Desjardins Online Brokerage – Page 17

Posted on May 20, 2016 by user — Leave a comment

Discount Brokerage Weekly Roundup – May 20, 2016

Even the best investors can be caught off guard by sudden moves in the market. It’s a humbling lesson and usually the tuition for poor risk management isn’t cheap. For Canadian discount brokerages, there are definitely signs in the US brokerage market that the risks for certain brokerages are rising.

In this week’s roundup, we take a deeper look into some interesting moves that took place in the US online brokerage market and what that might mean for Canadian online brokerages as the competition and race for technological supremacy heats up. Next, we take a look at standard online brokerage commission pricing, to see why it’s not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison across the board. From there we’ll take a look at the reactions from DIY investors on Twitter and close out with comments from the online investor forums.

Keep on Surviving

Why is a market so exciting? It settles debates from opposing sides using dollars and cents. The business of being a brokerage is something that we cover regularly in the weekly roundup and this past week there were some interesting developments that are shaping up to make the ‘online brokerage’ marketplace even more exciting.

On the one hand there’s a bullish case to be made with interest rates being telegraphed to rise. For borrowers this isn’t great news but online brokerages are also lenders and as we reported several weeks ago, significant portions of online brokerage revenues come from their margin lending. One of the long time messages Schwab has been trying to communicate to its shareholder base is just how material even small increases in interest rates will be for their financial performance.

On the other hand, there are the bears. Interestingly, the case is not entirely a bearish one considering the source, Thomas Peterffy, CEO of Interactive Brokers. According to a recent interview in the Financial Times, he is forecasting that 80% of brokerages in the US will disappear because of constrained revenues, changing investor habits, compliance costs and advances in technology. So, while this is clearly a bearish call for most of the players on the field, for some, including Interactive Brokers, it may be a self-fulfilling prophecy that they’re left standing after this massive cull.

This is not the first time he has pointed to this data this year either. Peterffy alluded to this point in a recent earnings conference call with an analyst which suggests that this forecast is both a clever marketing pitch to professional brokers that want to lower their cost and a way to showcase the merits of Interactive Brokers’ model of heavy automation. In either case, Interactive Brokerages certainly stands to benefit from brokerages either folding, being gobbled up or deciding to use Interactive Brokers for their platform of choice. Well played IB.

There is, however, one potential ‘canary’ in the Canadian online brokerage coal mine.

Now that Virtual Brokers has changed (i.e. raised) their commission structure and is starting to shift their focus towards ‘value’ rather than price, it may signal that they too are feeling the pinch of the low cost game. Unfortunately for small brokerages like VB, value is a game that the bigger financial brands in Canada have a clear edge over (think bundling of services and convenience).

To compound the challenges facing the independent brokerages they need the scale of client accounts (or trading activity per client) to be large otherwise commission prices need to be lower in order to offset the greater convenience offered by the bank-owned brokerages. The only other viable alternative for non-bank-owned brokerages is to invest in making their product experience exceptional – which is not a small investment in either the people running the brokerage or the technology needed to pull it off.

For Canadian DIY investors, ultimately, the scenario where costs/fees decrease is a good one.

Unfortunately for the non-bank-owned brokerages are now quite vulnerable to being priced out. There’s already proprietary data we’re seeing that shows they’re losing their edge against the banks, and the introduction of robo-advisors certainly doesn’t help matters either.

If the bank-owned brokerages were to drop their standard commission fees down even further, the traditional “low cost” or non-bank owned online brokerages would have a difficult time competing demonstrating yet again that the debate over the best online brokerage may just come down to who’s left standing.

Unpleasant Sur-price

Nobody likes discovering what’s in the fine print, especially after receiving a charge from their brokerage. Yet, despite all of the forms and acceptance of terms and conditions, so many DIY investors get tripped up by the fine print put forward by online brokerages.

Interestingly, this past week there were two examples of two different investors who unfortunately appeared to get dinged for fees they didn’t see coming.

The first was in a post in the Canadian Money Forum in which a Qtrade Investor client was charged $22 commission for a trade they thought should only cost $8.75. In the second case posted on Twitter, a user was clearly caught off guard by the commission rates.

Of specific interest is the situation of the trade at Qtrade Investor. In this particular instance the individual in question stated they were charged a fee that was generated on top of their ‘commission fee’. As it happens, this fee appears in the “other fees” section of the Qtrade website pricing page where it states that a charge of 1/30^th of 1% or (0.00033) of the value of the trade.

Breaking down the math of the trade, the standard rate of $8.75 per trade means that this individual incurred a charge of $13.25 in ECN fees for this trade. In order to generate that level of ECN fee they would have had to have a trade value of $39,750. Now since we know they sold 500 shares of BMO.TO that gives us a trade price of $79.50 (sounds like a good round number limit order price) which turns out to be a plausible price for BMO to have hit on April 12^th – so the math checks out (13.25 divided by 0.00033333 = 39,750).

There are a number of interesting things about this scenario.

Perhaps the most fascinating is that this person described themselves as a relatively infrequent trader (<20 trades per year) with a six-figure portfolio. Yet for the surcharge of an extra $13.25 of a $39,750 order, the individual went through the motions of reconsidering their relationship with Qtrade Investor to consider moving their crosstown rival Credential Direct (or others who may offer truly flat pricing). And, not so much because of the $13.25 but as noted by the individual it was “the principle of paying double”.

It is important to mention that, while Qtrade Investor does offer to waive this fee for clients who make over 150 trades/quarter or who have at least $500,000 in assets across all Qtrade accounts, for this investor, the standard pricing rules applied.

From a business perspective, the bigger question is what is it worth to an online brokerage have that client or to try to win them back? The answer to this question is probably why, in some part, many bank-owned brokerages have decided to offer flat commission pricing rather than pass through the ECN charge.

For DIY investors, flat pricing is usually a more favourable option to have than variable pricing and the difference can certainly add up depending on the manner or volume of trade being executed. Flat pricing also simpler and more predictable.

Interestingly, Virtual Brokers is the only non-bank-owned brokerage to offer the flat commission pricing as a standard option. It should be noted that Virtual Brokers does pass through the SEC fee for US securities trades at the rate of $0.0002/share.

Brokerage	Standard Commission Price
BMO InvestorLine	9.95 flat
CIBC Investor’s Edge	6.95 flat
Credential Direct	8.88 (not flat)
Disnat Classic	9.95 (not flat)
HSBC InvestDirect	9.88 (not flat)
Interactive Brokers	0.01/share (not flat)
Jitneytrade	Variable pricing (not flat)
National Bank Direct Brokerage	9.95 flat
Qtrade Investor	8.75 (not flat)
Questrade	4.95 – 9.95 (not flat)
RBC Direct Investing	9.95 flat
Scotia iTRADE	24.99 (not flat)
TD Direct Investing	9.95 flat
Virtual Brokers	9.99 flat
Note: Flat is defined as no additional charges on the trade (e.g. no ECN fees will be charged)

With flat commission pricing the independent or “low cost” discount brokerages in the Canadian market are now not necessarily less expensive than the bank owned discount brokers. Other fees, such as account administration fees or inactivity fees certainly bear consideration but when looking at flat vs variable cost on a per trade basis – flat makes a compelling case.

Coming back to the bigger issue of changing a brokerage on principle, this example offers an important insight into the value that DIY investors place not only on transparency of fees, but also on clarity and customer choice.

DIY investing does mean that there will be fine print and unfortunately as individual investors, everyone who signs up for an online trading account is responsible to know some of the “quirks” and important conditions for trading through a particular online brokerage.

1/30^th of 1% may not seem like much but it was enough to cause one client to take to the internet to voice their displeasure.

The lesson to brokerages seems clear: leave the surprises in price to the stock market and not in the commission structure of those doing the trading.

Discount Brokerage Tweets of the Week

We had a few technical difficulties with the tweets of the week, so only a selection of tweets are shown here. We will update this when we’re able to access the other tweets. In the meantime, there appears to be no shortage of reasons that caused investors to reach out – most notably an outage from TD Direct Investing’s web broker.

From the Forums

The Price of Advice

In this post from Canadian Money Forum, a product that we don’t often hear much about – BMO InvestorLine’s Advice Direct, was mentioned by someone considering the service. Interestingly there was also the mention of bonus trades for InvestorLine to sweeten the deal to the tune of 160 free trades per year. There’s an interesting debate about robo-advisors in there as well. Worth a read.

The Cost of Advice

In this post from reddit, an alleged interaction with a Questrade representative stating that someone should over contribute on their TFSA sounded alarms with other readers and also with Questrade community reps who replied. An interesting example of why it’s always good to trust but verify.

Into the Close

That’s a wrap on another week. Heading into the May long weekend remember that Canadian markets will be closed on Monday. Have a safe and fantastic weekend and for all the Raptors fans, hang in there!

Posted on May 1, 2016 by user — Leave a comment

Discount Brokerage Deals & Promotions – May 1, 2016

*Update May 9* Sell in May and go away. It’s a phrase many traders are familiar with and now that May has arrived it looks like there will be sales – just not a whole lot more from certain discount brokerages.

As we head into a new month, it looks like there’s a definite pull back in place with certain brokerages – notably Scotia iTrade and Questrade. Questrade has placed its bets on a handful of standing offers heading into May and appear to be taking a ‘wait and see’ approach while Scotia iTrade also appears to be in a holding pattern. Nonetheless, there are other brokerages that appear to be taking advantage of the pull back by ramping up their promotional activities.

This month the theme appears to be “contests” with two online brokerages now trying to win over clients with the lure of being a prize winner. One from Virtual Brokers, launched late last month, and the other from National Bank Direct Brokerage, are meant to either directly or indirectly shine a spotlight on their respective brokerages. It is also worth mentioning that RBC Direct Investing is still running its $1,000 draw for clients to join their investor community feature.

We’ll continue to monitor the deals and promotions activity heading into May, however it seems like there may be a tactical shift by brokerages to highlight “value” in place of things that reduce price.

Expired Offers

There were a couple of notable deals that expired in April. Midway through the month, TD Direct Investing’s free trade offer expired and at the end of the month, ~~Desjardins Online Brokerages’ long running commission credit promo technically expired~~ (see update in extended offer below). Qtrade’s lowered threshold transfer promotion also went dark as did Questrade’s tax-themed promotion.

Extended Offers

*Update May 9* It took some time but Desjardins Online Brokerage renewed their long-running $500 commission credit promotion. This deal has been extended to the end of June.

We didn’t spot any extensions at the outset of May.

New Offers

*Update May 9: Scotia iTRADE has re-appeared in the deals and promotions section reviving one of their multi-tier offers while at the same time getting on the contest bandwagon with an offer to win a “TSX shopping spree” of $10,000; there are also 5 runner-up prizes of $1,000 each. For individuals opening a new Scotia iTRADE account, the number of ballots for this contest increase as the amount deposited increases. See the table below for more information.*

Two new offers were noted by Virtual Brokers and National Bank Direct Brokerage.

Virtual Brokers’ latest promotion involves a draw for a $500 Apple gift certificate. In order to be eligible, a new account must be opened by June 30^th with a deposit of at least $1,000. The draw for the gift card takes place at the beginning of August.

For National Bank Direct Brokerage, they are once again co-sponsoring the Horizons ETFs Biggest Winner Contest. This contest offers up $7,500 to the grand prize winner, $2,500 to the runner up and weekly prizes of $500. The competition starts on May 9^th and runs until June 17^th.

*Update May 9: Database issues have been resolved and we have now updated the deals section for May 2016. Thanks for your patience!*

~~*NOTE: We’re experiencing some technical difficulties with our database at the moment. We will update the data tables below when this issue has been resolved.*~~

Discount Brokerage Deals

Cash Back/Free Trade/Product Offer Promotions
Referral Promotions
Transfer Fee Promotions
Contests & Other Offers

Cash Back/Free Trade/Product Offer Promotions

Company	Brief Description	Maximum Transfer Fee Coverage Amount	Minimum Deposit Amount for Transfer Fee Eligibility	Details Link	Deadline
	Transfer $15,000 or more to RBC Direct Investing and they will pay up to $135 in transfer fees	$135	$15,000	Transfer Fee Rebate Details	none
	Transfer $25,000 or more from another brokerage and Credential Direct will cover up to $150 in transfer fees. Use promo code SWITCHME when signing up to qualify for the transfer promotion.	$150	$25,000	Credential Direct Transfer Fee Rebate	none
	Move your brokerage account to Questrade and they’ll cover the transfer-out fee up to $150.	$150	$25,000	Transfer Fee Promo	none
	Transfer at least $25,000 or more in new assets to TD Direct Investing when opening a new account and you may qualify to have transfer fees reimbursed up to $150. Be sure to contact TD Direct Investing for further details.	$150	$25,000	Contact client service for more information (1-800-465-5463).	none
	Transfer $25,000 or more to Virtual Brokers and they may cover up to $150 in transfer fees.	$150	$25,000	Apple gift card promo	June 30, 2016
	Transfer $25,000 or more into a CIBC Investor’s Edge account and they will reimburse up to $135 in brokerage transfer fees. Clients must call customer service to request rebate after transfer made.	$135	$25,000	Confirmed with reps. Contact client service for more information (1-800-567-3343).	none
	Transfer $25,000 or more to a National Bank Direct Brokerage account and they will pay up to $135 plus taxes in transfer fees	$135	$25,000	Transfer Fee Rebate	none
	Disnat is offering up to $150 to cover the cost of transfer fees from another institution. To be eligible, new/existing clients need to deposit $50,000 into a Disnat account. You’ll have to call 1-866-873-7103 and mention promo code Disnat500. See details link for more info.	$150	$50,000	Disnat $500 Commission Credit Promo	June 30, 2016
Expired Offers
Last Updated: May 9, 2016 15:30 PT

Referral Promotions

Company	Brief Description	Minimum Deposit Amount Required	Details Link	Deadline
	Credential Direct has partnered with Trend Micro to offer 50% off Trend Micro Titanium Internet Security. Use code “TrendCF” at checkout.	n/a	Trend Micro Special Offer Code	none
	National Bank Direct Brokerage is sponsoring the latest edition of the Horizons ETFs Biggest Winner simulated trading competition. Top prize for the contest winner is $7,500 with a runner up prize of $2,500. There will also be weekly prizes of $500. Be sure to read terms and conditions for full details on timing and eligibility.	n/a	Horizons ETFs Biggest Winner 6	June 17, 2016
	Scotia iTRADE is offering a no-purchase entry option to their Stock Shopping Spree contest. There is a limit of one (1) ballot per person using the no purchase required method. Top prize is $10,000 and there are 5 runner-up prizes of $1,000. Be sure to read full contest rules and regulations for eligibility.	n/a	No Purchase Entry Link . Click here for full contest rules.	July 31, 2016
	Desjardins Online Brokerage is offering $50 in commission credits for new Disnat Classic clients depositing at least $1,000. See terms and conditions for full details.	$1,000	Broker@ge 18-30 Promotion	none
	Scotiabank StartRight customers can receive 10 commission-free trades when investing $1,000 or more in a new Scotia iTrade account. Trades are good for use for up to 1 year from the date the account is funded. Use promo code SRPE15 when applying (in English) or SRPF15 when applying in French. Be sure to read full terms and conditions for full details.	$1,000	StartRight Free Trade offer	none
	Virtual Brokers is offering the chance for individuals who sign up for a new online trading account on the classic commission structure with a deposit of at least $1,000 to win an Apple $500 gift card. Be sure to read terms and conditions for more information.	$1,000	Apple Gift Card Promotion	June 30, 2016
Expired Offers
Last Updated: May 9, 2016 14:30 PT

Transfer Fee Promotions

Company	Brief Description	Minimum Deposit Amount	Commission/Cash Offer/Promotion Type	Time Limit to Use Commission/Cash Offer	Details Link	Deadline
	A Sparx Trading exclusive offer! Use the promo code “Sparx Trading” when signing up for a new account with Jitneytrade and receive access to their preferred pricing package.	n/a	Discounted Commission Rates	none	For more details click here	none
	Open and fund a new account (TFSA, Margin or RRSP) with at least $1,000 and you may be eligible to receive 5 commission-free trades. Use promo code 5FREETRADES when signing up. Be sure to read terms and conditions carefully.	$1,000	5 commission-free trades	60 days	5 commission-free trade offer	December 31, 2016
	Open and fund a new account at Virtual Brokers with at least $5,000 and you may be eligible to receive 3 months of commission-free equity trading and a $150 USD/mo credit towards Edge Trader Pro for 3 months. Use promo code sent at sign up to qualify. Be sure to read full terms and conditions for details.	$5,000	3 months commission-free equity trading + $150 USD/mo platform fee rebate.	3 months	3 months free trading / Sign up form for promo code available here	none
	Open and fund a new account at Scotia iTrade with at least A) $25,000; B) $50,000; C) $100,000 D) $250,000 E) $500,000 or F) $1,000,000+ and you may be eligible to receive up to A) 75 commission-free trades and 5 contest ballots; B) 150 commission-free trades and 10 contest ballots; C) 200 commission-free trades and 25 contest ballots; D) 250 commission-free trades and 50 contest ballots; E) 250 commission-free trades and 100 contest ballots; or F) 250 commission-free trades and 200 contest ballots. Use promo code SP16FT when opening account to be eligible. Be sure to read terms and conditions for full details.	A) $25,000 – $49,999 B) $50,000 – $99,999 C) $100,000 – $249,999 D) $250,000 – $499,999 E) $500,000 – $999,999 F) $1,000,000+	A) 75 commission-free trades + 5 contest ballots B) 150 commission-free trades + 10 ballots C) 200 commission-free trades + 25 ballots D) 250 commission-free trades + 50 ballots E) 250 commission-free trades + 100 ballots F) 250 commission-free trades + 200 ballots	90 days for free trades	TSX Shopping Spree Contest . For full contest rules, click here	July 31, 2016
	Disnat is offering new & existing clients up to $500 in commission credits which can be used for up to 6 months. To be eligible, new/existing clients need to deposit $50,000 into a Disnat account. You’ll have to call 1-866-873-7103 and mention promo code Disnat500. See details link for more info.	$50,000	$500 commission credit	6 months	Disnat $500 Commission Credit Promo	June 30, 2016
	Open a new qualifying account with BMO InvestorLine, and fund it with at least A) $100,000 or B) $250,000 or C)$500,000 in net new assets and you may be eligible to receive A) $200 cash back, B)$500 cash back or C) $1,000 cash back. Use promo code Summer1000 when signing up to be eligible. Be sure to read the terms and conditions for more details on the offer.	A) $100,000 – $249,999 B) $250,000 – $499,999 C) $500,000+	A) $200 cash back B) $500 cash back C) $1,000 cash back	Cash back will be deposited the week of Mar. 6, 2017.	Summer 2016 Promotion	July 31, 2016
Expired Offers
Last Updated: June 1 16:25 PT

Other Promotions

Company	Brief Description	Minimum Deposit Amount	Incentive Structure	Time Limit to Use Commission/Cash Offer Deposit	Details Link	Deadline
	Refer a friend to Questrade and when they open an account you receive $25 cash back and they receive either A) $25; B) $50; C) $75; D) $100; or E) $250 depending on the amount deposited amount. Enter code: 476104302388759 during account sign up to qualify. Be sure to read the terms and conditions for eligibility and additional bonus payment structure and minimum balance requirements.	A) $1,000 – $9,999 B) $10,000 – $24,999 C) $25,000 – $49,999 D) $50,000 -$99,999 E) $100,000+	$25 cash back (for referrer per referral; $50 bonus cash back for every 3rd referral) For referred individuals: A) $25 cash back B) $50 cash back C) $75 cash back D) $100 cash back E) $250 cash back	Cash deposited into Questrade billing account within 7 days after funding period ends (90 days)	Refer a friend terms and conditions Code Number: 476104302388759	none
	If you refer a friend/family member who is not already a Scotia iTrade account holder to them, both you and your friend get a bonus of either cash or free trades. You have to use the referral form to pass along your info as well as your friend/family members’ contact info in order to qualify. There are lots of details/conditions to this deal so be sure to read the details link.	A) $10,000 B) $50,000+	A) You(referrer): $50 or 10 free trades; Your “Friend”: $50 or 10 free trades (max total value:$99.90) B) You(referrer): $100 cash or 50 free trades; Your “Friend”: $100 cash or 50 free trades (max total value: $499.50)	60 days	Refer A Friend to Scotia iTrade	June 30, 2016
	If you (an existing Virtual Brokers client) refer a friend or family member to open a new account with at least $5,000 you may be eligible to receive $25 cash per referral. For 3 or more referrals Virtual Brokers will add a $50 bonus. Referred individuals depositing either A) $5,000 – $50,000 or B) $50,000+ may be eligible to receive A) $25 or B) $50 cash back. Be sure to read the full terms and conditions carefully for full details. Be sure to read the terms and conditions to this offer carefully for full details.	A) $5,000 – $50,000 B) $50,000+	Referrer: $25 per referral; $50 bonus for each 3 or more referrals. Referee: A) $25 B) $50	Cash to be deposited to VB account by August 15, 2016.	Cash Referral Program	May 31, 2016
	If you (an existing BMO InvestorLine client) refer a new client to BMO InvestorLine and they open an account with at least $50,000 the referrer and the referee may both be eligible to receive $50 cash. To qualify the referee must use the email of the referrer that is linked to their BMO InvestorLine account. See terms and conditions for full details.	$50,000	You(referrer): $50; Your Friend(referee): $50	Payout occurs after 45 days (subject to conditions).	BMO InvestorLine Refer-a-Friend	June 30, 2016
Expired Offers
	Open a new account (TFSA, Margin or RRSP) and receive $50 commission credit . Use promo code: kdkfnbbc	$1,000	$50 commission credit	30 days	none	none
Last Updated: June 1, 2016 16:45 PT

Posted on April 22, 2016 by user — Leave a comment

Discount Brokerage Weekly Roundup – April 22, 2016

With storm clouds thicker than this week’s 420 protests-turned-celebrations and tension greater than the imminent showdown coming in the next installment of Game of Thrones, it seems the fog of war has set in with online brokerages. On the home front, things are nervously quiet, however from the revelations this past week in the US, the battle of the brokerages south of the border is raging.

In this week’s roundup, we extend our coverage of the latest performance of the major online brokerages in the US to glean where the industry there (and eventually here in Canada) is headed next. From there we’ll update the latest move from one independent brokerage that suggests a shift in strategy that other brokerages have yet to respond to. As always, we’ll scan the latest chatter from investors on social media and investor forums and also highlight some of the upcoming investor education events.

Quest for the Best

Last week we reported on the latest earnings from Schwab. This week saw earnings releases from the three other major publicly traded online brokerages in the US: E*trade, Interactive Brokers and TD Ameritrade.

Collectively, these four brokerages earned just under $2.5B (USD) in revenues and $1B USD in net income for the quarter. Overall, each of the firms posted relatively strong performances in the quarter, attracting new accounts, in some cases breaking records for earnings and trading activity.

Aside from these mind-boggling numbers (especially when compared to Canadian online brokerages) the real story is revealed by reviewing what gets said on the earnings call which feature commentary from senior executives (often CEOs and CFOs) as well as questions from analysts that cover these companies.

One of the biggest themes from this last set of earnings calls had some very real concerns about the impact of the latest investor protection measures (the “Fiduciary Rule”) being implemented in the US.

While the mammoth (apparently 1000 page long rule) being put forward by the US Department of Labor (DOL) impacts retirement accounts specifically and what it means to be considered a ‘fiduciary’ the online brokerages are still digesting exactly what the requirements and costs to meet those requirements will be. Ironically talking about the sheer volume of added paperwork this rule has generated and will generate on Earth Day underscores the unintended consequences of well-meaning regulation.

This push towards greater investor protection, especially within the ‘advice-based’ or managed wealth realm is not unlike the CRM2 regulations being phased in here in Canada. The goals of achieving greater transparency on fees charged for services and for improving the disclosure from financial advisors are aligned in both cases, although it appears the Canadian approach is less onerous.

While the DOL rule and CRM2 may make it more challenging for some advisors to convince investors to park their money in the ‘managed’ space, this move actually may play out in favour of the self-directed account providers. The thinking is that when investors see what they are being charged for their funds or for the advice they’re being provided, they’re likely to consider alternatives.

In addition to the self-directed route, one of those alternatives happens to be robo-advisors – a seemingly middle ground solution between the ‘human’ advice world and the DIY investor option.

Interestingly, after the DOL Fiduciary Rule concerns, robo-advisors and fintech appeared to be the ‘next big thing’ on the minds of analysts and executives. Specifically, all the brokerages were asked about robo-advisors and the extent to which they are either gaining traction (such as at Schwab which has pulled in $6B in assets within a year) or are not (such as with Interactive Brokers). That said, there is a definite recognition of the importance of fintech.

One of the more interesting remarks came from the CEO of E*trade Paul Thomas Idzik who stated that they’re clearly interested in expanding the banking functions that a fintech solution could provide to their business. In other words, even though they’re an online brokerage, they’re looking to expand their financial services into what banks have traditionally done (such as bill payment and transaction processing).

The award for most interesting commentary, however, had to come from Thomas Peterffy, CEO of Interactive Brokers.

In response to a question from analyst Mac Sykes of Gabelli about the strategic direction of Interactive Brokers, Peterffy stated “Mac, I’m obsessed with trying to grow this to become the largest brokerage in the world. That’s the only thing I care about. I don’t care about the returns.”

Not only does this comment perfectly capture the intensely competitive nature of the online brokerage space within the US but it also shows Canadian brokerages that there are those in the space that have the capital and motivation to outperform those who don’t want to win badly enough.

Virtual Brokers Uptick

On this side of the border, the action is a bit sleepier. Nonetheless, this past week Virtual Brokers launched yet another promotion signaling their shift towards offering prospective clients more incentives and promotions than they have previously.

The latest promo from VB is actually a contest for a $500 Apple gift card (a promotion they’ve run previously) for individuals depositing at least $1,000 into a new Virtual Brokers account. Unlike many of the other promotions currently offered by Canadian discount brokerages, the ‘contest’ route doesn’t offer an immediate reward but it does offer those with low starting balances the possibility of getting another perk for signing up. For the brokerages, however, this is a lower cost way of trying to attract new clients and/or leads for those who enter the contest.

While promotional activity at several other brokerages has geared down, it appears that Virtual Brokers (either by design or coincidence) is starting to ramp up their promotional strategy.

For VB the timing gives them an edge to get attention from DIY investors looking for an online trading account, especially since some of their closest rivals have elected to slow down in April. Heading into the end of the month, it should be interesting to see what May holds as even more offers (such as the free trade deal from TD Direct Investing) are scheduled to expire.

Tweets of the Week

This week’s tweets feature some interesting tech highs and lows. Mentioned this week are Questrade, RBC Direct Investing, Scotia iTRADE, TD Direct Investing and Virtual Brokers.

Event Horizon

Spring is in full swing, and it’s a glorious week ahead for discount brokerage-sponsored investor education events. Here are some upcoming sessions that may be of interest to options enthusiasts, those interested in networking with other investors, and technical and fundamental analysis. ETFs, a review of recent TD Direct Investing rate changes, and a fundamental landscape overview round out this week’s selection.

April 25

Desjardins Online Brokerage (Disnat) – ETFs as Precision Tools

TD Direct Investing – Stock Talk

April 26

NBDB – Introduction to Technical Analysis : Supports and Resistances – [Fr]

TD Direct Investing – Understanding the Rate & Fee Changes Effective March 15, 2016

Desjardins Online Brokerage (Disnat) – Macro Masters Foundations Course

April 28

Scotia iTRADE – Beginner Options with AJ Monte

Desjardins Online Brokerage (Disnat) – Macro Masters Foundations Course

TD Direct Investing – Introduction to Fundamental Analysis

From the Forums

Chatterbots

Given the interest all around in what’s going on with robo-advisors, it’s no surprise that DIY investors are starting to become a bit more curious about how effective (or not) the robo-advisor ‘promise’ will live up to the hype. In this post from the Financial Wisdom Forum, the topic of robo advisors rebooted with some more recent chatter on the subject.

A Series of Fortunate E-vents

While a lot of the conversation about brokerages online tends to skew negative, it was nice to see something positive emerge. In this post from reddit’s Personal Finance Canada section, one investor shares their experience with getting their TD e-Series funds.

Into the Close

Heading into the weekend, there is definitely a cloud hanging over music lovers with the passing of a musical genius this week. While the artist may gone, the art will continue to inspire. On that note here’s an encore performance showcasing a talent that the world will definitely miss.

Posted on April 15, 2016 by user — Leave a comment

Discount Brokerage Weekly Roundup – April 15, 2016

While one basketball legend is retiring another one is seeing his star rise. Whether it’s professional basketball or the world of DIY investing, performance is what counts. For the race that is the Canadian discount brokerages landscape, however, coasting along is not an option.

In this week’s roundup, we take a look at continued signs of life with one online brokerage who is getting prepped to move deeper into the investor education space. Next we take a look at the latest results from online brokerage in the US to see what trends are emerging across the brokerage industry as a whole. From there we’ll preview the upcoming investor education events in the week ahead and close out the round up with comments from DIY investors on Twitter and around the investor forums.

Making the Grade

This first few months of 2016 have been busy for Virtual Brokers. After their recent commission price adjustments, Virtual Brokers has tried to distance itself somewhat from the “ultra low cost” discount brokerage image and in place of the label try to introduce features and services that offer up more value for the dollars being spent on commissions. A recent article in the Globe and Mail featured a quote from Virtual Brokers CEO Bardya Ziaian in which he stated “I want to go beyond the notion that Virtual Brokers is a cheap way of trading, we want to add value.”

In line with this move to offer greater value, Virtual Brokers appears to be ramping up efforts to provide additional market research information and education to DIY investors. Their latest move was noted this week as they announced a webinar in partnership with Morningstar to discuss the Morningstar economic moat feature. In addition to the webinar, there are also plans in the near term to offer more value-added research and analysis of markets to clients. While details are still to come, it’s clear that Virtual Brokers is actively moving towards a ‘value’ focused offering.

As one of the relatively newer entrants into the DIY investing space, however, Virtual Brokers still has to outcompete the massive amounts of advertising and marketing resources being spent by their peers. The boost in exposure by being crowned the top online brokerage in the Globe and Mail has certainly made a material difference to Virtual Brokers. And, in order to keep atop the standings, there has to be a clear focus on delivering innovative and useful features. In other words, for Canadian online brokerages, the best way not to be noticed is to stand still.

Let’s Get Digital

Earnings and quarterly reports from US online brokerages are kicking off once again. What’s particularly interesting about this round of reports is that Charles Schwab, the largest online brokerage in the US, has just crossed the one year mark since they launched their robo advisor service (or as they call it the ‘digital advice’ segment), and, according to the numbers, there are about 6.6 billion reasons to celebrate.

On a year over year basis, Schwab had very healthy gains in net revenues (+16% to $1.8B), net income (up 36% to $412M) and modest account growth (+3%). Part of the reason for those gains came from their robo-advisor segment which attracted $6.6B in assets in just over a year’s time.

Despite being an online brokerage, Schwab makes the majority of its revenue from interest revenue, asset management and administration fees whereas trading revenue made up 13% of net revenues for the quarter. And, while the volatility over February and March may have provided a 12% quarter over quarter increase in trading revenues, the notion of what it takes to succeed in the online brokerage space clearly points to having something more than trading revenues to keep you going.

The reason these numbers matter is because they clearly demonstrate that there is a market for the ‘managed wealth’ that appears to be outpacing the DIY trading segment. Further, it also shows how sensitive the earnings at online brokerages are to interest rate moves and why low rates are a challenge to the business model.

For Canadian online brokerages, there has clearly been an interest in following suit with Schwab’s model of deploying robo-advisors; Questrade and more recently BMO began offering these ‘digital advice’ products as a way to capture market share from the not-so-do-it-yourself crowd. Virtual Brokers also appears to be positioning themselves within this space as they were recent sponsors of the Morningstar robo-advisor conference.

While the scale of the US wealth management market is considerably larger than Canada’s, it is interesting nonetheless to see how online brokerages are going to have to adapt their offering and business for a robo-world. Earnings for E*trade and Interactive Brokers are also on deck for the upcoming week so the picture of where investors are (or aren’t going) will be even clearer heading into the end of April.

Event Horizon

Patio weather has arrived, and it’s a refreshing week ahead for discount brokerage-sponsored investor education events. Here are some upcoming sessions that may be of interest to options enthusiasts, those interested in international investing, and ETFs. Technical analysis, trading strategies, and a fundamental landscape overview round out this week’s selection.

April 18

NBDB – Technical Analysis with Mr. Gaetan Royer of Cobalt Investments – [Fr]

April 19

Scotia iTRADE – Dogs of the Dow – Easy as 1, 2, 3 with Pro Market Advisors

April 20

TD Direct Investing – Introduction to Investing in Options

NBDB – International Investing – [Fr]

April 21

Scotia iTRADE – Options Trading Using Technical Analysis with Montreal Exchange

TD Direct Investing – Introduction to Investing in Options

Desjardins Online Brokerage (Disnat) – Macro Masters Foundations Course

Virtual Brokers – Understanding Morningstar’s Economic Moat

Discount Brokerage Tweets of the Week

Spring is here. And while it brings flowers, and showers it also seems to bring bugs – at least for some. Mentioned this week are: BMO Investorline, Questrade, Scotia iTrade TD Direct Investing and Virtual Brokers.

From the Forums

Clouds Forming

For many investors keeping a handle on all of the official slips and forms and calculations can be, well, taxing. In this thread from reddit’s Personal Finance Canada section, however, the stress level for some of Questrade’s clients (and for many Questrade staff) spiked as it appears T3 forms for some clients were being sent to others. Whoops. The link is worth a read to see the reactions of investors as well as how Questrade stepped up to address the situation.

Green or Red?

It seems many investors looking for an online brokerage account tend to narrow the field down to a couple of choices and from there the hair splitting begins. In this post from Redflagdeals.com’s investing forum, the community weighs in on TD Direct Investing vs CIBC Investors Edge vs Questrade.

Into the Close

That’s a wrap for this week. With earnings season in full swing and a rally that nobody seems to trust, the next week will be fun one for traders. In the meantime, enjoy the spring weather and the human highlight reel that is Kobe Bryant (arguably a great DIY’er) in his last game.

Posted on April 8, 2016 by user — Leave a comment

Discount Brokerage Weekly Roundup – April 8, 2016

While April showers might bring May flowers, April is also about the time to start nervously watching the calendar for the ‘sell in May and go away’ moment. For many Canadian online brokerages, however, the hope is that wherever investors decide to go this spring, that they take their brokerage account along for the ride with a smartphone.

In this week’s roundup, we keep it nice and light (we have to enjoy the great weather sometime right?) and take a look at the latest online brokerage to release a new client website. From there we’ll take a look at a very handy resource for DIY and mainstream investors to enhance their own financial literacy. As usual, we’ll include a look the latest chatter from investors across social media and from the investor forums.

A Classic Move

Another week, another website release. Following on the heels of RBC Direct Investing’s announced rollout of a new website last week, this past week Desjardins Online Brokerage announced that they are launching a new client website for their Disnat Classic account type.

In 2015 Desjardins Online Brokerage unveiled their current website and their latest rollout of an update to the Disnat Classic website provides users with a consistent, clean look and feel. According to their description of the new website, the new ‘classic’ interface will create an easier navigating experience especially around account management.

Even though their branding has changed some time ago, Desjardins Online Brokerage still uses their original branding of Disnat for the two primary DIY accounts offered to investors: Disnat Direct and Disnat Classic.

While Disnat Direct is geared towards more active investors/traders, the Disnat Classic product is geared towards less active investors. And, as such, the new Disnat Classic interface does a good job of catering to the specific needs of the long-term or less active investor.

Screenshot of Disnat Classic’s new website teaser.

One of the great features of the new roll out is the support material that accompanies it. Desjardins has put together a solid selection of tutorials that walk users through the basics of navigating the new layout as well as performing key tasks (such as entering an order or managing accounts).

As far as interfaces go, the classic platform strikes a good balance between usability and features that investors/occasional traders use. In particular, there are handy research tools such as charting and analytics all within the same page and a ‘research’ tab offers more in-depth fundamental insights. While several of these tools (such as Recognia and Morningstar) are available with other brokerages

Similar to the rollout of their refreshed site just over a year ago, this new site for Disnat Classic users offers an interface geared towards modern investors.

The ability to access their new site across multiple devices and screens is even more appropriate for investors who want to stay informed about or manage their account on the go. What continues to be clear though is that Desjardins Online Brokerage continues to focus on user experience and it may just be a matter of time before more and more investors take notice of the efforts being made.

In the Loop

For individuals that are looking for a trusted resources to learn about current events impacting investors, there is a great resource in the newsletter from the Investor Office of the Ontario Securities Commission.

This week’s edition of their newsletter features a great selection of articles on topics such as the risks of binary options and understanding mutual fund series. In fact, there are a number of articles and alerts related to the dangers of binary options and binary options providers that most investors ought to read and stay on top of.

Launched at the end of October 2015, the Investor Office is specifically focused on providing quality information about finance and investing to ‘main street’ investors. And, while the content does definitely contain geographically specific information, the bulk of the material contained pertains to investors across Canada.

To sign up for their newsletter or to access previous issues of the Investor News, click here.

Discount Brokerage Tweets of the Week

Event Horizon

Spring has sprung, and it’s a spectacular week ahead for discount brokerage-sponsored investor education events. Here are some upcoming sessions that may be of interest to options enthusiasts, yield hounds, and those who are new to investing. ETFs, technical analysis and trading strategies round out this week’s selection.

April 12

NBDB – Equities and ETFs – [Fr]

TD Direct Investing – Introduction to Fixed Income

Scotia iTRADE – Leveraged and Inverse ETFs – Understanding them and strategies for using them with Horizons ETFs

TD Direct Investing – Options Trading Using Technical Analysis

April 13

TD Direct Investing – Introduction to Investing in Options

April 14

TD Direct Investing – Introduction to Technical Analysis

Scotia iTRADE – Top Ten Investor Myths with AJ Monte

From the Forums

Green with ETF envy

ETF providers may be more than a little green with envy as TD’s six new ETFs commanding quite a bit of attention this past week in a couple of posts (here and here) on redflagdeals.com. Worth a read for those considering what TD may have to offer with the ETF mix.

Small Potatoes

Every investor has to start somewhere. For this investor from reddit’s personal finance Canada section, using Questrade’s RESP for a couch potato portfolio required a little bit of help from the DIY community.

Into the Close

That’s a wrap on another crazy week. Wherever you happen to be when reading this week’s roundup, don’t forget to take some time out to relax from behind the screen to have a little fun. In the meantime, for those considering the ‘sell in May’, here’s an idea that can get you in the summer spirit. See you next week!

via GIPHY

Posted on April 1, 2016 by user — 1 Comment

Discount Brokerage Deals & Promotions – April 1, 2016

People often look at springtime as a chance to clean house. And, for many of Canada’s discount brokerages, that is exactly what they did with the deals and promotions heading into April.

At the outset of this month, there are almost half as few deals being offered as there were throughout March which is a signal that online brokerages are stepping back as the summer season approaches.

	Cash Back / Free Trade	Referral Promotions	Transfer Fee Promotions	Contests & Other Offers	Total
March	15	4	10	4	33
April	6	3	8	4	19

The biggest decline was seen in the number of cash back or commission-free trades being offered however at the time of publication, several brokerages, such as Scotia iTrade and Virtual Brokers, still had the expired offers listed on their website raising the prospect of a potential extension from someone.

What is interesting is who has managed to keep a promotion alive through the spring turnover. Specifically, Virtual Brokers’ commission-free trading offer has definitely been on the radar of many deal hunters and the two bank-owned brokerages in the mix, BMO InvestorLine and TD Direct Investing, have much more attention thanks to the exit of so many other players.

There’s a high likelihood that many brokerages will be assessing where they need to go next now that the busy first quarter of 2016 is officially over. With tax return (and for many, tax refund) season now underway, we anticipate that the deals and promotions activity will start to pick up again in April.

For DIY investors, 19 discount brokerage deals on the table still means that there are still lots of options to consider, however with any deal be sure to read the fine print to know exactly what strings are attached.

Expired Deals

The list of expired Canadian discount brokerages deals from last month is quite long. Here’s a quick list of what expired in March:

Questrade – Apple Watch ($500 Apple Gift Card)
Scotia iTrade – Free Trade Offer
Scotia iTrade – Refer a Friend
Virtual Brokers – RRSP 2016 Promotion
Credential Direct – Cash back offer
Questrade – 3 months free trading
Questrade – 3 months unlimited trading
NBDB – $500 or $1000 commission credit
HSBC InvestDirect – 30 commission-free trades

Extended Deals

Only one discount brokerage at the start of the month extended an existing offer. Desjardins Online Brokerage kept their $500 commission credit alive for another month extending the deadline for this offer out to April 30, 2016.

New Deals

No new deals to announce at the beginning of April.