Barclays (BCS) - All you need to know
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Ways to invest in Barclays
Copy link to sectionThe quickest and most convenient way to make your first move in the stock market is to simply sign up with an online stock broker. A broker is a service that lets you buy and sell stocks, requiring just a few minutes to sign up and fund your account.
That’s only one option, however. Alternatives include using a mutual fund or exchange-traded fund (ETF) that holds Barclays stock. The links below take you to individual pages which explain multiple other options available to you.
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What is Barclays?
Copy link to sectionBarclays is one of the oldest banks in the world, founded in London in 1690. Today it’s a global financial giant, with more than 80,000 employees, and reporting more than £20bn in revenue every year. It’s a major presence in the fields of personal banking, corporate banking, and investment management.
If you’re just starting out and want to learn more before doing anything yourself, have a look at our long term investing course. We advise every new investor to think long term and it explains everything you need to know about the stock market in simple, concise language.
How to invest in Barclays
Copy link to sectionInvesting can be as simple as getting a couple of shares, or it can mean comparing the performance of different funds to decide which one deserves your money. Here is a list of ways you can invest in Barclays shares and you can learn more by following the links to our guides on each subject.
- Stock brokers. The simplest option is through an online stock broker. Buying shares through a broker is usually cheap, with many brokers charging just a few pounds per trade, while some let you do so for free. Brokers also often offer beginner accounts, where you can use ‘demo’ money to practice.
- Mutual funds. A mutual fund is a pool of investors’ money managed by a professional, who takes that money and puts it in a variety of stocks. The fund manager will typically put it in companies that fit a common theme, such as large-cap stocks (like Barclays), or tech stocks.
- ETFs. Exchange-traded funds are as simple to buy as individual stocks, with the advantage that you get to benefit from the performance of many different stocks at once. You’ll find lots of ETFs that hold Barclays shares, so using one of them can be a good way to back your feeling that it’s going to perform well, while still diversifying to spread out your risk.
- CFDs. Another option is to trade a contract for difference (CFD). The biggest difference between a CFD and buying shares is that with a CFD you don’t own the shares themselves. You use CFDs to predict the price movement of a stock and you can open and close positions very quickly, making them ideal for short term traders.
- Trusts. A trust is an approach that’s popular in the UK. Like a fund, a trust lets you have an interest in lots of different stocks by owning shares in the trust. Barclays is one of the largest publicly traded stocks in the UK, which means that plenty of trusts give you access to the banking giant’s shares.
- ISAs. An ISA (Individual Savings Account) is a tax-free savings account that allows you to protect a certain amount of your money from tax every year. You can use ISAs to hold stocks and shares with the gains being tax-free up to a certain amount – £20,000 in the UK.
Where can I buy Barclays shares now?
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77% of retail CFD accounts lose money.
Recent Barclays news
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Latest Barclays price analysis
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