Shares can be of interest to you if:
- You want to build up assets in the long term
- You want to take advantage of potential returns
- You are willing to accept price fluctuations
- You want to make your own investment decisions
Shares: opportunities, risks and possibilities
With shares, you hold a direct stake in companies and can benefit from their commercial development. At the same time, shares entail risks and can fall in value. Would you like to find out whether shares are right for you and what options are available for investing in shares? Read on for an overview of opportunities, risks and the various investment paths.
Are shares a good option for you?
Shares may be less suitable if:
- You rely on your money for the short term
- You want to avoid fluctuations in value as far as possible
- You want to assume as little risk as possible
The key points about shares at a glance
Co-ownership: A share allows you to become a co-owner of a company and participate in its commercial development.
Potential returns: Shares offer opportunities for price gains and potential dividends.
Risks: Share prices can rise and fall. In the worst-case scenario, you could lose all the capital you have invested.
Diversification: Distributing your assets across different companies, sectors or markets can reduce the risk of individual investments.
What options are there for investing in shares?
Individual shares
Equity funds
Individual shares allow you to make targeted investments in certain companies and to decide for yourself which securities you want to invest in.
Benefits
- Targeted selection of companies
- Direct stake in individual companies
- Full control over your investment decisions
Points to note
- Higher risk with few positions
- More knowledge and effort required for analysis and monitoring
- Stronger price fluctuations possible
Suitable for you, if:
- You want to select companies yourself
- You want to make investment decisions actively
- You can accept higher risks
For many investors, funds are an easy way to enter the equity market. They invest in numerous companies at the same time and thus allow you to spread risks more broadly.
Benefits
- Broad diversification
- Reduced risk of individual companies
- Easy access to various markets
- Less effort involved in selecting securities
Points to note
- Less influence on the selection of individual securities
- Additional product or administrative costs
Suitable for you, if:
- You want to invest broadly
- You want to spread risk
- You want to reduce the effort involved in selection
How would you like to invest?
All you need to know about share trading
Online trading for your independent investment decisions
With e-trading from PostFinance, you can trade shares, ETFs, funds and other securities on Swiss and international stock exchanges.
The benefits for you
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Securities on one platform
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Access via e-finance and the PostFinance App
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Trade on Swiss and international stock exchanges
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Buy, sell and manage securities online
FAQs about trading shares
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You can buy and sell shares easily online via our e-trading. To do so, you will need:
- A private account with e-finance
- Domicile in Switzerland
- Minimum age of 18
- Beneficial ownership of the assets
- Status as a “non-US person”
With our e-trading, you can trade not only shares but also ETFs, bonds, funds and derivatives on over 20 stock exchanges worldwide.
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The following conditions apply to trading shares via e-trading:
- Custody account fees: CHF 18 per quarter
- Brokerage fees: From CHF 6 for securities up to CHF 500 on the SIX
- Free trades: CHF 18 of brokerage credit per quarter
- Stock exchanges: Over 20 stock exchanges worldwide
- Savings plans: For ETFs and shares
For the switch to e-trading, PostFinance also assumes securities transfer fees of up to CHF 800.
The full prices and conditions can be found under The link will open in a new window Prices and Conditions for E-trading (PDF) and on the e-trading page.
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Yes, you can trade shares entirely online via e-trading. You can carry out your stock exchange transactions at any time on your computer or smartphone.
Alternatively, you can issue your orders by telephone between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. from Monday to Friday at +41 58 448 79 00.
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With e-trading from PostFinance, you can trade on the following stock exchanges:
Swiss stock exchanges:
- SIX Swiss Exchange
- BX Swiss
- SIX Structured Products
- Off-exchange Switzerland
- Swiss DOTS
Foreign stock exchanges:
- Frankfurt
- Xetra
- Euronext (Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels)
- NASDAQ OMX (Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki)
- Borsa Italiana
- Madrid
- Wiener Börse
- EUWAX
- Off-exchange Germany
- London Stock Exchange
- NYSE
- NYSE American
- NASDAQ
- Toronto
- TSX Venture
Altogether, more than 20 stock exchanges worldwide are available to you.
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Our e-trading basically allows you to trade all shares listed on the available stock exchanges.
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Yes, with the PostFinance App you can buy and sell shares directly via our e-trading. Among other things, you can:
- Keep track of your portfolio and your investments at all times
- Purchase and sell shares and other securities
- Set up price alerts for price changes
- Use saving plans for ETFs and shares
- Purchase fractions of shares and ETFs (fractional trading)
For advanced trading functions and analysis tools such as TradingView or Screener, you can use e-trading on your desktop via e-finance.
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Yes. With e-trading, you can invest in shares even with small amounts:
- Fractional trading:Buy fractions of shares from as little as CHF 1.
- Saving plans: Invest regularly in ETFs, shares and themed certificates – also from CHF 1 per transaction. The fee is 1 percent, or a minimum of CHF 1.
- Small transactions: On SIX Swiss Exchange, transactions up to CHF 500 incur brokerage fees starting from CHF 6.
You can find more details on our e-trading page and in the The link will open in a new window prices and conditions.
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Not directly. If you don’t want to make your own investment decisions, PostFinance offers various consulting and asset management solutions:
- Investment consulting plus: ongoing personal support from an investment advisor
- E-asset management: professional management and monitoring of your portfolio
You can arrange consultation appointments directly in e-finance or by calling +41 58 448 79 00.
