Buy Apple Stock

Understand how to buy or sell Apple stocks online with our step-by-step guide.

1. Getting started
2. Opening an account online
3. Placing your first trade

Step 1: Getting started

Before you place your first trade, you’ll need to decide what it is that you are buying. You can either buy shares outright, in which case you’ll become a registered shareholder, or simply profit from changes in Apple’s share price through instruments known as CFDs (or Contracts for Difference). The following table compares these alternatives side-by-side:

Buy Apple stock outright

So how much money will you need to buy shares in Apple? You’ll need to cover the full purchase price - currently in excess of US$ 100 per share - and set aside money to cover your broker’s dealing fees and any tax due.

• Dealing fees start at £11.95 ($15.54) with Hargreaves Lansdown and £12.95 with Barclays Stockbrokers, and are due for every buy and sell order (even when you exit your position).
• In addition, you may also need to pay tax on your purchase. In the UK, stamp duty on share purchases is 0.5% of the value of each trade.

Congratulations, you are now are an Apple shareholder. This comes with rights and obligations. You’ll be entitled to dividend income and may have the right to vote in shareholder meetings if your shares allow. In return, you’ll need to register your ownership (except in the case of bearer shares), and may have a legal obligation to information the company when your holdings exceed certain thresholds of the company’s share capital (although this is unlikely if you only buy a few shares).

Or trade CFDs on Apple’s stock

Alternatively, you could trade CFDs (Contract for Difference) on Apple’s stock. A CFD allows you to speculate on change’s in Apple's stock price, going long when prices rises and going short when they fall, without owning shares. This also means that you are free from the rights, obligations and taxes that come with share ownership.

CFDs are popular with investors like you because they allow you to trade on margin for a fraction of a stock’s price, but see changes in the stock price fully reflected in your profit or loss. You could buy a CFD on Apple’s stock valued at US$ 100 with a low US$ 10 deposit through Fortrade.com or a US$ 40 deposit through AvaTrade.com.

Most CFD brokers charge no commission. Instead, they earn a living through the bid-ask spread: the difference between the price at which you can buy and sell securities from them. Some brokers, such as Fortrade, charge a low fixed spread at all times, whilst others, such as AvaTrade, charge a variable spread based on market conditions.

Step 2: Opening an account online

Compare brokers through our service to find an account that meets your requirements. You should consider their trading conditions - including spreads, leverage and execution methods - as well as security of funds. If you are in a hurry to trade, we suggest funding your account through a debit card, credit card or an e-wallet (such as PayPal, Skrill or NETELLER). Bank wire transfers can be particularly slow and costly to complete. Importantly, the funding method you choose should be in your own name for compliance purposes.

Step 3: Placing your first trade

Placing your first trade may seem daunting, but it need not be. All brokers in our panel allow you to trade directly from their website or a smartphone app. Click a button to 'buy' and another to 'sell' (or 'short') Apple shares directly from the charts. Nowadays, you no longer need to pick up the phone to trade through a dealing desk. Visit Fortrade.com and AvaTrade.com to start trading.

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