Investing US through local broker

[lonewolf]

recently uobkayhian has been pumping my mailbox with many genietrade alerts...what are they? and they are quite disturbing

Its an updated technical analysis tools that will alert you of signal breakouts of the stocks you have in your watchlist.

Been trying to disable the alert but cannot seems to find it yet.

[pianist]

pls tell me how to disable it..i replied them but no reply..

anyway how updated are these ta tools, i tot these alerts r quite late and not timely..something like stale data

[Baldric]

Any one care to share more on local proxy to invest in US stocks?

I'm interested in it, currently I have DBS vickers and trade SG stocks only.
but I like to buy Berkshire stocks and go to sleep.

[BlueKelah]

Shoot ur broker an email, he will be able to set up access for u.

Sent from my MotoG3 using Tapatalk

[TTTI]

Any one care to share more on local proxy to invest in US stocks?

I'm interested in it, currently I have DBS vickers and trade SG stocks only.
but I like to buy Berkshire stocks and go to sleep.

Your local brokers would be able to do that for you
IMHO though, the costs of using local brokers are prohibitive though, and would eat into your returns.

I prefer to use international brokers, the costs are generally much lower, and most do not have monthly charges levied on foreign holdings



https://thumbtackinvestor.wordpress.com/

[prastham]

Hi,

I use both DBS Vickers (only for SG stocks, few large lots) and StanChart (US and Europe Stocks, frequent trades and accumulations).

Opened both accounts at the same time. A few factors I considered while I rounded up these two.

User Interface:
DBS Vickers - Excellent. Easy Navigation, Can't complain.
StanChart - Very very bad. 
So bad that the prices on the landing screen are a day old. It's almost Sunday now, and the price for GOOG is of Thursday Close!
And that's not the worst part. The search is terrible. No lookups for stock name/codes available. You have to type a few letters, hit submit and the results would appear a couple of seconds later. Of course, the price isn't updated as well. You'll have to hit a button called 'Refresh with real time feeds'. 
Absolutely Zero reporting options - Nothing on Profit or Tax or even Brokerage charges. You'll have to figure out by clicking each trade transaction.
And finally if you want to have a look at the charts - let me just say charts in Excel have more life in them.

Currency conversion charges (SGD to USD), when you make the transfer:
DBS Vickers - DBS has competitive charges, usually around ~0.9% off the USDSGD market rate.
StanChart - I don't know if there's a service charge, but each time I sent, it's around 1.1% off the USDSGD market rate.

Mobile:
DBS Vickers - An app exists, although I've never used it for placing a trade.
Stanchart - None. The Banking App SC doesn't have any link to the Trading account.

Now the more decisive factors to consider:

Central Depository:
DBS Vickers - Opens a CDP account and deposits your stocks in them. Charges you S$2 per stock/per month (capped at S$150/Yr), waived off if you do a certain number of minimum trades.
StanChart - Does NOT deposit your stocks with any depository. It holds them, so your trust and risk is with StanChart.

Trade charges:
DBS Vickers - Charges S$25 per trade (or 0.28%) whichever is higher, plus a marginal CDP and/or Exchange fees as applicable. There are a host of many other charges (including a Dividend collection charge, a min $4 for each dividend!!)

https://www.dbs.com.sg/vickers/en/pricin...n_04122014

StanChart - 0.2% for SG and 0.25% for other markets, plus exchange fees as applicable. 
https://www.sc.com/sg/personal-banking/i...-services/

Despite all of SC's shortcomings (there's not one feature I could say I'm proud of. Even the SMS verification code takes it's happy 5 seconds to arrive), the only reason I stuck to SC was the price. A USD 1000 trade had charges of just 0.28% or $2.8. The breakeven with DBSV would happen only if your trade value is around USD 10,000

But this might change soon, come 1.Aug, SC is revising it's charges to a minimum of $10 (or 2.5% (in individual currencies S$/USD). 

Bottomline: Despite a fantastic trading experience, trading with DBSV is a rip-off. SC trading experience is so 1990's, and there is a risk with not depositing with CDP (I don't think StanChart can have a Lehman moment). 

Soon the frustration and the risk awareness may catch up, but for now SC is still the cheapest brokerage in Singapore, and my investing style of accumulating on dips leaves me no other choice.

Thoughts/suggestions welcome.

[prastham]

Any one care to share more on local proxy to invest in US stocks?

I'm interested in it, currently I have DBS vickers and trade SG stocks only.
but I like to buy Berkshire stocks and go to sleep.

Hi,

I use both DBS Vickers (only for SG stocks, few large lots) and StanChart (US and Europe Stocks, frequent trades and accumulations).

Opened both accounts at the same time. A few factors I considered while I rounded up these two.

User Interface:
DBS Vickers - Excellent. Easy Navigation, Can't complain.
StanChart - Very very bad. 
So bad that the prices on the landing screen are a day old. It's almost Sunday now, and the price for GOOG is of Thursday Close!
And that's not the worst part. The search is terrible. No lookups for stock name/codes available. You have to type a few letters, hit submit and the results would appear a couple of seconds later. Of course, the price isn't updated as well. You'll have to hit a button called 'Refresh with real time feeds'. 
Absolutely Zero reporting options - Nothing on Profit or Tax or even Brokerage charges. You'll have to figure out by clicking each trade transaction.
And finally if you want to have a look at the charts - let me just say charts in Excel have more life in them.

Currency conversion charges (SGD to USD), when you make the transfer:
DBS Vickers - DBS has competitive charges, usually around ~0.9% off the USDSGD market rate.
StanChart - I don't know if there's a service charge, but each time I sent, it's around 1.1% off the USDSGD market rate.

Mobile:
DBS Vickers - An app exists, although I've never used it for placing a trade.
Stanchart - None. The Banking App SC doesn't have any link to the Trading account.

Now the more decisive factors to consider:

Central Depository:
DBS Vickers - Opens a CDP account and deposits your stocks in them. Charges you S$2 per stock/per month (capped at S$150/Yr), waived off if you do a certain number of minimum trades.
StanChart - Does NOT deposit your stocks with any depository. It holds them, so your trust and risk is with StanChart.

Trade charges:
DBS Vickers - Charges S$25 per trade (or 0.28%) whichever is higher, plus a marginal CDP and/or Exchange fees as applicable. There are a host of many other charges (including a Dividend collection charge, a min $4 for each dividend!!)

https://www.dbs.com.sg/vickers/en/pricin...n_04122014

StanChart - 0.2% for SG and 0.25% for other markets, plus exchange fees as applicable. 
https://www.sc.com/sg/personal-banking/i...-services/

Despite all of SC's shortcomings (there's not one feature I could say I'm proud of. Even the SMS verification code takes it's happy 5 seconds to arrive), the only reason I stuck to SC was the price. A USD 1000 trade had charges of just 0.28% or $2.8. The breakeven with DBSV would happen only if your trade value is around USD 10,000

But this might change soon, come 1.Aug, SC is revising it's charges to a minimum of $10 (or 2.5% (in individual currencies S$/USD). 

Bottomline: Despite a fantastic trading experience, trading with DBSV is a rip-off. SC trading experience is so 1990's, and there is a risk with not depositing with CDP (I don't think StanChart can have a Lehman moment). 

Soon the frustration and the risk awareness may catch up, but for now SC is still the cheapest brokerage in Singapore, and my investing style of accumulating on dips leaves me no other choice.

Thoughts/suggestions welcome.

[TTTI]

Any one care to share more on local proxy to invest in US stocks?

I'm interested in it, currently I have DBS vickers and trade SG stocks only.
but I like to buy Berkshire stocks and go to sleep.

Hi,

I use both DBS Vickers (only for SG stocks, few large lots) and StanChart (US and Europe Stocks, frequent trades and accumulations).

Opened both accounts at the same time. A few factors I considered while I rounded up these two.

User Interface:
DBS Vickers - Excellent. Easy Navigation, Can't complain.
StanChart - Very very bad. 
So bad that the prices on the landing screen are a day old. It's almost Sunday now, and the price for GOOG is of Thursday Close!
And that's not the worst part. The search is terrible. No lookups for stock name/codes available. You have to type a few letters, hit submit and the results would appear a couple of seconds later. Of course, the price isn't updated as well. You'll have to hit a button called 'Refresh with real time feeds'. 
Absolutely Zero reporting options - Nothing on Profit or Tax or even Brokerage charges. You'll have to figure out by clicking each trade transaction.
And finally if you want to have a look at the charts - let me just say charts in Excel have more life in them.

Currency conversion charges (SGD to USD), when you make the transfer:
DBS Vickers - DBS has competitive charges, usually around ~0.9% off the USDSGD market rate.
StanChart - I don't know if there's a service charge, but each time I sent, it's around 1.1% off the USDSGD market rate.

Mobile:
DBS Vickers - An app exists, although I've never used it for placing a trade.
Stanchart - None. The Banking App SC doesn't have any link to the Trading account.

Now the more decisive factors to consider:

Central Depository:
DBS Vickers - Opens a CDP account and deposits your stocks in them. Charges you S$2 per stock/per month (capped at S$150/Yr), waived off if you do a certain number of minimum trades.
StanChart - Does NOT deposit your stocks with any depository. It holds them, so your trust and risk is with StanChart.

Trade charges:
DBS Vickers - Charges S$25 per trade (or 0.28%) whichever is higher, plus a marginal CDP and/or Exchange fees as applicable. There are a host of many other charges (including a Dividend collection charge, a min $4 for each dividend!!)

https://www.dbs.com.sg/vickers/en/pricin...n_04122014

StanChart - 0.2% for SG and 0.25% for other markets, plus exchange fees as applicable. 
https://www.sc.com/sg/personal-banking/i...-services/

Despite all of SC's shortcomings (there's not one feature I could say I'm proud of. Even the SMS verification code takes it's happy 5 seconds to arrive), the only reason I stuck to SC was the price. A USD 1000 trade had charges of just 0.28% or $2.8. The breakeven with DBSV would happen only if your trade value is around USD 10,000

But this might change soon, come 1.Aug, SC is revising it's charges to a minimum of $10 (or 2.5% (in individual currencies S$/USD). 

Bottomline: Despite a fantastic trading experience, trading with DBSV is a rip-off. SC trading experience is so 1990's, and there is a risk with not depositing with CDP (I don't think StanChart can have a Lehman moment). 

Soon the frustration and the risk awareness may catch up, but for now SC is still the cheapest brokerage in Singapore, and my investing style of accumulating on dips leaves me no other choice.

Thoughts/suggestions welcome.

Since SC is via a custodian account, why not just use an international brokerage like Interactive brokers or Saxo capital etc
Interface is reliable and relatively easier to use, the fees are comparable or lower, and both have counterparty risks anyway.
I don't see the advantage of using SC.

[Bibi]

Since SC is via a custodian account, why not just use an international brokerage like Interactive brokers or Saxo capital etc
Interface is reliable and relatively easier to use, the fees are comparable or lower, and both have counterparty risks anyway.
I don't see the advantage of using SC.

Could it be SC is a bank while Saxo and IB are not? Banks hv lower risk of going kaput? See how US gov bail out those banks then to let them fail.

[TTTI]

Since SC is via a custodian account, why not just use an international brokerage like Interactive brokers or Saxo capital etc
Interface is reliable and relatively easier to use, the fees are comparable or lower, and both have counterparty risks anyway.
I don't see the advantage of using SC.

Could it be SC is a bank while Saxo and IB are not? Banks hv lower risk of going kaput? See how US gov bail out those banks then to let them fail.

SC is not an american bank.
In any case, IMHO, as long as any of these institutions are large enough to be "too large to fail", as long as any of their failures will result in systemic failure, governments will always step in to save them. 
And even if they really go bankrupt and require government bailouts, it is likely that clients and depositers will take a haircut too.
So their counterparty risk is similar.