When it comes to tech giants, the first name that pops into most users’ minds is Microsoft. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the company has become a world leader producing and selling a huge range of products, practically anything from personal computers to cloud computing systems for space equipment. Microsoft’s main competitors are Apple Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. for which separate articles are provided on tradingpedia’s website.
Quite logically, the growth we just hinted at above accumulates significant earnings. Despite the turbulence in recent years due to the Covid pandemic and military conflicts around the world, Microsoft stocks retain good levels and financial analysts’ predictions are optimistic.
How Microsoft Stocks Trading Works for Traders and Brokers
Operating on such a large scale inevitably requires a colossal amount of capital and one way to raise it is through selling shares to the public. Given the high interest in the brand, Microsoft stocks are within the portfolio of most today’s trading brokers. If you are a trader who is about to start dealing with MSFT, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the ins and outs of the process and then select a reliable brokerage platform.
In brief, MSFT trading involves buying and selling shares in the company and gaining profit from the daily price changes. Unlike investors who apply long-haul strategies, traders closely monitor short-term price fluctuations and try to sell high or buy as low as possible. Microsoft stock brokers have adopted similar though not identical pricing policies that comprise spreads, commissions, trading and non-trading fees. Both proprietary and third-party platforms are used as well as different account types, so it will be to your advantage to research the broker beforehand.
We bring to your attention 5 basic steps around which to build a successful MSFT trading experience:
- Open a brokerage account. If you are unsure which trading broker corresponds to your level of expertise and trading manner, you can take a look at the below reviews of Top Microsoft Stock Brokers.
- Determine a trading budget and never deviate from it. Only invest money that you do not need for covering daily expenses.
- Learn how to use the different order types. They are mainly classified as market orders and limit orders.
- Practice with a demo account. This recommendation applies even if you are an experienced trader, but you will operate with this broker for the first time.
- Measure your results to see your strengths and weaknesses and thus be able to adjust your strategy if necessary.
Top 10 Bitcoin Trading Brokers
Since you ended up here, then you are planning to improve your financial status by buying stocks in Microsoft. To do so, you need to open an account with a brokerage company that will give you access to the NASDAQ since this is the main exchange MSFT is traded on. We have selected precisely that type of trading brokers by looking at their main characteristics and the trading conditions they provide.
- 1. AvaTradeMin Deposit$100 (credit cards)FeesOvernight interest (daily):
- Sell: -0.0144%
- Buy: -0.0189%
CommissionsNoneSpread0.13Leverage EU5:1Leverage non-EU10:1CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.If you are looking for a trading broker with a particularly rich stock portfolio, no need to search further. AvaTrade allows its users to trade MSFT and more than 600 other stocks, with a great part of them only available through the MetaTrader 5 platform. The brokerage has structured the relevant information in an intuitive and understandable way, so that traders have to make just a couple of clicks or taps and see what are the numbers for spread, leverage, margin, and overnight fees.
One of the reasons why AvaTrade is so popular with traders around the world is that the company is a 100% commission-free stock broker, i.e. it charges no commission on any trade. However, if you are not an active trader who performs frequent transactions, you better think twice before joining the platform. The brokerage has significant inactivity fees – $50 after 3 consecutive months of non-use and $100 after one calendar year with no trade performed.
Apart from stocks, AvaTrade spreads its operations on indices, commodities, Forex pairs, and treasuries. This multi-licensed Microsoft stock broker keeps getting awards for the high-quality services it provides. Just a tiny part of the titles conquered by AvaTrade are 2022 Best Overall Broker (Day Trading), 20221 No.1 Innovation (Forex Brokers), and 2021 Best Broker UK (World Economic Magazine).
- 2. XMMin Deposit$5FeesAnnual swap rate:
- Long: -3.2%
- Short: -2.8%
CommissionsFrom $0SpreadFrom 0.47Leverage EU5:1Leverage non-EU5:1CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 74.89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.XM is an international trading broker that is highly valued by beginner traders due to the excellent customer support it provides as well as its extensive educational content and negative balance protection feature. For consumers to be confident that the brokerage offers a safe and fair trading environment contributes the fact that it holds licenses issued by reputable regulation bodies – ASIC, CySEC, and IFSC. The absence of a FCA certificate is slightly puzzling, but it should not be a cause for concern.
The base currencies accepted by XM are USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, CHF, AUD, HUF, PLN, RUB, SGD, and ZAR. They all can be used with Micro and Standard accounts with both accounts coming with no commission. The most advantageous account type in terms of spreads is XM Zero as it is characteristic of it that it can be set up only with the USD, EUR, and JPY currencies and commissions are paid on every trade.
XM has taken care of its clients to be able to trade regardless of the device used. The MetaTrader4 and MetaTrader5 platforms are available in all possible forms with separate links for PC/Mac, Smartphone, and Tablet usage. In addition to that, the brokerage has developed a trading mobile application that is available for free download from the App Store and Google Play.
- 3. easyMarketsMin Deposit$25FeesNoneCommissionsNoneSpreadFrom 0.01Leverage EU5:1Leverage non-EU5:1CFDs and Options are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 61% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs and Options work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Thanks to easyMarkets and not many other pioneering trading brokers, the world of trading is in the modern form we all know today. As stated on the brand’s website, the purpose of establishing the company back in 2001 was to give market access to as many users as possible without requirements for substantial capital and attendance in physical trading rooms.
A distinctive aspect of easyMarkets’ operation is its innovation-focused approach. Although the brand is one of the oldest in the industry it keeps adding features to its portfolio thus staying attractive even in the company of recently established trading brokers. The latest event in this regard is the addition of variable spread trading via the MT5 platform. Of course, fixed spreads are still available through MT4 as well as negative balance protection and Guaranteed Stop Loss. Another unique tool offered by easyMarkets is Freeze Rate. It allows traders to freeze the price they see for a few seconds giving them a short buffer period to perform the trade.
While exploring easyMarkets, we checked the trading hours for US shares, part of which are MSFT. Trades related to Microsoft stocks are allowed from 13:35 to 20:00 GMT on weekdays with no daily break. Customers can access the easyTrade app between Monday 00:00GMT and Friday 20:55GMT.
- 4. eToroMin Deposit$10 - $200FeesNoneCommissionsNoneSpreadFrom 0.5Leverage EUN/ALeverage non-EUN/AYour capital is at risk. Other fees apply. For more information, visit etoro.com/trading/fees.
eToro is a prominent trading broker which has built a portfolio over the years that includes services and offers suitable for both novices and experienced actively operating traders. Our main arguments for making such a conclusion are the availability of superior educational content and copy trading functionality on the one hand, and the possibility to set up a professional account on the other.
The overall activity of eToro is regulated by the most reputable authorities in the field – the Cyprus Securities & Exchange Commission (CySEC), the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). The brokerage is authorized to operate on the US market too, however with a limited range of services including stock trading. Spreads on stocks are fluctuating and as regards MSFT, they usually start from 0.5.
eToro has chosen not to work with third-party trading platforms and instead offers to its clients an in-house developed option covering more than 3,000 financial instruments. If you are an on-the-go trader you can download the respective dedicated apps with no shortages of functionalities. The desktop platform and the trading application allow users to easily manage their portfolios and copy the strategies of top-performing traders.
- 5. FP MarketsMin Deposit$100FeesHolding cost:
- Long: -5%
- Short: -2.5%
Commissions$0.02/share for NYSE/NASDAQ, min $15SpreadDirect pricingLeverage EU5:1Leverage non-EU20:1Trade Responsibly: Derivative products are highly leveraged, carry a high level of risk and are not suitable for all investors.If you are in search of a multi-asset trading broker with excellent customer support and strictly regulated operations, FP Markets is the right choice. The brokerage allows for CFD trading of more than 10,000 shares as well as stocks, indices, metals, bonds, and others.
As regards customer support, it is reachable through email, phone, and live chat which is a communication channel with super fast response times. A member of our team personally verified this by initiating a chat session with a question about MSFT leverage for traders outside the EU. The answer came in less than a minute stating that the upper limit is 20:1. However, FP Markets enables its users to set different leverage values through a specified section of their accounts.
Apart from trading markets and platforms featured by FP Markets, there is also significant diversity in the account types users can choose from. If you prefer using MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, the options are two, Standard and Raw. Your choice depends on whether your priority is zero commission or minimum spreads. Traders who prefer operating with the Iress platform can set up a Standard, Platinum, or Premier account. Their minimum deposits vary between AU$1,000 and AU$50,000 accompanied by certain commissions on every trade.
- 6. Markets.comMin Deposit$100Fees
- Overnight interest:
- Buy: -0.0354%
- Sell: -0.0257%
CommissionsNoneSpread1.09Leverage EU5:1Leverage non-EU5:1CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 68% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.Markets.com is a well-regulated trading broker that provides a commission-free pricing environment for CFD trading of shares, currencies, indices, cryptos, and other instruments. The company has the ambition to be among today’s global trading brands and this is expressed in meeting the requirements for three different licenses issued by CySEC, FSCA, and FSC (British Virgin Islands). However, at least for now, traders residing in Japan, Canada, Belgium, and the US are not eligible to set up accounts with Markets.com.
Trading with this Microsoft stock broker is cost-effective since the brand charges no commission on any CFD trade and a comparison with other brokers shows that the spreads provided by Markets.com are quite competitive. One of the few fees implied by the brokerage is the overnight interest. Its current value for MSFT is shown in the table below together with the leverage of 5:1 which is standard for the industry.
Not only is the main website of Markets.com available in several languages (English, Spanish, French, Vietnamese, etc.) but customer support too. You can contact the brokerage by phone on weekdays as well as by live chat or online query form. The company has also compiled an extensive FAQ section giving answers to most questions that may come to mind.
- 7. AdmiralsMin Deposit$25FeesSwap values (%):
- Long: -0.01689
- Short: -0.01644
Commissions- From $1 on Invest
- MT5 accounts only
SpreadFrom 0.01Leverage EU5:1Leverage non-EU5:1CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 81% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.Judging from the Education section of Admirals’ main website and the overall set of services provided by the broker, we can safely say it can be of benefit for any level of trader, from total tiros to practitioners with years of experience behind their back. For novices, multiple webinars, articles, and tutorials as well as special courses such as Zero to Hero are provided. Skillful traders also have plenty of reasons to like Admirals since the broker offers competitive trading conditions and advanced software solutions.
As regards stocks, users can choose from 3,204 brands that can be filtered either by exchange & country or industry group. The other markets making up the portfolio of Admirals are Forex, commodities, indices, ETFs, bonds, and cryptocurrencies.
The account types supported by Admirals are related to either the MetaTrader 4 or MetaTrader 5 platforms. Generally speaking, the variants traders can choose from are Trade.MT5, Invest.MT5, Zero.MT5, Trade.MT4, and Zero.MT4. However, when it comes to Microsoft stocks trading, the options are somewhat more limited – Trade.MT4, Trade.MT5, and Invest.MT5. Minimum deposit amounts and commission rates may vary from country to country so carefully check the respective T&Cs before you proceed with orders execution.
- 8. NSBrokerMin Deposit$250FeesFrom $0Commissions0.05%SpreadFloatingLeverage EU5:1Leverage non-EU5:1Trading in Forex and Contracts for Difference (CFDs), which are leveraged products, is highly speculative and involves substantial risk of loss. It is possible to lose all your capital. Your capital is not guaranteed and may go down as well as up. Therefore, Forex and CFDs may not be suitable for all investors. Only invest with money you can afford to lose. So please ensure that you fully understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary.
With just over a decade in the online trading field, NSBroker has gained enough experience to be able to provide a diverse well-regulated trading environment to its clients. Traders who decide to join the company have a rich selection of assets at their disposal – stocks, currencies, precious metals, indices, energy carriers, cryptocurrencies, and commodities. The brokerage presents all the information in 8 languages, thus making it readily available to a great number of users.
The stock CFD section of NSBroker’s website accommodates about 35 well-known brand stocks with the most popular companies being Microsoft, Amazon, eBay, Google, Oracle, etc. As regards MSFT, spreads are floating while the commission is fixed at 0.05%. There is not much variety in terms of account types, the only options are Demo and Real options. Demo accounts come with no expiration period and a virtual budget of $20,000. The risk-free trade training can be performed 24 hours a day on business days only.
The only trading platform that NSBroker works with is MetaTrader 5 which comes in three forms – web, desktop, and mobile. Among other things, MT5 supports 21 timeframes (from 1 minute to 1 month), 38 technical indicators, and different types of pending orders that are capable of satisfying the necessities even of the most demanding traders.
- Min Deposit$100FeesNo fees on FX or CFD productsCommissions$2Spread0.1Leverage EU5:1Leverage non-EU5:1Margin trading involves a high level of risk and is not suitable for all investors. You should carefully consider your objectives, financial situation, needs and level of experience before entering into any margined transactions with Blueberry Markets, and seek independent advice if necessary. Forex and CFDs are highly leveraged products, which means both gains and losses are magnified. You should only trade in these products if you fully understand the risks involved and can afford to incur losses that will not adversely affect your lifestyle.
Blueberry Markets is a regulated Australian trading broker that is mostly valued for its superb customer support service, fast execution speeds, and flawless transactions. The company was not established that long ago (2016), but it already has over 30,000 registered traders, and with such a client-focused approach, their number is likely to be even larger soon.
Now, let’s take a closer look at what you can expect from Blueberry Markets. Regardless of the trading platform you decide to work with (MT4, MT5, or Web Trader), you are entitled to open either a Blueberry Standard Account or Blueberry Direct Account. Both options come with a minimum deposit of $100 and identical conditions for minimum trade size (0.01), tradable instruments (over 300), and leverage (up to 5:1 on stocks). The distinctive feature of Standard accounts is that they allow for commission-free trading as all costs are incorporated in the spread. Direct accounts, on the other hand, come with more favorable spreads but also with a commission on every executed trade.
Proof that Blueberry Markets is a Microsoft stock broker that cares about its clients’ welfare is the fact that it provides a Refer-a-friend promotion. Existing users will receive a $100 cash bonus if a friend of theirs joins the platform and makes a minimum deposit of $1,000 or equivalent in another accepted currency. Another condition is for the referred client to trade a minimum of 1 standard lot within 60 days after opening his account. Very important note – although the trading broker tends to constantly resume this promotional offer, it is of a temporary nature, so always check T&Cs in advance.
- 10. IC MarketsMin Deposit$200FeesNoneCommissions$0.02/share for NYSE/NASDAQSpreadDirect pricingLeverage EU5:1Leverage non-EUVariesTrading Derivatives carries a high level of risk to your capital and you should only trade with money you can afford to lose. Trading Derivatives may not be suitable for all investors, so please ensure that you fully understand the risks involved and seek independent advice if necessary.
IC Markets is a trustworthy MSFT stock broker headquartered in Sidney, Australia. The selection of trading platforms accessible via this brokerage suggests that it is capable of meeting the requirements of both active experienced traders and newbies in the field. In terms of desktop platforms, IC Markets relies on three third-party options – MT4, MT5, and cTrader. They provide a satisfying variety of features that results in an abundance of tools and analysis methods to perform stock trading. Dedicated apps are also available, so you can operate with any of the supported financial instruments regardless of the device and location.
This trading broker has included more than 1,800 US and Australian stocks in its portfolio. Keep in mind that if you plan to perform MSFT trading, you need to operate with MetaTrader 5 as stocks are available on this platform only. We strongly advise you to contact customer support and request more information on how to take advantage of an applicable reduced rate. This is due to the charging of dividend adjustments for non-US resident holders of US CFDs.
The educational hub of IC Markets is one of the most comprehensive we have come across while reviewing the world’s top trading brokers. Content is provided in all possible forms – basic concept tutorials, news sections, webinars, podcasts, a specialized blog, fundamental and technical analyses, etc.