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The latest posts from SparxTrading – in depth views on the world of online investing.

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Discount Brokerage Deals & Promotions – June 2014

Published June 1, 2014
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[Updated July 10, 2014] With summer just around the corner, June is an interesting month for Canadian discount brokerage deals. On the one hand, there are six offers that are scheduled to expire at the end of the month. On the other hand, history has shown that Canadian brokerages don’t like to be left out […]

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Discount Brokerage Weekly Roundup – May 30 2014

Published May 30, 2014
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Another week, another record high. It looks like not that many folks chose to sell in May and go away after all. In spite of most NHL hockey players and seasonal investors starting to take it easy, Canadian discount brokerages were still keeping busy keeping one another on their toes. In this week’s roundup we […]

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Discount Brokerage Weekly Roundup – May 9, 2014

Published May 9, 2014
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If there’s one fear that doesn’t seem to be present in the market, it appears to be a fear of heights. Once again markets are touching new highs and venturing into uncharted territory – but they weren’t the only ones. In this edition of the roundup, we cover quite a bit of ground starting with […]

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Discount Brokerage Deals & Promotions – May 2014

Published May 1, 2014
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[Updated: July 10, 2014] While many in the markets might be thinking of  May as the time to head for the exits, it is interesting to see what is or isn’t being offered by Canadian discount brokerages in terms of deals and promotions. Heading into a new month, there were a few deals from April […]

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Discount Brokerage Deals & Promotions – April 2014

Published April 1, 2014
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[Updated 4/15/14] There are noticeably fewer discount brokerage deals & promotions at the start of April than at the same time last month. That said, this is spring and there are any number of surprises that can pop up. While the month starts off on a slightly leaner note than month’s past there were a […]

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Discount Brokerage Deals & Promotions – March 2014

Published March 1, 2014
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Updated March 28/2014 The deals and promotions offered by Canadian discount brokerages at the outset of March are largely unchanged from February.  While the the deals may be starting March looking one way,  there’s a good chance that the end of March will look very different.  Of the 18 offers currently available, 12 are set […]

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Discount Brokerage Weekly Roundup – February 21, 2014

Published February 21, 2014
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This past week in the Canadian discount brokerage space seemed about as quiet as the US Women’s Olympic hockey team dressing room after that most spectacular win by Team Canada.   The silence on the brokerage front, however, is likely indicative of the planning and ‘strategizing’ by marketing and product teams as the battle for brokerage […]

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Ten is the New Thirty: A Review of Price Drops at Canadian Bank-Owned Online Brokerages – Part 1

Published February 21, 2014
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For Canadian discount brokerages, 2014 has already been an eventful year. It has now been just over a month since RBC Direct Investing announced the lowering of their standard trading commissions and in that time, the predicted response from several other bank-owned online brokerages has materialized. Since the RBC announcement, BMO InvestorLine, TD Direct Investing […]

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Discount Brokerage Weekly Roundup – February 7th 2014

Published February 7, 2014
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If there’s one thing that the world can agree on, it’s that those little asterisks can be a pain in the…well you know where.  Many self-directed investors have come to accept them.  Even the opening ceremonies for the Olympics certainly weren’t immune to bad case of the unexpected asterisk. This past week, however, another major […]

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Discount Brokerage Deals & Promotions – February 2014

Published February 1, 2014
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Updated Feb. 27th 2014 Now that February is here, the RSP contribution deadline (March 3rd) is in the crosshairs of many investors.  Canadian discount brokerages have already stepped up the deals & promotions activities with last month seeing over 20 deals offered.   The most active of all the discount brokerages was Questrade followed by BMO […]

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RBC Direct Investing: Lowering Commissions and Raising the Stakes

Published February 1, 2014
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For many years, observers of the Canadian discount brokerage marketplace as well as the discount brokers themselves have all understood that the online brokerage business is a highly competitive space. Despite the many trends in products, services and pricing that have occurred over the last decade the standard commission rates at bank-owned brokerages have remained […]

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Review: Dalbar Canada’s Direct Brokerage Service Award 2013

Published January 23, 2014
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For individual investors, shopping for an online trading account often requires doing a fair amount of research and comparison between brokerages.  While commissions & fees are the most important factor investors consider when choosing an account, what it’s like to be a client of a particular brokerage is also something many investors are often curious […]

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Discount Brokerage Deals & Promotions – January 2014

Published January 1, 2014
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[Updated: Jan 31/2014] While we thought the beginning of January would be a busy time for deals, we didn’t know it would be THIS crazy. Since the beginning of the month there have been quite a few big announcements. Read below for more details Welcome to the first discount brokerage deals post of 2014! 2013 […]

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Discount Brokerage Deals & Promotions – December 2013

Published December 1, 2013
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Updated 12/27/13 It had to happen sometime – Questrade has now become the first Canadian discount brokerage to offer a Boxing Day promotion.  The deal being offered is 25 commission-free trades that do not expire until the end of 2014 for a minimum deposit of $25,000.  Like any good Boxing Day deal, this offer is […]

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Discount Brokerage Weekly Roundup – Nov. 29 2013

Published November 29, 2013
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With bargain hunters being bullish on all kinds of deals, this Black Friday edition of the weekly roundup will hopefully be enjoyed on the screens of some newly purchased electronic goodies.   While the Black Friday madness has yet to hit the discount brokerage world (yet), there was still quite a bit of activity to report […]

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Discount Brokerage Weekly Roundup – November 15 2013

Published November 15, 2013
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At the official halfway point in November, it seems like this month is poised to disappear faster than a message from (the now multibillion dollar valued company) SnapChat.  While the tech space looks like its poised for a bidding war, the discount brokerage space looks like it’s in for quite the price war. In this […]

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Discount Brokerage Weekly Roundup – November 8, 2013

Published November 8, 2013
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The big news everywhere this week was the Twitter IPO.  For many individual investors, accessing the Twitter IPO ahead of public trading meant having to meet specific account requirements laid out by their discount brokerages.  Once TWTR did go live though, the frenzy of buyers helped to propel the opening day price up from $26 […]

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