International trading peaks - commission free purchases

Recent market and currency conditions have led to more investors than ever looking outside the UK for investment opportunities, according to Halifax Share dealing (HSDL), a leading UK international dealing execution only broker.

A weak dollar can make investing in US companies more attractive for some investors, so further increases in activity are expected if sterling maintains its current level against the US Dollar.

International trading allows retail investors to capitalise on stocks on some of the most buoyant global economies. For HSDL, the majority of trades are in US stocks, with the NYSE and NASDAQ being the most traded international markets. In Europe, stocks on the German Exchange (Xetra) and French Stock Exchange (SBF) are the most traded.

HSDL has seen a noticeable increase in the number of international deals since the start of 2009 with the ratio of buy trades to sell averaging 2:1. The average deal size is relatively modest at around £3000 but has fluctuated throughout the first five months of 2009, rising to over £4,000 and falling to just below £2,000.

Sue Concannon, Managing Director of Halifax Share Dealing Limited, said: "We've seen a marked increase in international trade volumes since the start of the year with much of this investor interest focusing on US markets. If sterling continues to strengthen we expect activity on the European markets to also rise.

"Trading outside the UK allows investors to gain exposure to industry sectors that may not be well represented on the London Stock Exchange and to trade the shares of companies that are making global news."

Week long commission-free online purchases

Halifax Share Dealing's commission free week on international stocks bought online is open to existing and new customers. Customers buying international stocks online from 8.30am on Monday 8th June until 9pm on Friday 12th June 2009 will save the £17.50 commission on each online purchase of international stocks. Customers can research which stocks they want to buy using Halifax Share Dealing's free Market Research Centre at halifaxmarketwatch.co.uk.

To open a share dealing account online, private investors should complete the online registration at halifax.co.uk/apply. They will need bank account details, National Insurance number and address details for the last three years to complete the short registration form.

If they're new to the online service they will be sent a temporary password through the post. To complete the registration they will need to go to halifax.co.uk/activate and key in their username and temporary password. Once the account is activated, customers can then trade on the international markets through a Sterling account.

International stocks don't incur Stamp Duty and can be traded in real time outside UK market hours. International markets offer access to some of the world's best-know companies.