AutoShare Invest account
The AutoShare Invest account allows easy access to the stock market. Choose from over 250 shares and Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs).
0.15%
Brokerage fee
Anytime
Access to Funds
Maximise
Your investment potential
Diversify
Over 250 shares and etfs to choose from
Some of the benefits
Affordable
Pay minimal transaction fees and maximise your investment potential
Diverse
Exposure to 250 JSE Shares, exchange-traded funds (ETFs)
Easy access
No registration required and you can access your shares through your banking app and Online Banking
Rewards
Redeem UCount points directly from your AutoShare Invest Account (ASI) cash balance
What you get
- Access to a low-cost share trading platform that can be accessed through the Standard Bank App or Internet Banking
- Access to more than 250 JSE listed shares and Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)
- Exposure to offshore equity markets and commodities through ETFs
- Automate your investing by scheduling regular or reoccurring purchases
- Reinvest the profits from your investments into your next planned purchase
- Ability to buy and sell shares and ETFs at any time during market hours
How it works
Purchases
- Place a purchase order from your trading account with a minimum trade size of R250
- If you have insufficient funds, you can use the “top up my account” feature to transfer money from your bank account to your trading account
- If the market is closed at the time that your order is received, it will automatically be sent when the market opens
- You can automate your investing by setting up recurring purchases on a date that suits you
Sales
- You can place a sales order anytime and state the number of units you want to sell
- Choose whether to have the proceeds of the sale remain in your investment account or to have it automatically paid into your bank account
- Any unused funds in the account earn interest.
*Proceeds from sales in your account can be used for a later purchase
**Transfers of sale proceeds into your bank account takes place 3 business days after the sal
What it cost
- Brokerage is charged at 0.15% of the value invested with no minimums
- A 0.12% annual safe custody fee will be levied at 0.01% per month
Statutory fees charged comprise of:
- Securities Transfer Tax (STT): 0.25% of trade value. This is only applicable to the purchase of shares
- STRATE fees: 0.005787% on the value of the share transaction
- Trades up to the value of R176 00: R10.19
- Trades with a value of over R1 270 00: R73.29
- Investor Protection Levy (IPL): 0.0002% of trade value
- VAT is charged on Brokerage, STATE and IPL
- Withdrawals: R4.56 per withdrawal
- If Early Settlement requested: 0.25% with a minimum of R39.90 (including VAT)
How to get it
- You will need an existing rand-denominated transactional account with Standard Bank.
- If you’re younger than 18, you’ll also need the consent of your parent or guardian to open an AutoShare Invest account.
Open an account on the Banking App:
- Sign into your Standard Bank App
- Navigate to the ‘More’ menu
- Tap on ‘Open a new account’
- Tap on ‘Share trading Investments’
- Select ‘AutoShare Invest account’
Open an account on Internet Banking:
- Sign into your Standard Bank Internet Banking profile
- Navigate to the ‘Apply’ menu
- Click on ‘Save and Invest’
- Select ‘AutoShare Invest account’
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What you get
-
How it works
-
What it cost
-
How to get it
- Access to a low-cost share trading platform that can be accessed through the Standard Bank App or Internet Banking
- Access to more than 250 JSE listed shares and Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)
- Exposure to offshore equity markets and commodities through ETFs
- Automate your investing by scheduling regular or reoccurring purchases
- Reinvest the profits from your investments into your next planned purchase
- Ability to buy and sell shares and ETFs at any time during market hours
Purchases
- Place a purchase order from your trading account with a minimum trade size of R250
- If you have insufficient funds, you can use the “top up my account” feature to transfer money from your bank account to your trading account
- If the market is closed at the time that your order is received, it will automatically be sent when the market opens
- You can automate your investing by setting up recurring purchases on a date that suits you
Sales
- You can place a sales order anytime and state the number of units you want to sell
- Choose whether to have the proceeds of the sale remain in your investment account or to have it automatically paid into your bank account
- Any unused funds in the account earn interest.
*Proceeds from sales in your account can be used for a later purchase
**Transfers of sale proceeds into your bank account takes place 3 business days after the sal
- Brokerage is charged at 0.15% of the value invested with no minimums
- A 0.12% annual safe custody fee will be levied at 0.01% per month
Statutory fees charged comprise of:
- Securities Transfer Tax (STT): 0.25% of trade value. This is only applicable to the purchase of shares
- STRATE fees: 0.005787% on the value of the share transaction
- Trades up to the value of R176 00: R10.19
- Trades with a value of over R1 270 00: R73.29
- Investor Protection Levy (IPL): 0.0002% of trade value
- VAT is charged on Brokerage, STATE and IPL
- Withdrawals: R4.56 per withdrawal
- If Early Settlement requested: 0.25% with a minimum of R39.90 (including VAT)
- You will need an existing rand-denominated transactional account with Standard Bank.
- If you’re younger than 18, you’ll also need the consent of your parent or guardian to open an AutoShare Invest account.
Open an account on the Banking App:
- Sign into your Standard Bank App
- Navigate to the ‘More’ menu
- Tap on ‘Open a new account’
- Tap on ‘Share trading Investments’
- Select ‘AutoShare Invest account’
Open an account on Internet Banking:
- Sign into your Standard Bank Internet Banking profile
- Navigate to the ‘Apply’ menu
- Click on ‘Save and Invest’
- Select ‘AutoShare Invest account’
Frequently asked questions
What is the stock market?
Companies need to raise money to fund their operations, and investors need a way to create and sustain wealth for themselves. The stock market provides both parties with a platform to fulfil those needs by allowing companies to sell ownership stakes to investors, which are called shares of stock.
What are shares?
Shares are units of equity ownership in a corporation. Simply put, if the company were a pie, a share would be your small piece of the pie. In some cases, when the company makes a profit, shareholders are rewarded for making an investment in the company and receive some of the residual profit, which is called a dividend.
What are Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs)?
Simply put, an Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) is like a little basket that holds different investments. Your basket can be filled with the following:
- Stocks, which are issued by companies
- Bonds, which are issued by governments and corporations
- Commodities, such as precious metals, oil, gas and grains
Understanding the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE)
When companies need to raise funds, they sometimes decide to sell part of the company, in the form of shares, to investors. The Johannesburg Stock Exchange is the marketplace where these shares are bought and sold securely.
Fun facts
- It is the largest stock exchange in Africa
- It is the 17th largest out of the 60 active stock exchanges in the world
- There are 307 companies listed on the JSE
How to pick shares to invest in?
- Assess the market: read the financial news and industry blogs to find out what is happening in the market and see whether there is any news about Federal Reserve policy meetings or earnings announcements.
- Pick a sector: you can either go for a sector such as healthcare or utilities if you are looking for one that remains relatively stable, or you can also try investing in technology or mining. Think about what your specific goals are.
- Screen for stocks: look at the performance of individual companies in the sector you’ve chosen. For example, if you want to invest in technology, you could pick a popular company such as Apple or Google. Alternatively, you can also pick a company with lower-priced stocks.
- Review the fundamentals: look into the company’s history and current media coverage. Is there any current or pending litigation against the company that could negatively impact the price? Are there upcoming product launches that may increase demand for that stock? Identify any details that might set one stock apart from another.
- Check the charts: look at the stock’s trend line. Generally, it’s a good time to get into a trade if you can either buy into an uptrend or, alternatively, buy into a dip if you have reason to believe the decline is an anomaly.
How to pick an ETF?
- Exposure: Decide whether you want to invest in the South African market or include global exposure.
- Level of assets: An ETF should have a minimum level of assets, a common threshold being at least 10 million USD. Any ETF with assets below this threshold is likely to have a limited degree of investor interest.
- Trading activity: This refers to whether the ETF is being traded in sufficient volume on a daily basis. The higher the trading volume for an ETF, the more liquid it is likely to be and the tighter the bid-ask spread.
- Underlying index or asset: It may be preferable to invest in an ETF that is based on a broad, widely followed index rather than an obscure index that has a narrow industry or geographic focus.
- Tracking error: While most ETFs track their underlying indexes closely, some do not track them as closely as they should. All else being equal, an ETF with minimal tracking error is preferable to one with a greater degree of error.
How share prices work?
Share prices are set by supply and demand as buyers and sellers place orders, meaning if more people are interested in buying a certain stock, then the price will increase. If more people are interested in selling the stock versus buying it, then the price will decrease.
How does the JSE protect investors?
- Trading activities on stock exchanges are very closely monitored and regulated by the JSE to protect the public from bad actors
- Only companies consistently profitable and most transparent prior to listing are entrusted with funds raised from the public
- Companies that break the rules may receive massive fines, extreme drops in market value, and possibly be delisted from the JSE
The World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Survey ranked the JSE 3rd for its regulatory standards in 2016/2017.