How to find online stock market trading broker to trade US markets if you are not a US citizen

An online stock market trading broker is key in our online securities trading. The selection of a good online broker is an important issue. Nobody wants to be stuck with bad broker service.

Before selecting a good every-day broker we must decide what equity market we want to trade. What shares do we prefer to buy and sell?

Local online broker for local market trading

This decision could be based on our location. A US based trader could prefer US equity markets. The same can be said about European markets as German traders could prefer to trade stocks on Deutsche Boerse and UK based private traders would prefer trade shares listed on London exchange.

Similar situation could happen with Asian stock markets. There are plenty of Indian traders who prefer to trade the Indian market. Brazilians could love Brazilian exchanges. So we can say that local markets are popular for local traders.

The most popular choice for trading domestic markets is some type of domestic broker. Finding a good local broker could be challenging, as brokers in developing markets or with a short history could be a little more expensive and not as transparent as long established brokers in developed countries.

Online securities trading abroad

But world economy is not static and different markets tend to perform differently over time. There are periods when developed markets in the US or Europe are outperforming. Emerging markets in Asia or Eastern Europe could be best performers in another period of time. And what about commodity based economies like Australia or Canada? They could have different momentum than the rest of the world.

So there may be times when traders want to trade international equities. And now they look for options as to how to trade these markets.

Local online trading broker for US and other international markets

The first option is similar to the previous paragraphs. Some local brokers located in other countries (not in the US) already offer the possibility to trade US stock exchanges – NYSE, Nasdaq and maybe also some other markets. Traders like to use them, as these traders often have problems with good knowledge of the English language or are afraid to use their knowledge of English in communication with broker.

I have personal experience with a lot of local traders in the Czech Republic or other central or eastern European countries where they are afraid of using a broker who does not understand their local language.

The main disadvantage of these local brokers is that they often do not offer all products available on US stock exchanges for trading. Their fee could be very uncompetitive comparing to US stock brokers.

Global US online stock market trading broker for online securities trading on US markets

I personally recommend using this option. It is the best choice if you are not afraid of using the English language. Some best US online stock market trading brokers are already global brokers, i.e. they expand to other regions so they can offer you service in your region with your language.

A good example could be Interactive Brokers. It is already established in several locations around the world. They also offer support and all communication in several different languages, like Chinese, Japanese, Deutsch, Espanol and more.

But there are also several other good swing and day trading brokers that will handle your needs in professional way. Good examples are Pinnacle Capital Markets as US based online broker or SaxoBank as European brokerage house.