For those seeking to take their first try at online stock trading or for more seasoned traders, choosing an online broker is an essential step. To make it easier for aspiring traders, today we’re going to take a look at SpeedTrader.com and SureTrader.com, two popular online brokers you might consider trying:
SpeedTrader
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
SureTrader
Overall Rating: 4/5
SpeedTrader Overview
SpeedTrader is part of Mint Global Markets, a New York based online stock broker who specializes in online trading services.
The online broker has been tending to the needs of active day traders since 1999 and it is listed as a top 10 broker by Investopedia.
Among the many advantages that recommend SpeedTrader as the go-to online broker, some are especially worth mentioning. For instance, one of the benefits that caught our attention was the competitive prices offered for share and options trading. The types of pricing available are per trade, per share and per options trading contract. Their pricing starts at $4.49 per trade, $0.0044 per share and $0.40 per contract. The minimum per order charge for COR clients is $1.99 and the minimum per trade commission for ETC clients is $2.00.
SpeedTrader has a $30 inactivity fee, for less than 15 trades executed per quarter.
The SpeedTrader team works on improving the tools that traders use daily by continuously developing trading software and by constantly offering access to new trading routes.
There is also the possibility of accessing the market directly with over 25 routing options that provide traders with the advantage they need in their trading.
SpeedTrader takes pride in offering not just cutting edge trading software, but also optimal customer support in order to create the best experience possible for their clients.
SureTrader Overview
After learning the basics about SpeedTrader it is time to take a look at the advantages offered by another online broker, namely, SureTrader.
SureTrader is a Bahamas based online broker active since 2008. It is licensed by the Securities Commission of the Bahamas with the exchange control being regulated by the Central Bank of Bahamas.
The trading fees of SureTrader are of $0.005 per share with a $1.95 per trade minimum and a $50 per trade maximum. The options trading commissions are $4.95 per trade plus $0.50 per contract. The inactivity fee charged if the account registers less than 15 transactions per quarter is $50.
Extended trading hours represent an important advantage, making SureTrader stand out.
They offer pre-market hours between 8:00 am and 9:30 am EST and post-market hours between 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm EST, allowing traders to react promptly to factors which impact the market.
SureTrader prides itself on excellent customer support and offers a 6:1 intraday leverage among the listed advantages, for marginal securities above $3, with a $500 account minimum.
Opening an account
In order to open an account with SpeedTrader, the minimum deposit is 30,000$. You can open a COR clearing account by filling in an online application or an ETC clearing account by filling in a pdf file and sending it in by e-mail or fax together with other forms depending on your specific details.
The COR account has a per share commission starting at $0.0044, while the ETC account commission starts at $0.004 per share. For ETC accounts wire transfers are available for funding and the account allows direct routing access. For the ETC account the ACH transfers, options trading and per trade commissions are not applicable. These features are however available for COR accounts.
In order to open a COR account with SpeedTrader and complete the online application, you will need to provide basic information such as a social security number or a tax identification number, bank account information, your employer’s address and telephone number, financial information such as annual income, liquid and total net worth and a valid photo ID (passport, driver’s license, government-issued identification card).
SureTrader does not list the information required to register an account and for the initial sign-up form you need to enter some basic details such as a valid e-mail address, your first and last name, and your phone number. You also need to choose a strong password (8 characters long, one upper case and one lower case letter, one number and one special character) and to select a trading deposit value. The minimum deposit is $500.
Free trials
SureTrader allows you to test the trading platform by signing up for a 100K free demo. With SureTrader you can also get an instant $50 promotional code by entering your email address. In order to qualify for using the $50 in free trades, the client must apply for a new online trading account, complete and fund the account with a minimum of $1000 within 30 days of submitting the application.
Once the account is activated the client will receive 10 commission free-trades to be used in the first 30 days of trading.
With SpeedTrader you can sign up for a 14-day free trial of one of their top trading platforms- Speed Trader Pro.
Funding your SpeedTrader account
SpeedTrader supports different methods for funding your account. For COR clearing the available methods are ACH transfers, wire transfers, DTC, DWAC, and ACAT. Physical certificates are not accepted for deposit.
ACH allow you to electronically transfer funds to your checking. Transfers take 24 to 48 hours to process and are available at no additional fee. The minimum amount for an ACH transfer is 100$, and sums can only be withdrawn from an ACH deposit 5 days after the transfer due to the clearing firm’s policy.
Wire transfers take 24 hours to post for local transfers and 48 hours to post for overseas transfers. Funds are available immediately after being posted to your account.
If you are not new to the online securities trading and you need to transfer fully paid stocks from your current broker to SpeedTrader than DTC is the method that you can use and it usually takes 3 to 5 business days for the transfer to complete.
ACAT stands for Automated Client Account Transfer and is used to transfer an entire account (cash and securities) from another broker to SpeedTrader. ACAT transfers take around 7 working days to complete.
Withdrawing funds from your SpeedTrader account
The options that SpeedTrader offers for outgoing funds are ACH transfers, wire transfers, and checks.
With wire transfers, there is a $25 fee for local wire transfers and a $60 fee for international wires. Newly deposited funds can only be withdrawn 10 working days after the date of the deposit. For wire transfer requests to be processed on the same date, they need to be submitted until 2:00 PM EST. Check requests submitted until 1:00 PM EST are processed on the same day. With checks requests, you can opt for overnight delivery which incurs a charge of $40.
Funding your SureTrader account
One of the options available for funding your SureTrader account is to use your credit/debit card. The maximum amount that you can transfer to your trading account by using this method is $2500, and you will need to provide a scanned color copy of the credit/debit card and of your Government ID.
There is 3.5% processing fee involved. This particular funding method is available worldwide, the available currency is USD and the transaction is estimated to take 1-2 working days to complete.
Another option is wire transfer. The available currencies are USD, EUR, and GBP. The minimum amount is $1000 with no limits set regarding the maximum amount. This method is available worldwide and the transaction takes between 2 and 5 business days to complete.
Traders can also fund their SureTrader account by using Skrill or Neteller. This option, however, is not available worldwide, even though more currencies are available. The maximum sum that can be deposited using these 2 e-wallet providers is $5000 and the transactions take about 1- 2 business days to complete.
Withdrawing funds from your SureTrader account
In order to withdraw funds from their SureTrader account traders must log into their account using the Account Center credentials. After signing in they need to access the Banking section, choose the preferred withdrawal method and fill in the required information.
In order to complete the transaction traders will need to provide a withdrawal pin which they will generate from the withdrawal screen and which will then be sent to the e-mail address the account is registered under.
They will also have to sign the withdrawal request at the bottom of the screen. The withdrawal fees are $40 for wire transfers and e-wallet withdrawals and a 3.5% processing fee for Credit Cards.
Platforms
SpeedTrader offers a web-based trading platform called SpeedTrader ActiveWeb starting at $25 per month. Some of the features supported by the platform are real-time level 1 quote data, live streaming news, real-time stock charting, online trading history, profit/loss display, watch lists, risk-management tools, trending data, and options-chains.
SureTrader offers a free web-based platform called SureTrader ActiveWeb. The features supported resemble the ones supported by the SpeedTrader platform and the minimum system requirements involve using one of the following browsers: Internet Explorer 10, Firefox 11 or Google Chrome 16.
Both brokers offer desktop trading software and mobile trading software at competitive prices. SpeedTrader has developed a basic desktop trading software called SpeedTrader Pro and a more advanced direct access trading software called Sterling Trader® Pro, while SureTrader offers SureTrader Desktop and SureTrader Mobile as trading software.
Conclusion
Both online brokers offer several advantages through their complex trading software and competitive pricing. But on the whole, SpeedTrader offers several features that recommend it for more experienced traders, which is apparent when we look at the funding options that allow traders to transfer an entire account from their previous broker over to SpeedTrader.
SureTrader on the other hand with its lower minimum deposit, its free web-based platform and the $50 in free trades promotion is still a good alternative for those who are just getting started with online trading.
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