Global stock markets available on Sharesight
Today we're pleased to announce that more global stock markets are available on Sharesight! We've made a significant investment in our data platform (and your Sharesight account) for two reasons:
- To satisfy the growing international appetite of investors in our original markets
- To pave the way for our imminent launch in overseas markets
Sharesight now provides historical & daily prices, dividends, and corporate actions on approximately 200 overseas markets.
To kick things off, we've added some of the most popular new markets to your Sharesight account. Just login and add a new holding. In the Market dropdown menu you'll see options for the Euronext, the three Canadian stock markets, and the Hong Kong stock exchange.
We're on standby and have more markets ready to be deployed - and we'll do so based on client demand. If you'd like to access an exchange, please navigate to the Help tab within Sharesight to get in touch or post on our customer forum.
Finally, Sharesight will convert price and dividend data back to your portfolio's local currency so no need to worry about exchange rates.
Don't Forget Your Passport
Back to our first point above, home country bias has plagued retail investors for years, especially in countries with deep capital markets like the US and Australia. But that's beginning to change as investors demand exposure to global sharemarkets - and we're seeing demand for a multitude of global stock markets. Most notably northern Asia and Europe, alongside Canada.
Studies show that American investors are hopelessly skewed towards their own backyard, but they're lucky - many American companies derive the bulk of their revenues from overseas, and most large international firms are listed on US domestic markets anyway, thereby giving the American investor a fairly diversified portfolio.
Now, if you're an Aussie investor, chances are you're well aware of your (over?) exposure to banks and resources. But to date the average retail investor hasn't had a choice short of ridiculous $100 overseas trading fees. The huge growth in ETF inflows is partly a result of investors seeking overseas exposure. Even it if they're passive, ETFs are cheap are exchange traded.
Fortunately, overseas brokers and product providers are flooding Australia - and we're definitely seeing the effects at Sharesight.
Today, nearly 20% of our Australian-based portfolios contain overseas shares and a full 75% of Kiwi investors own overseas companies (a big chunk are ASX companies to be sure, with BHP being the 10th most popular holding by New Zealand-based investors).
For example, you can now trade international shares on CMC Markets or Saxo Capital Markets for as little as 2 cents per share.
Tech companies gravitate towards old-school industries with fat margins. Just as fintech companies are disrupting the payments industry, we expect foreign online brokers to do the same for international brokerage. Bring it on!
FURTHER READING
An unexpected cost of running an SMSF
This article covers the journey of new SMSF owners — the unexpected costs, surprises, and the tools they rely on to streamline their SMSF management.
How to create a multi-generational wealth plan
We explore key approaches to developing a strong multi-generational wealth plan, including education, legacy planning and family governance structures.
Sharesight product updates – November 2024
This month's focus has primarily been on our new drawdown risk report (currently in beta), along with UI/UX enhancements and expanded broker support.