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Finder's rating: 3.5/5
★★★★★
Directshares is an online share trading platform offered by St.George to help customers buy and sell Australian and global shares plus a wide range of other assets. Brokerage fees start at $19.95 or 0.11% of the value of the trade (whichever is higher).
AUD 19.95 for trades up to AUD 5,000
Standard brokerage fee
ASX, NASDAQ, London Stock Exchange, Hong Kong Stock Exchange, And more
Available Markets
Phone, Email
Support
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Type of broker |
Online |
---|---|
ASX products |
Shares Exchange traded funds Company issued options Warrants mFunds |
Available markets |
ASX NASDAQ London Stock Exchange Hong Kong Stock Exchange And more |
Standard brokerage |
AUD 19.95 for trades up to AUD 5,000 |
Support |
Phone |
One of Australia’s leading banks, St.George was founded in the southern suburbs of Sydney in 1937. It became a part of Westpac Group in 2008 and offers an extensive variety of financial products and services to its customers, including everything from home loans and credit cards to savings and transaction accounts.
You can trade the following investment options with a St.George Directshares account:
A Directshares account allows you to buy and sell shares in more than 2,200 companies listed on the ASX.
You can also trade shares listed on 11 major international exchanges.
You can trade options over the S&P/ ASX 200 index based on your expectations of the performance of the market as a whole, or trade equity options over Australia’s largest companies.
Exchange traded funds are similar to managed funds, except that they are listed on the Australian share market. Directshares customers can trade ETFs provided by all three ETF providers.
Initial public offerings allow you to gain exposure to a company when it is first introduced to the share market.
Let your money be managed by an investment professional when you trade managed funds. Directshares offers access to funds over a wide range of asset classes, including property, fixed interest, and Australian and international shares.
Manage your superannuation account and choose your own investment options through Directshares.
Warrants are derivatives that are issued over an underlying financial instrument, for example shares or currency. They offer leveraged returns and allow you to speculate on the price movements of the underlying asset.
Back to topFees |
★★★★★ 2.9/5 |
Trading tools |
★★★★★ 3/5 |
Research and education |
★★★★★ 4.8/5 |
Available countries |
★★★★★ 3.5/5 |
Available securities |
★★★★★ 2/5 |
Customer support |
★★★★★ 4/5 |
The bulk of this article deals with the services and features offered to standard Directshares customers. However, frequent traders may wish to upgrade to a Directshares Power account, which is St.George’s professional-standard trading platform. Available for a monthly fee of $79.90, Directshares Power is also offered free if you make more than 10 trades per month (and pay the relevant brokerage fees).
It provides a single platform with access to all your linked accounts, as well as dynamic customisable watchlists to allow you to stay on top of market developments. Dynamic data means you won’t have to keep refreshing your page to keep pace with what the market is doing. Streaming tickers, real-time charting and market depth are all available as well.
Back to topIf you need help to understand how share trading works, St.George offers a wide range of free educational tools and resources. There are online guides and tutorials, guides to investing and much more, and they can all be easily accessed through your Directshares account.
If you have a question you want answered, the online help centre contains answers to a huge list of frequently asked questions. If you’d like to speak to a customer service representative directly, phone and email support are available from 8am to 8pm (AEST) Monday to Friday.
With a standard Directshares account there are no ongoing fees to pay. A Directshares Power account does come with a $79.90 monthly fee, but this fee is waived if you make more than 10 trades per month.
The following brokerage fees apply for internet trading:
Trades per calendar month | Up to $5,000 | $5,001 - $10,000 | $10,0001 - $28,000 | Over $28,000 |
---|---|---|---|---|
1st | $19.95 | $24.95 | $29.95 | 0.11% of trade value |
2nd and subsequent | The greater of $19.95 or 0.11% of the trade value |
The brokerage fees apply to phone trades:
Amount of Trade | Brokerage |
---|---|
$0 - $15,000 | $69.95 |
$15,000 - $55,000 | 0.40% of trade value |
$55,000 - $1 million | 0.35% of trade value |
Over $1 million | 0.13% of trade value |
It’s also worth pointing out that conditional orders attract additional fees. For example, basic orders that allow you to set the price, upper/lower limit and cumulative volume attract a $7.95 fee. Straddle sell and buy then sell orders attract an additional $19.95 fee.
If you’ve compared the features of St.George Directshares with other online trading platforms and you’d like to open an account, click the ‘apply now’ link. You’ll be taken to the St.George website where you can lodge an application.
You’ll need to be a St.George, BankSA or Bank of Melbourne customer with an eligible deposit account. You will also need to supply your personal and account details, and specify whether you want to trade with your own money or with a loan before opening an account.