Investment at your fingertips
Increasingly sophisticated mobile phone and computer apps allow people to research and trade stocks quickly and easily, writes Darana Chudasri
Gone are the days when stock investors had to do the boring homework of reading and analysing stacks of research papers and technical charts in the hope of finding worthwhile shares. Trading is so much easier today thanks to the proliferation of smartphones and tablets, and through them the availability of apps.
Investment apps offer platforms and services that enable anyone, from novices to sophisticated day traders, to do company research quickly and easily, monitor market data and pick stocks that meet their requirements. Crucial data can be streamed directly into the palm of investors’ hands any time, anywhere.
Investors can expect common features including tools to monitor stocks and manage their portfolios. However, some apps offer advanced and more userfriendly tools to ensure users make the right decisions quickly in a fast-changing environment.
Below are some useful apps and features offered by local stockbrokers.
TISCO STOCK SCAN
Tisco Securities’ Stock Scan app enables users to manage their own portfolios. It helps investors sort out attractive stocks through a smart scan, which instantly filters stocks based on criteria set by the broker to suit all investment styles — long, medium and short term. It also offers an advanced scan, which allows investors to set their own criteria for filters.
The app is also equipped with a stock search function that allows investors to seek both fundamental and technical stock information and analysis.
The app, now in the first stage, allows users to create their own stock watchlist. The second phase due soon will offer an automated trading robot, Tisco chief executive Paiboon Nalinthrangkurn says.
The robotic trading system will be able to glean the trading behaviour of investors and analyse their types — day traders or short-term or long-term investors. Minus human emotions, transactions will take place at a faster pace as the system will automatically place trade orders when required prices are reached.
The third stage, portfolio monitoring, is being developed and can be expected to kick off by year-end.
With its number of securities accounts soaring to 60,000 from 10,000 four years ago, Tisco has decided to double marketing staff to 200 and adopt technology to serve customer demand, says Mr Paiboon.
“It is the right time to adopt technology into stock trading as even elderly people can use Line, which reflects their digital literacy,” he says.
Mr Paiboon expects 90% of Thai stock trading volume will come from the internet in the next five years, up from 70% now.
MAYBANK KIM ENG LINE
Maybank Kim Eng Securities has capitalised on the large number of Line users in Thailand, more than 30 million, by transforming the social messaging application into a trading tool that enables investors to access requested stock information around the clock.
Its Line provides information only on request, while other brokers provide the same information to all Line members.
Maybank Line users must type in keywords to receive real-time information in a blink of an eye via the chatroom. For instance, users must type “SET” if they want a summary of the stock market and “PTT” if they want to know the national energy company’s up-to-the-minute price.
“Our Line can answer all questions and serve the demand of retail investors who want immediate data without a waste of bandwidth,” says managing director Kosit Boonroungkaw.
Some investors whose office computer systems do not allow them to trade stocks online can use the chat program to check their portfolios, he said.
The company’s Line will be extended to allow investors to place buy and sell orders. The new service must have a good security system including PIN codes to ensure it will be protected from online fraud and comply with authorities’ principles.
The service is now limited to the company’s customers but could be available to general investors in the future.
Around 14,000 customers are using the app after it was launched in November 2015. Almost one-third are aged 30-40, 29% aged 41-50, 21% aged 51-65, 15% aged below 30, and the rest more than 65.
Maybank hopes to develop a robotic trading system that can understand and answer customers’ questions through voice recognition instead of them having to type in keywords. The system will also be able to send updated research to customers.
“In the near future, Thai investors will have various automated trading programs that fit their needs. They will able to manage portfolio more efficiently since the automatic system makes trades without emotion,” Mr Kosit says.
The program will improve investors’ discipline by setting pre-trading conditions such as expected profit and return or acceptable loss.
STOCKRADARS
Developed by a non-stockbroker, this app is recommended for rookies as it is easy to use, simple to understand and free of charge for basic screening functions.
“While brokers were vying to provide complicated information, we decided on easy-to-read data laid out in the format of a periodic table of elements. Other brokers who earlier spurned this approach have all now changed to our style,” says StockRadars chief executive Max Kortrakul.
Mr Max started to invest in the stock market seven years ago and found there were tonnes of information to go through, most of which was too technical. It inspired him to develop an app that would make investment easier.
The app has around 150 filter signals such as stocks that hit record highs within specific periods and those that just pay dividends. It is also able to translate technical charts such as candlesticks into an easy-to-understand pattern showing if the stock market is in a bull run or bearish.
Investors can download and use the app for free for basic functions, but those who want to use advanced functions must pay an annual membership fee of 5,000 baht. Customers of Globlex Securities and Maybank Kim Eng can use the app without any charge.
The weak point of this stock screener is that it is an end-of-day data app, so certainly not suitable for day trade investors.
Launched two and a half years ago, the app now has 350,000 users aged from 25 to 72.
KS SUPER STOCK
The app developed by Kasikorn Securities is considered a comprehensive tool equipped with real-time prices, 30-year historic data, an alert system, stock screener, research, news, technical charts and fundamental data including financial statements that can track back to five years and key financial ratios.
The app’s functions are feed, comprising news and research; market, which has a favourites menu of global markets and most active volume and value in the Thai market; scanner; portfolio, indicating customers’ portfolio value, credit line and profit and loss; and alert.
The favourites menu includes real-time price quotes and volume, news of favourite stocks and alerts when there is news related to targeted stocks.
Investors can also see financial charts and data, plus the ratios of favourite stocks. They can also set a stock scan function.
Stock alerts can be set by price, volume, research, news, corporate action, financial statements and documents. Market alerts can be set for market summaries, investor summaries, the first trading day, KS strategy and fund flow accumulation.
KS Super Stock’s market summary is available when the stock market opens and closes, while the first trading day alert sends an alert one day ahead of the first day of initial public offerings.
The advanced feature sends alerts for stocks in strategies set by assistant managing director Kavee Chukitkasem and managing director Padermpob Songkroh and the broker’s analysts in terms of fundamental and technical details.
Customers can access different functions of the app depending on trade frequency and value. Customers who are not active for six months are limited to only price alerts and market functions, while active users can access stock alerts and the scanner.
“There is no free service any more. We carry costs to provide premium services and keep a step ahead of other brokers,” Mr Kavee said.