Stockbroking is a service that gives retail and institutional investors the opportunity to buy and sell equities.

Stockbrokers will trade shares on the exchange and over-the-counter, depending on where they can find the best price and liquidity. Stock exchanges place strict regulations on who can trade shares directly on their books, which is why most individual investors hoping to trade shares will do so via a stockbroker.

Typically, a stockbroking firm will charge a commission on the trades it makes on a client’s behalf or a fee for retaining its services.

There are several different services a stockbroker can provide:

Execution-only stockbrokers will complete orders on your behalf but do not offer any advice.

Advisory stockbrokers will offer advice on where to trade, but only trade on orders submitted by you.

Discretionary stockbrokers will trade on your behalf, executing trades without your input,

Financial Planning  They should share information on all sorts of investments ranging from tax-saving investments to short-term investment options and help you build a good corpus.

Leverage Enable you to get higher trading exposure with a low margin amount.

Risk Flexibility Allows you to choose between conservative or high risk strategies based on the expected rise and fall of stock prices.