Is CITIC Securities a good broker for stocks?
Are you interested in stock investing? Thankfully, many of the world's leading online brokers offer stocks; but not all do, and trading conditions such as fees or stock selection can vary greatly.
You can trade stocks at CITIC Securities, but it's far from the best in terms of trading costs or market access. Check out its best alternatives, or read on for details and comparisons.
I've tested dozens of stockbrokers over the years, using live accounts to look at fees, market access and platform usability. CITIC Securities does the job but left me unimpressed in some areas:
- You can trade stocks across 3 stock exchanges at CITIC Securities.
- Stock trading fees at CITIC Securities are high.
- Sadly, you can't trade fractional shares at CITIC Securities.
- To explore better options, start with our list of the best stock brokers.
Before we begin, let's see if CITIC Securities is available in your country
You can access 3 stock exchanges at CITIC Securities
Diversify your portfolio! That's probably the first advice you'll get as a stock investor, and it's one you should definitely heed in order to minimize risk. You can diversify your stock investments in many ways; for example, by picking stocks across several sectors or from different countries. To be able to do that effectively, choose a broker that offers you access to as many stock markets as possible.
The world's biggest stock markets, such as the NYSE, the NASDAQ, or the exchanges of London, Tokyo or Hong Kong each have about 2,000-4,000 listed stocks. So having a broker with access to multiple exchanges can potentially let you choose from tens of thousands of stocks. Just be aware that some brokers that offer access to these exchanges may focus on the biggest names only and may not let you trade some smaller companies on a specific exchange.
Exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, are also a great way to diversify your investments. In fact, they take some of the burden of diversification off your shoulders, as they already often include a diverse set of stocks. Brokers where you can trade stocks also invariably offer ETFs, and CITIC Securities is no exception. If you find picking individual stocks too much trouble, click to learn more about ETFs, or head straight to our selection of the best ETF brokers.
In the table below, we give an estimate of the number of stocks and ETFs available at CITIC Securities and its peers, where available.
| Broker | Stock markets (#) |
|---|---|
| CITIC Securities | 3 |
| Interactive Brokers | 90 |
| TradeStation | 5 |
How do I find the stock I need at CITIC Securities?
Most online brokers, including CITIC Securities, have an easy-to-use search function, where you can simply type in a stock's name or symbol. Some brokers also let you browse stocks and ETFs by categories - e.g. by sector or by geographic region.
Stock trading fees at CITIC Securities are high
Stock trading involves various types of fees. The most important of these are commissions, charged after each trade either on a percentage basis or as a flat fee. Thankfully, an increasing number of brokers no longer charge a commission for stock and ETF trading.
Among less obvious trading fees, your broker may charge a conversion fee if you trade a stock quoted in a different currency than your brokerage account (e.g. if you have a euro account but buy a USD-priced stock). The spread - that tiny gap you see between the buy/sell quotes for a stock - is an indirect cost for you that goes toward the profits of the stock exchange and other intermediaries.
Most brokers apply the exact same pricing to stocks and ETFs.
For a more detailed overview of costs related to stock investing, check out our in-depth guide to brokerage fees.
| Broker | US stock |
|---|---|
| CITIC Securities | $20.0 |
| Interactive Brokers | $1.0 |
| TradeStation | $5.0 |
Other fees at CITIC Securities
The costs of stock investing don't stop at trading fees, as there may be fees related to maintaining or funding your account. Most online brokers don't charge an account fee or a deposit fee, but inactivity fees (for not using your account for an extended period) and withdrawal fees are more common.
| Broker | Inactivity fee |
|---|---|
| CITIC Securities | |
| Interactive Brokers | |
| TradeStation |
No fractional shares at CITIC Securities
OK, so you've decided to follow everyone's advice and diversify your stock investments. But there's a problem: many popular stocks cost $200-300 apiece or even more. Just how are you supposed to buy several (or even just one) of these stocks if you have only $100 to invest at a time?
Fractional shares are an increasingly popular solution to this problem. So how do fractional shares work? It means you can buy just a small fraction of an otherwise pricey stock - often as small as $1. In other words, your $100 can actually buy you dozens of shares. These behave just like the 'full' share, rising or falling by the same percentage. It works the same way when it comes to selling. You don't need to sell the exact same fraction you bought; you can sell any fraction you like.
Unfortunately, you can't trade fractional shares at CITIC Securities, so you'll need either bigger sums to invest at a time or see yourself limited to cheaper stocks. Check the table below to see whether you can trade fractional shares, and under what conditions, at some brokers similar to CITIC Securities.
| Broker | Fractional shares |
|---|---|
| CITIC Securities | |
| Interactive Brokers | |
| TradeStation |
Minimum deposit at CITIC Securities
If you are starting small, choose a broker that doesn't require a large initial deposit. Thankfully, many brokers no longer require a minimum deposit, or only a reasonably small one.
| Broker | Minimum deposit |
|---|---|
| CITIC Securities | $0 |
| Interactive Brokers | $0 |
| TradeStation | $0 |
Choose from the world's best stock brokers
CITIC Securities may be good, but why not check out the best in class? To rank the world's best stock brokers, our expert team of analysts looked at hundreds of features and data points at 100+ online brokers to see which ones have:
- the lowest stock trading fees,
- the broadest stock selection, and
- the best overall user experience when it comes to trading platform features, account opening and funding.
Go pick the one that best suits your needs!
Alternatively, read our full review of CITIC Securities for 2024, including fees, deposit options, and platform features on desktop and mobile.
Check out this short video for a behind-the-scenes peek into how our experts personally test and evaluate brokers.
Further reading
- Diversifying your investments
- CITIC Securities penny stocks trading conditions explained
- ETF trading conditions at CITIC Securities explained
- CITIC Securities fractional shares trading conditions explained
- Are margin interest rates low at CITIC Securities?
- CITIC Securities cash interest rate
- CITIC Securities ESG investing
- CITIC Securities IPO accessibility
- CITIC Securities Mexican stocks trading availability
- CITIC Securities Australian stocks trading availability
- CITIC Securities Canadian stocks trading availability
- CITIC Securities Japanese stocks trading availability
- CITIC Securities French stocks trading availability
- CITIC Securities Italian stocks trading availability
- CITIC Securities Swiss stocks trading availability
- CITIC Securities Hong Kong stocks trading availability
- CITIC Securities Dutch stocks trading availability
- CITIC Securities Spanish stocks trading availability
- CITIC Securities Singapore stocks trading availability
- CITIC Securities Swedish stocks trading availability
- CITIC Securities Norwegian stocks trading availability
Everything you find on BrokerChooser is based on reliable data and unbiased information. We combine our 10+ years finance experience with readers feedback. Read more about our methodology.
