Sogo Trade
SogoTrade was first established in 1986 as an online broker with the primary goal of providing discounted commissions for its customers and offering competitive industry trading tools. SogoTrade is based in St. Louis, Missouri. It is one of the few brokerages that offers comprehensive support to Chinese-speaking customers. All of its trading platforms can be switched to display Chinese language prompts and help by clicking a button.
SogoTrade operates under FINRA and SEC regulation. SogoTrade is also a member of Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC), which provides protection for its customers up to $500,000 (including $250,000 for claims for cash). SogoTrade’s clearing firm Apex has also purchased an additional insurance policy with coverage limits that provide protection for securities and cash up to an aggregate of $150 million, subject to maximum limits of $37.5 million for any one customer’s securities and $900,000 for any one customer’s cash.
Markets Offered
SogoTrade offers its clients an array of tradable assets including stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and options. Commissions will vary on assets depending on trade size. Check out the article on best online brokers for more information. Below is a list of instruments available for trading at SogoTrade:
| Asset class | Number of instruments | Commissions/Spreads from (150+ trades/qtr.) | Margin rate from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stocks | US markets | $2.88 Commission | 11% |
| ETFs | US markets | $2.88 Commission | 11% |
| Mutual Funds | US markets | $25 Commission | 11% |
| Options | US markets | $2.88 Commission + .50/contract | 11% |
Account Types
SogoTrade offers different types of online brokerage accounts to fit different types of clients and their different investment objectives. Standard investing, IRA Retirement, and custodial accounts are available for individual traders. International accounts are available for clients outside the US. And business accounts are available for business entities. Below is a list of the types of available accounts:
| Investment Accounts | |
|---|---|
| Individual | Yes |
| Joint | Yes |
| Custodian – UTMA/UGMA Account | Yes |
| Education Savings (Coverdell ESA) | Yes |
| Retirement Accounts | |
| IRA (Traditional & Roth) | Yes |
| Rollover IRA | Yes |
| SEP IRA | Yes |
| Business Accounts | |
| Corporate & LLC | Yes |
| Partnership & LLP | Yes |
| Sole Proprietorship | Yes |
| Trust | Yes |
Below is a list of details and features for Individual Trader Accounts.
| Account Type | Standard |
|---|---|
| Scalping | No |
| Hedging | No |
| Demo account | Yes |
| Micro account | No |
| Standard account | Yes |
| Zero spread account | No |
| VIP account | No |
| Managed account | Yes |
| Islamic account | No |
| Min trade | $100 |
| Max trade | None |
| Min deposit | $500 |
| Automated Trading | No |
| Account Setup | Free |
| Trading Platforms | SogoTrader, SogoElite |
SogoTrade charges its customers a $50 annual fee if total account equity drops below $100 and there is no activity for 12 months. This fee is waived if at least 1 trade is executed in previous 12-month period. There is no minimum amount required to open an online trading account. Clients are required to have cleared funds in their account prior to placing a trade. SogoTrade charge its IRA customers an annual fee of $35.00. Miscellaneous option fees include $15 for Options exercise/assignment, and $75 (base rate) plus $.50 per contract for Options Expiration Management. A margin sellout or short force buy results in a $25 fee.
Funding a SogoTrade account can be accomplished via bank transfer, AHC, or check. Bank transfer transactions take up to 2 to 4 business days. There is no minimum deposit for a bank transfer. There is a $25 charge for normal withdrawals and a $50 charge for withdrawals that require international wire transfers.
Opening an account with SogoTrade is usually completed within 2-business days. Documents required are a valid ID (i.e. passport, driver’s license, or national ID), and proof of address (i.e. bank statement, utility bill, or tax invoice dated within the last three months and issued to your name and address).
Trading Platforms
SogoTrade provides its clients with three trading platform options, and a mobile application. The Sogo Online trading platform is a very easy-to-use online application that provides all the tools a trader needs to make trades in one page. Its designed to give traders a convenient and easy to use application for making trades.
SogoOnline Trading Platform Screen Shot
The SogoTrader trading platform provides a fully customizable platform with advanced technologies including streaming quotes, and tools and controls traders need to do more in-depth analysis of the market.
SogoTrader Trading Platform Screen Shot
The SogoElite trading platform is for the more sophisticated advanced active trader that demands very in-depth analysis and advanced charting and technical analysis. Traders can manage their account and trade from one screen. Quickly place and manage orders, view positions and balances and track the market. Provides real-time streaming account and market data. Dozens of powerful technical studies for traders to analyze and predict stock movement.
SogoElite Trading Platform Screen Shot
Best Trading PlatformBelow is a table summarizing the features of the three trading platforms:
| Platform Feature | SogoTrade | SogoTrader | SogoElite |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stop loss Orders | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| One-click trading | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Trailing stops | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Expert advisors (EAs) | No | No | No |
| Virtual private server | No | No | No |
| Direct market access | No | No | Yes |
| STP broker | No | No | No |
| ECN broker | No | No | No |
| Market maker | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Price alerts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Signal trading | No | No | No |
| Watchlists | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Charting tools | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| iOS App | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows App | Yes | Yes | Yes |
SogoTrade provides its clients with a mobile application for traders that trade on the go. For options traders, SogoTrade provides an options analysis application. Also available is a powerful Application Programming Interface (API) for traders that prefer to use third party trading platforms. Have a look at the review on some of the top trading platforms.
Education
There are some educational materials that you can obtain from SogoTrade’s website. You can find reports, newsletter subscriptions, videos and other materials on its platform.
SogoTrade produces a series of reports called ValuEngine. According to its web page, the reports are developed through advanced quantitative data collection and analysis. You will find reports about companies and their stock forecasts. ValuEngine also encompasses industry and sector reports as well as Market Neutral Strategy (MNS) portfolios. You need to sign up to get all of the ValuEngine reports.
If you are still a newbie, you can find a glossary explaining various trading terms that will help you learn trading more seamlessly. SogoTrade’s Education Center page is designed for beginners. It has explanations of stock categories and the concept of risk in trading. However, the material is not extensive enough for you to have a good grasp on trading basics. You may want to supplement it with other sources.
Several factors, like monetary policy and new company partnerships, can easily affect the financial market. SogoTrade understands it and compiles recent headlines from numerous legit sources on its Research Center page. The broker updates its headlines regularly, meaning you can get fresh news and make informed trading decisions every day.
On its Research Center page, you can also track the latest movement in the stock market. You can see how major indexes in the U.S. — the Dow Jones, the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ Composite — are doing. SogoTrade also lists the movement of company stocks, especially the largest ones.
In addition to the aforementioned materials, you can also find tutorials on operating SogoTrade’s tools on its website. These materials are especially helpful for SogoTrade’s registered traders.
If you want to receive daily trading updates on your email, you can also subscribe to SogoTrade’s newsletters – which is one of the preferred sources of information for several global financial institutions.
Every morning before the U.S. stock market opens, SogoTrade will send you a list of 8 Spotlight Stocks and ETFs that you ought to consider getting. Each newsletter also includes the upside and downside price targets for those financial products.
You can visit SogoTrade’s YouTube channel to learn about trading via videos. These videos discuss strategies to make the most of your money through trading. You can also learn to use tools available at SogoTrade platforms from these videos. However, the channel does not update its content as regularly as we hope it would. Hence, some educational videos might not be relevant to the current condition of the market.
Customer Service
SogoTrade offers several customer service options, including phone support or live chat with a registered customer service representative Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET, or via email. Customer support is also available in English, and in Chinese. Email, fax, or mail are also options for client contact in Chinese.
Safety
SogoTrade is authorized by two legal U.S. agencies — the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Hence, SogoTrade’s clients receive protection in the case of company solvency. Additionally, client funds are insured by an insurance company working with SogoTrade’s clearing company, Apex.
Since SogoTrade operates under the supervision of those agencies, the broker undergoes regular examinations to ensure that its practices are free of misconduct. Consumers can report to the SEC if they suspect alleged misconduct by the broker.
As an authorized broker, SogoTrade complies with the Know Your Customer (KYC) policy. This policy ensures that the broker knows its clients and understands the sources of their funds. It can prevent the broker from processing illicit transactions, like money laundering.
However, this means that you must undergo a rigorous verification process during the registration. You must disclose your Social Security Number as well as other personal and financial data to create a SogoTrade brokerage account.
To boost protection while trading with SogoTrade, you should read its risk disclosure. Understanding the risk of each trading activity can help you make trading decisions more wisely, based on your risk tolerance and financial capability.
FAQ
How much money should I deposit into my SogoTrade account?
SogoTrade does not implement a minimum deposit policy. However, you need to keep in mind that the minimum investment allowed for a stock priced below $1 per share is $100. According to its website, the broker offers one of the lowest trading fees in the market.
What is SogoTrade’s Get Paid to Trade (GP2T) program?
With SogoTrade’s GP2T program, individual traders will receive credit for trading. All qualifying limit orders are eligible for GP2T. Here are the exceptions:
- The stock is priced below $1 per share.
- Marketable limit orders.
- Stop and Trailing Stop orders.
- Market orders.
- All or None (AON) orders.
- Pink Sheet Securities.
- Odd lot orders below $2,000.
Can I withdraw funds from my brokerage account via wire transfer?
Yes, SogoTrade enables clients to withdraw funds via wire transfer. Here are the steps to request the withdrawal from your brokerage account:
- Sign in to your SogoTrade account.
- Head to “Funds/Account transfer.”
- Click “Funds Transfer.”
- Click “Wire Transfer.”
- Fill out the request form.
If you request a withdrawal before 2:00 PM CST, the broker will process it on the same day. Any request made after that time will be processed the following day.
However, you need to be aware that SogoTrade charges customers for withdrawal via wire transfer. The fee for each domestic transfer is $25 and goes up to $50 for an international transfer. SogoTrade will deduct the fee from your withdrawal amount.
How do I get approved for Options trading at SogoTrade?
You can log in to your brokerage account and choose the “Account Profile” or “Margin Options Upgrade” menu. In both menus, you will find the “Margin / Options Upgrade” option, where you can request approval to conduct Options trading.
It takes one business day for SogoTrade to decide on your account. You will receive the notification via email. If you have any questions, you can email the Options trading support team at Options@SogoTrade.com.
Does SogoTrade offer an EvoShare program?
Yes. The EvoShare program, however, is only available for SogoTrade clients residing in the U.S. EvoShare is a cashback program in which you can earn money from making everyday purchases in any partnered merchants.
If you link your SogoTrade account with your EvoShare account, your cashback will be deposited into your brokerage account immediately. It is a practical way to fund your account.
Pros
- Discounted commission for frequent traders
- Easy to use trading platform
- Good customer service offering telephone and live chat support
- Comprehensive support to Chinese speaking customers
Cons
- Product portfolio is limited to stocks, ETFs and options trading
- Mobile platform is basic
- High withdrawal fees especially for non-US clients
- Only basic research provided
Fixed spreads
Variable spreads
Stop losses
Limit orders
One-click trading
Trailing stops
Expert advisors (EAs)
Virtual private server
Direct market access
STP broker
ECN broker
Market maker
Price alerts
Signal trading
Watchlists
Charting tools
iOS App
Android App
Windows App
Major Stock markets (US UK Germany)
Indices
Penny stocks
Forex
Majors
ETF
CFDs
Bitcoin
Commodities
ETFs
IPO
Options
Futures
Bonds
Hong Kong stocks
Japanese stocks
Listed on Stock Exchange
Scalping
Hedging
Demo account
Islamic account
Micro account
Standard account
VIP account
Zero spread account
Managed account
Credit cards
Bank transfer
PayPal
Neteller
Skrill
Electronic wallets