Welcome Offer: During the promotion period, new customers who apply via Planto, successfully open a Webull account, and complete some simple tasks can enjoy rewards valued up to HK$1,000:
- Successfully open an account, deposit HK$10,000, and retain it for 60 days to receive a HK$1,000 supermarket voucher. (Complete Planto reward redemption to receive the offer)
Terms and conditions apply.
Pros & Cons
Basic Info
Transaction Fees: No commissions - just a HKD 10 platform fee per trade.
For a HKD 10,000 trade, that’s: HKD 10 per transaction
Products Available: Hong Kong and US stocks, A shares, ETFs, warrants, IPOs and odd lot shares
Real-time market information: Free real-time quotes for Hong Kong stocks (BMP quotes) and quotes from major global exchanges
Margin Trading: Unavailable
License: Licensed with the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong (CE No. BNG700) for carrying out type 1 regulated activity (“dealing in securities”).
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Webull
Other Fee
N/A
Avg. Trade Cost
HKD 0
Welcome Offer: During the promotion period, new customers who apply via Planto, successfully open a Webull account, and complete some simple tasks can enjoy rewards valued up to HK$1,000:
- Successfully open an account, deposit HK$10,000, and retain it for 60 days to receive a HK$1,000 supermarket voucher. (Complete Planto reward redemption to receive the offer)
Terms and conditions apply.
Pros & Cons
Basic Info
Transaction Fees: No commissions - just a HKD 10 platform fee per trade.
For a HKD 10,000 trade, that’s: HKD 10 per transaction
Products Available: Hong Kong and US stocks, A shares, ETFs, warrants, IPOs and odd lot shares
Real-time market information: Free real-time quotes for Hong Kong stocks (BMP quotes) and quotes from major global exchanges
Margin Trading: Unavailable
License: Licensed with the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong (CE No. BNG700) for carrying out type 1 regulated activity (“dealing in securities”).
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Tiger Brokers
Other Fee
0
Avg. Trade Cost
HKD 0
Welcome Offer: Successfully open an account through Planto’s exclusive link then complete certain tasks from March 15th to May 31st 2024 to enjoy up to HK$1,400 worth of reward: Exclusive HK$400 supermarket vouchers from Planto, plus:
1. Time-limited Commission-Free Rewards*
- 0 Commission for HK stock trading (Lifetime)
- 0 Platform fee for HK stock trading (until 30th June 2024)
- 3-month free HK Stock Lv1 streaming quotes (until 30th June 2024)
- NYSE Arca Level 2 Deep Quote streaming for US stocks (until 30th June 2024)
- 0 Commission for US stock option trading (until 30th June 2024)
- US Stock Option Lv1 Real-time Quotes (until 30th June 2024)
2. Open an account and maintain a accumulated net funding of at least HK$10,000 within 45 days, to enjoy HK$300 stock voucher (3x HK$100 vouchers)
3. Complete 5 non-forex trades with each trade amounting to or exceeding HK$100 within 60 days after successful account opening (applicable to both Hong Kong and US stocks), to enjoy HK$500 stock voucher (5x HK$100 vouchers)
4. Complete the first option trading to enjoy HK$200 stock voucher (2x HK$100 vouchers).
Please note that the award received after successfully opening a Tiger account must be activated after maintaining daily cumulative net deposits equivalent to or exceeding HK$10,000 for 45 consecutive days starting from the account opening date.【45 days】refers to the day of account opening as the first day, followed by a complete 45 days, calculated as a total duration of 45 days * 24 hours. Daily cumulative net deposits = (from the account opening date) cumulative deposit amount - (from the account opening date) cumulative withdrawal amount, excluding asset fluctuations caused by normal trading activities.
Welcome Offer: On or before 31 May 2024, apply via Planto, successfully open an account and deposit HK$10,000 to receive up to HK$2,000 worth of rewards:
Planto exclusive HK$200 supermarket coupon
Choose from one of the below 2 offers :
A. Up to HK$1,500
* Up to 41% APR for deposit (Limited to HK$20,000 maximum for 60 days to enjoy interest approximately HK$1,366) [Usual APR is 5% while new clients can enjoy extra 30%]
* Total worth of HK$200 stocks cash coupon (HK$100 x 2)
B. Total worth up to HK$1,800
* Total worth of HK$800 stocks cash coupon
* Total worth of HK$1,000 cash rebate (upon 15 tradings)
Terms and conditions
Pros & Cons
Basic Info
Transaction Fee: For HK stocks, commissions of 0.03% per trade (min HK$3), and platform fees of HK$15 per trade (0 commission during promotion period)
For a HKD 10,000 trade, that's: HKD 15 per transaction (excl. mandatory costs by the HK Exchange, etc.).
Product available: HK and US stocks and ETFs
Margin trading: Annual interest rate of 6.5%
License: Licensed by the SFC (Type 1, 4, 9)
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LONGBRIDGE
Other Fee
N/A
Avg. Trade Cost
HKD 8
Welcome Offer: On or before 31 May 2024, apply via Planto, successfully open an account and deposit HK$10,000 to receive up to HK$2,000 worth of rewards:
Planto exclusive HK$200 supermarket coupon
Choose from one of the below 2 offers :
A. Up to HK$1,500
* Up to 41% APR for deposit (Limited to HK$20,000 maximum for 60 days to enjoy interest approximately HK$1,366) [Usual APR is 5% while new clients can enjoy extra 30%]
* Total worth of HK$200 stocks cash coupon (HK$100 x 2)
B. Total worth up to HK$1,800
* Total worth of HK$800 stocks cash coupon
* Total worth of HK$1,000 cash rebate (upon 15 tradings)
Terms and conditions
Pros & Cons
Basic Info
Transaction Fee: For US stocks, commissions of US$0.0049 per share (min. US$0.99), and platform fees of US$0.005 per share (min. US$1) - 0 commission during promotion period.
For a US$1,000 trade with 5 shares, that's about: US$2 (excl. mandatory costs by the SEC, etc.).
Product available: HK and US stocks and ETFs
Margin trading: Annual interest rate of 4.8%
License: Licensed by the SFC (Type 1, 4, 9)
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Futubull
Other Fee
N/A
Avg. Trade Cost
HKD 15
Welcome Offer: Enjoy up to HK$2,300 welcome offer
Register a new account on or before 31st May 2024 through Planto and receive an exclusive HKD 200 cash coupon (directly deposited into Futu account)
Open an account, deposit HK$10,000, and complete specific requirements can get 1 out of 2 rewards:
First level gift (1 out of 2):
- Deposit a total of HK$10,000 or above into the Futu HK account.Maintain 60 days daily average asset* of HK$10,000 or above.
1) Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) - 1 share or 2) HK$400 supermarket e-voucher
Second level gift::
- Deposit a total of HK$80,000 or above into the Futu HK account by 15:00 29th February 2024. Maintain 60 days daily average asset* of HK$80,000 or above.
Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) – 1 share
Additional rewards:
Register a new account together with a friend can enjoy lifetime 0 commission for HK stock and additional HK$200 supermarket e-voucher
The first reward and the second reward can be stacked. As of the closing price on 26th March 2024, Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) stock price was US$74.390/share, Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) stock price was US$137.19/share.
Asset calculation method: Sum of the everyday assets/60 days; Including Cash/ Stocks/ Funds/ Options/ Futures
Investment involves risks. The fund price may move up or down. Investor should thoroughly study the funds' offering documents and other related documents (including risk disclosure statements).
Transaction Fees: For HK stocks, there are no commissions - just HKD 15 / trade as a platform fee.
For a HKD 10,000 trade, that's: HKD 15 per transaction (excl. mandatory costs by the HK Exchange, etc.).
Tiered pricing also available for people with larger number of trades (min. HKD 1 / trade)
Futu will provide users with free LV1 real-time streaming quotation services (including Hong Kong stocks, options, and futures)
Products Available: HK, US and China stocks and ETFs. Selected funds available via Futu MoneyPlus.
Margin Trading: Annual interest rate as low as 3.98% (for advanced investors)
License: Registered member of the HKEX and licensed by the SFC (Type 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9)
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Futubull
Other Fee
N/A
Avg. Trade Cost
HKD 15.5
Welcome Offer: Enjoy up to HK$2,300 welcome offer
Register a new account on or before 31st May 2024 through Planto and receive an exclusive HKD 200 cash coupon (directly deposited into Futu account)
Open an account, deposit HK$10,000, and complete specific requirements can get 1 out of 2 rewards:
First level gift (1 out of 2):
- Deposit a total of HK$10,000 or above into the Futu HK account.Maintain 60 days daily average asset* of HK$10,000 or above.
1) Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) - 1 share or 2) HK$400 supermarket e-voucher
Second level gift::
- Deposit a total of HK$80,000 or above into the Futu HK account by 15:00 29th February 2024. Maintain 60 days daily average asset* of HK$80,000 or above.
Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) – 1 share
Additional rewards:
Register a new account together with a friend can enjoy lifetime 0 commission for HK stock and additional HK$200 supermarket e-voucher
The first reward and the second reward can be stacked. As of the closing price on 26th March 2024, Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) stock price was US$74.390/share, Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) stock price was US$137.19/share.
Asset calculation method: Sum of the everyday assets/60 days; Including Cash/ Stocks/ Funds/ Options/ Futures
Investment involves risks. The fund price may move up or down. Investor should thoroughly study the funds' offering documents and other related documents (including risk disclosure statements).
Transaction Fees: For US stocks, commissions of US$0.0049 per share (min. US$0.99), and platform fees of US$0.005 per share (min. US$1).
For a US$1,000 trade with 5 shares, that's about: US$2 (excl. mandatory costs by the SEC, etc.).
Tiered pricing also available for people with larger number of trades
Products Available: HK, US and China stocks and ETFs. Selected funds available via Futu MoneyPlus.
Margin Trading: Annual interest rate as low as 3.98% (for advanced investors)
License: Registered member of the HKEX and licensed by the SFC (Type 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9)
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Saxo Hong Kong
Other Fee
N/A
Avg. Trade Cost
0.05%
(min. HKD 18)
Welcome Offer: Enjoy up to 4.27%* on cash deposits amount US$10,000 or higher
*the interest rate figure is for reference, it could change with the market condition
Pros & Cons
Basic Info
Transaction Fees: For HK stocks, there is a 0.05% commission, with a minimum fee per trade of HKD$ 18. However there is no other trade or platform fee involved.
For a HKD$ 10,000 trade, that’s HKD$ 18 per transaction as HKD$ 18 minimum is higher than HKD$ 10,000 * 0.05% (excl. mandatory costs by the HK Exchange, etc.)
Custodian Fee: No custodian fee will be applied to Hong Kong client owning Hong Kong stocks
Products Available: 40,000+ investment instruments including stocks, ETFs, bonds, mutual funds etc. across 37 global exchanges such as Hong Kong, U.S., U.K., Japan, Singapore and many more
Margin Trading: From Hibor+1.62%
License: Licensed by the SFC (Type 1, 2, 3)
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Saxo Hong Kong
Other Fee
N/A
Avg. Trade Cost
From HKD 0.039 / share
(min. from HKD 23)
Welcome Offer: Enjoy up to 4.27%* on cash deposits amount US$10,000 or higher
*the interest rate figure is for reference, it could change with the market condition
Pros & Cons
Basic Info
Transaction Fees: For US stocks, there is a USD$ 0.005 - 0.008/share fee, with a minimum fee per trade of USD$3 (depending on your Saxo account tier). However there is no other trade or platform fee involved.
Charge is based on the number of US stocks you buy, regardless of how much they were bought for. (excl. mandatory costs by US stock exchanges, etc.)
Custodian Fees: There is no custodian fee
Products Available: 40,000+ investment instruments including stocks, ETFs, bonds, mutual funds etc. across 37 global exchanges such as Hong Kong, U.S., U.K., Japan, Singapore and many more
Margin Trading: From Libor +1.5%
License: Licensed by the SFC (Type 1, 2, 3)
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uSMART Securities
Other Fee
N/A
Avg. Trade Cost
HKD 8
Welcome Offer: April special offer, Open an account with uSmart to earn:
• 2024 promotion : US$1.5 transaction fee per trade for US stock, 0 commission and platform fee for HK stock
• Real-time streaming quotation for HK stocks (Terms and conditions apply)• Lifetime free U.S. stock commission (only for standard accounts)
• HK$20 cash coupons X8
#For HK stocks, you can enjoy 0 commission and platform fee by trading the designated 16 ETF. For US stocks, you can enjoy US$1.5 transaction fee per trade when the value of each trading of main board stocks equals or higher than US$100.
Transaction Fees: 0% commission rate per US stock transaction for Standard Account users only, with a fixed US$0.005 platform fee per share
Investment product available:: HK, US and China stocks, ETFs and warrants. Selected funds available via Smart Fund platform.
Investment service available:: Discretionary Investment Management Account, Professional Investment Advisory
Margin Trading: 2.98% margin rate
License: Licensed by the SFC (Type 1, 4, 9)
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Interactive Brokers
Other Fee
N/A
Avg. Trade Cost
0.05% of Trade Value
Welcome Offer: Earn up to 4.83% annual interest rate on positive settled cash balance for accounts with total NAV of US$100,000 or higher. *Accounts with NAV of less than US$100,000 receive interest at rates proportional to the size of the account
**Interest rate if for reference only, it may change any time according to market condition
Pros & Cons
Basic Info
Transaction Fees: For HK stocks, commission fee of 0.08% to 0.015%
Product available: Stocks, options, futures, currencies, bonds from 150 exchanges in 34 regions including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Israel, Germany, Netherlands, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and India
Margin Trading: as Low as 5.637%
Hong Kong SFC license: SFC license Type 1,2,3
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Interactive Brokers
Other Fee
N/A
Avg. Trade Cost
US$0.005 / share
(min. from US$0.35)
Welcome Offer: Earn up to 4.83% annual interest rate on positive settled cash balance for accounts with total NAV of US$100,000 or higher. *Accounts with NAV of less than US$100,000 receive interest at rates proportional to the size of the account
**Interest rate if for reference only, it may change any time according to market condition
Pros & Cons
Basic Info
Transaction Fees: For US stocks, commission fee of US$0.005 / share to US$0.0005 / share
Product available: Stocks, options, futures, currencies, bonds from 150 exchanges in 34 regions including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Israel, Germany, Netherlands, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and India
Margin Trading: as Low as 5.3%
Hong Kong SFC license: SFC license Type 1,2,3
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Syfe
Account Funding Requirements
HKD 10,000
Fees
0.35%-0.65% AUM
Pros & Cons
Basic Info
Minimum investment amount: No minimum investment requirement
Fees: 0.35% to 0.65% of total assets (annual)
Portfolio creation: U.S., China stocks and ETFs, including direct indexed and thematic portfolios
Account opening: 100% online account opening through Syfe mobile app
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Stashaway
Account Funding Requirements
HKD 10,000
Fees
0.2%-0.8% AUM
Welcome Offer: New customers who successfully open a StashAway account via Planto’s link can enjoy 3 months of free management for up to HK$50,000.
Pros & Cons
Basic Info
Minimum investment amount: No min investment amount
Fees: 0.2-0.8% of the total assets (Annual)
Portfolio creation: 12 types of portfolios, covering 33 US ETFs, 14,000 securities assets and 20 different markets
Account opening: 100% online
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Aqumon
Account Funding Requirements
HKD 10,000
Fees
0.5%-0.8% AUM
Pros & Cons
Basic Info
Minimum investment amount: USD 10 for Safe Haven Portfolio
Fees: 0 commission, 0 platform fee. Advisory fee based on AUM
Portfolio creation: HK and US ETFs
Account opening: 100% online
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In recent years, there are more investment brokers launching in Hong Kong which is fantastic for consumers! Many of them have made investing very cheap, offer powerful stock research tools and help you invest smarter. uSMART Securities has done all of the above – it helps you invest in HK and US stocks with extremely low fees, uses big data to analyze stocks and gives strategies to follow. On top of that, the app is simple to use and easy to get started with.
What’s great about uSMART?
Lowest trading fees in the market for HK and US stocks
Monthly investment plan available
Fund platform where you can buy equity, bond or money market funds with ease
Download the app and receive a verification code via SMS; (or log in with your Facebook or Google account)
Use your phone to take pictures and upload your ID card and address proof
Fill in some basic information such as name, contact, financial status, etc.
Deposit funds and start investing
Deposit
Support eDDA instant deposit (HSBC, Hang Seng Bank, Bank of China, DBS Bank, Bank of Communication, Chong Hing Bank, China Merchants Bank, CITIC Bank, China Minsheng Bank, Wing Lung Bank)
FPS
Bank account transfer
Pricing plans for HK stocks
uSMART securities offers two plans for HK stocks:
Pay a commission: This means that you will pay 0.03% (if your account balance is more than HKD 100,000) or 0.05% (if your account balance is less than HKD 100,000) of the transaction as a commission and $0 as platform fees. In essence, this means if your account balance is $150,000 and you buy a few lots of HK shares worth $50,000, you would have to pay 15 HKD in fees.
Pay a platform fee: This is more straightforward – you pay a flat HKD 12 per transaction.
Which one you choose depends on your trading habits – if you buy in large transactions, the platform fee makes more sense. If your transactions are smaller, then the commission plan might be more suitable.
Pricing plan for US stocks
For US stocks, uSMART offers zero-commission plans. You just have to pay a flat USD 1 (~HKD 7.8) as a platform fee which is one of the lowest in Hong Kong. It’s simple and ideal for starting to invest in the US!
Tools and Research
On top of having really low fees, uSMART also provides you with stock research functionality that can be quite powerful. The key features are:
Smart Advisor: This is an AI / Big Data driven stock screener that can help identify stocks based on various metrics including growth potential, price/earnings ratio and more. The performance is backtested but real-life performance over the long term remains to be seen – but it could still be a great tool to get ideas.
Stock analysis: For individual stocks, aside from providing the price quote, uSMART provides intelligent scoring based on various factors of the company e.g. profit, growth, industry prospects, dividend yield, etc., and ranks them to help investors make more informed decisions. As an example, HSBC Holdings (0005.HK) had a score of 69.55 on January 2, 2020; Tencent Holdings (0700.HK) scored 68.34 points on the same day.
Smart Fund Platform
The funds on uSMART Securities platform are divided into four types: money market, bond, balanced and equity. Each fund has a chart to clearly show the performance trend, and lists the minimum investment amount and handling fee, which makes it straightforward for investors to choose what fund they are interested in.
Money Market Funds: These have the lowest risk and invest mainly in Treasury bills, commercial paper, etc. Many investors may opt to use money market funds as a substitute for time deposit plans. As of the end of 2019, uSMART’s money market funds’ returns ranged between 1.92% and 2.64% in one year.
Bond funds: The risks can be high or low, depending on the fund because bonds can have various risk levels (government bonds being lower risk, corporate and junk bonds being higher risk). As of the end of 2019, uSMART’s bond funds’ returns ranged between 2.69% and 14.53% in one year.
Balanced funds: These funds are diversified across bonds, stocks and other products. The risk is variable depending on the holdings of the fund and thus reward is also variable. As of the end of 2019, uSMART’s balanced funds’ returns ranged between 4.21% and 19.03% in one year.
Equity funds: These have higher risk (and higher returns). The investments include various types of stock assets which also makes it an easy way to diversify risk. As of the end of 2019, uSMART’s equity funds’ returns ranged between 7.96% and 51.78% in one year.
Summary
The uSMART mobile app is powerful, affordable and easy to use. The Smart Advisor functionality is interesting but lacks real-life historical data to see if it really works and may take a while before it can be considered a replacement to robo-advisors.
The good news is, even if we exclude the smart advisor and analysis features, uSMART’s app is really good. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced investor with a bank already, you’d want to give it a try yourself.
Investment involves risks. This information is intended to be educational and is not tailored to the investment needs of any specific investor. This information does not constitute investment advice and should not be used as the basis for any investment decision nor should it be treated as a recommendation for any investment or action. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. The value of investments and the income from them can go down as well as up, so you may not get back what you invest.
#Investing 101
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