Barclays Shares – Features, and Is Barclays Safe?

If you want to buy shares in the UK, Barclays is a good choice. Barclays is one of the world’s oldest and largest financial institutions, founded in 1896. That means this broker has access to a wide range of markets and understands how to serve clients. But is Barclays the best choice? You may discover out by reading our buy Barclays shares review! This review involves tradable shares, fees, tools, and more..

What is Barclays?

Barclays was founded in 1896 and is a British financial institution. For example, they provide banking and lending as well as financial services like credit cards and mortgages. Despite having its headquarters in London, Barclays maintains a global network of bank and investment offices. Notably, Barclays is a part of the FTSE 100 and is listed on the London and New York stock exchanges.

Barclays Smart Investor brokerage business has over 200,000 clients and focuses on wealth management for clients rather than retail investors. Retail investors can open regular investment accounts, as well as ISA and SIPP accounts. Barclays allows customers to open multiple accounts to invest and save for retirement.

Because of its scale, Barclays has access to US and UK markets and investing resources. Barclays also has thousands of low-cost funds available to investors. For customers who want to connect to the market without actively trading.

How can we buy Barclays shares with a Barclays Share Dealing Account??

Investors can use their Barclays Share Dealing Account in many different ways.

Shares

Shares like Tesco, BP, Royal Mail, and many more can be traded using a Barclays share dealing account. You are also not restricted to trading in the UK because Barclays has a worldwide reach. Amazon, Facebook, Netflix, and hundreds of other stocks are available on the major US markets.

It’s lovely to have access to UK IPOs with Barclays as your broker (initial public offerings). The bank sets the price rather than the open market price, so you can acquire shares before they go public on the London Stock Exchange (LSE). Trading stocks during an IPO is subject to additional rules.

Trading on any of 36 international exchanges in Europe and Asia is also possible with Barclays. Setting up an account with Barclays partner Saxo Capital Markets is required to buy and sell foreign securities. Sadly, Barclay’s Smart Investor platform does not support trading foreign assets.

Please note that trading through Saxo Capital Markets is not affiliated with Barclays. It follows that foreign trading shares have different fees and regulations compared to trading US or UK stocks.

Funds

Barclays specializes in trading funds rather than individual shares. The firm trades about 2,000 investment trusts and 2,000 ETFs (ETFs).

Barclays helps investors choose the best fund by performing its research. The firm keeps track of over 30 corporations that its financial analysts anticipate will rise significantly over five to ten years. You may also get a list of the ten most popular funds traded through Barclays to help you make trading selections. For all funds, you can set up automatic dividend reinvestment to expand your position over time.

Ready-made Investments

Barclays has five ready-made investments for clients who want to save for long-term purposes like retirement. These are funds that Barclays financial professionals manage to grow. The funds’ risk-taking strategies range from ‘Defensive’ to ‘Adventurous.’ The Defensive fund invests heavily in cash and bonds, whereas the Adventure fund invests heavily in stocks.

Trading Tools

There is no separate trading platform available for Barclays investors. Share research and trading are done exclusively through Barclays Smart Investor.

Comparatively, other brokers’ dedicated platforms feel much more user-friendly. Opening and closing a share trade requires several procedures over multiple websites. Because of this, Barclays is not suitable for intraday trading of stocks.

Set up notifications for funds or stocks. They are not very adjustable and can only be set by price or volume. Another requirement is that an asset is on at least one of your watchlists.

Price Improver

The Price Improver is one trading instrument from Barclays worth exploring. Automatically sends your order to several intermediary brokers for the lowest price while trading stocks.

Barclays claims this tool has saved customers an average of £14.52 per transaction. This is speculative, but if accurate, the price improver alone would cover Barclays’ exorbitant trade charges.

Education

Barclays also has an education facility for new traders. The platform contains tips on everything from choosing an account type to managing risk. Keep in mind that Barclays’ platform is designed for long-term investors, not day traders.

Research and Analysis at Barclays

Barclays provides better research than many brokers. However, for active traders and investors, the broker’s toolkit may be limited.

Is Barclays Safe?

Barclays is one of the world’s most trusted banks. Over 125 years old, the corporation handles assets worth billions.

Barclays are also strictly controlled. All Barclays share dealing accounts are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), one of Europe’s most powerful financial regulators. Barclays also provides financial information and undergoes thorough audits because it is listed on the London and New York Stock Exchanges. Few brokers are monitored as closely as Barclays.

All of this is backed by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). This safeguards your account in the unlikely case that Barclays crashes.

The Verdict

Barclays is a well-known UK share broker that targets long-term investors. This broker offers ISAs and SIPPs in addition to standard investment accounts. It also provides long-term investors with a vast selection of investment trusts and ETFs. Barclays’ pre-built investment portfolios may potentially appeal to retirees looking to develop their wealth passively.