How To Buy Stocks Philippines 2024

You may be surprised to know when looking at how to buy stocks in the Philippines just how easy the process is. There are many different ways to buy stocks in the Philippines, but the most popular choice is investing through a stock trader, which is the process we are looking at today.

Alternatively, suppose you are looking at how to invest in the stock market in the Philippines. In that case, you can also visit your local bank, which often has many financial products available such as the popular mutual fund’s product.

But what about if you are looking at how to buy stocks in the Philippines directly yourself?

Table of Contents

How To Buy Stocks In The Philippines

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1. Find A Stockbroker

The first step when buying stocks in the Philippines is finding a reliable and trustworthy stockbroker.

Most straightforwardly, a stockbroker is an organization that completes your trade directly with the Philippine Stock Exchange. Some refer to a stockbroker as the middleman.

For this service, stockbrokers charge a small commission on each transaction. However, this is often at a very low rate, and if you have made some profit from your stock, in most cases, this more than covers any fees that you will incur.

The best stockbroker in the Philippines is COL Financial. Unlike some stockbrokers in the Philippines, their whole business is aimed to help people trade on the Philippine Stock Exchange.

The great thing about COL financial is that they have an online platform. In other words, you have access to your investment and can buy and sell as long as the market is open, all from the comfort of your own home.

How To Open A Col Financial Account?

Online registration is highly recommended this time, and it is more convenient. You can sign up and submit on their official website: signup.colfinancial.com. All instructions are in the link; however, to summarise, you can download the form. (or print and sign) and submit the original documents to the COL Business Center.

What Documents Are Required To Open A Col Financial Account?

One valid government-issued ID
TIN ID for self-employed, locally employed, and foreign citizens

One valid passport and ACR (Alien Certificate of Registration) or work permit from DOLE for non-Filipino residents

This may differ if you are investing from overseas or are a foreign investor. Therefore, we recommend contacting the Philippines stockbroker directly if you have any questions about their service/requirement.

Additionally, we have covered a list of the best stockbrokers in the Philippines for those looking for more details and additional information.

2. Locate The Stock Board Lot

For those of you who are not familiar with the board lot, allow me to explain. Board lot(s) is the minimum number of shares you need to buy a stock.

For example, for Jollibee, the board lot is ten shares. Each stock is 216 pesos currently. (216 pesos per share) X bored lot (10 shares per transaction) = 2160 pesos (minimum order). The minimum amount you will need as of today is 2160 pesos.

Suppose you have a budget that is larger than this, then great! But, 2160 will be the minimum. Of course, the stock may have risen or fallen by the time you are reading this. If so, you may need to pay a little more or a little less, depending on the stock’s current value.

Price Range (min)		Price Range (max)	Min Stock Needed (Board Lot)
0.0001	to	0.0099	1,000,000
0.010	to	0.049	100,000
0.050	to	0.249	10,000
0.250	to	0.495	10,000
0.50	to	4.99	1,000
5.00	to	9.99	100
10.00	to	19.98	100
20.00	to	49.95	100
50.00	to	99.95	10
100.00	to	199.90	10
200.00	to	499.80	10
500.00	to	999.50	10
1,000	to	1,999	5
2,000	to	4,998	5
5,000	to	UP	5

https://www.pesobility.com/ref/boardlot

But each stock has its minimum boring lot. So it’s always important to know this step before investing, significantly if you are only looking to buy stocks under a specific budget.

With stocks, the higher the price, the less you will need. The lower the price, the more stocks you will need to invest.

For example, if a stock is valued at 2000 pesos, you may only need to buy and minimum of five stocks. However, if you are looking at buying stocks in the Philippines valued at 10 pesos, you may need to purchase at least a minimum of 1000 stocks, for example.

Once an investigation has been done on the board lot, we now move on to stage 3 of buying stocks in the Philippines, investigating your options.

3. Investigate Stocks, Mutual Funds, And The Other Options

The great thing about buying stocks in the Philippines is that there are many options. Beginners looking to invest in the Philippine Stock Exchange can choose to invest in a single stock or invest in other mutual funds options.

As mentioned at the start of this article, when looking at how to buy stocks in the Philippines, you can invest in a few different options through a stockbroker or your bank. Mutual funds are a product that is very popular with the latter.

If you choose to invest through your bank, be aware of any fees that may be incurred. these are often very low but can soon creep up significantly if you are investing long term

What is the investment option best for me?

In theory, some experts believe that mutual funds are less risky, as they are made up of several companies, so this investment spreads the risk. However, some financial experts disagree and believe that more stocks increase the risk of financial loss.

The same can be said for stocks. When looking at how to invest in the Philippine Stock Exchange for beginners, splitting your portfolio to reduce risks is often recommended. However, this also has its pros and cons.

The best stock to invest in in the Philippine Stock Exchange depends on your financial goal and time scale. Blue-chip stocks have a proven track record of success and growth and are often popular with long-term investors. On the other hand, if your financial term is shorter, you may benefit from investing in higher-risk stocks that typically offer higher financial gains.

Pifa has a great list of mutual fund analyses, including the Philippines’ yearly mutual funds performance. As we always suggest when looking at how to buy stocks in the Philippines, it is best to speak to an independent financial advisor.

4. Once You Have A Stock In Mind, Make An Offer

The next process is physically buying the stock.

You often see the bid and the asking price on every platform when buying stocks in the Philippines.

What is the bid and ask price on the Philippine Stock Exchange? The bid price is the price that people are willing to pay to buy a stock. The ask price is the price an investor is willing to sell their stocks for. Once a bid price and an ask price has been met, then the transaction will be completed.

In other words, when buying stocks in the Philippines, you will need to think very carefully about how much you are willing to spend on the investment. For example, a stock may be worth 10 pesos now, but it could be 10.5 pesos in one hour. Even though this seems a tiny amount, it can soon add up if you have over 100,000 stocks.

You will not be able to buy stocks unless someone is willing to sell their stock at the price you are willing to buy it for. One scenario that could stop a transaction from being completed is an increase in value; therefore, investors may sell at a higher price than you initially expected.

Also, the same is to be true if the price decreases. So if you can time the market correctly, you may make a significant profit on your investment.

5. Once The Price Has Been Met, You Are Now An Official Stockholder

Once you have agreed on a price and have imported the information through the system (such as a system used by Col Financial), you will soon receive an email once the transaction has been completed. You can also find information on your trade if you visit your portfolio tab.

From there, investors can see their dividends (bonus payments given to you by a company for being a shareholder) sell your stocks or buy more stocks.

How To Buy Stocks In The Philippines For Beginners?

To buy stocks in the Philippines, an investor will need to sign up with a registered stockbroker. Once the account has been funded and requirements have been met, an investor can start trading stocks on the Philippines Stock Exchange. Additionally, one benefit is that many stockbrokers now offer a free service where they handle taxation from profits made from the stocks.

How To Buy Stocks In The Philippines As A Foreigner?

Buying stocks in the Philippines as a foreigner is very similar to investing as a local citizen. Nevertheless, there are some distinctions. These include additional requirements when signing up to a stockbroker and not investing in a company with more than 40% foreign ownership.

One common question is, does a foreigner need to be located in the Philippines to invest in the Philippine Stock Exchange? A foreigner does not need to be in the Philippines to invest physically, but additional requirements must be required.

Unfortunately, not every stockbroker allows this but many such as Col Financial do. Alternatively, if a foreigner wishes to buy stocks in the Philippines, they can invest through a bank situated in the Philippines, such as BDO.

Is Buying Stocks In The Philippines Worth It?

Buying stocks in the Philippines can be very financially rewarding and be considered worthwhile for many investors. Historically the Philippines economy and overall stocks have increased, proving a track record for the stock market.