1. Interactive Brokers – Best For Stock and ETF Trading
Min Deposit: 0 ($2000 for margin account)
Fees: 4.9
Assets available: 4.9
Total Fees:
All trading involves risk. More than 80% of investors lose in spread bet and CFD trading. As these complex instruments allow for the use of leverage, there is a high risk of losing more money than you have deposited. Before attempting to participate in spread bets and CFDs, consider how well you understand them and if you can afford to lose your money.
Interactive Brokers finishes at number one as the fastest trading platform for stocks and ETFs. It is a highly trusted global broker with a well-rounded offer of different shares, stocks and ETFs, great educational content and sophisticated order type configuration. Compared to the best UAE stock brokers, they have a lower entry level and a proprietary platform which is intuitive and easy to use for trading stocks and ETFs. Professional and seasoned traders will appreciate the great selection of advanced trading tools and order type configurations available on their proprietary Trader Workstation desktop platform (TWS).
Their offer of 16,500 shares, 8,000 stock CFDs and 2,300 penny stocks in addition to a great execution speed makes this brokers the best choice for traders looking for a fast executing trading platform.
Pros
- Fast and reliable trade execution in multiple global markets
- Wide choice of trading instruments
- Professional trading platforms for both active traders and investors
- Competitive trading fees
Cons
- IBKR Lite users have slower trade execution
- Few deposit and withdrawal options
Key features
- Margin loan rates on stocks of 1.3%
- Access to 135+ global markets
- Advanced order types, tools and features
- Access to frictional shares
- Lowest commissions in the industry
All trading involves risk. More than 80% of investors lose in spread bet and CFD trading. As these complex instruments allow for the use of leverage, there is a high risk of losing more money than you have deposited. Before attempting to participate in spread bets and CFDs, consider how well you understand them and if you can afford to lose your money.
2. TradeStation – Best for active traders
Tradestation is a reputable online broker known for its technology-leading trading platforms, great selection of tools and zero commission stock and ETF trading. Their industry leading trading platform suite combines a desktop, web and mobile version which are all performing above industry average. Tradestation offers a great selection of most popular asset classes including stocks, cryptos, options, futures, ETFs and IRAs.
Their trading fees vary based on account selection. Pricing is below industry average on the most used accounts (select and GO). Minimum deposit is $2000 and there are no monthly charges.
Pros
- Fastest trade execution on zero commissioned stocks
- Wide choice of trading instruments
- Great mobile trading platform
- Professional trading platform that works for different types of traders
Cons
- Research and education section lacking resources
Key features
- Access to over 20,000 stocks, ETFs, options, futures, mutual funds, bonds, and other financial instruments.
- Early-access to newly listed securities via TradeStation’s IPO trading platform
- Broad range of research and analysis tools for advanced traders like FuturesPlus, TSCrypto, Discover, and Insights
- Fully paid stock lending and margin trading available
- Low floating spreads, commissions, and other trading fees
- Perfect for both beginner and advanced traders
3. Charles Schwab – Best for mutual fund and for investors
Charles Schwab is a US-based FINRA and SEC-regulated broker that has been in business since 1971 at which users can trade stocks and ETFs without paying any commissions. Charles Schwab offers high-quality trading tools like stock research and detailed fundamental data to help you generate trading ideas.
Charles Schwab offers traders and investors the Schwab Intelligent Portfolios service, which is a robo-advisory service to help you optimize your portfolio and the StreetSmart Edge advanced desktop trading platform which includes a wide range of tools and features.
Pros
- Fast trade execution
- Choice of different tradable assets
- Competitive trading fees
- Deep research and education
Cons
- Not the best broker for beginners
Key features
- Access to over 3,000 US stocks and thousands of other financial instruments
- Multiple advanced order types
- Provides own equity ratings and reports from Morningstar and Credit Suisse
- Integrated with Google Assistant – Ask Google any stock price or market update
- Commissionless stock trading
- Suitable for both beginners and advanced traders
- Robo-advisor and financial advisors available