As retail traders continue to exert their influence on the markets, the brokerage landscape is turning ever more competitive. In some ways, what were seeing is an accessibility arms race, where the offering of exchange-traded securities and derivatives is increasingly being tailored to beginners and smaller investors.
The idea is to make access to these products cheaper, easier, and thus to allow investors from all walks of life to gain exposure to these markets. Zero commissions were previously one of the frontiers of the battle between retail trading venues, however, today fractional and notional trading is very much the front line.Obstacles to Small Investors
The indivisibility of shares has always been a stubborn barrier to entry for retail traders, and its becoming more so as the stock prices of mega-companies that are most popular among them continue to rise.
Currently, a share of Tesla stock is trading for just under $197, while Meta shares are going for $174, and Apple for $151. Without the ability to allocate fractional amounts, the above prices represent the minimum investment amount of 1 share for someone seeking exposure to any of these names.
This is problematic as it places diversification out of the reach of smaller investors who cant afford to purchase a selection of different names outright. This is exacerbated by the fact that these securities become even more inaccessible during bull markets, precisely when interest in share-buying tends to peak. Tesla stock reached a high of over $400 in November of 2021, Meta over $380, and Apple over $180.
The ability to invest fractional amounts in an affordable manner solves the above issue. It levels the playing field by allowing a far wider base of investors to gain a share in the wealth created by these and other iconic companies. For example, a broker offering shares in 0.1 increments can allow someone to purchase a tenth of a share in each of the above companies for just over $50 ($19.70 + $17.40 + $15.10 = $52.20).
This enables an investor to allocate a small amount to each company every month, or in the case of notional trading, they can dollar-cost average into their chosen names on a monthly basis by just splitting that $50 equally between each stock. This is why fractional shares are such a big deal. Theyre the single most important thing brokers can do to catalyze the growing interest in investing among the general public, as well as encouraging new demographics to start participating in these markets.Fractional Order Routing
As with all things, the devil in the details. The way in which fractional shares offerings are implemented by brokers directly translates to how competitive they can be, as well as to what degree they can appeal to investor preferences.
A common approach to supporting fractional trading is known as route as received. In this model, when a broker receives a fractional order, they simply route it directly to the counterparty and everything is handled on their end. This is the simplest approach as it means that the brokerage doesnt have to concern itself with any of the technological and risk management logistics involved in holding and managing fractional inventories.
On the other hand, it means that the brokerage can only implement fractional trades on the assets offered by its executing venue, which can be limited. Theres also the issue of fees to consider, which can make the trading of fractional shares less favorable when the end client is investing small amounts. Both of the above mean that brokers offering fractional trades on a wider selection of names, and at more affordable prices, will enjoy a competitive advantage in an already highly competitive segment.Internal Fractional Inventory
The other approach is for the broker to manage their own fractional inventory internally. In this model, the broker keeps a small inventory of shares on its books for the purposes of netting-off incoming fractional orders.
A fractional rounding algorithm is employed to perform this function, so that when a new order comes in that requires fractions of shares, these can be allocated directly from internal inventory. In the case of the inventory being depleted, an order thats been rounded-up to the nearest whole number is forwarded to the brokers counterparty. When this order is filled, the client order quantity is distributed to the customer, while the remaining fractional quantity is placed in the brokers inventory.
In this way, the broker only has to keep a relatively small amount of shares on its books, and with automated position closure protocols in place, it can ensure that its exposure to any given stock will never exceed a predefined amount before those excess shares are automatically liquidated.
Pre-allocated block orders can also be used to place large group orders for a brokerages customers that can include whole shares, fractions, and notional amounts, with an order management system in place to allocate the correct qualities to relevant customers. The approach may seem a great deal more complex on the surface, but modern brokerage platforms are more than up to the task, allowing brokers to take control of their offerings, appeal to a wider client base, increase volumes, and generate revenues from commissions or fees depending on the business model.Introducing DXtrade XT
DXtrade XT is Devexperts flagship multi-asset trading platform for brokers offering exchange-traded securities and derivatives. It includes a web-based trading portal and native iOS and Android mobile applications. The platform features a fractional order management system with support for both fractional quantities and notional amounts, and comes packaged with a suite of broker administration tools.
Fully branded with company logos and colors, DXtrade XT is easy to integrate with any existing brokerage architecture and comes out-of-the-box with market data and news provision integrations. Maintained and supported by Devexperts around the clock, it has everything a broker requires to start their own in-house fractional shares offering and management thereof.
It looks pretty sweet, too. Get in touchto start the conversation about what it can do for your business. Or get onto your broker and request that they integrate it!
Featured image sourced from Shutterstock
This post was authored by an external contributor and does not represent Benzinga's opinions and has not been edited for content.
After yesterday’s royal welcome from the King, French President Emmanuel Macron will get down to business today, meeting Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for lunch, after PMQs.
But, as Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McElvoy discuss on this episode, away from the pomp, Sir Keir’s in-tray doesn’t look any less challenging.
It includes a headache for Health Secretary Wes Streeting as resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, announce a new strike – and there is as a punchy warning from the OBR on making financial promises to the public.
Also today, the welfare bill returns to the House of Commons, with reports of another rebellion brewing.
While the politicians talk, so many people come from around the world to try to get across the Channel on small boats. But why?
Why make such a perilous crossing to try to get to a country that seems to be getting increasingly hostile to asylum seekers?
As the British and French leaders meet, with small boats at the forefront of their agenda, we came to northern France to get some answers.
It is not a new question, but it is peppered with fresh relevance.
Over the course of a morning spent around a migrant camp in Dunkirk, we meet migrantsfrom Gaza, Iraq, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sri Lanka and beyond.
Some are fearful, waving us away; some are happy to talk. Very few are comfortable to be filmed.
All but one man – who says he’s come to the wrong place and actually wants to claim asylum in Paris – are intent on reaching Britain.
They see the calm seas, feel the light winds – perfect conditions for small boat crossings.
John has come here from South Sudan. He tells me he’s now 18 years old. He left his war-torn home nation just before his 16th birthday. He feels that reaching Britain is his destiny.
“England is my dream country,” he says. “It has been my dream since I was at school. It’s the country that colonised us and when I get there, I will feel like I am home.
“In England, they can give me an opportunity to succeed or to do whatever I need to do in my life. I feel like I am an English child, who was born in Africa.”
Image: ‘England is my dream country,’ John tells Adam Parsons
He says he would like to make a career in England, either as a journalist or in human resources, and, like many others we meet, is at pains to insist he will work hard.
The boat crossing is waved away as little more than an inconvenience – a trifle compared with the previous hardships of his journey towards Britain.
We meet a group of men who have all travelled from Gaza, intent on starting new lives in Britain and then bringing their families over to join them.
One man, who left Gaza two years ago, tells me that his son has since been shot in the leg “but there is no hospital for him to go to”.
Next to him, a man called Abdullah says he entered Europe through Greece and stayed there for months on end, but was told the Greek authorities would never allow him to bring over his family.
Britain, he thinks, will be more accommodating. “Gaza is being destroyed – we need help,” he says.
Image: Abdullah says ‘Gaza is being destroyed – we need help’
A man from Eritreatells us he is escaping a failing country and has friends in Britain – he plans to become a bicycle courier in either London or Manchester.
He can’t stay in France, he says, because he doesn’t speak French. The English language is presented as a huge draw for many of the people we talk to, just as it had been during similar conversations over the course of many years.
I ask many of these people why they don’t want to stay in France, or another safe European country.
Some repeat that they cannot speak the language and feel ostracised. Another says that he tried, and failed, to get a residency permit in both France and Belgium.
But this is also, clearly, a flawed survey. Last year, five times as many people sought asylum in France as in Britain.
And French critics have long insisted that Britain, a country without a European-style ID card system, makes itself attractive to migrants who can “disappear”.
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Migrant Channel crossings hit new record
A young man from Iraq, with absolutely perfect English, comes for a chat. He oozes confidence and a certain amount of mischief.
It has taken him only seven days to get from Iraq to Dunkirk; when I ask how he has made the trip so quickly, he shrugs. “Money talks”.
He looks around him. “Let me tell you – all of these people you see around you will be getting to Britain and the first job they get will be in the black market, so they won’t be paying any tax.
“Back in the day in Britain, they used to welcome immigrants very well, but these days I don’t think they want to, because there’s too many of them coming by boat. Every day it’s about seven or 800 people. That’s too many people.”
“But,” I ask, “if those people are a problem – then what makes you different? Aren’t you a problem too?”
He shakes his head emphatically. “I know that I’m a very good guy. And I won’t be a problem. I’ll only stay in Britain for a few years and then I’ll leave again.”
A man from Sri Lanka says he “will feel safe” when he gets to Britain; a tall, smiling man from Ethiopia echoes the sentiment: “We are not safe in our home country so we have come all this way,” he says. “We want to work, to be part of Britain.”
Emmanuel is another from South Sudan – thoughtful and eloquent. He left his country five years ago – “at the start of COVID” – and has not seen his children in all that time. His aim is to start a new life in Britain, and then to bring his family to join him.
He is a trained electrical engineer, but says he could also work as a lorry driver. He is adamant that Britain has a responsibility to the people of its former colony.
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Axiom 4 mission’s crewmates began conducting biomedical research aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday. Expedition 73 and Ax-4 crews found electrical muscle stimulation and cellular immunity. The Cargo transfers and exercise gear maintenance take a day for orbital residents.
Takuya Onishi, Situation Commander from JAXA( Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), has begun the shift in continuation of his space biology studies. His blood and saliva samples are being collected for storage and processing. Further, he spun the specimens in a centrifuge and placed the blood samples in the freezer. After that, he stowed the samples in the incubator.
JAXA’s Takuya Onishi Leads Cellular Immunity Study with Blood and Saliva Analysis
According to a report from NASA, the samples will be analysed to determine the effect of microgravity on cellular immunity, observe stress-related immune reactions, and learn about how to treat symptoms of immunity. The flight engineers Johnny Kim, Anne McClain, and Nichole Ayers spent their day on orbital lab maintenance and further support activities of the crew. Kim focused mainly on orbital plumbing as he replaced and drained the Tranquillity module.
Ayers checked cables and power components in the Destiny laboratory module and deactivated and placed the microscope. McClain took the cognition test on the laptop and kept on supporting the Ax-4 crew at a time of a busy schedule.
Ax-4 Crew Explores Muscle Stimulation and Space Suit Fabric Efficiency in Microgravity
Veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson and her Ax-4 crewmates Shubhanshu Shukla, Tibor Kapu and UznaÅ„ski-WiÅ›niewski conducted numerous space investigations throughout the lab. The private scientists in their second full week on the station found out that the electrical muscle simulation escalates the space-related and muscle atrophy in space. Ax-4’s other experiments looked at suit fabrics promote thermal comfort with exercising the weightlessness, crew health and agriculture in space.
Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritskiy worked together on the Zvezda service module, repairing and organising components on a treadmill, one of the two inside the space station, which included the COLBERT treadmill. Kirill Peskov started his day by going through the biological samples from the crewmates. At the end of his shift, he transfers water from Progress 92 cargo craft and unloads the stuffs of hardware and crew supplies.