The A-List

Aparajita Saha

PART I: The online guide to e-broking

ICICI Direct

Account opening charges: Rs 750 only. For accounts opened before March 31, 2000, the account opening charge of Rs 750 will be set off against the brokerage paid for all trades done till September 30, 2000.

Fee Structure:

Delivery trades:
Less than Rs 1 million per quarter: 0.85 per cent
Rs 1 million to Rs 5 million per quarter: 0.60 per cent
Rs 5 million to Rs 10 million per quarter: 0.50 per cent
Rs 10 million and above per quarter: 0.40 per cent

Intra-settlement trading: The same fee schedule applies for squaring off transactions, but the above brokerage is to be paid only for the first leg of the transaction.
Minimum size order: The minimum value of the trade is Rs 1,000 and the minimum commission is Rs 25 per trade inclusive of demat market transaction charges, service taxes and postage of contract note.
Banking: ICICI Bank only
Margin: 100 per cent
Offline broking: Option unavailable
Shortselling: In the offing
Demat: ICICI Bank, no extra charges

Sharekhan.com

Account opening charges: No fee charged for plan A and B. For plan C and D, a fee of Rs 500 is charged which will be adjusted against future trades.
Banking facility: HDFC or Global Trust Bank
Offline broking: option available
Minimum size order: none
Shortselling: option unavailable
Demat: SSKI, extra charges
Stamp duty, turnover tax and contingent charges extra as applicable: approximately Rs 25 per Rs 100,000

Fee Structure:

Plan A: Power-Asset Account
Rs 1,000 per month for intra-settlement. The value of trade is limited only by the cash in the account for purchases and by shares in the account for sale.

Plan B: Power-Leverage Account
The fee charged is Rs 1,000 per month with no limit on trading. Twenty-five per cent margin is required. The value of any individual trade can be as much as four times the margin in your account.

Plan C: Classic-Asset Account
The fee charged is 0.25 per cent of trade value. This is targeted at those who are not yet ready for flat fee-based investing. The value of trade is limited by the cash in the account for purchases and shares in the account for sale.

Plan D: Classic-Leverage Account
The fee charged is 0.10 per cent of trade value for intra-settlement trades. The value of any individual trade can be as much as four times the margin available in your account.

5paisa.com

Account opening charges: Rs 500 only
Intra-day: 0.05 per cent for each trade
Intra-settlement: 0.05 per cent for each trade
Delivery: 0.25 per cent
Banking facility: HDFC Bank
Margin: 25 per cent
Offline broking: Option unavailable
Shortselling: Available
Minimum size order: None
Demat: IIT Corporate Services, extra charges

Kotak Street.com

Account opening charges: Rs 500 only, which will be adjusted against future trades.
Margin: 33.33 per cent, minimum Rs 5,000.
Offline broking: Option unavailable
Banking: HDFC Bank, HSBC, Global Trust Bank, CitiBank, Standard Chartered, ABN Amro or Centurion.
Shortselling: Information unavailable
Minimum size order: Rs 1,000
Demat: Kotak Securities, no extra charges.

Fee structure

The Green Channel (Cash)
In this plan, one can trade up to three times the value of the margin with kotakstreet.com.
Delivery brokerage: 0.25 per cent.
Intra-settlement brokerage: 0.10 per cent payable for both legs of the transactions.
Intra-day brokerage: 0.10 per cent for the first leg only
Service charge and other levies: Nil

The Green Channel (Securities)
In this plan, traders can pay margin in the form of securities instead of cash.
Delivery brokerage: 0.25 per cent.
Intra-settlement brokerage: 0.10 per cent payable for both legs of the transactions.
Intra-day brokerage: 0.10 per cent for the first leg only
There is an additional transaction charge of 0.15 per cent per month on the value of the applicable limit.
Service charge and other levies: Nil

The Freeway
This scheme allows investors to trade at a flat fee of Rs 500 per month up to a maximum exposure limit of Rs 250,000.
The brokerage works out to 0.20 per cent.
Service charge and other levies: Extra

The Cash Expressway
This facility allows retail investors to sell their shares and collect the payment within 48 hours.
Delivery brokerage: 0.25 per cent and a transaction fee of 0.5 per cent on the sale value.
Service charge and other levies: Nil

Money

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