HSBC UK and US for share dealing

[kev_in_tw]

I moved some cash from another investment into HSBC UK with the intention of putting it into my HSBC UK share account. Unfortunately HSBC UK have decided to add some restrictions to what share you can and cannot buy.

Specifically

1) No ETFs based on commodities

2) No US stocks at all.

Now before anyone asks they wouldn't tell me what the reason for this was other than "we perceive them as being risky". Now of course this is very silly - all it does is stop diversification or force people to move their money somewhere else. If they want people to diversify why not have a rule like "No more than x% in any asset class".

So it seems like I can't expand my portfolio in the UK with HSBC. Now I'm wondering if I can use HSBC in the US. Anyone have any experience? Especially non US people, since I'm a UK citizen outside the US.

I'm inclined to keep some cash with HSBC because then I get HSBC Premier, which is very useful - you can easily get a bank account in any country.

Actually another thing I'd be interested in is other US based share dealing services.

I've got an account with UBS in Switzerland too, but I'm not sure I want to have all my eggs in one jurisdiction.

[LazyInvestor]

Good comparison of UK, US, HK and Singapore brokers and banks

http://the-international-investor.com/2 ... ck-brokers

[Libertarian666]

I moved some cash from another investment into HSBC UK with the intention of putting it into my HSBC UK share account. Unfortunately HSBC UK have decided to add some restrictions to what share you can and cannot buy.

Specifically

1) No ETFs based on commodities

2) No US stocks at all.

Now before anyone asks they wouldn't tell me what the reason for this was other than "we perceive them as being risky". Now of course this is very silly - all it does is stop diversification or force people to move their money somewhere else. If they want people to diversify why not have a rule like "No more than x% in any asset class".

So it seems like I can't expand my portfolio in the UK with HSBC. Now I'm wondering if I can use HSBC in the US. Anyone have any experience? Especially non US people, since I'm a UK citizen outside the US.

I'm inclined to keep some cash with HSBC because then I get HSBC Premier, which is very useful - you can easily get a bank account in any country.

Actually another thing I'd be interested in is other US based share dealing services.

I've got an account with UBS in Switzerland too, but I'm not sure I want to have all my eggs in one jurisdiction.

I agree with not having all one's assets in one jurisdiction... except if that jurisdiction is Switzerland, in which case I wouldn't be worried. Unless you are a third-world dictator, of course.