Over the Internet
Portfolio diversification -always recommendable for any sensible investor- these days means going to the international markets, which are now accessible via any online broker.

In other words, with the aid of a computer connected to the Net you can invest in large medium or small market cap companies, on any of the major financial trading floors round the world, from New York to Tokyo, or Paris, London, Frankfort or Milan, not to mention the secondary markets of Asia and Oceania.

However, passing through this open door to any financial marketplace in the world does not come cheap; the price of this kind of transactions is significantly more expensive than on our national stock markets. In some markets there are taxes which are levied on the sale of stock, as is the case of New York, while in others, such as London, it�s the purchase which is taxed. In Paris, Milan and Amsterdam, on the other hand, there are no extra charges to pay.

Generally speaking, online brokers charge a minimum of 20 to 25 euros for each order (except for major transactions). This commission includes broking charges (the handling fee, if you like) and charges for market expenses.

Major transactions are considered to be those of over 100,000 euros within Europe, 100,000 dollars in the United States, 85,000 coronas on the Swedish market and 60,000 pounds in Britain. There are also commissions in certain marketplaces, the Asian ones for example, where some brokers make an extra charge of 0.06% of the gross value of the transaction for additional expenses.

The main online brokers offer a variety of markets, enough to satisfy even the most demanding of investors. Inversis, for example, offers direct access to more than 4,000 shares traded on 20 stock markets. Ebankinter allows you to trade on second division stock markets such as Toronto and Oslo, among others. BNP Paribas�s portal places the investor a click away from NYSE, the Nasdaq, London, Frankfort, Paris, Milan, Zurich and Amsterdam. Norbolsa enables you to move your money on the Asian stock markets, as well as the traditional European and US markets.

New technologies to operate with
The trading of shares on foreign stock markets is a business right up the Internet�s street, but don�t forget that it is still possible to trade over the phone or through the traditional brokers� chain of branches. The mobile telephone, with Wap technology, is another possibility though so far it has attracted few fans. The immediacy of Internet has prompted some broking firms, like Self Trade, to guarantee to their customers that if the transaction is not carried out within 30 seconds on the national markets and 60 seconds on the international ones, they will refund the commission.

The requirements for trading on foreign stock markets, via an online broker, vary from broker to broker. Patagon, for example, requires investors to be customers of their online bank, as well as having an account associated to their stock portfolio (obviously with enough funds to cover the transactions).

In Self Trade customer has to fill in a contract and send it to the company together with a cheque or proof of having made a transfer. Readily available advice and other added value services for the investor form part of the attractive package which online brokers provide their customers with. Among the typical information supplied to investors are technical analysis reports on the major international markets and on literally hundreds of securities.