Customer Support
FAQ
You may click any of the following key words to view the related topics:
REQUIREMENTS TO START:
Q: What type of computer do I need?
A: See hardware requirement chart.
Q: How do I connect to your server?
A: You can use the following four methods to connect to our server. We recommend that you use DSL access in order to achieve the best performance.
  1. DSL Access: Technology that takes advantage of standard copper telephone lines to provide secure, reliable, high speed Internet access.
    • DSL providers: Earthlink, Covad, local phone company, etc.
    • Speed: 128K - 6Mbps
  2. Cable Access: Leverages high bandwidth capabilities of cable TV lines. You get a connection through your cable network provider, such as At Home Network or local cable companies.
    • Speed: 128K - 1.5Mbps
    • Cable is not available in all locations.
  3. ISDN Access: ISDN is a high speed connection. ISDN is specifically designed to deliver digital connection through existing copper phone lines.
    • Providers: ISDN.net and local phone companies.
    • Speed: 64K - 128K
  4. ISP Access: Most commonly used, easy to set-up and cost efficient.
Q: How do I get the software to start trading through your ECN system?
A: After your account has been established and funded, you may activate your account using one of the following four methods to obtain the necessary software for trading through our ECN system:
  1. Download the software from our Web site: www.MarkeTrade.com
  2. Request a copy of the software from our Client Support Department.
  3. E-mail us a software request form
  4. Visit our branch offices for a copy of software
Q: How much money do I need to open an account? and cash requirement?
A: MarkeTrade.com requires minimum of $25,000 to open a MarkeTrade.PRO account; and $200 to open a MarkeTrade.BASIC account.
  • MarkeTrade.PRO - $25,000
  • MarkeTrade.BASIC - $200
Q: What types of checks do you accept?
A: We accept:
  • Domestic Account: Personal check or cashier's check drawn from a U.S. bank.
  • Foreign Account: Personal check drawn from a U.S. bank.
If you deposit a cashier's check, you can call our client support to release your buying power immediately. We will hold personal checks for 7 to 10 business days, during which the buying power of the check will not be available in the account.
Q: Can foreign investors open a MarkeTrade.com account? What are the required documents?
A: Yes, we accept accounts for residents of most foreign countries. Foreign investors need to sign a W-8BEN and provide a copy of their passport including name, photo and signature pages. If the account will assign trading authorization, a trading authorization form is required and all authorized agents must provide copies of their photo IDs. A foreign account-holder using a U.S. address as the mailing address will need to fill out the W8 Account Proof of Address form and provide proof of residence outside the U.S., such as a bank or credit card statement, utility bill, etc. showing the applicant's permanent foreign address. The name and address on this documentation must match the information on the account application.
Q: Can Canadian residents open new accounts with MarkeTrade?
A: Sorry, we cannot accept new MarkeTrade accounts opened by Canadian residents at this time.

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ABOUT OUR PRODUCTS:
Q: What types of Accounts do you have?
A: MarkeTrade.PRO: We allow all types of accounts to be opened except for IRAs and Custodian Account.MarkeTrade.BASIC: All types of accounts can be opened.

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ABOUT OUR COMMISSION RATE:
Q: How much do you charge for each trade I made?
A: Please click the Commission Schedule for details.

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ABOUT YOUR ACCOUNTS:
Q: What is Account Equity?
A: Account Equity is total market value minus Debit Balance plus Credit Balance in an account. This is sometimes called the "net liquidation value" of an account.
Q: Can I apply for a checkbook or a debit card?
A: Except for IRA, UGMA and UTMA accounts, all MarkeTrade accounts may apply for checkbook and debit card privileges. The minimum account balance requirement for debit card privileges is $10,000. Please call our client support team 1-888-353-6676 or 1-415-901-0311 for application forms.
Q: How to check my Account Information?
A: You can now check your account information through Account Information page. Our system includes eConfirm, which lets you receive confirmations through email, Cash Movement, and Trade Activities, which allow you to track all account activities easily.
Q: What is the minimum balance requirement?
A: The minimum balance (equity) requirements at MarkeTrade.com are:
  • Cash account:
    		•  $0
  • Margin account (non-pattern day trading):
    		•  $2,000
  • Pattern day trading margin account:
    		•  $25,000
    Q: What if my account falls below the minimum balance requirement?
    A: If your account equity falls below the minimum requirement, you must deposit additional funds or stocks of sufficient value. MarkeTrade.com may liquidate any or all positions in the account in order to meet a maintenance call. MarkeTrade.com also may limit trading in the account to closing positions only; during the restriction, all trades must be placed by telephone to customer service representatives at 1-888-353-6676 or 1-415-901-0311. The trading restriction will be lifted as soon as equity in the account is increased to the minimum balance requirement.
    Q: What type of check should I deposit to meet the minimum balance requirement and margin maintenance calls?
    A:
    1. To meet a margin maintenance call totaling more than $5,000:
      • You must pay by cashier's check. No personal checks will be accepted.
    2. Regular deposit in an amount higher than the total account equity:
      • Cashier's check: The buying power can be released immediately.
      • Personal check: We hold personal checks for 7 to 10 business days, during which the buying power of the check will not be available in the account.
    Q: What is Federal Call/Margin Call?
    A: Please check Facts About Federal Calls for details.
    Q: What is my Account Protection?
    A: Your stocks, bonds, mutual funds, options, money market funds, and certificates of deposit are all protected by the SIPC and Lloyd's of London. Customer securities accounts are protected by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC), up to $500,000 (including up to $100,000 for cash claims). In addition, our clearing firm, Penson Financial has purchased from underwriters at Lloyd's of London further protection of securities and cash with an aggregate limit of $200 million which might not be returned in a SIPC liquidation, and providing that the combined return from Trustee distributions, SIPC and London to any customer does not exceed $35 million including a London cash sub-limit of $900,000.
    Q: What Clearing House do you use?
    A: All MarkeTrade.com accounts are cleared by Penson Financial Services, Inc., a member of NASD, SIPC, ISE, CHX, CBOE, and PCX. Penson Financial Services Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Penson Worldwide, Inc. of Dallas, Texas. The Penson Worldwide group of companies provides clearing, custody, and settlement services in the United States, Canada, and Europe for broker/dealers trading in securities and financial futures, including single stock futures, and fixed income products.
    Q: What is Margin Interest?
    A: Margin interest is charged once a month based on an average daily debit balance in the account during the month. Day trades resulting in no stock position at the end of a trading day do not create a debit balance.
    Q: Does my account earn Interest?
    A: Yes. MarketTrade customers receive interest on their cash balances.
    Q: Can I use a P.O. Box as my mailing address?
    A: We accept a P.O. Box as your mailing address only if we have your physical address on file.
    Q: How do I deposit money or certificates to my account?
    A: Please check Deposit Funds page at www.marketrade.com for details.
    Q: How do I withdraw fund to my account?
    A: Please check Withdraw Funds page at www.marketrade.com for details.

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    TRADING WITH MARKETRADE.COM:
    Q: What stocks are available for short positions?
    A: Customers are allowed to take short positions on most stocks. If you find your short trade cannot go through, please call our trading desk to check the short status for you.
    Q: Can I participate in after hours trading?
    A: You may place after-hour trades through our trading system. If you use MarkeTrade.BASIC, select GTEM (Good-Till-Extended-Market) in the Stock page between 6:30 AM and 2:30 PM Pacific Time. All GTEM orders will be effective from market opening until 90 minutes after the market close.The trades entered during these hours are not guaranteed to be executed, as the liquidity of the stocks may vary depending on other investors' interest in the stocks.
    Q: What is the risk associated to after market trading?
    A: View Extended Hours Trading for detail.
    Q: Can I place or cancel orders after market close?
    A: Yes. You can cancel order or place tomorrow's GTC(Good-Till-Cancel) orders at any time through our online trading platform. Please check our User Manual for detail.
    Q: How fast can my Orders be executed?
    A: Generally, customer orders are filled within a few seconds. However, there are several factors to consider when trading online. Delays are possible due to Internet traffic or modem connection. Other factors include market conditions, activity in the stocks you are trading, and the type of orders you are sending.
    Q: How do I know if my order has been executed?
    A: When an order is sent, the pending order will be displayed in the Order Status page. When it is filled or executed, the position will show on the Positions page and the Executions page. Please check our User Manual for details. If you are not sure your order has been executed, please call our client support team at 1-888-353-6676 or 1-415-901-0311 before you cancel or place the next trade.
    Q: How will I receive my trade confirmations?
    A: MarkeTrade posts trade confirmations in the Account Information on the next trade day. Customers can also request to receive trade confirmations via mail or e-mail.
    Q: Does MarkeTrade.com give investment advice?
    A: No.
    Q: What happens if my Internet Service Provider goes down, and I want to place a trade?
    A: If your computer goes down or you are unable to place your trades online for any other reason, you may call MarkeTrade.com Support Team at 1-888-353-6676 or 1-415-901-0311, and we will place the trade(s) for you.
    Q: Can foreign investors trade from outside of the United States?
    A: Yes. Foreign investors can access U.S. markets through our cutting-edge web- or software-based trading systems via their local Internet providers. For example, Taiwanese investors can trade through a local Taiwan ISP such as High Net, who will connect their lines to our server.

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    CUSTOMER SUPPORT THROUGH PHONE:
    Q: Which types of orders must be placed through the telephone?
    A: Bulletin Board, foreign stocks, mutual funds, bonds, and CDs
    Q: Can I trade through the phone after I open an account with MarkeTrade.com
    A: Yes. You can always call our Support Team 888-353-6676 or 415-901-0311 to place an order. US$26.95 will be charged for all trades placed by phone with a member of our Support Team.

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    ABOUT ECNs:
    Q: What is an Electronic Communications Network (ECN) System?
    A: An Electronic Communications Network is a private order matching system maintained separately from public markets such as NASDAQ and NYSE.
    Q: What is ECN Trading?
    A: ECN trading is one of the fastest and powerful ways for retail customers to execute trades in today's fast paced equity trading environment. With executions taking seconds instead of minutes, this system allows you to move in and out of equities with maximum flexibility, letting you take advantage of the ups and downs of the market. The system allows retail customers to enjoy control over their equity positions.
    Q: Why is an ECN System better than traditional Online Trading via a Market Maker?
    A: The greatest advantage of Electronic Communications Network System lies in eliminating many problems which often plague most traditional online brokerages, such as slow executions, high commissions, wide price spreads, and slow order confirmations. Unlike your traditional online brokers, an ECN trading system allows customers to instantly send orders to an ECN where both buyers and sellers transact directly possibly result in better execution prices.
    Q: What is the History of ECN?
    A: During the 1987 stock market crash, thousands of individual investors had difficulty liquidating their stocks due to the unavailability of their brokers to take orders. In an effort to create a fairer playing field for smaller investors, NASD instituted SOES (Small Order Execution System) to ensure that small investors can buy and sell up to 1000 shares of widely held stocks by themselves. Since then, many other ECNs (Electronic Communications Networks) were created to give retail customers a way to trade stocks without direct broker assistance.

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    Day Trading
    Q: What is day trading?
    A: Day trading is the buying and selling (or selling and buying) of the same security on the same day in a margin account. The sale of an existing position from the previous day is considered a liquidation, and the subsequent repurchase of that security as the establishment of a new position is not subject to the rules affecting day trades.
    Q: What is a pattern day trader?
    A: A pattern day trader is a customer who day trades four (4) or more times within five (5) business days, where the number of day trades exceeds 6% of the customer's total trading activity for the five-day period.
    Q: What is the minimum balance requirement for day trading accounts?
    A: Pattern day traders are subject to a minimum equity requirement of $25,000, which must be in the account prior to any day-trading activity. Accounts with less than $25,000 equity will not have day trading buying power [see definition below].
    Q: What is day trading buying power, and how is it calculated?
    A: Day trading buying power is the amount of margin in an account that is available for day trading purposes. It is limited to four (4) times maintenance margin excess (the amount of equity in excess of the minimum margin requirement), based on the customer's account positions as of the close of business of the previous day.
    Q: What is a day trading margin call, and how does it affect my account?
    A: A day trading margin call is generated when a customer day trades in excess of day trading buying power. In an account with a day trading call, day trading buying power will be reduced to two (2) times maintenance margin excess, which will be calculated based on the cost of all day trades during the day, rather than the "time and tick" method used in accounts not subject to day trading calls. If a day trading call is not met by depositing funds within five (5) business days, the account will be restricted to trading only on a cash-available basis for ninety (90) days or until the call is met.

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