So I opened up an account, they approved it pretty quickly and I like the interface so far! I was worried it would be super complicated but it seems perfectly fine for my needs


Now to load some funds on there!

When I want to trade, it doesn't seem to load :/


I get the error:
Accounts list loading

Please try again later or try reloading the page again


I just deposited today so maybe the funds aren't available yet :/ anyone had this issue?






[EDIT] Never mind, I managed to get it working through the mobile app... not sure what's wrong with the browser version

Hi,
Another simple question for people using IB. I am trying to open a trading account with IB UK (it is additional to the one that is used for trading shares which is with IB US) for CFDS. Although i want to use CFDs mainly for hedging purposes, i may also use them for trading of some clear visible oppurtunities in stocks. when i checked the website of IB to see the list of CFDs on shares available, they claim to have CFDs on every stock of all major indices (i am mainly looking at German indices like CDAX, MDAX etc) but when i click on the list of available shares under CFDs, i find a very short list which will not serve my purpose.

anyone here uses IB for CFDs? please share your experiences. does it provide an oppurtunity to get into a CFD position of a share for which i have a position in the share itself? the share would be a constituent of one of the indices i gave above.

cheers
happycreature

You can't open both IB UK and US accounts as these are based on where you reside. You can't reside in 2 countries I think.

I have to say I'm hugely impressed by IB so far.


I exchanged 10k CHF to USD for 2 bucks, then bought shares for 1 buck each commission! Ridiculous!


Just having problems with the browser trading, but I'm able to use mobile and with the downloaded software (which is quite nice to use)

Anyone get the "Your account is X gazillion francs down" notification this morning? I almost had a heart attack before common sense took over and I realised it must be a system error.

Haha nope, I didn't receive that, I'm using USD base currency though. All my trading will be in USD and a bit of GBP

The trading is all working fine now, I guess it takes a little while to set it up for new accounts.

Really enjoying being able to pay in multiple currencies, cheap currency conversion, etc. For the last few years I've been using Transferwise unnecessarily at 0.5% fee!

Hmmm.. first weird experience using IB...


I bought 10k GBP worth of stock yesterday, previewed the trade, 6 GBP commission as expected, great...


Then, I look at my trading history and find that the trade had been split into 4 and a seemingly random amount charged for each, up to around 16 GBP... for a total commission of 55 GBP....?! Anybody have any idea why?


It was a purchase of FGT.L (Finsbury Trust)

Chat with customer service, ask to explain you the situation. Btw you don't buy 10k worth of stock, you buy a number of stocks.

No idea. Ask IB with the internal message system or call them.

I sent a message using their system, will post with any news...


I bought 1300 shares, but in fact the commissions for UK are on a total cost basis (up to 10,000GBP should be maximum 6GBP commission)

£50 stamp duty + £6 commission?

Exactly IB just replied.

This stamp duty is the same as any broker then when concerning UK shares

IBs response time was better than expected

I'm looking to buy a US Mutual Fund, and it turns out that is not possible using IB (only US residents are allowed apparently).

I'm struggling to see the logic, given a single name US equity could be significantly more risky than a mutual fund

But anyway, does anyone have any suggestions?

I've never bought any US investment funds, only UK-based, but have you looked at investment trusts as an alternative? Or ETFs (as a passive option obviously)?

Any views on the best platform for a buy and hold portfolio in a small number of large cap stocks invested in big 50k CHF chunks? The transaction charges soon add up but is IB still the clear winner?

IB has lots of products and lowest fees. But competition is quite close.

IMHO: For buy and hold the most important aspects are
- no custody fees and
- free tax reports.

Thanks so What else comes close, or meets your criteria? Thnxs

IB has extremely low trading commissions, especially for US stocks.


There are also no ongoing fees if you have over 100k USD net value.


For tax reports, etc. - at least what is required in Switzerland -all free to my knowledge.


There is a fee of $4.50 per month if you want live streaming prices, rather than delayed price. I don't bother, I just use limit trades rather than market trades to ensure I get the price I expect.


I'm also a Buy-and-hold guy and I like IB very much

I have one more question regarding IB:

I hold cash in USD, GBP and CHF.

Does anybody know how safe it is to hold cash there? For example, in the UK, banks are insured for 85k GBP I believe, so if the bank goes down, your money is insured.

Does anyone know if IB has similar regulation? I know for US consumers they have some, but for us in Switzerland?