Mail & Guardian reporter
Apart from pornography, keeping up with the news, and monitoring the latest on Zippergate, the Internet can also provide a playground for a budding George Soros.
Local and international financial service websites are rapidly expanding. Their offerings range from basic financial information to trading a portfolio on the Web.
Internationally people tend to use discount brokers – financial institutions which provide a no-frills trading service – rather than more expensive brokers, which provide advice. A logical extension has been for such brokerages to move on to the Internet. One of the most famous, United States-based Charles Schwab, has seen a sustained increase in the number of customers using its website, including foreigners.
One of the joys of the Internet is that you are not bound by geography. Sitting in Bronkhorstspruit, you can trade shares on the Paris Stock Exchange, although you have to consider exchange control regulations if you plan to run an international portfolio.
If you’re fazed by financial market jargon such as “pe ratio” and “beta”, websites providing information abound. One place to look is the South African Futures Exchange that has a dictionary of financial terms.
Almost all South African financial institutions have websites. Some still seem to regard the Internet simply as an advertising facility to provide visitors with telephone numbers. Others allow electronic interaction with the institutions.
A recent arrival in South Africa has been Interactive Investor International’s website, which gives subscribers free, live access to share prices on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, as well as listings on six international stock exchanges.
Media websites, such as the eM&G or the Financial Times, are another source of information.
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