History of Stocks Trading
The trading of companies' stocks, (or equities), on a stock exchange has been around for hundreds of years, since the world's first stock exchange was started around 1415 in the Beurze family house, in Bruges, Belgium . From there stock exchanges spread around the world. The major stock exchanges today are in the USA, Europe, and Asia.
Trading of shares used to occur on a floor or "pit" and many stockbrokers would meet face to face to trade shares of various companies all in one central place. However as with most products across the globe now shares and stocks are now dominated by electronic trading. In the USA, the New York Stock Exchange and the US 100 INDEX comprise almost half of the world's total stock exchange activity.
A continuous process of buying and selling done by brokers acting on behalf of their clients determines the prices on all stock exchanges. The exchange does not take positions in the market nor can it advise people on what positions to take. The responsibility of the exchange is to ensure that the market is fair, orderly and secure. All exchanges are governed by a regulatory body and are aware of the identity of anyone holding a substantial number of shares.
With RFX your trade is not put through the exchange as there is no physical delivery, but is a contract with RFX. This enables us to give you instant execution at the price on the screen. With exchanges you need to have the order filled by another party on the exchange. The advantage of trading with RFX is that the prices you see on the platform are the live prices that are showing on the exchange at any given time.
What stocks can I trade with RFX? What exchange are they listed on?
With RFX you can trade the shares of 12 major companies. The stocks we offer are for large companies primarily financially or technologically focused. We offer the following NYSE listed shares: American Express, AT&T, Bank of America, Coca-Cola, Exxon Mobil, Goldman-Sachs and IBM. We also offer the following US 100 INDEX listed shares: Apple, Dell, Google, Intel and IBM.
Why Should I Invest in Stocks with RFX
With RFX you are not buying and selling the stock itself. Instead you are taking a position on the price of the stock. This method has numerous benefits over the traditional method including the following:
Simplicity
There is no need to find a broker, shop around for low commissions etc. With RFX You take a position on the price directly from your PC, with no commissions paid.
Buy or Sell
Unlike the traditional form of investing in the stock market, with RFX you can take 'buy' or 'sell' positions so you can also profit from falling share prices. This is particularly relevant given recent crashes and volatility in the global equity markets.
Leverage
When you buy and sell stocks you need to be able to buy the stocks outright and then sell them later. With RFX your leveraged position allows you to make much larger profits from a similar sized initial investment.