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Oxford Considers Ban on LED Rope Lights Around Stores
The Oxford Board of Aldermen is considering an ordinance amendment that would disallow commercial businesses from using rope lighting around their buildings.To get more news about led neon strip light, you can visit htj-led.com official website.
The Board heard the first reading of the proposed ordinance change on Tuesday during their regular meeting.
Rope lighting, also known as fiber-optic cable lighting, is made up of tiny lights, available in either incandescent or LED bulbs, spaced about an inch apart and surrounded by clear, flexible PVC tubing.
The proposed ordinance amendment would ban the use of rope lighting for commercial structures along the exterior of a structure, exterior or interior of a storefront, along the perimeter of any window or within 3 feet of the interior of any window.
All rope lighting, regardless of its time of installation, shall be deemed a violation of the city’s Land Development Code and be removed, if the Board approves the suggested ordinance change.
The aldermen are also considering another proposed change to the Land Development Code that would ban the use of corrugated plastic as a material for business signs. Signs would have to be constructed of metal, wood, glass, brick, ceramics, concrete or other materials approved by the Planning Department.
A public hearing will be held on the proposed changes during the Board’s regular meeting at 5 p.m. on Oct. 18 at City Hall.
Shadow Slaves: Art Exhibit Brings Slavery to Light
What does slavery look like? Somehow it’s both notorious and faceless. Sometimes it peeks out from bars or restaurants. Often it’s hidden in homes, brothels, and farms, then buried further in international supply chains. Child slaves—forced to haul heavy bricks at kilns in India and stones weighing as much as they do at rock quarries To get more news about Shadow Slave, you can visit innread.com official website.
Sometimes it peeks out from bars or restaurants. Often it’s hidden in homes, brothels, and farms, then buried further in international supply chains.
Child slaves—forced to haul heavy bricks at kilns in India and stones weighing as much as they do at rock quarries in Nepal, forced to mine gold and diamonds, and minerals that run our cell phone batteries, while covered in toxic dust—suffer in silence, sight unseen.Slaves in Brazil, making the black oily charcoal used to run smelters that make steel for our cars, are all but invisible. Slaves may pick the tomatoes or catch the tuna that fill grocery stores around the world. By the time slavery arrives as fruit in our produce sections, shrimp at our fish counters, and coffee in our cups, slaves have been completely disappeared. But no matter how obscured or forgotten, slavery is global—it travels, and it exists as suffering.
Artist Sandra Relyea has found a powerful, thoughtful way to bring slavery out of the shadows. Her latest exhibit comprises large works of clever silhouettes that play on the use of light and shadows themselves. Her shadow-shaped figures are meant to represent real people enslaved in the world today. The images, she explains, are “distorted and elongated the way a shadow cast by the real person would be.” Many pieces in the collection are based on photographs and films from Free the Slaves.
Relyea’s point is to show slavery exists everywhere in the world, including the United States, but, she says, “it is largely unseen and lies in the world of shadow: the world of exploitation, crime, and dehumanization.” Her images are evocative in their simplicity and staggering in their force. Each work can take up an entire wall, up to eight feet wide and 12 feet high.
The pieces loom yet remain calmly distant: slavery as both stark and shrouded. They are aggressive in their magnitude, and sense of action and movement—they demand you look. Yet they are also quiet and cool, restrained, reticent. The contrast of darkness and light—people defined by outlines yet disguised and indistinguishable—speaks of bondage and liberation both.
A striking, significant piece shows child slaves in Ghana fishing in a rickety boat, tossed on thick, vast waves. Relyea found it difficult at first to depict a shadow falling on water, but the final version is haunting in how much it seems to waver and pitch. “The ripples in the water signify the fact that these children are in peril,” she says. “They do not know how to swim.”In a piece with special significance to Relyea, two Nepalese children with stones strapped to their backs appear as little more than two tiny, fragile blocks, yet they are clearly holding hands. “The holding hands,” she says, “suggests to me the potential that lies in all children, which is denied them when they are not free.”
For more than two decades, Relyea was as a forensic child abuse examiner and often testified as an expert medical witness. As a physician’s assistant in Redding, Calif., where she has lived for more than 25 years, she has helped deliver health services, often from a mobile van, to local homeless, uninsured, and underserved people, many of them children. A long-time advocate for society’s exploited, underprivileged, and disenfranchised, Relyea draws motivation from the act of eliminating injustice.
Several years ago Relyea took an art class at a local college “just for fun”—she ended up discovering the perfect link between her professional advocacy work, which she describes as “cerebral and mostly left-brained,” and the strong font of personal creativity she needed to let flow.
One day she created a work of shadows with a window screen. “It occurred to me issues such as homelessness could be depicted with shadow forms,” Relyea says. She later realized the subject of modern slavery also lent itself perfectly to shadow works. She discovered the work of Free the Slaves when she began researching modern slavery in general, and how it could inform her art.Relyea named her latest shadow collection Demeter’s Children. In the Greek myth, Demeter’s daughter is kidnapped and held in bondage in the underworld, trapping the globe in desolate winter. Relyea intends her slaves-as-shadows portraits to increase public awareness and understanding of human trafficking and slavery.
The human shadow is a guiding philosophical concept, developed by Carl Jung, for Relyea. Jung’s theory goes that individuals have traits and tendencies that cause discomfort, vulnerability, and are therefore relegated to the subconscious where they can be denied or ignored. “We tend to project these shadow characteristics onto others, and [judge them] as wrong, undesirable,” Relyea explains. “This can lead to dislike, condemnation, blame, and even persecution.”
The artist believes slavery is, in a way, the disastrous manifestation of the shadows—the dark side—of humanity’s collective unconscious. Her work explores how slavery can arise from the repression of our own shadow selves, and be borne out in, and portrayed as, the brute oppression of others. The spectral figures in Demeter’s Children emerge to connect slavery to the world, to what we look at, and to ourselves. Even in shadows, Relyea’s work gives us slaves we can see.
Spindle screw pumps SEIM like a great idea
exclusive distributor of SEIM screw pumps throughout Africa – supplies and supports the full range of SEIM spindle screw pumps, flow meters and in-line relief valves.To get more news about screw pump, you can visit hw-screwpump.com official website.
“These robust pumps and related products – which are manufactured to stringent quality specifications in accordance with ISO 9001:2000 standards – are designed for dependable use in many sectors, including mining, power generation (wind and hydropower generation), petrochemical, oil and gas, paper, steel, automotive and marine industries,” said Joe Pinheiro, BMG’s National Product Manager, Pumps.
“Key advantages of SEIM pumps include low pulsation levels, reduced noise during operation and high self-priming capabilities. These pumps are able to handle high viscosities and ensure optimal performance, even with air entrapped in oil. The design of these low-maintenance units prevents the possibility of pollutants being released into the medium.”
BMG’s SEIM range encompasses three spindle screw pumps, for viscosities up to 100 000 cst, available with or without built-in relief valves and two spindle screw pumps, for viscosities up to 20 000 cst, available with or without gear drives.
SEIM pumps are also available in accordance with API 676 (latest edition). Flow meters are rated for 200 and 400 bar and in-line relief valves facilitate flows up to 10 000 L/min up to 100 bar. Pumps can also be customized to offer up to 20 000 L/min and up to 200 bar, depending on requirements.
Included in this portfolio, is a selection of pump models capable of handling a wide range of liquids at different flows and various pressures. SEIM pumps are designed to efficiently handle liquids that include various grades of mineral and synthetic oils, HFO and LFO fuel oils, diathermic oils and liquids with little or no lubricating properties, as well as liquids in the food industry and for cosmetics and soaps in the pharmaceutical sector.
BMG offers a technical advisory service to ensure selection of the most suitable pump size for every specific application. The company supports this range with a spares facility and 24 hour maintenance service through more than 100 BMG branches and a wide distribution network in South Africa and across borders into Zambia, DRC, Swaziland, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia and Tanzania.
Ukrainian church ministers by sewing bulletproof vests for military
A Baptist leader in the war-torn country got the idea as he was praying about what could be done for the war effort, said Rob Jackson, director of the office of church health at the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions and president of Romanian-American Mission.To get more news about bulletproof zone customer service, you can visit bulletproofboxs.com official website.
“So many people they know and love were being killed,” Jackson lamented. “There’s a shortage of equipment, and the military doesn’t have vests.”
So church members who can sew began stitching vests together using fabric with NATO and Polish military camouflage patterns. So far they’ve made about 800 at a cost of $200 per vest.
Each vest includes a Gideon New Testament in the Ukrainian language in the front pocket.
Dependent on God
“The Ukrainian army will send the church a request for vests, and after the vests are given out, the army will send the church the name of the person who is wearing each vest so they can pray for them,” said Jackson, who met with church leaders during a trip to the country in early July.
The project is led by a man who ran a thriving florist business but felt compelled when the war started to step down from his job and focus on making the vests. He depends solely on God to provide the money he needs for living expenses.
While Jackson was there, he provided some funds donated by Spring Hill Baptist Church in Mobile.
“He cried and said, ‘This is an answer to prayer. I was out of money and every time I am, God provides,’” Jackson related.
The vests are one of a number of creative ways churches in Ukraine and surrounding countries have tried to preserve life and help the hurting. One church continues to meet in an unfinished building because it gave all its building fund money to care for refugees. Others have taken refugees into their churches and homes.
New progressive cavity pump KTE
The KIBER KTE are progressive cavity pumps with a hopper and a feeding screw, so they are used for viscous products, masses, pastes and liquids with solids in suspension.To get more news about progressive cavity pump, you can visit brysonpump.com official website.
Their main application is for transferring whole or destemmed grapes and the compact design allows to install them right under the destemming machine.
The feeding screws have a specific design, adapted to every pump size, in order to deliver a gentle passage of solids, according to flow.The hoppers have a safety grid, a drainage and a minimum level resistive sensor to stop the pump in the event there is not product inside, and therefore, to avoid the running on dry, that could damage the rubber of the stator and the mechanical seal.
The pumps are supplied on a stainless steel trolley with wheels with brake. Also, an ergonomic handle prepared to mount an electrical panel is included. Tailor-made electrical panels can be mounted, to cater for your individual needs.
The drive consists of a worm gearbox with flange, coupled to a standard three-phase electric motor according to IEC.
At World Biogas Expo, Vogelsang will also be advising on the processing of structurally rich biomass by means of mechanical disintegration. Long-fiber and coarse input materials such as straw, grass or manure can be processed with the DisRuptor from Vogelsang. This reduces the amount of internal energy required and at the same time increases the gas yield. Vogelsang will also be providing information on other systems from the pumping and shredding technology segments.
Vulnerability Allows Hackers to Unlock Smart Home Door Locks
A smart home is a vulnerable home. It is replete with interconnected IoT devices, many with their own known or unknown vulnerabilities and connected to the internet by a router that probably has the original, unchanged default password. Sometimes the connection is via a mobile phone app, often introducing a further weakness.To get more news about secure locks, you can visit securamsys.com official website.
At this stage in the evolution of smart homes, they have another characteristic: they are almost by definition the abode of wealthy or significant people. This makes the smart home a target for cybercriminals, and — potentially — a target for cyber-savvy physical burglars. The latter is not yet a major crime vector; but it is likely to grow.
F-Secure’s latest discovery of a design flaw in a smart lock illustrates the dangers. The product is the KeyWe Smart Lock, a remote-controlled entry device primarily used in private dwellings. Users can open and close doors via an app on their mobile phones.
The flaw is not in the lock, but in the communication between the app and the lock. The lock itself is quite strong, including data encryption to prevent unauthorized parties from accessing system-critical information, such as the secret passphrase. Communication between the lock and the controlling app is not so secure. It uses Bluetooth Low Energy over WiFi, and although ostensibly encrypted, there is a flaw in its design: the common key does not change between executions, but it does change with the device address.
“This is a grave mistake!” writes F-Secure Consulting’s Krzysztof Marciniak in an associated blog. “As an in-house key exchange is used – with just two values involved – to decrypt all of the communication, one simply needs to intercept the transmission. The common key can then be easily calculated based on the device address.”
He says, “Unfortunately, “the lock’s design makes bypassing these mechanisms to eavesdrop on messages exchanged by the lock and app fairly easy for attackers — leaving it open to a relatively simple attack. There’s no way to mitigate this, so accessing homes protected by the lock is a safe bet for burglars able to replicate the hack. All attackers need is a little know-how, a device to help them capture traffic — which can be purchased from many consumer electronic stores for as little as $10 — and a bit of time to find the lock owners.”
A sniffing device could be hidden close to the door awaiting the return of the homeowner. The command communicated by the app to the lock could be captured and decrypted, and the attacker could enter the building next time it is vacant — or potentially worse, at night when the occupants are asleep.
At the personal level, the smart home would likely include an actual or metaphorical jewel box of valuables. At the corporate level, the smart homeowner is likely to be a senior executive accustomed to working from home on a computer with some form of connection to at least part of the enterprise network. The attacker now has physical access to this device.
“Security isn’t one size fits all,” explains Marciniak. “It needs to be tailored to account for the user, environment, threat model, and more. Doing this isn’t easy, but if IoT device vendors are going to ship products that can’t receive updates, it’s important to build these devices to be secure from the ground up.”
F-Secure reported the issue to the vendor, who has been responsive in communication with the researchers. “Unfortunately,” writes Marciniak, “no firmware upgrade functionality has been included and thus the issue will persist until the device is replaced. According to the vendor, new devices will contain a security fix. Moreover, the next version of the lock will have the firmware upgrade functionality — although no information is available regarding the release date.”
Best STEM Subscriptions for Kids
Many kids are easily fascinated by science, technology, engineering, and math (known as STEM), even if they don’t realize it in the classroom. Many children love creating their own science experiments, tinkering around with tools, building things, or understanding how something works. It’s important to foster their curiosity for exploration. Exposing children to hands-on, problem-based learning not only helps set them up for academic success, but it might just spark a lifelong passion as well.To get more news about Robot Subscription, you can visit glprobotics.com official website.
If you aren’t sure how to encourage your child’s exploration of STEM, a science, math, and technology-focused subscription box is a great start. Even if you aren’t tech-savvy, many of the best STEM subscriptions for kids come with easy-to-follow instructions and engaging activities that are both educational and fun. We did the research to help you find the best STEM subscription kits—these are the ones we recommend.
STEM subscription boxes can help spark kids’ curiosity in nature, science, and technology. KiwiCo’s wide variety of different crates available for various age groups and its flexible and affordable subscription packages made it our top pick. Each box comes with multiple age-appropriate hands-on activities that are so fun your kid will hardly notice they are learning too.
If your child is more interested in art, Beautiful Discovery might be a great way into STEM for them. Every box helps kids find the mathematical patterns in the flora and fauna we marvel at every day.
STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. The concepts and skills taught in STEM education include problem-solving, critical thinking, design, reasoning, teamwork, and investigation skills.
What Are STEM Subscriptions?
A STEM subscription is a monthly delivery box that contains activities and educational materials that teach your child STEM concepts in a fun, engaging way to promote a love for learning, exploring, and experimenting. A few examples of what may come in a box include learning how to make a pyramid out of egg cartons, build a walking rainbow out of water and food coloring, dissect a flower, build a rain cloud in a jar, and sprout a seed, in addition to many other fun activities.
Why Is STEM Important to Teach to Children?
Studies show STEM education, especially in regard to math and science, helps children develop curiosity, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, persistence, problem-solving, and positive attitudes toward science and mathematics.1 STEM training in early childhood can even help boost your child’s literacy and language development.
What Is an Example of a STEM Activity?
STEM education can include a wide variety of activities, from building a volcano to practicing math by counting coins. Art concepts that teach the principles of symmetry and patterns can also be considered part of STEM or STEAM (with the A standing for art).
Methodology
We looked at more than 20 STEM subscription services for kids that cover different areas of interest and meet the needs of different age groups—from toddlers up to teens. We narrowed down our list to our top picks by checking reviews, ratings, price, and diversity of offerings. The subscriptions that made our list offer a broad range of boxes and features.
Best Micro Account Forex Brokers 2023
FXTM, previously known as ForexTime, was founded in 2011 and has grown to become one of the largest forex trading platforms in the world. The broker has a good selection of international currencies to invest in with a collection of over 57 currency pairings. Because of their above-board operations and highly regulated structure, FXTM is highly trusted and respectable. The Financial Services Commission of the Republic of Mauritius, the Financial Conduct Authority of the United Kingdom, the Financial Sector Conduct Authority of South Africa, and the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission are all regulatory bodies that oversee FXTM.To get more news about best micro account forex brokers, you can visit wikifx.com official website.
fpmarkets is an ASIC-regulated Australian brokerage which launched in 2005. For most traders, the unique selling point of this broker is in the extremely wide range of tradable assets offered, providing the opportunity to trade over ten thousand individual stocks and shares including publicly quoted Hong Kong and Australian companies. Ffpmarkets also offers 60 Forex pairs and crosses, 11 equity indices, the major commodities, and 5 cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin. fpmarkets offers an unusual hybrid ECN/STP execution model, meaning their clients can choose between ECN style of execution giving a very high level of speed, and a “straight through processing” execution style which allows for more “natural” spreads.
BlackBull Markets was founded in 2014 in New Zealand. Like many antipodean Forex brokers, BlackBull Markets is an ECN broker, offering raw spreads and commissions. They are regulated in New Zealand by the Financial Services Providers Register (FSPR) and offer a maximum leverage on some Forex currency pairs as high as 500 to 1. In addition to their global headquarters in New Zealand, BlackBull Markets also has presences in the form of branch offices in New York and Malaysia. BlackBull Markets offers a relatively tight range of tradable assets: 27 Forex currency pairs and crosses, gold, silver, crude oil, natural gas, and 6 major equity indices. That should be sufficient for those traders with more focused strategies not requiring wide diversification.
AvaTrade was founded in 2007 and their headquarters are based in Ireland. This reputable and trusted forex broker is regulated in various counties around the world. Starting with their home country of Ireland, the broker is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Furthermore, they are regulated in Australia by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, in the British Virgin Islands, AvaTrade is regulated by the highly regarded FSC, in South Africa, the South African Financial Sector Conduct Authority, and in Japan they hold two different licences from two regulators, namely the Financial Futures Association and the Financial Services Agency. They also hold licences in Israel and the UAE.
We have researched the best micro account Forex brokers so that you can choose the best Forex broker to use to start Forex trading in a beginner-friendly and competitive trading environment. We also outline the benefits of a micro account Forex and assist you in deciding between a micro vs. standard option.
Methodology
We reviewed over 100 brokers based on eleven criteria. Each research consists of over 2,000 words and lasted more than ten hours. Over 100 brokers were reviewed in-depth and from a trader's perspective, ignoring the marketing tactics deployed by some to confuse retail traders. Therefore, we sourced the list of our best micro account Forex brokers from more than 200,000 words of dedicated research compiled over 1,000 hours, ensuring the most comprehensive approach to identify the best micro account Forex brokers.
AvaTrade is one of the best-regulated brokers, and maintains a market-leading trading academy, SharpTrader, spun out due to its success. When researching “What is a micro trading account?”, AvaTrade does not have one for Forex traders, where the minimum transaction size is 0.01 standard lots or 1,000 currency units. AvaTrade offers equity traders on select CFDs on the MT5 trading platform a trade size of 0.001 standard lots or 100 units, but the minimum deposit is $100.
XM is another excellent choice for traders who wish to take advantage of the benefits of a micro Forex account. For a minimum deposit of only $5, clients get access to an excellent asset selection and maximum leverage of 1:888. XM offers its micro alternative in eleven base currencies. There is a 100 lots restriction per order ticket, and each account remains limited to 300 positions, or a total of 30 standard lots, which suffices for all micro lot traders.
FXTM remains one of the best overall Forex brokers and an award-winning educational section. The Cent Account is only available with the MT4 trading platform, which receives an upgrade via six plug-ins. Traders get 25 currency pairs, plus gold and silver, but the minimum spread is 1.5 pips. FXTM grants maximum leverage of 1:1000 for this account type, and the minimum deposit is only $10 or a currency equivalent. FXTM also offers its FXTM Pivot Points Strategy as an EA.
The best Forex trading apps every trader should know
If you fall into the group of Forex traders who feel overwhelmed by the amount of market information available online, then this article is for you. Here we’ve compiled a list of the best Forex trading apps, which will make your life easier by filtering the important information from the unimportant. Whether it’s trading platforms, news apps, or currency heat maps – here’s the ultimate list of Forex trading apps that you need to start using today.To get more news about best forex trading apps, you can visit wikifx.com official website.
What are Forex trading apps?
A Forex trading app is a desktop or mobile-based application that is used to trade the Forex market and provides useful information for your daily trading activities. They range from trading platforms and news apps to various trading tools such as daily currency correlations and heat maps. When combined, these Forex trading apps offer a complete toolbox for effectively analysing and trading the Forex market.
Many trading applications can be installed directly on your smartphone or tablet. This is a great way to stay up to date with major market developments wherever you are, analyse potential trading opportunities, and even make trades directly from your handheld device.
Trading platforms
Without a trading platform, you won’t be able to place, manage, or close orders. This makes trading platforms one of the most important trading apps. MetaTrader 4 remains the most widely-used trading platform among Forex traders and offers a variety of advanced features that can come in handy when analysing the market.
The good news is that the most popular trading platform is also available as a mobile or web-based application. This means that you can check live currency quotes and price charts, see your complete trading history, and even place and manage trades on the go. The MetaTrader mobile app is available for both Android and iOS devices, and can be installed directly from the Google Play Store and Apple’s iTunes.
MetaTrader’s mobile app can be directly connected to any supported Forex broker, and you won’t lack any of the functionality available on the desktop app. This means that you can apply trend lines, technical indicators, Fibonacci levels, and many other tools directly on your smartphone. You can also check for the current market spreads and highs/lows for the day. Stop Loss and Take Profit levels can be set prior to opening a trade, and even pending orders such as stop and limit orders are available in the mobile app. The following picture shows what MetaTrader’s mobile interface looks like on smartphones and tablets.
The web-based MetaTrader 4 platform can be accessed from any computer with a web browser. This ensures that you have access to the market even if you’re not in front of your home computer, and offers all the tools that you’re familiar with from the desktop-based application.
Alpari Mobile
Beside MetaTrader which is only a trading platform, you can also go for Alpari Mobile that is an in-house developed trading program by Alpari, a major Forex broker. This means that you can also use the app to open trading accounts directly with Alpari, and enjoy real-time price-quotes across all major financial markets, including Forex, stocks, indices and futures.
The app is highly customizable and includes a built-in economic calendar, news section and market reviews that can be filtered by asset class, and a preview of current interest rates of all major central banks around the world. The app can be seamlessly connected with MetaTrader, and is available for iPhones, iPads and Android-based devices.
FXStreet News
Now that you have found a trading platform that connects you to your broker and offers real-time access to the Forex market, it’s time to check some handy apps to follow important market news. While many of you might recognise FXStreet as a popular trading website, it’s also available in the form of a Forex app that can be installed on your smartphone.
FXStreet News, as the app is called, is updated with plenty of Forex news on a daily basis, and you can configure the app to send you a notification whenever a new report is released. In addition, the app features a built-in economic calendar that can be filtered by your favourite currencies and by the importance of the news.
Who Wins a Brokerage Price War?
While commission-free trades have become the norm for customers of discount online brokers, in October 2019, it was big news. Charles Schwab, TD Ameritrade, E*TRADE, and Ally Invest all cut equity commissions to zero the first week of October 2019, and Fidelity joined the crowd on October 10. Bank of America's Merrill Edge extended free trading to all members of its loyalty program on October 21.To get more news about low commissions brokers, you can visit wikifx.com official website.
The industry had been taking baby steps in that direction for several years. Major online brokers started offering a select list, averaging 50-100, of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) for no commission back in 2010. In early 2017, Schwab set off a round of commission cuts that re-set the industry-wide base commission rate at $4.95-$6.95, slashing fees from $7.95-$9.95.
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The major brokers enhanced their commission-free ETF offerings in the wake of those cuts.
By making all stock and ETF transactions commission-free, brokers eliminated the benefit of offering a list of ETFs to their customers that do not incur transaction fees—but they have also eliminated the fees that the fund providers had been paying them. However, as we'll see, brokers have many other ways of generating revenue, including earning revenue from the influx of new investors drawn to low-cost trades on easy-to-use online platforms.
None of the brokers that cut their equity and base options commissions to zero has completely given up all their commission revenue. Brokers still charge per-contract fees for options trades, and also levy charges on futures, forex, bonds, and some mutual fund transactions.
Jennifer Butler, director of asset management and broker research at Corporate Insight, says, "A lot of this movement is geared towards inactive traders, but I don't think they'll make up the revenue by opening new accounts." She believes that brokers are moving further into providing advice in order to function in an environment free of commissions on stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). When analyzing the robo-advisor offerings available for our 2020 Best Robo-Advisors Awards, online brokers that also offer managed accounts pushed their customers, often not very subtly, into those products.
What About Cash?
A large percentage of a brokerage's revenue comes from idle cash. If new clients are drawn in by the idea of paying no commission on equity trades, they'll bring some cash along. Brokers and clearing firms earn interest on idle cash. Some share that interest with the clients, but quite a few keep the majority of interest revenue to themselves.
A look at a broker's financial statements shows that firms are not dependent only on revenue from trading. According to Schwab's filings with the SEC, approximately 40% of the company's revenue came from interest revenue for the three months ending March 2021.
Cash Sweeps
Most brokers offer their customers some kind of cash sweep program, by transferring money at the end of the day into an interest-bearing account. For some brokers, this action is automatic. However, the interest rate offered on these accounts can be quite low, something investors should be aware of if they are hoping to generate income from their cash that is not currently invested in equities.
According to Schwab, holding uninvested cash in a brokerage account is best for short-term situations where the investor is planning to spend the money within a few days or will soon place a trade. Long-term cash should be invested in a higher-yielding option, such as a certificate of deposit (CD) or yield-bearing savings account.
How Do Brokers Make Money Without Equity and Options Base Commissions?
Revenue streams for online brokers come from a variety of sources, including interest on clients' cash balances as discussed above, but also from stock loan programs, commissions on other products, management fees on advised accounts, and of course, payment for order flow.
Several brokers share the revenue they generate with their clients who hold the stock that is lent out in their stock loan programs. For example, Interactive Broker has a stock-yield enhancement program that enables its customers to earn extra income by allowing the company to lend out fully paid shares of stock held in their account. The firm lends these shares to other traders who want to borrow them in order to sell them short and are willing to pay interest to do so. This interest is then shared between the broker and the customer lending the stock.
Commissions are not going away entirely. Brokers are still charging a $0.50-$0.65, on average, per options contract. Eliminating the per-leg commissions of $4.95-$6.95 saves a lot of money for spread traders, who typically trade multi-leg options strategies. Some brokers continue to charge their base commission to trade penny stocks (OTCBB). Certain mutual fund transactions incur a fee, and there are still commissions charged for bond transactions and trades made with the help of a live broker.
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