What is a stock broker?
A stock broker is an individual or firm that acts as the middle-man between any interested traders and the relevant exchange they are looking to trade with. Stock brokers offer trading opportunities to any member of the general public who can manage to meet the terms and conditions of their service.
With so much business being done online nowadays, it is no wonder that more people are interested in trading than ever before. This has brought about a large number of new online stock broker companies. With more companies, comes a high level of competition and this allows for operators to vary their service in hopes of claiming the top stock broker position.
Any individual or firm will not be able to trade stocks on a securities exchange as they would have to be registered within the exchange before they are able to make any transactions. The best online stock brokers will allow the individual/firm to purchase stocks through their firm on a variety of markets.
It is important to ensure that the stock broker you are interested in is legitimate and safe. Our reviews take a close look at the consideration, “Are online stock brokers safe?”, and check through their necessary licensing and jurisdiction to bring you information surrounding the legality of their service. Head to our broker review page to get an overview of some of the operators that have been evaluated.
Deciding between the best online stock brokers
Trading stocks has gained massive popularity over the past couple of decades and it seems the momentum is likely to carry the industry even further forward. Trading has been made available to the general public who will now only need a mobile device with an active internet connection to invest their money in markets of their choice.
With so many interested traders on the market, it is no wonder that there are more Australian online stock brokers than ever before and having a large amount of operators has brought about unprecedented levels of competition within the industry.
With so much competition, online operators have developed unique selling points to attract interested customers to their service. To get an idea of the variety of offers available on the market, head to our online brokers comparison where we take a close look at the service you can expect to receive.
Each of the best Australian online stock brokers will have features that will be more applicable to some readers. For this reason, it is recommended that you put together a checklist of requirements you are looking for before browsing through all the reviews to see just who manages to exceed your expectations.
A large part of a stock broker’s service will depend upon their trading platform that is made available. This platform will allow customers of the service to complete their trades within the securities exchange and manage to gain some shares of the corporation they are looking to invest in.
A trading platform will also have a variety of tools available to analyse stock prices and give customers an insight into the investment potential of the specific stock. The best online stock broker Australia will make all of these analysis tools available to all customers and when used in conjunction with the learning resources that are made available, you will be able to trade with confidence surrounding the various markets.
The easiest online stock broker is not necessarily the best, but a service should also be made very accessible to any interested customer. For this reason, our team also considers the website design to determine which are the best online brokers for beginners on the market.
Demo accounts
An online stock broker Australia will also make their service more accessible to the general public by offering demo accounts before having to commit any real funds to trading stocks. This allows customers to have a real experience with the broker to help decide which online stock broker is best for their needs.
With the demo account, you will have access to an amount of fictitious money that can be invested within real time stock markets.
These fake shares will then behave alongside the real world performance and give the customer a solid experience of trading, whether the investment manages to gain or lose value, you will not be liable to pay any money with the demo account.
This account should be used by all new traders on the scene to first find their feet within the industry but plenty of experienced traders can also use the demo account to gain a glimpse of the analysis tools that are on offer with the specific online stock broker.
Usually, you will also be able to make full use of the trading platform with your demo account to see just how easy their service is to make use of.
Once you have opened a demo account, you will also be able to see the variety of trading instruments that are available with the stock broker online Australia. If you are interested in other trading instruments, head to our forex broker in Australia page to take a look at some of the online service providers who offer forex trading.
Market research
Once you have been through our online stock broker rankings and decided on the operator that best suits your investment interests, you will need to have an informative resource to complete your market research.
Depending on how you plan on investing, long-term or short-term, you will have to keep up to date surrounding the investment opportunities on the market. It will always be recommended by any experienced trader to diversify your investment portfolio in order to minimise the risk of your investments.
A number of the best online stock brokers Australia will also have a market research portal where you can read through some of the opinions put forward by their experts in the industry.
There are plenty of investing resources available and our team of experts at Wetten Broker Australia have put together this comprehensive web page to inform all interested readers about the opportunities available with the best online stock broker in Australia.
If you are also interested in other trading instruments, be sure to check out our CFD broker Australia page. Once you have combed through the online stock broker list, you will hopefully have managed to find a service that caters specifically to your needs.
While you may be ready to invest in your stocks of interest, the necessary research must be done to ensure it is the correct time to be buying shares. There are plenty of indices available and trading recommendations but at the end of the day, the decision will be completely yours.
Broker fees
While losses on stock investments may be out of the control of the general customer, losses with fees certainly are. Any online stock broker Australia will have some sort of fee or commission applicable to their service in order for their company to survive.
With an incredibly competitive market, these companies try to minimise their fees as much as possible. Fortunately for all the customers out there, this means there are some of the best Australian online stock brokers that will allow you to trade shares for very low brokerage fees.
These fees are always mentioned when transacting with the bank and should be made clearly visible. Take a look at our social trading Australia page to find all the information surrounding the option.
The fee differences between online stock brokers Australia tend to vary dramatically and our review structure takes a close look at exactly what you can be expecting to pay with each online operator. It is also highly recommended that all readers browse through the terms and conditions to see if there could be any hidden costs or fees that would apply to their specific investment case.
Your preferred payment method may have a small amount tied to the deposits and withdrawals which could be avoided with another operator. The payment methods section of our reviews also show exactly how much is charged for the relevant payment options as well as their processing times.
Broker fees are an unfortunate but necessary part of the online trading industry. The service would not be offered if there was no way for the company to thrive.
Be sure to have a complete understanding of the relevant account fees, trading fees, commission costs and general fees that may be incurred by making use of the online service. To look at another trading instrument, head to our ETF online broker page for all the details.
Looking to trade ETF?
Available stock markets
Each of the best online stock brokers Australia will have a completely unique service on offer. This includes their web page usability and design, their licensing and security methods, customer service and trading platform on offer.
They will also offer a variety of markets for their customers to trade on. Depending on what your preferences are, you will need to find an online stock broker who offers trading within the relevant market that you are interested in.
The majority of brokers will allow customers access to a number of global markets but it is fairly common for some operators to not have the necessary jurisdiction with some of the global market options.
When you are browsing through our online stock broker list, you will find a number of options which are of interest to you. If an offer is close to what you are looking for, be sure to read through our comprehensive reviews to confirm that your market of interest is included within their service offer. If it is not, then it would be advisable to carry on browsing until you have found an opportunity more suited to your field of expertise.
To be considered among our top 10 online stock broker list, it is vital for an online operator to offer a large variety of markets to their customer base. To learn more about our trading instruments, head to our futures broker comparison to find out all you’ll need to know.
Our favourite futures brokers?
Sticking to what you know
If you are satisfied with the markets available and have found a stock broker online Australia that caters to your needs, it is finally time to start looking at buying some shares with a specific company on your supported exchanges. This decision may take some time and using our market research tips will definitely be of help when it comes to finally putting your money into shares. As always, it is highly recommended that readers stick to what they know best.
If you are in the automobile industry and have a keen interest for all the large companies out there, then look at investment options within your industry of specialisation.
When it comes to investing in stocks, the most valuable asset to have, for any trader, is information. Sticking to what you know allows you to be one step ahead of the pack by already having a keen interest and knowledge in that field.
If you do branch out, you are suddenly investing in an industry where there are plenty of other traders who may know more about that specific market than yourself and this could result in missing a key buying or selling moment.
It is possible to expand your investment portfolio to different markets but this should always be done with caution and plenty of research. If you are interested in joining the masses of crypto traders on the market, head to our cryptocurrency broker Australia page to see exactly how you can do it.
Our best brokers for CFD trading:
How to trade stocks
If you’ve been asking yourself “What online stock broker should I use?”, then we’re here to help. Having all the information is one thing, but knowing how to use the best online stock broker Australia is key to being able to invest in some stocks. With the majority of online operators, you will simply head to their homepage and click a ‘Sign Up’ button. This will always involve you sharing your personal details and care should be taken when filling in the form.
Any mistakes could delay the opening and verification of your account. Once this has been done, you will need to verify your email address by opening an email that would have been sent to your account.
With an active account, you will also need to verify your identity before you are able to purchase some shares with a specific company. Check out our day trading brokers Australia if you are looking at this trading option. Your identity will usually have to be verified by submitting a copy of your ID or passport.
Follow these instructions closely to ensure there is no delay when you are looking to transact. After a processing period, your account will be verified and ready to make some trades.
Even the best online stock broker in Australia will require your account to have some credit before you can buy some shares. You would have hopefully found all the necessary details surrounding the supported payment methods with your chosen online operator and you will now have to make use of one of them to deposit some of your funds to invest in a given company.
Depending on what method you have chosen, there will also be a processing time before your funds are credited to your account. All of these details are mentioned within our reviews.
Our top picks for trading options:
Conclusion – Finding the right stock broker for you
This brings us to an end of this online stock brokers Australia comparison. By now, you should have a solid understanding of exactly what a stock broker is and how they manage to offer their services to the general public. Knowing exactly how a stock broker allows customers to purchase shares of a specific company allows readers to pick up when a service is a bit risky.
Deciding between the best Australian online stock brokers can be quite a scary experience but our comprehensive reviews of each operator will help all readers through the challenging process before they commit to one operator. If trading stocks is not exactly what you were hoping to find, head to our best options broker Australia page for another trading instrument available on the market.
It is important to first test the demo account of an Australia online stock broker before depositing real funds with the operator. This allows you to determine the suitability of their service and give the trading platform a feel. It is then up to you to conduct the necessary market research to make informed trading decisions.
Always be aware of the fees you are liable to pay with any online stock broker and make sure you are getting the best deal on the market. Finally, stick to what you know and keep up to date with as much of the industry news as possible.
Stock Broker Online FAQ
🏅 Who are the best online stock brokers Australia?
There are plenty of stock broker offers out there at the moment and knowing which of them has the best offer relevant to your investment portfolio will be crucial for making your trading career a success. Here at Wetten Broker Australia, our team of experts have conducted plenty of broker reviews to bring you all the necessary information.
🖋️ What do I need to sign up with an online stock broker?
If you are looking to join the ranks of the numerous traders out there, you will need to have all the necessary requirements to sign up with your online stock broker of choice. This will include a few details and verification documents but all of them will be detailed within each of our broker reviews.
💳 How do I deposit with an Australian online stock broker?
With so much competition between stock brokers at the moment, the majority have them put a large range of payment methods on offer in order to attract the most customers possible. Some of the brokers do tend to miss a few of the standard payment methods and you will need to ensure that your preferred method is covered by checking out our online stock broker reviews.
📈 What markets are available with the best online stock brokers Australia?
Every trader will have a unique interest in a variety of different markets. It is always best to stick to what you know and avoid any risky trading options. Our team of experts take a close look at exactly what markets are covered with each of the stock broker offers and detail each of them within our stock broker comparison. Be sure to check whether your markets of interest are covered before you decide to commit to a service provider.
💸 What fees will I need to pay with a stock broker online?
As with any online service, you will be liable to pay some fees for the service you are receiving. When it comes to our online stock broker list, you will find that the fees can vary dramatically. There are various fees that will be applicable to your trading account and we take a close look at how much you can expect to be paying for the service. We also compare the applicable fees between online brokers in Australia here at Wetten AU.
