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Best Brokers for Trading the Hang Seng Index

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Written by BrokerNotes.co

August 29, 2023

Hang Seng (HSI) Index

The Hang Seng Index (HSI or HK50), follows the movements of largest and most liquid stocks listed on the Hong Kong Stock Market (HKEx). The 50 companies included represent approximately 60% of the entire Hong Kong Stock Exchange. HSI is the main indicator for determining the overall performance of the Hong Kong stock market. The index was launched on the 24th November 1969 and was backdated to 31st July 1964.

The HSI represents companies from Hong Kong and Mainland China from 11 different industries. These industries include energy, materials, industrials, consumer goods, consumer services, telecommunications, utilities, financials, properties & construction, information technology and conglomerates. The largest industry representation within the index is financials. This industry comprised 48.2% of the HSI as at June 2017.

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Which companies are listed on the HSI?

The HSI is reviewed on a quarterly basis in order to determine if the index needs to be changed or adjusted.

Companies are added or removed from the index according to their free float market capitalisation. The formula for market capitalisation involves multiplying the stock price by the number of shares outstanding. In determining market capitalisation, all shares are included. The index is comprised of A shares, B shares, H shares, Red Chip and P Chip (see notes).

CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 74% and 89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

Best Forex Brokers for Trading the HSI

Here are the best forex brokers for trading the HSI.

  • IG - 9.9/10 Overall
  • Saxo Bank - 9.7/10 Overall
  • Interactive Brokers - 9.7/10 Overall
  • CMC Markets - 9.6/10 Overall
  • TD Ameritrade - 9.5/10 Overall
  • FOREX.com - 9.3/10 Overall
  • City Index - 9.2/10 Overall
  • XTB - 9/10 Overall
  • eToro - 8.8/10 Overall
IG
9.9/10 Overall
Summary Review Trading Platforms
Minimum DepositÂŁ250.00
Tier-1 Licenses8
Tradeable Symbols (Total)19537

Year after year, IG has shown itself to be the best broker in the forex industry and a fantastic choice for forex traders. Highly trusted and regulated across the globe, IG delivers a wide variety of rich features, market research, and powerful trading tools. Fans of copy trading will appreciate IG’s seamless integration of trading signals into its web platform.

Apple iOS AppYes
Android AppNo
Proprietary PlatformYes
Desktop Platform (Windows)Yes
Web PlatformYes
MetaTrader 4 (MT4)Yes
MetaTrader 5 (MT5)No
Saxo Bank
9.7/10 Overall
Summary Review Trading Platforms
Minimum Deposit€2,000
Tier-1 Licenses7
Tradeable Symbols (Total)70000

Saxo Bank is a highly trusted broker that operates multiple banks and is regulated across the globe. Saxo Bank delivers an incredible cross-platform experience alongside powerful research and a vast selection of more than 60,000 symbols across multiple asset classes. It’s worth noting that minimum deposits at Saxo are steep.

Apple iOS AppYes
Android AppNo
Proprietary PlatformYes
Desktop Platform (Windows)Yes
Web PlatformYes
MetaTrader 4 (MT4)No
MetaTrader 5 (MT5)No
Interactive Brokers
9.7/10 Overall
Summary Review Trading Platforms
Minimum Deposit$0
Tier-1 Licenses9
Tradeable Symbols (Total)8500

Interactive Brokers is a highly trusted broker regulated across the globe that delivers access to over 100 markets, including forex and CFDs. Its Trader Workstation (TWS) platform offers a variety of advanced trading tools for experienced traders, and IBKR's web-based platform is great for beginner forex traders.

Apple iOS AppYes
Android AppNo
Proprietary PlatformYes
Desktop Platform (Windows)Yes
Web PlatformYes
MetaTrader 4 (MT4)No
MetaTrader 5 (MT5)No
CMC Markets
9.6/10 Overall
Summary Review Trading Platforms
Minimum Deposit$0
Tier-1 Licenses5
Tradeable Symbols (Total)12074

CMC Markets is a highly trusted multi-asset broker regulated in multiple Tier-1 jurisdictions. CMC's powerful Next Generation trading platform for web and mobile delivers a huge selection of markets and a fantastic user experience. CMC Markets also ranks highly for its high-quality research and educational content.

Apple iOS AppYes
Android AppNo
Proprietary PlatformYes
Desktop Platform (Windows)Yes
Web PlatformYes
MetaTrader 4 (MT4)Yes
MetaTrader 5 (MT5)No
TD Ameritrade
9.5/10 Overall
Summary Review Trading Platforms
Minimum Deposit$0
Tier-1 Licenses5
Tradeable Symbols (Total)0

TD Ameritrade, part of financial conglomerate Charles Schwab, is a leader in platform technology and trusted by millions of investors globally with trillions in assets under its brands. Available exclusively to U.S. residents, TD Ameritrade's forex offering consists of just over 70 currency pairs, along with powerful research and trading tools.

Apple iOS AppYes
Android AppNo
Proprietary PlatformYes
Desktop Platform (Windows)Yes
Web PlatformYes
MetaTrader 4 (MT4)No
MetaTrader 5 (MT5)No
FOREX.com
9.3/10 Overall
Summary Review Trading Platforms
Minimum Deposit$100
Tier-1 Licenses7
Tradeable Symbols (Total)5500

FOREX.com is a highly trusted brand with a long history of offering forex in the U.S. and across the globe. FOREX.com offers its own flagship trading platforms for web and desktop, as well as the full MetaTrader suite. Though its pricing is higher than average, FOREX.com is a balanced choice for traders of all experience levels.

Apple iOS AppYes
Android AppNo
Proprietary PlatformYes
Desktop Platform (Windows)Yes
Web PlatformYes
MetaTrader 4 (MT4)Yes
MetaTrader 5 (MT5)Yes
City Index
9.2/10 Overall
Summary Review Trading Platforms
Minimum DepositÂŁ100.00
Tier-1 Licenses7
Tradeable Symbols (Total)13500

City Index, part of StoneX Group, is an award-winning, highly trusted broker with a long history of offering forex and CFDs across its global offices. City Index delivers a well-designed mobile trading app and a powerful web platform, as well as a large range of tradeable markets (though pricing is just average).

Apple iOS AppYes
Android AppNo
Proprietary PlatformYes
Desktop Platform (Windows)Yes
Web PlatformYes
MetaTrader 4 (MT4)Yes
MetaTrader 5 (MT5)No
XTB
9/10 Overall
Summary Review Trading Platforms
Minimum Deposit$0
Tier-1 Licenses2
Tradeable Symbols (Total)6010

XTB is a highly trusted brand with a proprietary platform (xStation 5) that delivers a rich selection of trading tools. XTB also offers CFDs for a wide range of asset classes, including multiple cryptocurrencies. Beginners will appreciate XTB's excellent educational content and the hundreds of lessons that are available via its Trading Academy.

Apple iOS AppYes
Android AppNo
Proprietary PlatformYes
Desktop Platform (Windows)Yes
Web PlatformYes
MetaTrader 4 (MT4)Yes
MetaTrader 5 (MT5)No
eToro
8.8/10 Overall
Summary Review Trading Platforms
Minimum Deposit$10-$10,000
Tier-1 Licenses3
Tradeable Symbols (Total)3479

Best known for its copy trading platform suite, eToro is a highly trusted broker offering a large selection of cryptocurrency products, CFDs, shares, forex pairs, and a wide range of powerful trading tools. It’s worth noting that eToro is not a discount broker (though it offers zero-dollar commissions for U.S. stocks).

Apple iOS AppYes
Android AppNo
Proprietary PlatformYes
Desktop Platform (Windows)No
Web PlatformYes
MetaTrader 4 (MT4)No
MetaTrader 5 (MT5)No

How is the value of the HSI derived?

The Hang Seng Index is a capitalisation weighted index. Each company within the index is weighted according to the total market value of the company’s outstanding shares. No single company can represent more than 10% of the HSI. This is done in order to avoid single stock domination.

On a daily basis, the performance of the HSI is determined by calculating the percentage difference between the market capitalisation at the close of the day and the market capitalisation at the start of the day.

How to trade the HSI

The HSI is traded on various futures exchanges around the world. The majority of the daily volume from the HSI occurs on the Japan Exchange Group (JPX). The Japan Exchange Group was formed by the merger of the Osaka Exchange and the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2013.

Another way to trade the HSI is through CFDs (contracts for difference). CFDs are fairly similar to a futures contract. The major similarity between the two instruments is the amount of leverage involved. Both types of contracts offer a great degree of leverage, but generally CFDs tend to be slightly more leveraged than futures contracts. The actual amount of leverage offered will depend on the broker and the regulatory requirements.

Advantages of trading the HSI as a CFD

CFDs are convenient as they give traders the chance to speculate on a market without having to actually own the individual stocks that the product tracks. They also allow traders to go “short” on an instrument, which means that the trader can take advantage of an index when it is going down, and not just when it is going up. Another advantage is that there is usually no commission charged on a CFD transaction. The broker will normally collect their fee from the spread price, the difference between the sell and the buy price for the instrument.

London Capital Group are authorised and regulated by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority to provide CFDs. They offer a Hong Kong Index CFD. The minimum trade size is 0.01 lot with the value of 1 lot or pip being HKD 50. A margin requirement of 1% is required. The minimum requirements for a buy trade on the Hong Kong Index CFD would, therefore, be HKD 13.53 (27054*0.1*50*0.01% = HKD 13.53). *All information collected from LCG as at 30 July 2017. Please refer to the LCG website for full terms and conditions.

When choosing to trade with a regulated broker, such as IG or Plus500, traders can also benefit from access to a wide range of additional underlying markets through a single platform.

Additional Information

A Hong Kong 50 Index is also calculated by two other data providers, STOXX Limited and FTSE International Limited. These data services use a market capitalisation weighted formula for calculating the value of the index on a daily basis. However, STOXX and FTSE use different components in their index. The prices, therefore, vary between the three indices.

Notes

A shares are securities of Chinese incorporated companies quoted in Chinese Yuan that trade on either the Shenzhen or Shanghai stock exchanges.

B shares are securities of Chinese incorporated companies that trade on either the Shenzhen or Shanghai stock exchanges. They are quoted in US Dollars.

H shares are securities of People’s Republic of China incorporated companies. The shares include a nomination process by the Central Government for listing and trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. They are quoted in Hong Kong dollars.

Red Chip is a company incorporated outside the People’s Republic of China, trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. It represents a company that is substantially owned by Mainland China state entities. Most of their revenue is from mainland China.

P Chip is a company that is controlled by mainland individuals, The company must originate in mainland China. It must be incorporated outside of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange with a majority of its revenue derived from mainland China.

BrokerNotes.co 2023 Overall Rankings

To recap, here are our top forex brokers for 2023, sorted by Overall ranking.

Company Overall Rating Minimum Deposit Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard Trust Score Tradeable Symbols (Total) Read Review Visit Site
IG logoIG 9.9 ÂŁ250.00 0.86 99 19537 IG Review
Saxo Bank logoSaxo Bank 9.7 €2,000 0.9 99 70000 Saxo Bank Review
Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers 9.7 $0 0.6 99 8500 Interactive Brokers Review
CMC Markets logoCMC Markets 9.6 $0 0.51 99 12074 CMC Markets Review
TD Ameritrade logoTD Ameritrade 9.5 $0 1.25 99 0 TD Ameritrade Review
FOREX.com logoFOREX.com 9.3 $100 1.4 99 5500 FOREX.com Review
City Index logoCity Index 9.2 ÂŁ100.00 1.4 99 13500 City Index Review
XTB logoXTB 9 $0 1.07 96 6010 XTB Group Review
eToro logoeToro 8.8 $10-$10,000 1 90 3479 eToro Review
Swissquote logoSwissquote 8.7 $1000 N/A 99 472 Swissquote Review
AvaTrade logoAvaTrade 8.6 $100 0.92 94 1260 AvaTrade Review
FXCM logoFXCM 8.5 Starts from $50 1.38 95 440 FXCM Review
Plus500 logoPlus500 8.5 €100 0.8 (August 2021) 99 2800 Plus500 Review
Capital.com logoCapital.com 8.4 $20 0.65 87 3119 Capital.com Review
XM Group logoXM Group 8.4 $5 1.6 88 1429 XM Group Review
Pepperstone logoPepperstone 8.4 $200 0.77 95 2342 Pepperstone Review
OANDA logoOANDA 8.4 $0 1.26 93 124 OANDA Review
Admiral Markets logoAdmiral Markets 8.3 $100 0.8 93 6942 Admiral Markets Review
FP Markets logoFP Markets 8.3 $100 AUD 1.2 87 10000 FP Markets Review
IC Markets logoIC Markets 8.2 $200 0.62 84 3583 IC Markets Review
Markets.com logoMarkets.com 8.2 $100 1.9 96 2179 Markets.com Review
FxPro logoFxPro 8.1 $100 1.51 90 2249 FxPro Review
Tickmill logoTickmill 8.0 $100 0.51 83 725 Tickmill Review
Fineco Bank logoFineco Bank 8.0 $0 N/A 95 126 Fineco Bank Review
BlackBull Markets logoBlackBull Markets 7.9 $0 0.827 77 26000 BlackBull Markets Review
DooPrime logoDooPrime 7.8 $100 N/A 83 10000 DooPrime Review
Vantage logoVantage 7.8 $50 1.30 90 1000 Vantage Review
BDSwiss logoBDSwiss 7.8 $100-$5000 1.6 81 1081 BDSwiss Review
HFM logoHFM 7.8 $0 1.2 86 3500 HFM Review
FlowBank logoFlowBank 7.7 $0 N/A 80 408600 FlowBank Review
HYCM (Henyep Capital Markets) logoHYCM (Henyep Capital Markets) 7.7 $20 0.6 88 1199 HYCM Review
Trading 212 logoTrading 212 7.6 €10 N/A 77 1785 Trading 212 Review
ThinkMarkets logoThinkMarkets 7.6 $0 N/A 88 4000 ThinkMarkets Review
Eightcap logoEightcap 7.6 $100 1.0 85 736 Eightcap Review
Trade Nation logoTrade Nation 7.5 $0 0.6 83 601 Trade Nation Review
Moneta Markets logoMoneta Markets 7.5 $50 1.27 72 1016 Moneta Markets Review
VT Markets logoVT Markets 7.4 $100 1.2 70 1000 VT Markets Review
TMGM logoTMGM 7.8 $100 0.96 83 12000 TMGM Review
ACY Securities logoACY Securities 7.4 $50 1.2 75 1600 ACY Securities Review
easyMarkets logoeasyMarkets 7.3 $50 0.9 80 199 easyMarkets Review
RoboForex (RoboMarkets) logoRoboForex (RoboMarkets) 7.3 $100 1.4 71 12000 Roboforex (RoboMarkets) Review
IronFX logoIronFX 7.2 $50 1.2 84 340 IronFX Review
Exness logoExness 7.2 $1 0.9 68 112 Exness Review
Spreadex logoSpreadex 7.2 $0 N/A 71 2000 Spreadex Review
IFC Markets logoIFC Markets 7.2 $1 1.44 67 630 ATFX Review
Trade360 logoTrade360 7.1 $250 N/A 76 1062 Trade360 Review
Axi logoAxi 7.1 $0 N/A 81 175 Axitrader Review
GKFX logoGKFX 7.1 $0 N/A 65 354 GKFX Review
Vestle logoVestle 7.1 -1 N/A 78 750 Vestle Review
OctaFX logoOctaFX 7 $25 0.9 70 229 OctaFX Review
FXOpen logoFXOpen 7 $100 N/A 80 87 FXOpen Review
TeleTrade logoTeleTrade 7 $100 N/A 71 500 Teletrade Review
FXPrimus logoFXPrimus 6.9 $100 N/A 71 140 FXPrimus Review
Forex4you logoForex4you 6.9 $0 N/A 61 150 Forex4you Review
LegacyFX logoLegacyFX 6.9 $500 N/A 67 425 LegacyFX Review
GBE brokers logoGBE brokers 6.8 $500 N/A 71 500 GBE Brokers Review
Alpari logoAlpari 6.8 $20 N/A 68 105 Alpari Review
TopFX logoTopFX 6.7 Depends on payment method N/A 67 655 TopFX Review
Libertex (Forex Club) logoLibertex (Forex Club) 6.7 $10 N/A 73 300 Libertex Review
ATFX logoATFX 6.6 $500 N/A 67 150 ATFX Review
UFX logoUFX 6.6 $100 3 67 619 UFX Review
Xtrade logoXtrade 6.5 $250 N/A 80 142 Xtrade Review
View More

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