Exchange-traded funds, or better known as ETFs, are baskets of securities that trade on an exchange, similar to stock. Their share prices fluctuate daily as they are bought and sold and can contain all types of investments. The reason why ETFs are so popular is that they offer low expense ratios and fewer broker commissions than buying stocks individually.
In layman’s terms, ETFs allow you to own multiple underlying assets, rather than one. Thanks to that fact, they have become extremely popular. With all that being said, we wanted to provide you with some of the best ETF brokers on the market which can help you make the right decision and invest smartly. We are also going to name the types of ETFs as a way to get you more familiar with this type of investing.
Types of ETFs
Let’s start with the types of exchange-traded funds first. There are 5 main types of ETFs which are used for income generation, price increases, speculations, etc. The first type is bond ETFs which include corporate bonds, municipal, and government bonds. They are well-known for their transparency pricings, something that was only available to institutional investors.
Next up, we have industry ETFs which track a particular industry, like oil, banking, gas, or technology. These ETFs have a high level of liquidity, which means that there are rarely any tracking errors. Commodity ETFs are used to invest in physical goods like natural resources and precious metals. They are usually focused on a single commodity or investments in future contracts.
Currency ETFs are used to invest in foreign currencies as the name of the ETF suggests. These investments allow ordinary people to gain exposure to the forex market. Finally, inverse ETFs are constructed by using derivatives to profit from a decline in the value of an underlying benchmark.
Now that we’ve got the types of ETFs covered, let’s check out which are the best brokers in this field. While the full list of ETF brokerages contains more companies and it is worth a look, we are going to check out the top three competitors.
eToro
eToro is often regarded as the best ETF broker in the UK. It is home to homer 13 million traders from all around the world. One of the biggest benefits that you will experience with eToro is the chance to invest on a commission-free basis. To make things even better, eToro does not charge you with any ongoing maintenance fees and the company puts a massive highlight on its user-friendly service. eToro has multiple accepted payment methods that include credit cards, debit cards, bank transfers, and certain e-wallets.
Libertex
Next up, we have Libertex, a platform that is very easy to use, which is a great benefit, especially for new investors. Not only that, but the minimum deposit at this platform is lower than the competition, which adds a lot of flexibility to you. The commission fees are pretty low, it comes with a mobile app, supports MT4, it is secure and trustworthy, and supports multiple payment methods, including PayPal.
Libertex allows people to trade ETF CFDs with 0% spreads.
Plus500
Lastly, we have a company that provides you with an alternative way to access the multi-trillion ETF industry. With Plus500 you can speculate whether certain ETFs will increase or decrease in value, rather than owning the assets. With it, you will experience certain benefits with Plus500 that you cannot find in the old-school brokerages. Not only that, but you also don’t pay any commission fees when using their services.
If you plan on registering at this site, the process of opening an account and depositing money lasts just a minute. Due to its advanced system, Plus500 is the perfect choice for the more experienced traders.
Things to Remember
Of course, when deciding to invest and when picking the right ETF brokerage company, it is important to know your needs. Be honest with yourself and your goals. If you are new to the game, you should place your focus on educating yourself first. After you get educated on the topic, you must start narrowing your field.
As you saw, there are plenty of options and industries to invest in. Spend some time to see which industry suits you the most. Figuring out what the fees for using brokerage firms are is also an important step. Finally, test the brokerage platform that you choose and get familiar with the process of depositing and withdrawing funds. That means finding out what is the minimum deposit and withdrawals, how fast are the transactions, what are the accepted payment methods, etc.
