to rise to the top. You can be rest assured these brokers are the best.
The brokers below represent the best Share CFD trading features
Broker | Rating | Official Site | Regulations | Min Deposit | Max Leverage | Trading Platforms | Foundation Year | Publicly Traded | Trading Desk Type | Currencies | Commodities | Indices | Stocks | Crypto | Commission on trades | Fixed spreads | offers promotions | Official Site |
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Visit Broker> Trading Forex and CFDs involves significant risk and can result in the loss of your invested capital. You should not invest more than you can afford to lose and should ensure that you fully understand the risks involved. Trading leveraged products may not be suitable for all investors. Before trading, please take into consideration your level of experience, investment objectives and seek independent financial advice if necessary. Please read our legal documents and ensure that you fully understand the risks before you make any trading decisions. General Advice Warning The information in this website is of a general nature only and the advice has been prepared without taking account of your objectives, financial situation or needs. Accordingly, before acting on the advice, you should consider the appropriateness of the advice having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs, and after considering the legal documents. | CIMA | $200 | 1:500 | Proprietary | 2019 | STP | Visit Broker> Trading Forex and CFDs involves significant risk and can result in the loss of your invested capital. You should not invest more than you can afford to lose and should ensure that you fully understand the risks involved. Trading leveraged products may not be suitable for all investors. Before trading, please take into consideration your level of experience, investment objectives and seek independent financial advice if necessary. Please read our legal documents and ensure that you fully understand the risks before you make any trading decisions. General Advice Warning The information in this website is of a general nature only and the advice has been prepared without taking account of your objectives, financial situation or needs. Accordingly, before acting on the advice, you should consider the appropriateness of the advice having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs, and after considering the legal documents. | |||||||||||
Visit Broker> CFDs carry risk. 73% of traders lose | ASIC, CySEC, FCA, FSCA | $250 | 1:300 | MT4, MT5, Proprietary | 2008 | Dealing Desk | Visit Broker> CFDs carry risk. 73% of traders lose | |||||||||||
Visit Broker> CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 78.94% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. We highly recommend that you do not invest more money than you can afford to lose to avoid significant financial problems in the case of losses. Please make sure you define the maximum risk acceptable for yourself. You can find more details about risk here. Please be advised that EUROPEFX is not responsible for the results of your Forex/CFD’s trading. The only person responsible for profits or losses is yourself. You should not consider any market information, educational and analytical material as trading advice that defines your trading actions but purely as educational market material. Please be advised that EUROPEFX shall not be liable for any errors in quotes and trading platform software errors. For details of our Advertising policies, please refer to our Advertising Disclaimer EUROPEFX does not offer its services to residents of USA, Iran, Cuba, Crimea, Sudan, Syria, New Zealand, United Kingdom, North Korea as well as some other additional jurisdictions. EUROPEFX.com is owned and operated by MAXIFLEX LTD. MAXIFLEX LTD, is registered as a Cyprus Investment Firm (CIF) with the registration number HE327484 and licensed by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) under license number 258/14. Country of registration: Cyprus. Address: 46 Ayiou Athanasiou Avenue, Floor 1, Office 101, 4102 Limassol, Cyprus | CySEC | $200 | 1:200 | MT4 | 2016 | STP | Visit Broker> CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 78.94% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. We highly recommend that you do not invest more money than you can afford to lose to avoid significant financial problems in the case of losses. Please make sure you define the maximum risk acceptable for yourself. You can find more details about risk here. Please be advised that EUROPEFX is not responsible for the results of your Forex/CFD’s trading. The only person responsible for profits or losses is yourself. You should not consider any market information, educational and analytical material as trading advice that defines your trading actions but purely as educational market material. Please be advised that EUROPEFX shall not be liable for any errors in quotes and trading platform software errors. For details of our Advertising policies, please refer to our Advertising Disclaimer EUROPEFX does not offer its services to residents of USA, Iran, Cuba, Crimea, Sudan, Syria, New Zealand, United Kingdom, North Korea as well as some other additional jurisdictions. EUROPEFX.com is owned and operated by MAXIFLEX LTD. MAXIFLEX LTD, is registered as a Cyprus Investment Firm (CIF) with the registration number HE327484 and licensed by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) under license number 258/14. Country of registration: Cyprus. Address: 46 Ayiou Athanasiou Avenue, Floor 1, Office 101, 4102 Limassol, Cyprus | |||||||||||
Visit Broker> Trading derivatives and leveraged products carries a high level of risk, including the risk of losing substantially more than your initial investment. It is not suitable for everyone. Before you make any decision in relation to a financial product you should obtain and consider our Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Financial Services Guide (FSG) available on our website and seek independent advice if necessary. | ASIC, CySEC | $200 | 1:500 | MT4, MT5, WebTrader | 2006 | hybrid | Visit Broker> Trading derivatives and leveraged products carries a high level of risk, including the risk of losing substantially more than your initial investment. It is not suitable for everyone. Before you make any decision in relation to a financial product you should obtain and consider our Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Financial Services Guide (FSG) available on our website and seek independent advice if necessary. | |||||||||||
Visit Broker> CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 70.52% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. | CySEC | $100 | 1:500 | MT4, MT5, WebTrader | 2012 | Dealing Desk, ECN, Market Maker, No dealing desk, STP | Visit Broker> CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 70.52% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. | |||||||||||
Visit Broker> Your capital is at risk | ASIC, CySEC | $100 | 1:500 | IRESS, MT4, MT5, WebTrader | 2005 | No dealing desk | Visit Broker> Your capital is at risk | |||||||||||
Visit Broker> CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 75% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. | CySEC, FCA | $20 | 1:30 | Proprietary | 2016 | Market Maker | Visit Broker> CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 75% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. | |||||||||||
Visit Broker> 76.4% of retail CFD accounts lose money | ASIC, CySEC, FCA, FSB, ISA, MAS | $100 | 1:30 | Plus500 | 2008 | No dealing desk | Visit Broker> 76.4% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
Here’s a list of The Best Share CFD Brokers
Moneta Markets
Regulated By:CIMA
Foundation Year:2019
Headquarters:4th Floor The Harbour Centre, 42 N Church St, George Town, Cayman Islands
Min Deposit:$200
Trading Forex and CFDs involves significant risk and can result in the loss of your invested capital. You should not invest more than you can afford to lose and should ensure that you fully understand the risks involved. Trading leveraged products may not be suitable for all investors. Before trading, please take into consideration your level of experience, investment objectives and seek independent financial advice if necessary. Please read our legal documents and ensure that you fully understand the risks before you make any trading decisions. General Advice Warning The information in this website is of a general nature only and the advice has been prepared without taking account of your objectives, financial situation or needs. Accordingly, before acting on the advice, you should consider the appropriateness of the advice having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs, and after considering the legal documents.
Moneta Markets was founded in 2020 and is a trademark of Vantage International Group Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA).
Users can trade on more than 300+ financial CFD instruments covering Forex, Commodities, Indices, Cryptocurrencies and Shares on the custom-built Moneta Markets Web Trader platform which provides an all-in-one account opening, funds management and trading solution. Users can also trade from the Moneta Markets AppTrader for Android and iOS.
The broker provides an impressive range of trader research and education tools which includes Moneta TV for daily financial news, Daily Technical Analysis Ideas, Client Sentiment, Market Masters trading course, Web TV and indicators from Trading Central. Users can contact customer service via live chat 24 hours a day, 5 days a week.
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Markets.com
Regulated By:ASIC, CySEC, FCA, FSCA
Foundation Year:2008
Headquarters:Safecap is located at 148 Strovolos Avenue, 2048, Strovolos, P.O.Box 28132, Nicosia, Cyprus.
Min Deposit:$250
CFDs carry risk. 73% of traders lose
Australian brokers are definitely making a name for themselves in the trading arena as some of the most reliable, intuitive and forward thinking firms around. This broker is no different with a wide variety of tools, assets and reasonable trading conditions.
GO Markets Pty Ltd an ASIC regulated broker has been in operation since 2006. The head office is located in Melbourne, Australia. With over a decade of experience, GO Markets has grown to become a leading broker with a huge client base from over 150 countries. GO Markets offers forex, share CFDs, indices, metals and commodities for trading on the MT4 and MT5 trading platforms.
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EuropeFX
Regulated By:CySEC
Foundation Year:2016
Headquarters:46 Ayiou Athanasiou Avenue, Floor 1, Office 101, 4102 Limassol, Cyprus
Min Deposit:$200
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 78.94% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. We highly recommend that you do not invest more money than you can afford to lose to avoid significant financial problems in the case of losses. Please make sure you define the maximum risk acceptable for yourself. You can find more details about risk here. Please be advised that EUROPEFX is not responsible for the results of your Forex/CFD’s trading. The only person responsible for profits or losses is yourself. You should not consider any market information, educational and analytical material as trading advice that defines your trading actions but purely as educational market material. Please be advised that EUROPEFX shall not be liable for any errors in quotes and trading platform software errors. For details of our Advertising policies, please refer to our Advertising Disclaimer EUROPEFX does not offer its services to residents of USA, Iran, Cuba, Crimea, Sudan, Syria, New Zealand, United Kingdom, North Korea as well as some other additional jurisdictions. EUROPEFX.com is owned and operated by MAXIFLEX LTD. MAXIFLEX LTD, is registered as a Cyprus Investment Firm (CIF) with the registration number HE327484 and licensed by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) under license number 258/14. Country of registration: Cyprus. Address: 46 Ayiou Athanasiou Avenue, Floor 1, Office 101, 4102 Limassol, Cyprus
EuropeFX is a brand name of Maxiflex Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC). The broker, due to regulatory requirements, offers segregated trading accounts, negative balance protection and up to 30:1 leverage for retail clients, with 200:1 leverage for professional clients.
Users can choose from 5 different account types called Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Premium. Each account comes with different features and benefits depending on the minimum deposit. These features include access to Trading Central services, private trading sessions, discounts on commissions and access to EuropeFX Investments via MirrorTrader (2,000 EUR minimum) and RoboX (10,000 EUR minimum).
With EuropeFX, users can trade on more than 300+ financial CFD instruments covering Forex, Indices, Stocks, Crypto and Commodities, with spreads as low as 0.1 pips, on the globally recognised MetaTrader 4 trading platform, as well as the broker’s own EuropeFX EuroTrader 2.0 web-based. Users can also access a large library of trader education videos and market news.
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Go Markets
Regulated By:ASIC, CySEC
Foundation Year:2006
Headquarters:Level 22, 600 Bourke Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Min Deposit:$200
Trading derivatives and leveraged products carries a high level of risk, including the risk of losing substantially more than your initial investment. It is not suitable for everyone. Before you make any decision in relation to a financial product you should obtain and consider our Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Financial Services Guide (FSG) available on our website and seek independent advice if necessary.
Markets.com was founded in 2008 and was rebranded in 2019 to MarketsX, alongside the introduction of Marketsi in 2020 to invest in real stocks and shares. The broker is part of the TradeTech Group which is a constituent of Playtech PLC, a FTSE 250 company listed on the London Stock Exchange.
The Markets.com group offers regulation from the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), the British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission (FSC), the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and the Financial Sector Conduct Authority of South Africa (FSCA).
With MarketsX users can trade commission-free on more than 2,200+ CFD instruments covering Shares, Indices, Bonds, Blends, Commodities, Currencies, ETFs and Cryptos. Users can also invest in real stocks and shares via a Marketsi account which comes with an innovative Investment Strategy Builder tool.
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RoboMarkets
Regulated By:CySEC
Foundation Year:2012
Headquarters:169-171 Arch. Makarios III Ave., floor 8, 3027, Limassol
Min Deposit:$100
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 70.52% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
RoboMarkets was founded in 2013 and is authorised and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), providing segregated trading accounts and a negative balance protection policy as a regulatory requirement. More than 200,000 trading accounts have been opened at RoboMarkets and the broker is also an Official Partner of BMW M Motorsport.
With RoboMarkets, users can trade on more than 12,000+ financial instruments covering Forex, Stocks, Indices, Cryptocurrencies, Commodities, Metals, Energies and ETFs across 5 different account types that are suitable for traders for with different needs and professional levels. These accounts include Prime, ECN, R Trader, Pro-Cent and Pro-Standard.
The broker offers a wide variety of cutting-edge trading platforms and includes the globally recognised MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 trading platforms for desktop, web and mobile. Users can also trade from the broker’s own feature-rich R Trader platform and RoboMarkets Terminal, as well as access the RoboMarkets Analytics platform and the CopyFX social trading platform. Customer support is offered in multiple languages, 24/7, via Live Chat, Call back, Telephone and Email.
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FP Markets
Regulated By:ASIC, CySEC
Foundation Year:2005
Headquarters:Level 5, Exchange House 10 Bridge St Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Min Deposit:$100
Your capital is at risk
FP Markets was founded in 2005 and is regulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), offering segregation of client funds and top tier liquidity. FP Markets is a group of companies that includes First Prudential Markets Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission.
FP Markets also offers a range of education and market analysis resources through the Traders Hub which includes technical analysis and fundamental analysis articles and videos, as well as, trading ebooks and video tutorials. Users can access live support via telephone, email and live chat 24 hours a day, 5 days a week.
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Capital.com
Regulated By:CySEC, FCA
Foundation Year:2016
Headquarters:4th Floor 64-66 Vincent Square, London, United Kingdom, SW1P 2NU
Min Deposit:$20
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 75% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Capital.com was founded in 2016 and is authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC). Users can trade on more than 2,000+ financial CFD instruments covering Indices, Forex, Commodities, Cryptocurrencies and Shares while accessing AI technology to analyse your trading behaviour.
The broker offers access to three types of commission-free trading accounts called Standard, Plus and Premier and also offers a Pro Trading account for those categorised as Professional, as well as the use of a demo trading account. Users can trade from Capital.com’s own, feature-rich web trading platform and mobile trading app with the ability to use 70+ technical indicators, access personalised watchlists and use advanced hedging and risk management tools.
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Plus500
Regulated By:ASIC, CySEC, FCA, FSB, ISA, MAS
Foundation Year:2008
Headquarters:Building 25, MATAM, Haifa, Israel
Min Deposit:$100
76.4% of retail CFD accounts lose money
Sponsors of Atletico Madrid, Plus500 have made quite a name for themselves over the last few years. A UK FCA regulated firm Plus 500 is a subsidiary of Plus500 Ltd a company that is listed on the London Stock exchange. The company offers the trading of shares, forex, commoיעכdities, ETFs, options and indices across a selection of technology including the Plus500 proprietary platform.
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How to Choose a Share CFD Broker
When choosing a broker, there are several factors that need to be taken into consideration. These include:
- The Regulatory oversight
- The trading platform
- The trading cost
- Choices of trading accounts
- Customer Support
- Other value added services
Regulation
Before all else, it is important to check to see if the broker is regulated and if the broker is regulated then you should know which agencies have regulatory oversight over the broker’s operations. While regulations do vary from country to country, Stock broker firms must all be regulated. For example, in the UK, a broker must be qualified by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). In the US a broker must be regulated by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In Singapore, the broker must apply for a license for that Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX).
For Stockbroking firms, the regulatory focus is on ensuring that the brokerage firm conducts its business in the following manner:
- Acts fairly in its dealings with clients. Brokerage firms apart from being subjected to commercial regulations and securities laws are also subjected to the requirements of self-regulatory organizations as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). With FINRA, “A member, in the conduct of his business, shall observe high standards of commercial honor and just and equitable principles of trade.”
- Act in the interest of their clients. Since brokers earn through the commissions for the trade they execute for their clients, there exists an inherent tension between the broker and the client’s interest. Regardless of this tension, a broker is required to put the interest of its clients first.
- Meet the capital adequacy ratio at all times as laid out by the local regulator.
Trading Platform & Software
The next most important factor that needs to be taken into account when selecting a broker is the trading platform. Regardless of whether a trading platform is proprietary or supplied by a third party trading solution provider, the broker’s trading platform must meet the following criteria:
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User Friendliness
The ideal trading platform would be one that lets you place your trade easily from the main trading screen or through a watch list. Trading platforms that are designed with the users in mind often let you customize the trading screen to suit your particular trading style. In other words, they offer more versatility than those which offer basic trading functionalities. Apart from being easy to use and versatile, we also need to look at the range of trading tools that come with the trading platform.
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Trading Tools
Market analysis is part and parcel of trading the financial markets. Naturally, a trading platform that offers more trading tools will enable you to better analyze the markets. Every trader has his own unique style of analyzing the markets and due to this wide diversity, the more tools that are available at the trader’s disposal, the better will be his ability to analyze the markets. For example, the more technical indicators that a trading platform has, the easier it is for the trader to develop his own trading strategies. Some trading platforms offer their users as many as 300 different types of technical indicators. Additional tools such as risk vs. reward analysis, earnings report stream and risk forecasters will enable you to have a better long-term outlook at your investment portfolio.
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Mobile Trading Apps
As high speed internet and smartphones become readily available, financial traders are becoming increasingly mobile. The ability to trade and keep track of developments in the financial markets while on the move has become a must for today’s trader. As such, it is important to check if the broker that you are interested in is able to support mobile trading as well. Mobile trading platforms which score high are those apps which are simple to use but equally as powerful and efficient as the desktop version. Brokers that will rank low on your shortlist will be brokers that do not provide alerts to your mobile platform or are not user friendly.
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Training Resources
One aspect of trading that one must never neglect is knowledge. The more knowledgeable that you are, the better would be your ability to analyze the markets accurately. Hence, it is also important to note if a shortlisted broker provides an online knowledge center as well. Brokers that want their traders to do well will often have a comprehensive trading educational center that covers a wide range of topics. These educational resources are often categorized based on the skills of the trader and may include courses, webinars, articles and videos.
Commissions & Spreads
For any financial trader, cost is one of the biggest influencing factors in deciding which broker to use. With equity and option trading, traders are required to pay a commission on the trades that they transact in. The commissions charged can be based on a fixed amount per trade or it can be based on a percentage of the total value of the trade. Depending on the volume traded, the average commission charged by a broker can range from $5 to $10 for each side of the trade. For options, the commissions charged are even lower ranging from $0.50 to $2 per contract. While these amounts might seem small, it is important to remember that they can quickly pile up the more you trade.
Stock Broker for Beginners
As mentioned earlier, different traders have different trading needs and as a result there are different brokers that provide certain services that suit different categories of traders. For a beginner trader who is just learning how to trade stocks, the key feature that the trader should look for in a broker is their trading education resources. In addition, the broker must be beginner friendly with trading platforms that are easy to understand and use. While these types of brokers often charge higher commissions than discount brokers, it is well worth to be properly educated as you will be able to trade more effectively rather than worrying about the trading cost itself.
Stock Broker for Professionals
For more experienced traders, their focus will be more on the quality of market analysis as opposed to trading education. For this category of traders, their focus will be on brokers which can provide them with the necessary trading tools, data and research which can enhance their ability to better analyze the markets. A definitive charting package will be key here to, so that the trader may implement their own patterns and strategies over charts. A broker with an extensive array of trading tools and top quality research team will be a standout for the more experienced traders.
Stock Broker for Day Traders
For day traders, their trading style requires them to look for a broker that can provide them with a fast and efficient trading platform. For most day traders, trading is a full time job for them and requires them to constantly monitor their trading screen. Hence, day traders will appreciate a simple and easy to operate trading platform with a fast execution speed and low server downtime. For this group of traders, their concern is about making money right now and is less concerned about portfolio diversification or tax efficiency.
Stock Broker for Penny Stocks
For traders specializing in low cost penny stocks, their main concern will be the trading cost. For this category of traders, their profitability is measured in terms of pennies. Hence to maximize their returns, a broker that offers the lowest trading cost is more suited to their particular investment style.
Account Types
When evaluating a broker, it is also important to note the type of account that the broker offers. Generally, there are 3 main types of brokerage account – cash account, margin account and option account.
Cash Account
With this type of trading account, the trader must pay in full the transacted amount by the settlement date. The securities and funds in the cash trading account belong to the trader and are held in the trader’s name.
Margin Account
With a margin account, the trader can borrow money or securities from the broker to leverage his trade. With a 50% margin, a trader can essentially double his investment than what is possible with a cash account. Because of the risks involved, margin accounts cater more to the needs of experienced traders’ than beginner traders.
Option Account
An Option is basically a margin account that has been approved by the broker for trading on the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), the world’s largest options exchange. A broker will only approve for a trader such an account if the broker is satisfied that there are adequate funds in the margin account. In addition, the trader has shown the broker he has adequate net worth and sufficient knowledge to invest in the higher risk option market.
Apart from the above, traders also need to look at the minimum initial deposit required for opening the trading account. While there are many brokers that do not impose a minimum investment amount, some may require traders to deposit a minimum of $100 to $5000.
Customer Service
In a service oriented industry, quality customer support is crucial for achieving high customer retention. Generally, reputable brokers with an established brand tend to provide better quality customer support than a new broker that has just joined the industry. Nevertheless when evaluating a broker’s customer service, always pay attention to the support hours, the methods of communicating with the support team and the range of support services provided. In addition, take note of the response time for the customer service representative.
Additional Services
Apart from all the above mentioned factors, take note of any additional value added services that the broker is providing. Some brokers in an effort to differentiate themselves from other brokers in the industry go the extra mile to provide their clients with additional services. These value added services can include
- Free signal service
- Trading advisory service
- Market analysis updates by email
- Fund management service
FAQ
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How do stock brokers make money?
Stock brokers make money by charging their clients a commission each time the client make a trade. The commission is usually based on a percentage of the value of the trade executed.
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How do stock brokers work?
The online trading kind work by traders using the given platform to buy and sell stocks at any time they require. This service is all conducted online, although investors do also have the option to phone their order through.
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What are stock broker fees?
The fees that stock brokers charge are basically commissions. For every stock you buy or sell you will pay a commission fee.
Conclusion
In comparing the various stock broker trading platforms, we review their trading software and the range of trading tools provided by the brokers. We also look at their reputation in the industry to ensure that the brokers recommended by us are reputable and reliable. Finally we look at the range of services and support provided by the broker as well as the commission which they charge their clients.
Trade With A Regulated Broker
- Your capital is at risk