Conditional orders are a risk-management tool that can be most effective if markets move rapidly. These orders trigger buys and sells automatically under conditions set by the trader which means investors can lock-in possible gains or minimise losses even if they are not watching the market.

“Conditional orders can help take the emotion out of trading as well as keep investors on course with their trading strategies,” said Darren Moglia, head of broking at Westpac Online Investing.

“By making these conditional orders free to all of our investors, we are providing practical and effective tools to manage their trades and protect their potential profits,” Mr Moglia added.

Westpac Online Investing is the first to offer a full range of conditional orders free of charge. Other trading platforms offer these orders, but they usually come at a price. The price investors pay can be higher than any gains made on shares traded.

“Conditional orders are not new to the market but we believe offering them free of charge will encourage investors to employ sound risk-management trading strategies that provide peace of mind,” Mr Moglia said.

Two of the most popular conditional orders are:

Trailing Sell Order – allows you to protect your profit on a rising stock by trailing the market as it moves up and automatically selling your holding should the share price drop suddenly to, or below, your trail stop value

Trailing Buy Order – can maximise value when purchasing a stock that is trending down by hitting a trigger when the market falls to, or below, your start price and purchasing the stock should it subsequently rise to, or above, your trail stop value.

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Westpac launches Daily Share Tracker

Westpac Online Investing has launched Daily Share Tracker – an Australian-first feature which provides independent research and trading ideas based on a client’s individual share portfolio and trading behaviour. The new service will be delivered to each client’s inbox every day and will make it easier to track their investments.

Daily Share Tracker was launched in response to investor demand for market research and stock picking recommendations. A recent client survey conducted on behalf of Westpac showed that:

• 43% of investors choose their stockbroker based on quality of research offered and research tools
• 41% of investors said stock picking recommendations would increase their satisfaction with their online broker
• 27% of investors said trading strategies are valuable to them.

Source: Investment Trends – December 2012

“Our most recent client survey showed that investors put a high value on the quality of research and accompanying research tools from their online broker,” said James Staltari, Head of Westpac Online Investing.

“This new service is in response to our client demand for individually-tailored market research and strategies.

“The Daily Share Tracker will give our customers an easy way to monitor their existing investments. It’s a snapshot – a concise way of seeing how your portfolio is doing. It will also keep investors ahead of the pack with market updates, trading ideas, research and investment strategies.

Some of the features of the Daily Share Tracker include:

• it changes depending on trading behaviour
• it tracks and provides key market information on up to 15 shares that a client currently holds or has recently traded
• the Dividend Tracker finds high yield shares that are going ex-dividend in the next 30 days
• it provides a snapshot of the key markets, currencies and commodities from around the world
• it provides analyst reports on different shares each week
• it has video interviews with independent industry experts
• it gives investment ideas for customers.

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