RBC DI – Page 24 – SparxTrading

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 — Leave a comment

Discount Brokerage Weekly Roundup – April 1, 2016

Welcome to April. While there may be pranks and gags to kick off the start of a new month and a new quarter, it seems like some Canadian discount brokerages are taking the chance to start anew a little too seriously.

In this week’s roundup we take a look at the latest deals action that shows some interesting changes to the makeup of the brokerage landscape. From there, we’ll take a look at a major online brokerage that sees nothing but upside as they bet big on technology. Technology also seems to be the focal point for many DIY investors on Twitter in this week’s tweets summary albeit for those brokerages that are still struggling with bugs. We close out the roundup with more interesting chatter about commission pricing from the investor forums.

Out with the Old

It looks like Canadian discount brokerages have taken spring cleaning seriously this year, especially when it comes to their deals and promotions.

Heading into a new month, the number of commission-free trade and cash back offers from Canada’s online brokerages saw a sharp decline, with a significant number of offers expiring at the end of March. While many of these deals were deployed specifically to capitalize on the seasonal interest in RSP accounts, only a handful of brokerages have standing offers that ran alongside RSP season and into what is now ‘income tax refund’ season.

That said, there are still 19 offers that we’ve noted, which still provides many DIY investors interested in an online trading or investing account some kind of incentive to try one brokerage over another. Of course, the big unknown for many brokerages is whether DIY investors are turning to more passive or automated strategies (such as Robo-advisors) or interest in markets is waning in favour of other more popular investment types.

While the firm numbers of account openings and assets brought into each firm will give the best idea of what’s going on, there is something that is definitely different about the start of Q2 2016 – especially in the deals and promotions space.

Specifically, what stands out as interesting is that one of the most active brokerages (historically) in offering commission-free and cash-back offers, Questrade, is not significantly present in this category at the launch of a new month and new quarter.

In addition, Virtual Brokers’ move to offer an as yet unrivaled commission-free trading offer means that the winds of change appear to be blowing in the discount brokerage deals space. In fact, the new promotions page on Virtual Brokers’ website also signals they’re likely to be more active in offering promotions which will pose a challenge to all other players on the field.

While 19 or so offers is still substantial, it is unlikely that the deals and promotions field will remain this thin for much longer. Whether brokerages are going to mix up their promotional offers to more partner or product offers (VR headsets anyone?) or rely on the tried and true commission-free trade offer, one thing is clear – there is all of a sudden a lot more room for brokerages to make a splash by offering up a bold offer to DIY investors.

View from the Top

Not one to shy away from the spotlight, the CEO and founder of Interactive Brokers Thomas Peterffy, was featured in an interesting interview from The Wall Street Transcript in late March.

The interview itself offers a great overview of Interactive Brokers’ focus on technology and automating as much of their process as possible in order to achieve efficiency and also cost advantages over their peers.

Three points from this interview stand out: the role of robo-advisors, mobile trading and technological preparedness.

With regards to robo-advisors, it’s clear that Interactive Brokers sees this as a significant enough trend to get in on. In particular, their acquisition of Covestor as well as their investor marketplace are both moves that diversify Interactive Brokers away from just the DIY investor client. In fact, many of the tools mentioned by Peterffy resemble the automatic or more passive investor strategies that don’t fit their typical ‘active trader’ client base signaling a clear interest in going after the ‘managed wealth’ space.

Another area in which Interactive Brokers is signaling they’re going to push into is mobile trading. This is particularly challenging to get right for active traders, many of whom are still trading on a desktop (with multiple monitors). That said, there is definitely a balance between form, function and features when going from one screen size and device to another.

The success and resonance of the Robinhood app with mobile users signals that thinking ‘mobile first’ tends to favour functionality over features. Interactive Brokers’ platforms, however, are appealing because they are so robust. Fortunately, smartphones now are powerful enough to handle heavy applications, however usability will ultimately determine whether a trader feels comfortable enough stepping away from their desk and letting their phone be their lifeline to the market action.

Finally, the most ominous (for competitor brokerages) comment came at the end of the interview where Peterffy was asked about the landscape of the online brokerage industry in the next five years to which he responded “Five years from now the industry will have fewer and technologically more advanced participants…” The pace of technological change and the associated costs of keeping up with that technology means that Canadian online brokerages who aren’t able to fund this technological arms race will likely be made obsolete.

Discount Brokerage Tweets of the Week

Even though the weather was improving outside, storm clouds were brewing on Twitter. From platform outages, to delayed tax slips and frustrations with reporting, Twitter users didn’t hold back when it came to the shortcomings of Canadian brokerages. Mentioned this week were Questrade, RBC Direct Investing, Scotia iTrade, TD Direct Investing and Virtual Brokers.

From the Forums

A valuable lesson

Whether you focus on price or value is the job of marketing departments and sales staff being able to tell one story or the other. In this post from Reddit, there is definitely some debate over whether recent fee changes at Virtual Brokers represent an increase in price or an increase in value.

Sound Bites

An article on discount brokerage commission fees from the Globe and Mail’s Rob Carrick this past week stirred up a lot of strong opinions about the current perception of price and value across the Canadian brokerage landscape.

Into the Close

That does it for another week. Here’s a great little roundup of April fool’s day ideas that are surprisingly not all that far-fetched. Enjoy the sunshine if you’re lucky enough to have some this weekend!

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.

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	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 a new qualifying account with BMO InvestorLine, and fund it with at least A) $100,000 or B) $250,000 in net new assets and you may be eligible to receive either A) $200 cash back and 100 commission-free equity trades or B) $600 cash back and 100 commission-free equity trades. Use promo code Spring1600 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+	A) $200 cash back + 100 commission-free equity trades. B) $600 cash back + 100 commission-free equity trades.	60 days for equity trades. Cash back will be deposited the week of Oct. 10, 2016. Commission rebates will be paid week of Oct. 10, 2016.	Spring 2016 Promotion	May 31, 2016
Expired Offers
	Open and fund a new account at TD Direct Investing with at least A) $25,000; B) $50,000 or C) $100,000+ and you may be eligible to receive up to A) 50; B) 100 or C) 200 commission-free trades. Be sure to read terms and conditions for full details.	A) $25,000 – $49,999 B) $50,000 – $99,999 C) $100,000	A) 50 commission-free trades B) 100 commission-free trades C) 200 commission-free trades	60 days	Commission-free Trading Offer	April 15, 2016
	Disnat is offering new & existing clients $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	April 30, 2016
Last Updated: May 9 9:45 AM

Referral 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	March 31, 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	none	none	none
Last Updated: May 1, 2016 21:30 PT

Transfer Fee 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 read terms and conditions for full details.	$150	$25,000	Commission-free trade promo	April 15, 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 info (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
Expired Offers
	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	April 30, 2016
	Qtrade Investor will reimburse your transfer fee up to $150 when transferring a balance of $10,000 or more. For reimbursement, please mail or fax a copy of your statement from the transferring institution that shows the transfer charge to Qtrade Investor at 604.484.2627 and indicate your Qtrade Investor account number.	$150	$10,000	Transfer Fee Rebate	April 29, 2016
Last Updated: May 1, 2016 21:30 PT

Other 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
	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
Expired Offers
	Open a new account with Questrade with at least $2,000 and you may be eligible to receive free tax software and the platinum bundle package form H&R Block. Use promo code HRBLOCK2016 when signing up to qualify. Read the terms and conditions for full details.	$2,000	H&R Block Promo	April 15, 2016
Last Updated: May 1, 2016 21:30 PT

Posted on March 25, 2016 by user — Leave a comment

Discount Brokerage Weekly Roundup – March 25, 2016

For those who can’t wait to see Old Man Winter actually leave, this weekend couldn’t come fast enough. But, rest assured, signs of spring abound and as #BirdieSanders showed, that offers something to smile about. Canadian discount brokerages also seem to be taking their cues from Mother Nature by doing a little spring cleaning of their own.

In this shortened week’s roundup, we take a look at the latest online brokerage to roll out a brand new website for DIY investors. Next we report on signs of life at one independent online brokerage that suggests they’re looking to be a more active presence in the brokerage space. As usual, we take a look at the latest chatter on Twitter and across the financial forums and highlight the upcoming investor education events for next week.

RBC Direct Investing rolling out new website

Spring is a great time to say goodbye to old and welcome in the new. For RBC Direct Investing, it looks like this spring will bring with it a dramatic update to their website.

The timing of RBC Direct Investing’s website roll out comes well after the big wave of updates that took place across 2014/2015 for many Canadian online brokerages. While going first means having to take a leap of faith in terms of design and whether or not users will respond (or cry foul) about certain choices, rolling out a ‘new’ website at this point RBC Direct Investing means that expectations for getting it right are likely to also be higher.

One of the biggest challenges for financial service providers, especially online brokerages and those closely linked to technology, is striking a balance between being innovative and being familiar. By having to also coordinate with their parent brand’s look and feel as well as with expectations from other service lines (like banking), there’s little wonder why redoing a website for a firm such as RBC Direct Investing would take considerable time and effort.

Of course, the time that it has taken to get their online presence to “appear” modern has not gone unnoticed. In this past year’s Globe and Mail online brokerage rankings, for example, Rob Carrick commented that “Canada’s biggest bank should have a sharper product.” And, while that comment likely reflects the expectations of a firm (technically the parent of RBC Direct Investing) that netted a quarterly income of $2.4B, Carrick’s remark that “The homepage for RBC Direct Investing’s public website is old school. O-L-D school” is particularly stinging.

Like many things in the online world, change is inevitable. Let’s take a look at some of the features RBC Direct Investing’s new website includes (for more info, check out the video below).

Design/Aesthetics

The new RBC Direct Investing website appears to be designed to more than accommodate both desktop and tablet users. Like their parent banking website, there is a greater emphasis on panels/boxes so that tablet users can scroll and tap their way through sections of the new site. The switch in navigating styles will undoubtedly appeal to some more than others, however the use of boxes is a common trend among many more ‘tablet friendly’ responsive websites. That said, there as with the release of their banking site interface in January, there is bound to no shortage of strong opinions as people react to the new layout.

Placing an Order

Another significant change is the use of “Place an Order” instead of “Trade”. While it may take some getting used when existing users want to execute a trade, the new label is more meaningful and intuitive to new users.

Directing Attention

While there’s lots to say from a design and user experience perspective, what ultimately stands out about the design is the way in which the new tiled layout hopes to strategically meet user needs but also direct user engagement.

Areas like their “My Portfolio” section, for example, have much more visually noticeable and attractive elements (like pictures and illustrations) that naturally stand out against the very plain blue boxes. Those more noticeable elements, shown in the following screenshot, highlight where RBC Direct Investing would like to attract more deposits or engage more deeply in an article that undoubtedly positions RBC as a solution to a financial services need.

At first blush, the latest update to the website looks to make information easier and more intuitive to find. It is also readily apparent that they are turning a tiled design to optimize the user experience on tablets and mobile devices, however this may or may not go over well as it requires users to adapt their navigation style to include clicking on tiles.

Overall, like the roll out of any new product, it will ultimately have to face the test of time and users to see whether or not it hits the right mark with critics. That said, with the pace of technology and the entrance of new, more agile and web-savvy competitors, it is likely the website refresh will (have to) happen a lot sooner.

Green Shoots

Some other notable developments this week included Credential Direct posting yet another webinar geared towards personal finance/investing. While they generally have flown under the radar in the news cycle, Credential Direct has nonetheless been quietly building up their activity level on both social media (via their Twitter handle) and holding more interesting webinars/seminars. It shows they are not standing still despite having quite the uphill battle to fight in terms of pricing and user experience, neither of which will be cheap.

Tweets of the Week

For some brokerages, the weekend couldn’t come fast enough. Mentioned this week are BMO InvestorLine, CIBC Investor’s Edge, Questrade, Scotia iTRADE and TD Direct Investing.

Event Horizon

As March heads out like a lamb, it’s a wild and wooly week ahead for discount brokerage-sponsored investor education events. Here are some upcoming sessions that may be of interest to options enthusiasts and those interested in short selling. Margin accounts, and tax-efficient investing round out this week’s selection.

March 29

NBDB – Take Advantage Of Margin Accounts – [Fr]

March 30

TD Direct Investing – Understanding Margin & Short Selling

TD Direct Investing – Tax-Efficient Investing

March 31

TD Direct Investing – Options as an Income Strategy

From the Forums

A Series of Questions

For many passive DIY investors, the TD e-series funds are a popular choice. In this post from RedFlagDeals’ investing forum, users weigh in on one user’s question about the merits of going all in on the e-series.

On Borrowed Time

Whether or not to borrow to invest is something that is often debated by investors in the DIY forums. In this post, an individual asks for help weighing the pros and cons of borrowing to invest in an RRSP with Questrade. It’s an interesting read for those contemplating the ‘borrow to invest’ approach.

Into the Close

That’s it for this shortened trading week. Next week DIY investors can begin hunting for more deals and promotions as the deals area is about to get a major reset. Until then, however, Easter treats will have to suffice. Have an egg-stra special long weekend!

Posted on March 18, 2016 by user — Leave a comment

Discount Brokerage Weekly Roundup – March 18, 2016

If you were like most folks this week, getting adjusted to the one hour less made things feel a little bit foggy. Of course, if you’re following what’s happening with the US elections, candidates are taking all kinds of swings at one another as the contest for presidency heats up. Here in Canada, discount brokerages, while keeping it polite, are nonetheless starting to raise the stakes with one another in a big way this week.

In this week’s roundup we start by first looking at one brokerage’s continued pursuit of mobile trading with the launch of their latest smartwatch trading app. Next we take a look at a small brokerage that seems poised to make a big splash in the deals and promotions pool with a newly launched offer. The event horizon makes a comeback this week and we round out with the latest comments from DIY investors on Twitter and forums.

Watching the Markets

This week Scotia iTrade unveiled their latest upgrade to their mobile trading experience: an Apple watch based app. Their latest addition to the mobile trading suite, which includes smartphone and iPad versions, enables Apple watch users to take a pulse of what’s going on in the markets as well as within their own portfolio.

While the Scotia iTrade Apple Watch app does not let users actually trade from the watch, it does enable users to get updates on balances, monitor watchlists and keep an eye on market activity. Given the dependency of the Apple Watch on the iPhone, however, the full set of trading features available on the iPhone app offers users much more functionality should they need it.

In celebration of their new release, Scotia iTRADE also held a mobile day at their investor centre in downtown Toronto.

When considering the mobile trading landscape, Scotia iTrade is certainly not alone in their pursuit of the smartphone and now smartwatch space.

Most Canadian discount brokerages have some kind of dedicated app or specific mobile site to accommodate smartphone users. In terms of smartwatches, however, there are three online brokerages that have Apple Watch apps specifically built for DIY investors, and two bank-owned brokerages who’ve bundled some of their online investing functionality into their overall banking app.

The three Canadian online brokerages with Apple watch trading apps are:

Interactive Brokers
Qtrade Investor and
Scotia iTrade

What is interesting about the online trading experience on mobile is that the smartwatch is typically limited to providing alerts and updates. In that sense, its role is mainly to monitor what’s going on.

With the Apple Watch in particular, because it is tethered to the iPhone, how an online brokerage’s iPhone-based trading app functions is something individuals interested in these products should also consider.

In the table below, it is particularly noteworthy that almost all Canadian online brokerages, whether they are bank-owned or are independent, have ranked poorly in terms of user reviews. The best rated online brokerage iPhone trading app, based on client reviews from the Apple App Store, turns out to be Qtrade Investor with 4.5 out of 5 stars (based on only 23 reviews). At the other end of the spectrum, Questrade’s IQ app garnered only a 1.5 out of 5 stars and it was based on the highest number of ratings (463) received by any online brokerages’ mobile app.

Online Brokerage	Overall Star Rating*	# of Ratings	Support for Apple Watch
BMO InvestorLine	2	63	No
CIBC Investor’s Edge	2.5	133	No
Interactive Brokers	2.5	179	Yes
Questrade iQ	1.5	463	No
Qtrade Investor	4.5	23	Yes
Scotia iTrade	3	105	Yes
Virtual Brokers	2.5	10	No
Notes	* based on all versions

What stands out in looking at these user ratings is actually how unfavourable consumer ratings are of the mobile experience provided by Canadian online brokerages.

In sharp contrast to the muted ratings received by most Canadian discount brokerages, was the rating of robo-advisor, WealthSimple’s mobile app, which received a glowing 4.5 star rating (based on 51 ratings).

As financial services firms cross the threshold from just being about services to really incorporating technology (ie. Fintech) as part of the service experience, the gap between the incumbent online brokerages and the new entrants into the wealth management space is starting to widen.

For added proof, one need not look further than US online brokerage Robinhood, whose mobile-first design approach has earned them incredibly positive design and user-experience recognition and a 4.5 star rating across 10,107 ratings.

So, while being able to get updates on the market might be nice, there is still a heavy reliance on the smartphone app trading experience and as such, there is clearly lots of work that many Canadian online brokerages need to do in order to win the hearts, minds and design accolades of the newer players in the space.

Virtual Brokers Goes All In on Trading Deal

For savvy traders, patience and timing are a virtue. In this case of deal watchers, this past week Virtual Brokers has launched a monster offer that has, surprisingly, not yet garnered much attention. We suspect that might change quite soon.

Earlier this week Virtual Brokers launched a promotion that offers 3 months free of their $150 USD/mo Edge Trader Pro trading platform which is part of their commission-free trading plan. The minimum deposit to qualify for this offer is $5,000.

What is remarkable about this offer is that it is actually one of the most aggressive free trade offers seen to date.

By signing up for this offer, it appears that an individual would be able to trade commission-free for 3 months with a deposit of $5,000. This seems to be the case since Edge Trader Pro is a required to qualify for the commission-free trading plan, however since the platform fee of $150 USD/mo would be waived, individuals could then trade commission-free (equities only and ECN fees/admin fees/handling fees still apply) for the period of the promotion. At least that’s what the terms and conditions of this offer seem to suggest.

Historically, the only brokerage that has consistently offered 3 months of commission-free trading has been Questrade however for to qualify for 3 months of commission-free trading, an individual would have to pony up a deposit of at least $100,000. Another interesting observation on Virtual Brokers’ latest deal is that there is no deadline stated in the terms and conditions despite it being marketed as a limited time offer.

A little more math, however, puts this offer into further context as to why it is such a big deal.

With 3 months of fees waived, the annual spend for being on the commission-free trading plan with a reasonably standard application-based trading platform totals $1350 USD which breaks down to $112.50 per month (for 12 months). For traders of US equities this works out to about 11 trades per month at the standard commission of $9.95 + any ECN fees or special handling fees – a threshold that many active traders can easily hit.

So, many folks might be wondering what the catch is. For starters, to stay on this program, whether on purpose or by accident will still cost $150 USD/mo once the free trial period expires. What this means is that individuals should carefully consider whether this is the right fit for their trading needs. Another important detail in the terms and conditions is that the $150 USD/mo applies to the Edge Trader Pro platform only, the data plan for which might not really be enough for most very active traders. Finally, Virtual Brokers reserves the right to change the offer at any time during the process, so users need to ensure they monitor the terms of the offer for any modifications that may arise.

With all of the above in mind, how this plays out for other Canadian discount brokerages will be very interesting. Virtual Brokers’ latest offer feels like someone going ‘all in’ at the poker table. One thing is certain, however, and that is that Virtual Brokers’ latest deal will finally uncover how serious other Canadian brokerages are about acquiring the most coveted tier of client: the active trader.

Event Horizon

Spring is in the air, and it’s an exciting week ahead for discount brokerage-sponsored investor education events. Here are some upcoming sessions that may be of interest to options enthusiasts and those interested in risk management. Technical analysis and registered accounts round out this week’s selection.

March 22

NBDB – Stop Orders: A Winning Solution Worth Knowing – [Fr]

Scotia iTRADE – Introduction to Candlestick Charts with Pro Market Advisors

March 23

TD Direct Investing – Building Wealth Through Registered Accounts

TD Direct Investing – Introduction to Investing in Options

March 24

Scotia iTRADE – Introduction to Index Options with Montreal Exchange

Tweets of the Week

This week’s tweets show once again that clients are increasingly turning to Twitter as a customer service touch point for brokerages big and small. Mentioned this week were BMO InvestorLine, Questrade, RBC Direct Investing, Scotia iTRADE and TD Direct Investing.

From the Forums

Eminent Domain

Well, this is not one you see everyday. In this post from Reddit’s personal finance Canada section, one disgruntled Virtual Brokers user decided to leave after receiving a warning regarding the domain name being used to access streaming quotes (from Quotemedia). Worth a read as more than one individual came across the same issue.

Plan B

Having an employer group RSP plan is a great perk, however savvy investors know that sometimes there are ways to stretch their investment dollar further. In this post from the Reddit personal finance Canada section, one investor wanted to know if it was possible to get the best of both worlds by taking advantage of Questrade’s commission-free ETF buying. Find out what other people had to say about their own experiences trying to do the same.

Into the Close

With spring just around the corner, and St. Paddy’s that just passed, green seems to be the theme heading into the weekend – especially if you managed to be the lucky winner of an increasingly large lotto jackpot. Of course if you’re still betting against ~~Canadian~~ Vancouver real estate, with the recent interest rate announcements in the US, you might be inclined to see red for a while longer. Regardless, have a great weekend and strap in for a wild start to the spring next week!

via GIPHY

Posted on March 11, 2016 by user — Leave a comment

Discount Brokerage Weekly Roundup – March 11, 2016

As week two of March comes to an end, there was one clear story that seemed to dominate the news cycle for Canadians – the visit of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with US President Barack Obama. Of the many angles on the coverage of this visit, one of the most interesting was the theme of friendship between Canada and our neighbor to the South. The notion of friendship is something that Canadian discount brokerages also know a thing or two about, especially when it comes to trying to somehow rewarding clients for bringing their friends over to the same brokerage.

To kick off this week’s roundup, we take a look at the trading activity from a major US online brokerage who continues to gain market share with the most lucrative segment of online investors – active traders. Next, we provide a glimpse into an in-depth story on refer-a-friend promotions that we referenced in last week’s roundup. From there we’ll cover the conversations investors were having with Canadian online brokerages and with each other on Twitter and in the Canadian investing forums.

Interactive Brokers Trading Metrics

The machine that is Interactive Brokers continues to fire on all cylinders. Trading metrics from the month of February were released earlier this month and numbers across key company metrics continue to point to Interactive Brokers doing something right.

While trading volumes (measured as daily average revenue trades) were lower than last month by 8%, on a year over year basis, trading volumes of 767 thousand DARTs was a whopping 21% higher than the same period last year, reinforcing the fact that traders love volatility and traders tend to love Interactive Brokers. To that end, Interactive Brokers continued its monthly client growth chart with a 1% bump over January and 340 thousand clients now under their belt – with each client making an impressive 527 trades (on average) per year and an average commission per cleared client order of $3.78.

Another interesting observation of the Interactive Brokers Canada website is the requirement that individuals actually be an active trader to be their client. More specifically, the announcement on the Interactive Brokers Canada website section for RSPs and TFSAs, states that they require the following from customers:

“You must have executed at least 100 trades for any product type or 100 simulated trades in our real-time demo”

Source: Screenshot from Interactive Brokers Canada Website

This qualification is especially interesting within a registered account, since many individuals look at the RSP account as a ‘long-term’ play and a place to let dividend investing work its magic (since it is exempt from the US withholding tax on dividends from US listed stocks). It could also be equally contentious for individuals considering actively trading in their TFSA, since there have been some stories of the CRA scrutinizing individuals who’ve managed to substantially grow their TFSA by trading.

Nonetheless, it is also a very interesting approach to qualify who it is they want as a client. Clearly Interactive Brokers’ stats show they appeal to and are built around a strong base of active traders. The move to either require a history of a relatively arbitrary 100 trade threshold or to have an individual not only sign onto their demo but also place 100 trades with it means that they’re actively funneling prospective clients into their system in a much more meaningful way than just giving a simple demo platform access away.

In short, it looks like Interactive Brokers is continuing to build their strategy and product around the active trader experience, and with this latest qualification to join them, they’re not only building their brand as one that traders have to aspire to (century club anyone?) but at the same time, they’re very cleverly qualifying who they want as a client and who they are ok with turning away.

That’s What Friends are For

This week we saw a great story about friends getting together on an international stage. Of course while much of the goodwill is also about great public relations, there is no discounting the fact that the recommendations and referrals that come from one leader to another will impact the decisions each leader makes.

On a much smaller scale, the value of referrals to financial services is a pivotal way in which online brokerages can lower their cost of acquiring new clients and also likely get better clients as a result.

As part of our continued look into the deals and promotions landscape, this week we launched the first in a two-part series that analyzes the current refer-a-friend promotions available from four popular Canadian discount brokerages.

Specifically, the first part of this series take a detailed look at what the incentives are like for those who refer a friend or family member as well as the incentives for those actually opening and funding the account. When comparing the different offers side by side, it is not only interesting to see just how different the offer amounts are, but what was especially interesting to discover was how each online brokerage is actually valuing clients who have more money/assets. Click here to read part one of the series & stay tuned for part two next week.

Extra Mileage

While PM Trudeau was busy making front page news, SparxTrading also got a great little plug from Canadian personal finance writer Rob Carrick in the Globe and Mail. Specifically SparxTrading.com made the list of his top web links, especially for those on the hunt for a new brokerage. For any Air Miles enthusiasts the article is a good read especially in light of that program’s recent announcement to retire miles. Judging by the comments and shares from that article, the announcement has made some serious waves for passionate collectors.

Tweets of the Week

From outages to outrage, this week DIY investors voiced their concerns that technical glitches continue plague Canadian discount brokerages this week. Mentioned in this scan were BMO InvestorLine, Questrade, RBC Direct Investing, Scotia iTrade, TD Direct Investing & Virtual Brokers.

From the Forums

Which way to robo?

As readers may have already guessed, we love to compare things. In this post, from RedFlagDeals.com, one investor asks about some feedback on some of the more popular robo-advisor platforms currently available. Worth a read for those interested in seeing what folks are thinking about.

Questrade vs Virtual Brokers

It’s been a while since we’ve mentioned this ongoing debate between two of the long standing deep discount online brokerages, but this latest post on Reddit provide a good look at why people online have tended to stick up for Questrade more so than Virtual Brokers. Interestingly, Questrade’s community team rep also weighs in on the conversation.

Into the Close

Nothing takes the edge off losing an hour like the prospect of the opening bell coming an hour sooner. For those lucky enough to get some great weather this weekend, make the most of the extra sunshine! For those who need to fill their post-House-of-Cards binge Whitehouse cravings, here is some fun footage of President Obama and PM Justin Trudeau trading jabs at the state dinner. Have a great weekend!

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

Discount Brokerage Deals & Promotions – March 1, 2016

*Update Mar. 18* While there were lots of offers available to DIY investors from Canadian online brokerages into the RRSP contribution deadline, there were definitely fewer than last year. Volatile markets and Canadians signaling their reluctance to contribute to an RRSP this year might have contributed to the pullback in participation by brokerages however there may also be signs that the Canadian discount brokerage landscape may be gearing up for the inevitable shakeup.

Heading into this new month there are two big stories. First, Virtual Brokers has started to offer referrals for ‘friends and family’ which now enables Virtual Brokers’ clients to earn a cash referral fee for a new account signup.

The second exciting story is that we’re refining the way in which discount brokerage promotions are being reported and expanding the types of promotions we’re covering. One of the primary objectives of SparxTrading.com is to help simplify the process of choosing an online brokerage and that includes sifting through the deals and promotions being offered.

With so many offers currently on the market things have gotten a bit unwieldy and so we’ve decided to split the deals and promotions into the following four categories for easier comparison and review:

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

The Cash Back/Free Trade/Product Offer category of promotions includes those offers from brokerages that typically consist of a user either getting cash back, free trades or trading credits (either through waived commission fees or commission reimbursements) and product offer promotions where a discount brokerage may be offering up a tangible item or equivalent gift card which has a definable market value.

The referral promotions cover the affiliate programs that a brokerage may be offering. These would typically include the “refer-a-friend” style promotions as well as any affiliate program codes that SparxTrading has access to (and for which we may receive any compensation for).

The transfer fee table will remain unchanged and it covers the fees that online brokerages are typically willing to cover when transferring between one brokerage and another.

Finally, the ‘contests & other offers’ covers any additional promotion that a brokerage might be running that is advertised to new or existing clients or even to the general public (as most contests are generally open to more than just clients).

We’re excited by the update and look forward to seeing where things go from here as there are 19 offers at the time of writing but 11 deals and promotions that are scheduled to expire in March which should make this month an exciting one. As always, if there are promotions that you’re aware of that we haven’t included, let us know and we can share it with all of our readers.

Expired Deals

Only one offer officially expired at the end of February: Questrade’s 25 commission-free trades for a year offer. That said, there are two offers that expire at the end of day (11:59 ET) on March 1^st: Questrade’s 3 months of commission-free trading (code RSP2016) and BMO InvestorLine’s 2016 combined free trade and cash back offer (See extended deals section for update). Questrade also has another promotion scheduled to expire on the 4^th of March.

Extended Deals

*Update Mar. 2: BMO InvestorLine has extended their combined free trade and cash back offer through the end of May. See table below for updated deadline date and promo code.*

No deal extensions were noted at the time of publication.

New Deals

*Update Mar. 18: Virtual Brokers has just launched another new promotion and it is a big one. They are offering up 3 months free of their Edge Trader Pro trading platform which then qualifies a user to trade on their commission-free trading commission plan. In short, this offer lets users trade for 3 months commission-free (on equities only) since the $150 USD/mo platform fee associated with this plan will be credited for 3 months. The minimum deposit required to qualify for this promotion is $5,000 CAD. Be sure to see the table below for more details.

*Update Mar. 2: Qtrade Investor has a transfer fee promotion that will cover transfer fees from another brokerage for a deposit of at least $10,000. See table below for more details.*

Virtual Brokers is the only Canadian online brokerage to start off March with a new promotion. They are launching a referral program – albeit for a limited time – that offers $25 cash back for a referral from a friend or family member of an existing Virtual Brokers account holder. Interestingly, and similar to Questrade’s referral promotion, individuals referring 3 or more new accounts to Virtual Brokers receive an extra $50. For individuals referred to this program, there are tiered rewards depending on deposit level. Individuals depositing at least $5,000 (and up to $50,000) can receive a $25 cash back offer; individuals contributing more than $50,000 can receive a cash back bonus of $50.

This new offer is interesting on a number of levels, not the least of which is actually the detail with which the terms and conditions spell out who is considered a ‘friend’ for the purposes of this promotion. See the table below for more details.