To invest in emerging markets, you need a stockbroker that offers international investing, like Interactive Brokers or a derivatives platform that offers exotic indices, like Saxo. You can compare the costs of investing in emerging markets in the comparison table below.
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IG Reviews |
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 Visit IG(opens in a new tab) Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 68% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Expert ratingOur expert rating is the average of the areas listed here, each scored out of 5 by our team.
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See full expert reviewOur verdictWith IG you can deal in over 13,000+ shares, funds and investment trusts with zero commission on US stocks and UK shares, with a foreign exchange fee of just 0.5%. You can also deal on a limited amount US shares while the market is closed. Is an IG share dealing account any good?An excellent share-dealing platform for those who want to deal shares regularly in the short and long term. You also get access to a huge range of UK small-cap shares, where you can request quotes from marketmakers via RSPs. This is something that is not available from other trading/investing platforms like CMC or Trading 212. An IG share dealing account is different from a spread betting or CFD trading account in that you actually own physical shares as opposed to trading derivatives. The ability to deal in shares with IG means that you can invest in companies for the long term alongside your short-term higher-risk speculation. An excellent share-dealing platform for those who want to deal in shares regularly in the short and long term.
Customer reviews for IGCustomer ratings come from reviews left on this site. Every review is read and approved before it is published.4.0Very good Based on 746 reviews
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Annual Fees 0% - 0.25% |
Dealing Commission £3.50 - £5 |
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AJ Bell Reviews |
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 Expert ratingOur expert rating is the average of the areas listed here, each scored out of 5 by our team.4.2Very good Our experts have rated AJ Bell Share Dealing across five key areas of our review framework.
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See full expert reviewOur verdictAJ Bell is a low-cost online investing platform and is the cheapest share dealing platform for buying and selling shares for the UK do-it-yourself (DIY) investor. They also offer plenty of investment ideas, including investment guides and equity research. SummaryA great choice to deal shares with low costs in a variety of investment accounts.
Fees: AJ Bell share dealing account fees are capped at £3.50 a month. Dealing costs are £1.50 for funds and £5 for shares but drop to £3.50 when there were 10 or more online share deals in the previous month. Special Offers:
Customer reviews for AJ BellCustomer ratings come from reviews left on this site. Every review is read and approved before it is published.4.2Very good Based on 1,103 reviews
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Annual Fees 0% - 0.45% |
Dealing Commission £5.95 - £11.95 |
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Hargreaves Lansdown Reviews |
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Expert ratingOur expert rating is the average of the areas listed here, each scored out of 5 by our team.4.9Excellent Our experts have rated Hargreaves Lansdown Share Dealing across five key areas of our review framework.
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See full expert reviewOur verdictHargreaves Lansdown offers access to the widest selection of stocks for share dealing accounts in the UK. The platform also has one of the best research portals for analysing stocks. Is it expensive to buy and sell shares on Hargreaves Lansdown?Hargreaves Lansdown is not as expensive as it used to be as there is no account charge for holding shares in a general investment account and a max of £3.75 in a stocks and shares ISA. HL does still cost more than competitors like AJ Bell and Interactive Brokers to buy and sell shares, but the account running costs can be lower because of the monthly cap. HL won the Best Stock Broker in our 2024, 2022 awards, and in 2021, it won Best Full-service Stockbroker for their all-round approach to customer service.. Another added bonus of dealing shares through HL is that their clients benefit from price improvements for best execution. HL say they reach out to multiple brokers to get the best prices for a trade and clients can make a saving of £18 per trade on average. This is particularly relevant if you are dealing with cap UK shares, which is where Hargreaves Lansdown excels. Overall, Hargreaves Lansdown is an excellent choice for most types of share dealing on UK and international markets. Customer reviews for Hargreaves LansdownCustomer ratings come from reviews left on this site. Every review is read and approved before it is published.3.8Basic Based on 1,775 reviews
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Annual Fees £0 |
Dealing Commission £3 |
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Interactive Brokers Reviews |
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 Expert ratingOur expert rating is the average of the areas listed here, each scored out of 5 by our team.4.3Very good Our experts have rated Is IBKR good for shares dealing and do you actually own stock on Interactive Brokers? across five key areas of our review framework.
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See full expert reviewOur verdictInteractive Brokers is an excellent account for sophisticated share dealers who want to manage their own portfolio with complex order types actively and need access to a wider range of investment products like derivatives, options, and futures. They also offer fractional share dealing if you only want to start trading a small amount. SummaryOne of the most advanced share dealing platforms for beginners and professional investors.
Fees: Interactive Brokers does not charge share dealing custody fees and minimum share dealing commissions are £1 in the UK or 0.05% of the deal size. |
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Annual Fees £59.88 |
Dealing Commission £3.99 |
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interactive investor Reviews |
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Expert ratingOur expert rating is the average of the areas listed here, each scored out of 5 by our team.4.3Very good Our experts have rated How safe is dealing shares on Interactive Investor? across five key areas of our review framework.
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See full expert reviewOur verdictInteractive Investor is a low-cost share dealing platform that offers investors access to over 40,000 shares. II won the 2021 and 2023 Good Money Guide award for Best Investment Account. SummaryInteractive Investor is a great choice for anyone who wants to buy and sell shares on a regular basis and has a large portfolio.
Dealing Fees: Interactive Investor share dealing commissions are a free trade every month, then UK Shares and Funds, US Shares charged £7.99 or upgrade to a £19.99 “Super Investor” account 2 free monthly trades and deal for £3.99. Regular investing is free. Special Offers:
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Annual Fees £0 |
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Expert ratingOur expert rating is the average of the areas listed here, each scored out of 5 by our team.
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See full expert reviewOur verdictVerdict: Trading 212 offers commission-free access to over 13,000 stocks and ETFs. There is a Stocks ISA and a SIPP available for investors while those looking to save can access a Cash ISA. Trading 212 is a low-cost investment platform that offers access to stocks, ETFs, contracts for difference (CFDs), and more. Founded in 2004, it launched in the UK in 2013. Today, it has five million funded accounts globally and around £25 billion in client assets. Since 2016, its app has been the UK’s number one trading app. What does Trading 212 offer?- Special Offer: Deposit £1 & receive a free fractional share worth up to £100. Capital at risk. Sponsored link. T&Cs apply. - Cash ISA Bonus Rate: 4.61%. 3.6% variable + 1yr 1.01% bonus. Sponsored link. T&Cs apply. Trading 212 offers access to a broad range of stocks and ETFs across 16 exchanges. In total, there are over 13,000 stocks and ETFs available on the platform. Additionally, it offers access to a range of features that many traditional investment platforms don’t offer such as:
What accounts are available on Trading 212? Trading 212 currently offers a range of investment accounts including a regular investment account, a Stocks ISA, a Cash ISA, and a SIPP. We look at some of these accounts in more detail below. Stocks ISA With Trading 212’s Stocks ISA, you can invest in a broad range of stocks and ETFs commission-free, although other fees may apply. You can deposit up to £20,000 per year and there is no tax payable on investment gains or income but note, tax treatment depends on your individual circumstances and regulations which may change. Benefits of this account include:
Overall, the Trading 212 Stocks ISA is a solid offering. It could be a good option for those looking to trade stocks and ETFs with no commissions. Cash ISA The Trading 212 Cash ISA offers a simple way to save money. You can deposit up to £20,000 per year and withdraw your money at any time. Benefits of this account include:
This ISA could be well suited to those who want a Cash ISA on the same platform as their investments. It may be possible to find higher interest rates elsewhere, however. SIPP Trading 212’s SIPP is a pension account. With this product, you can deposit up to £60,000 every year, however, you cannot access the money until age 55 (57 from 2028). Trading 212’s SIPP is operated and administered by Platform One. Benefits of this account include:
Overall, this is a solid pension offering. There’s access to many investments and fees are very low. Market access Trading 212 offers access to UK stocks, international stocks, ETFs, investment trusts, and more. In total, there are over 13,000 global stocks and ETFs available on the platform which for most investors, is going to be more than enough options. Those in the UK can also access CFDs. With CFDs, it’s possible to trade indices, commodities, forex, and stocks. Where the platform falls short against traditional platforms, however, is mutual funds. Regular mutual funds are not available – only ETFs and investment trusts. One other thing to point out is that the company executes through Interactive Brokers. It can take time to fill orders on small UK stocks. What are Trading 212’s fees Trading 212’s fees are very competitive. Here’s a snapshot of its fee structure:
Note when buying UK shares, you still have to pay Stamp Duty. This is 0.5% of the transaction value. How does Trading 212 make money? Trading 212 offers commission-free trading and also charges no custody fees. So, how does it make money? Well, one source of revenue is CFDs – here it makes money from the spread, which is the difference between the buy and sell price of a CFD. Another source of revenue is interest on uninvested cash. Who is Trading 212 regulated by and is it safe? In the UK, Trading 212 is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). In the unlikely event of a default, FSCS compensation is up to £120,000. With Trading 212, your cash is held at some of the world’s largest banks where it is ring-fenced. This means that it is held separately to the firm’s money. As for shares, Trading 212 works with The Bank of New York Mellon and IBKR to safeguard your assets. Here, shares are ring-fenced and completely segregated from the company’s assets. So overall, the platform operates within safeguarding requirements. There are obviously risks that come with investing on the platform, however, especially if trading CFDs. App and platform Trading 212 offers desktop access and an app. The app, which has a 4.7 rating in Apple’s App Store – tends to be more popular with customers. Through the app, you can trade stocks and ETFs, check your account balances, analyse your portfolio and asset allocation, and research individual companies and ETFs. The interface is clean and suitable for both beginners and advanced investors. One issue to be aware of, however, is that the company is constantly tweaking the app and desktop interfaces. Some users find this frustrating. Added value and research Trading 212 offers more investing information than a lot of other low-cost platforms. On its ‘Learn’ page, there are many educational articles. That said, some topics are not explained that well. As a result, beginner investors could end up a little confused. One handy feature on the platform is the Trading 212 Hotlist. This shows the most popular stocks among its customers. On the downside, there doesn’t seem to be any investment research on the platform. The only source of investment ideas is the Hotlist. Customer service You can contact Trading 212 24/7 via the ‘contact us’ function in the app. This connects you with the T212 chat assistant who can connect you with an agent from the customer care team on chat. It should be noted, however, that some users have complained about poor customer service. One common theme is withdrawals, these seem to be an issue for many users. Please note, when investing, your capital is at risk and you may get back less than invested. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Customer reviewsCustomer ratings come from reviews left on this site. Every review is read and approved before it is published.3.0Basic Based on 2 reviews
Read customer reviewsCustomer Service is non existentI would not recommend this app. I wasn't able to give less than one star. I changed my phone and was asked verify my account again. This proved impossible and I am continually asked to upload my passport and photo. I've not been able to access my account for three weeks. Customer service is appalling - bots responding to you! I've now messaged and asked them to return my money and close my account. Lesson learned - I'll stick with Aviva - at least you can speak to a human! Simple, intuitive, safeI started with a small amount with a growth and dividend strategy. I am now gaining over 10 percent growth and dividend reinvestment yearly. It is easy to use and although there is potential to lose. The new ai features and managed pies make it easy to start investing. Highly recommended. You can use my invite code for free shares, minimal investment. Leave a review |
Is now a good time to invest in emerging markets?
Once in a while, emerging markets (EM) are a ‘must have’ for investors. Remember the eagerness of fund managers towards China back in 2010? Investors flocked to them because they expected high growth and good asset returns. This guide shows you how you should invest in emerging markets, particularly the optimal time to buy and common traps to avoid.
Darren Sinden recently wrote on Invesdaq, that the action is in Asia once more.
US markets are unable to form a consensus right now when it comes to direction, and the most important narratives. Will AI eat software? Or will its gargantuan Capex requirements bankrupt the Mag 7 and Co before it reaches singularity?
South Korea and Japan, or at least their equity indices seen untroubled by those worries as we can see in that below which show the EWW and EWJ ETFs versus the S&P 500, year to date.
Richard is the founder of the Good Money Guide (formerly Good Broker Guide), one of the original investment comparison sites established in 2015. With a career spanning two decades as a broker, he brings extensive expertise and knowledge to the financial landscape.
Having worked as a broker at Investors Intelligence and a multi-asset derivatives broker at MF Global (Man Financial), Richard has acquired substantial experience in the industry. His career began as a private client stockbroker at Walker Crips and Phillip Securities (now King and Shaxson), following internships on the NYMEX oil trading floor in New York and London IPE in 2001 and 2000.
Richard’s contributions and expertise have been recognized by respected publications such as The Sunday Times, BusinessInsider, Yahoo Finance, BusinessNews.org.uk, Master Investor, Wealth Briefing, iNews, and The FT, among many others.
Under Richard’s leadership, the Good Money Guide has evolved into a valuable destination for comprehensive information and expert guidance, specialising in trading, investment, and currency exchange. His commitment to delivering high-quality insights has solidified the Good Money Guide’s standing as a well-respected resource for both customers and industry colleagues.
