Buying US stocks from UK

[newtyron]

Hi,

Im looking to buy some stocks, but am finding that the UK companies charge quite a bit for each transaction:

tddirectinvesting.co.uk charge £12 per trade, and £5 if you do lots.

I notice that there are some US brokers that charge only $3 per trade.

If Im based in the UK do I have to go through a UK broker, or can I use one in the US? (bearing in mind Im only interested in US stocks). If so, you have any idea which one is good?

Cheers

N

 

[timsk]

If Im based in the UK do I have to go through a UK broker, or can I use one in the US? (bearing in mind Im only interested in US stocks). If so, you have any idea which one is good?

Hi newtyron,
Welcome to T2W.

As a U.K. resident you can have an account with a U.S. broker to trade U.S. stocks and futures - no problem at all. You'll have to complete a tax form to ensure you aren't liable to pay tax in the U.S. - but the broker will advise you of that when you register with them.

For stocks, Interactive Brokers are one of the biggest, best known and enjoy a good reputation. Others include MBTrading, TradeStation and Lightspeed. Check out the Broker Reviews section for details on all of them - and more besides.
Tim.

 

[ryandj2222]

iWeb charges £5 per transaction for UK and US shares (and European), plus currency conversion on buys and sells. I found it to be fairly reasonable, but don't buy many US stocks.

 

[Trader1UK]

iWeb charges £5 per transaction for UK and US shares (and European), plus currency conversion on buys and sells. I found it to be fairly reasonable, but don't buy many US stocks.

Whats their trading platform like? do they offer level 2 too?