Can a person on H1B Visa invest in the stock market (open an account with a major broker and trade himself?
819275
Yes.  The US stock markets are open to all.  And you are not restricted to the US; large brokerage houses have the capacity to buy and sell on all the free-entry exchanges around the world.\n\nYou will have to fill out US tax forms as a resident, though.  Sorry.  It's called "pay to play."
513210
Yes. The stockbrokers in India to US stocks. Just contact any brokerage firm in India.
633577
Same as anyone else does! \nWhy would they not?\nWe live in a global economy; 24/7. \nIt matters not where in the world someone is, or what currency they use. As long as they have a globally recognised card (Visa, MasterCard, Amex etc) they can use on-line brokerages, (most of whom are also global) to trade on any market they want. The French bank that I work for in Italy, allows it's customers (including on-line customers) to trade on all major stock markets, around the clock.
726154
Almost all brokers offer a US dealing facility.  You will pay a little more than for UK trades and they will also ask you to sign a W8-BEN form before accepting any US orders.  That is a tax declaration required by the US authorities.  Once you're set up you can buy and sell online, just like you do with UK shares.\n\nIf you want really cheap trading you can open a US dollar account with a US broker.  I use TD Ameritrade, they have have always been excellent and I can buy and sell US shares at $9.99 per trade (about £6 per trade).  They have a special site for UK based investors.
17606
Assuming you live in the US investing in the share (stock) market is as simple as:\n1. Opening a brokerage account with one of the brokerage firms such as Wells Fargo, TD WaterHouse, Ameriprise with a deposit of say $1000 and start buying and selling shares online.\n2. Initially you could buy shares upto your deposit amount\n3. As you build assets you will be eligible to borrow against your assets and buy stocks on margin even if you don't have cash in the account. This is a risky strategy and should be employed by experienced investors
444422
You should be able to, go to the state where you invested in property immigration website.The Treaty Investor Visa permits citizens of certain countries to reside in the United States through an investment in the U.S.A. The investor must come to manage or oversee the investment. \n\nThe Treaty Trader visa is the same as the Treaty Investor visa except that it involves qualifying trade between the US and the treaty country. Instead of investing the qualifying activity is import/export of goods or services.
1014884
First you need to write a business plan, no one is going to invest in someone without a business plan.\n\nThen decide on how you are going to finance the whole thing. Raise money from private backers, finad a silent partner, banks are not the only places you can raise finance from. Your current visa status could have an impact on your ability to get a loan from a bank, but private money wouldn't care less.
348595
You go through a broker.  Since billions of foriegn dollars are invested in the U.S., it's obviously possible that you can add your money to the pool.
1013609
Uhhh- yes, you can.  I personally like and use Ameritrade, as it has a pretty good commission structure, and I have been happy with them thus far.
410774
Some foreign companies have their stocks listed on US stock exchanges. These stocks are classified under "ADR's" or American Depository Receipts. Or you can buy mutual funds that hold a portfolio of stocks. Also some brokers allow you the flexibility of buying foreign stocks which are specified with a ticker symbol. Figure out what you want to invest in, then go from there.
368524
You can do that.  When you buy stocks from a broker, the certificates can either be held "in house", or they can be sent to you on your request.
537401
Difficult.  The US Treasury will keep assessments of this sort of information but it is not made public.  Investments are made through brokers and the name of the underlying client is confidential, unless subject to a court order.\n\nAny foreigner investing in the US market has to fill in a W8-BEN form for the IRS which clarifies their tax position.  You might be able to come up with a figure by approaching the IRS and asking if they release summary data from these forms.
970915
I asked my stock broker, Fidelity, about this.  You have to have a tax id code before you can open an account.  This is obtained from the U S government.  Fidelity also said that they would only open an account for a foreigner, if that person was in the U S.  I do not know if that applies to all brokerages or not.
709063
Assuming you sell the stock for a gain and you hold the stock in your own name (not an IRA, 401k, etc.), yes you do.  You can't do a like kind exchange as you can with assets like real property.
284557
Yes.\nJust open an account in ameritrade.com
682035
I do not believe that you can, but call Etrade and ask them if they have the ability. Many foreign stocks however are traded on the U S pink sheet if they are not traded on an exchange. A couple of other options open to you are to trade the foreign indexes or to trade the mutual funds that specialize in foreign markets.
582212
Go ask some of your large broker houses in the US if they have access to the Australian Market. I know that some of our brokers in Australia offer the service for us to directly purchase US stocks.