Markets: Thailand

Categories
Broker profile

DBS Vickers

DBS Vickers is one of the larger Singapore stock brokers and also offers accounts in Hong Kong. The service is apparently mostly the same for both sets of clients, but some fees vary depending on where your account is based – where this is the case, both terms are indicated below.

Non Hong Kong residents are likely to be steered towards a Singapore account, but of the available Singapore brokerages DBS Vickers seems one of the less interesting choices for the international investor. Its main selling point was the absence of custody fees on foreign stocks, but even this has recently been abandoned.

When I’ve approached the firm for information, customer service has been good enough but representatives at OCBC Securities and Phillip Securities seem more alert. I’d suggest international investors looking for a Singapore account start there.

For local investors in Singapore, it’s worth being aware that SGX equity purchases made through DBS iBanking with upfront cash settlement are charged at a lower rate of 0.18% with a minimum of S$18 (sales cannot be done on the same terms, unless the sale is made quickly before the T+3 settlement cycle is complete). This is one of the lower rates among local brokerages, but Standard Chartered and the Singapore arm of Saxo Bank will probably work out slightly cheaper for most investors.

Categories
Broker profile

Polaris Securities

I have received little feedback on this broker. If you would like to add any comments, please email me.

This is the Hong Kong arm of one of Taiwan’s largest stock brokers. While it provides services in English, it seems to be little used by English-speaking international investors.

Polaris offers a wide range of Asian markets, mostly for broker-assisted trading. It’s not especially cheap, but the inclusion of Vietnam is noteworthy – it seems to be the only international multimarket stock broker offering this country.

I understand that to trade in Vietnam you still need to have a local account and unique investor ID, which requires a visit to the country to register in person. From the details provided, it’s unclear whether you still need to have applied for your own account and ID before trading or whether Polaris has managed to get around these restrictions – investors considering using the firm to trade Vietnam will need to get a definitive answer to this before opening an account.

Categories
Broker profile

Phillip Securities Hong Kong

International investors comparing brokerage accounts in Asia should be aware that Phillip Securities Hong Kong and Phillip Capital Singapore seem to be run independently of each other and offer different services.

The Hong Kong arm offers more markets online than the Singapore division, but less markets overall. International investors looking for an offshore account to trade Asian markets may do better through its sister firm or OCBC Securities in Singapore.

However, this is still one of the better multimarket brokers around and worth considering, especially if you need to invest in Japanese markets other than Tokyo which are rarely offered by international retail stock brokers (fellow Hong Kong broker Boom Securities is also worth considering for this purpose).

Categories
Broker profile

Haitong Securities (Taifook Securities)

I have received little feedback on this broker. If you would like to add any comments, please email me.

Formerly known as Taifook Securities, the firm was part of the New World conglomerate, controlled by billionaire Cheng Yu-tung. In 2009, it was bought by the Hong Kong arm of mainland brokerage Haitong Securities and renamed.

The company is a major provider of investment services into Hong Kong shares for mainland residents. Although it offers a good range of international markets, it is not routinely used by international investors.

Categories
Broker profile

Boom Securities

Boom was one of the pioneers of online stock trading in Asia. Starting out as an independent with backing from investment banker William Hambrecht, it was bought by Japan’s Monex Group in August 2010.

Boom offers an extremely good range of Asian markets for online trading at rates far lower than any American or European investor will pay for these using brokers in their home country. Following the acquisition by Monex, it can apparently now deal on the Fukuoka, Nagoya, Osaka and Sapporo stock exchanges, making it one of the few discount stock brokers outside Japan to offer stocks not listed on the Tokyo exchange.

The firm is no longer the clear leader in Asia across the markets it covers – Singapore’s OCBC Securities and Phillip Securities are worth considering as well. However, it continues to get very good feedback for customer service and ease of use, and is still one of the best multimarket stock brokers around.

Categories
Broker profile

Charles Schwab One Account

This US online brokerage giant now has two international brokerage services: The Schwab Global Account, open to US citizens and residents only, and the international trading part of its long-standing Schwab One Account. The firm has never really advertised the latter much, but it can deal in a very wide range of overseas markets, albeit by telephone during US hours only.

Schwab One Accounts are available to clients outside the US, although the minimum account size will be larger – US$25,000 for most markets, US$10,000 through the Hong Kong and UK arms. Overseas dealing is likely to have a minimum of around US$5,000 per trade for some markets.

The main snag with the service is cost. International dealing rates are 0.75% with a minimum of US$100. While this is lower than rates at the wirehouses, you can do better than that for many of the markets it offers – within the US, try Interactive Brokers, Fidelity or Schwab’s own US resident-only Schwab Global Account. On top of this, its correspondent stock brokers in the overseas markets will add their own charges, include FX conversion (since you can only hold US dollars within the account). That will vary by market, but it’s likely to add 0.15-1.5% depending on region (Europe will be cheaper, emerging Asia more expensive).

That said, while nobody I know well has used Charles Schwab for buying international shares, second-hand feedback says the customer service is very good. Certainly, I was impressed with the knowledge of its representatives when I enquired about opening an account. At this price, I’d still say look for a cheaper broker for the easy markets. But perhaps consider this firm for the more exotic ones if you trade in reasonable size and the US$100 minimum is bearable.