How to trade shares and ETFs on Investfora

What are shares and ETFs?

A share is a small piece of ownership in a company. When you buy a share, you own a fraction of that business. If the company does well and more people want to own it, the price of each share usually rises. If it struggles, the price usually falls. You can buy and sell shares whenever the market is open, and the price changes constantly based on what other people are willing to pay.

An ETF is a fund that holds many shares, or other investments, all bundled together. Instead of picking individual companies yourself, you buy one ETF and instantly own a piece of dozens or hundreds of them. ETFs can hold shares from different countries, or from companies in one industry, or they can track a whole market index. They move in price just like shares do, but they spread your money across many holdings at once, so the risk is different.

Both shares and ETFs are traded on exchanges around the world. On Investfora, you trade through a dedicated trading account that sits alongside your other investments. The account uses your Investfora cash balance, and trades are executed on the broker's platform.

How to set up and fund your trading account

To start trading shares or ETFs, you first need an Investfora account with a cash balance. You set this up by transferring euros by bank transfer using the reference shown in your dashboard. The money usually arrives and is matched within one to three working days. Your first deposit must be at least EUR 250; after that, you can add any amount.

Once your cash is in your Investfora account, you choose how much of it to put into your trading account. Nothing is invested unless you instruct it. You can move money between your different investments on Investfora, or add more cash from your bank whenever you need to. Your trading account sits separately, so you can see exactly how much is in there and what it has earned or lost.

The trading account uses a platform provided by the broker. You can trade on Windows, Android, or a web trader that opens inside your Investfora account. All three versions let you see live prices, place trades, and track your positions in real time.

What you can trade

Through your Investfora trading account, you can buy and sell shares listed on major stock exchanges. You can trade shares in companies across different countries and industries. You can also trade ETFs, which are funds that hold baskets of shares or other assets. Both are traded at live market prices, and you see exactly what you will pay before you confirm the trade.

You can also trade currencies, indices, commodities, and other assets through the same account. The platform shows you all available options, current prices, and the costs involved. Everything is transparent, so you know what you are paying and what you own.

How to place a trade

Trading on the platform is straightforward. You search for the share or ETF you want, check the live price and any details about it, and decide how much to buy or sell. You enter the amount you want to trade and review the cost before you confirm. The trade is executed at the price you see, and your position appears in your account immediately.

You can hold your trades for as long as you want, or close them whenever you choose. If you close a trade, you sell your holding at the current market price and the money goes back into your trading account cash. You can then use that cash to buy something else, or withdraw it back to your Investfora cash balance.

The platform shows you every trade you have made, how much you paid, what it is worth now, and whether you have made or lost money on it. You can see this in real time as prices move.

What to think about before you trade

The value of shares and ETFs goes up and down. Sometimes it moves by small amounts, sometimes by a lot, and it can happen very quickly. You may get back less than you put in, especially if you sell when prices have fallen. This is true for all shares and ETFs, no matter what they are or how well-known the company is. Before you put money into trading, make sure you can afford to lose it.

Trading costs money. Every trade involves a cost, which is shown to you before you confirm. Some trades are more expensive than others. If you trade very often, costs can add up and eat into your profits. Think about how often you plan to trade and whether the costs are worth it to you.

Markets are open at different times depending on where they are. A stock exchange in New York opens and closes at different times from one in London or Tokyo. You can only trade a share when its market is open. The trading platform shows you which markets are open and which are closed.

You should have a plan before you start. Decide what you want to buy, how much you are willing to risk, and when you might want to sell. It is easy to make quick decisions when prices are moving fast, but they are often the wrong ones. A plan helps you stick to what you actually wanted to do.

Investfora does not give advice

Investfora is a platform where you make your own choices about what to trade and when. It does not give advice, make recommendations, or suggest which shares or ETFs are good or bad. You choose what to buy and sell based on your own research and your own decisions.

There are many places to research shares and ETFs. Financial news websites, company reports, and specialist analysis all exist to help you learn. Before you trade something, spend time understanding what you are buying and why you want to own it. The better you understand it, the better your decisions are likely to be.

Getting started

If you want to try trading shares or ETFs, open an Investfora account and make your first deposit of EUR 250 or more. Move some of that cash into a trading account, and start with a small trade to get used to how the platform works. You can always do more later.

Investfora is authorised and supervised by the CNMV in Spain. Your cash balance is held safely, and when you trade, your positions are your own. Remember that the value of any investment can go down as well as up, and you should only trade money you can afford to lose.