November is upon us, and if you’ve stepped foot in a Canadian Costco lately, you’ll know that Christmas is just around the corner. For Canadian self-directed investors, however, the beginning of November signals the “unofficial” start to a very different season: RRSP season.
As if on cue, November kicked off with a new online brokerage promotion, a cash back deal from CIBC Investor’s Edge. Though it is still early in the month, there’s a very good chance that other Canadian online brokerages will follow suit in short order, in particular the bigger bank-owned brokerages. BMO InvestorLine’s current cash-back promotion was officially live at the time of publication of this update, however, they too will likely have something new on offer at the start of the month.
Of course, the big story this year among online brokerages in Canada is zero-commission trading fees gaining mainstream acceptance. Starting first with National Bank Direct Brokerage and followed shortly thereafter by Desjardins Online Brokerage, the fact that two large financial institutions have already rolled this out makes for interesting times ahead during the most competitive season among Canadian online brokerages. To overcome the natural pull of these ultra-low price points, competing firms who insist on charging trading commissions will have to demonstrate extraordinary value for their clients. And one of the fastest ways to do that is through incentives.
The news isn’t entirely great for online investors, however.
Large bank-owned online broker RBC Direct Investing retired their short-lived 50 commission-free trading promotion at the end of October. Recall that this promotion enabled users to have access to 50 commission-free trades over two years.
We will be keeping our eyes and ears peeled for new updates. However, if you find out about an offer you’d like to see shared on SparxTrading.com, drop us a comment to let us know.
Expired Online Brokerage Deals
The RBC Direct Investing 50 commission-free trade promotion officially wrapped up at the end of October. This promotion, which we first spotted in the late summer, was something new from the popular bank-owned brokerage. In particular, the duration over which investors could use the trades (two years) was longer than what we have seen being offered previously, or at competitor brokerages. Interestingly, the promotion was only available for a brief time, however, it is clear that RBC Direct Investing has found a way to go even bigger with promotions than they’ve done in the past, a trend we’re likely to see play out among Canada’s most competitive online brokers.
Extended Online Brokerage Deals
No deal extensions to report at this time.
New Online Brokerage Deals
The latest cash back promotion from CIBC Investor’s Edge is a tiered offer that provides between $50 and $2,000 cash back for deposits ranging between $10,000 and $1M+. This promotion runs from November 1 to March 1 inclusive, with payouts of the cash bonus taking place in June 2022 or August 2022, depending on when accounts are opened. Check out our online brokerage deals index page for deposit tiers and more information about this offer.
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