How to buy an S&P 500 ETF as a European investor
Which UCITS funds track the index, why SPY, VOO and IVV are blocked in the EU, what 0.03% versus 0.07% costs, and where currency conversion bites hardest.
Editorial Team
Member since January 2013
The editorial team at FX Comparator brings together enthusiasts of financial markets, stocks and cryptocurrencies. Articles published under this profile are written by in-house editors and external contributors who provide an independent perspective on the world of investing.
Preferred Stocks & ETFs with High Dividend Yields
Preferred stocks, also called preference shares, pay a fixed dividend and yield more than common stock. How they work, five example issues and the main ETFs.
How to read the Accelerator and Awesome Oscillator
Awesome Oscillator measures momentum, Accelerator its acceleration. Both formulas, why they plot as bars, not a line, and three signals from Williams.
Triangle patterns – symmetrical, ascending, descending
What symmetrical, ascending and descending triangles look like, what volume does in them and how to estimate the target after a breakout.
Financial Market Regulators – Overview and List
Who supervises brokers in Europe, the US and Asia. Regulators by jurisdiction including the FCA and ČNB, with names of public registers and warning lists.
Bitcoin vs gold – tradition or a 21st-century bet
Bitcoin vs gold over ten years and over five - the returns, the falls from peak, the supply numbers and the FCA rules a UK buyer meets.
Free crypto from Brave Browser – what it takes
Brave pays out BAT for the ads you see, but only after a connected payout account and a few more conditions. What free crypto really takes today.
Bull and bear flags – how to trade the pattern
Bull and bear flags are continuation patterns. Why the pole decides everything, where the target and stop belong and what Bulkowski's statistics really show.
ADR shares on US exchanges – what you really buy
An ADR is not a share but a certificate issued by a bank. How the ratio works, why the price does not track the home listing and what the depositary takes.
Trailing stop loss – how it works and how to set it
A trailing stop loss follows the price up and freezes when the market turns. How to set the distance and why it hurts in a choppy market.
XTB Investment Plans: automated ETF and stock buys
XTB Investment Plans review: automatic recurring purchases of ETFs and now stocks, ready-made portfolios, a 15 EUR minimum and fees. Step-by-step guide.
Moving average: SMA, EMA and how to read it on a chart
A moving average smooths price and shows the trend. How SMA, EMA and WMA differ, how much lag they carry and what the data says about the golden cross.
Cboe files for 3x Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs
Six triple-leveraged funds, two of them tracking Bitcoin and Ethereum, are waiting for a verdict from the American regulator.
Stock Market Demo Account: Where to Practice for Free
Stock market demo account at eToro and XTB: 100,000 in virtual funds, free practice trading and four things your demo will never show you.
Free Cash Flow: What It Is and How to Calculate It
Free cash flow shows how much cash a company has left after operations and investment. The formula, a worked example and why FCF can be dressed up.
XTB Investment Plans now with stocks and portfolios
Automated regular investing at XTB now handles individual shares alongside ETFs. Ready-made portfolios with different risk profiles and sector plans join the menu, and a plan starts from 15 GBP.
Oil trading and investing in oil: what to watch
Oil trading via CFDs, ETFs, futures and shares: what each instrument costs, why oil funds lag the price of crude and what really moves it.
Dividend: payout dates, tax and the ex-dividend date
A dividend is a share of profit, but the entitlement hangs on a single day. Four dates decide who gets paid, why the price drops before the money lands, and how much is withheld before it arrives.
Warsaw Stock Exchange (GPW) and the WIG indices
The first session on the Warsaw exchange in 1991 turned over 1,990 zloty. Today a single July brings 58 billion — and WIG20 has only just cleared its 2007 peak.
Oldest ETF in the world: the first wasn’t American
SPY was the first ETF listed in the United States, not in the world. The first one traded in Toronto in 1990 — and the list of the longest-running funds is missing a Japanese name.