XTB UK customers can now trade physical stocks alongside CFDs and margin FX products.
As of today, UK clients can deal in any of more than 3000 equities and 300 ETFs drawn from 16 major exchanges, including those from UK, US and European markets.
The new trading instruments can be accessed via the firmβs X-station trading platform on both demo and live accounts.
Traders can intuitively look up an equity or ETF ticker, and drag that instrument onto the charting panel to immediately call up a price chart of that stock.
Clicking on the instrument in the watchlist brings up a deal ticket which can be quickly configured for execution.
- Related guide – our views on the best stock brokers for investing in shares
XTB investing charges
Physical equity and ETF trading with XTB is commission free up to a point.
I say that because rather unusually, XTB will charge a commission of 0.2%, with a β¬10.00 minimum ticket, if you turnover more than β¬100,000 or Β£86,000 per month.
Whether that charging structure is designed to appeal to smaller equity traders and deter larger players, or is just for differentiation is not immediately clear.
There are no minimum deposits required to open an XTB share trading account.
Custody arrangements
XTB will hold all client assets in a segregated custody account held with KBC Securities. Clients will receive dividends as cash credits into their accounts and they will be able to participate in corporate actions in the usual way.
How does XTBβs share trading service compare to the competition?
IG the market leading margin trading broker also offers a share trading service covering more than 13000 shares, ETFs and investment trusts.
IG offers commission fee trading on US stocks, just as long as youβve traded three times or more in the previous month.
If you didnt, then you pay Β£10 per trade.
It’s a similar scenario for those who trade UK stocks if traded less than three times in teh prior month you will pay Β£8.00 per trade, but only Β£3.00 per trade if you meet or beat the prior monthβs trading hurdle.
It’s also worth noting that these rates only apply for trades with a consideration of Β£25000 or less. If you are trading in sizes that are larger than that, you will need to negotiate your rates with IG.
Denmarkβs Saxo Markets also offers physical share trading with commissions from $0.01 per share, depending upon which account tier you qualify for.
The 1 cent per share commission is available to VIP accounts trading in stocks listed on Nasdaq, the NYSE, and the NYSE MKT exchange (formerly the ASE).
Saxoβs classic clients pay 2 cents per share on US stocks with a minimum $5.0 ticket charge. Whilst platinum account holders will pay 0.15 cents per share, subject to a minimum $4.0 ticket charge.
Saxoβs charges vary by exchange in European trading.
Dealing in Dax constituents on Deutsche Bourseβs XETRA platform, costs VIP customers 0.05% with β¬3.0 minimum, while classic clients pay 0.1% and or a β¬6.0 minimum.
On LSE-listed UK equities, classic clients pay 0.1% with a Β£6.00 minimum charge. Platinum clients pay 0.07% subject to a Β£5.0 minimum.
The broker’s VIP customers pay just 0.05% with a Β£3.0 minimum ticket fee.
CMC Markets offers physical share trading through its recently launched CMC Invest division.
Clients can trade in more than 3250 UK and US shares commission free, alongside more than 400 UK-listed ETFs and investment trusts.
If you are trading US-listed stocks with CMC Invest with a sterling-denominated account you will pay 0.5% FX conversions fees.
Social Trading platform eToro offers its clients access to just over 3170 international stocks which can be traded on a commission-free basis, and there are no minimum ticket charges or volume related restrictions when trading stocks with the broker.

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