Update: BPI Trade account

Yesterday, I received an email that my BPI Trade account has been activated - a day after I received an email confirming that the bank has received the documents which my Branch transmitted to them. (I should go and thank sir Vic again). Not bad - 10 days processing.

While waiting for my BPI Trade account to be enrolled in my existing BPI expressonline accounts (which will make funding the trade account much convenient), I will familiarize myself with the BPI Trade platform. Really, I can not wait. I even can trade in mutual funds and fixed income through the platform. Yay! So excited.

Here is a screen capture of my account.


Below is an excerpt of the email.




The excerpt:

Greetings from BPITrade!

Welcome to BPITrade. You can now Sign-In to www.bpitrade.com using your nominated user ID and password.

Your BPITrade Bank Account is now ready to receive your initial investment. Please deposit your initial investment to the BPITrade Bank Account that we have opened in your name. To view your BPITrade Bank Account Number, please logon and go to the "Portfolio" screen.

IMPORTANT: Please note that your initial investment will be the funds that you will use to purchase stocks,fixed income instruments, and mutual funds and DOES NOT represent a balance requirement. The monthly average daily balance (ADB) requirement for your BPITrade Bank Account is Php 500.00 to avoid the Php 150.00 standard service charge. This ADB requirement takes into account only the funds that are in your BPITrade Bank Account and excludes the funds that you have invested in Stocks, Government Securities and Mutual Funds. Funds in your BPITrade Bank Account earn 1.75% interest per annum. Deposits made to your BPITrade Bank account shall be reflected in your Cash Position in BPITrade the NEXT trading day.

There are four (4) ways to fund your BPITrade Bank Account.

> Through the Branch : Go to any BPI Branch and make an Over-the-Counter deposit straight to your BPITrade Bank Account Number.

> Through BPI Expressphone or the ATM : You can transfer funds into your BPITrade Bank Account from any of your BPI Deposit Accounts or BPI-Family Bank Deposit Accounts through these facilities. Enroll your BPI Trade Bank Account by calling 89-100 or visiting your branch of account.

> Through www.bpiexpressonline.com : Enroll your BPITrade Bank Account in BPI Express Online and transfer funds from your other BPI, BPI Family Bank or BPI Direct deposit accounts. Click on My Portfolio and Enroll your BPI Trade Bank Account as an Additional Savings Account. If you are not yet a BPI Express Online client, please go to the website and enroll now.

> Through Telegraphic Transfer from your bank, or through any BPI Express Remittance Center located outside of the Philippines ( BPI SWIFT Address for Telegraphic Transfers : BOPIPHMM) .

To take funds OUT from your BPITrade Bank Account, you would simply need to log-in to BPITrade, go to our Services Menu and fill-up our Withdrawal Request Form. We will then transfer the funds within the same day to your regular BPI/BFB Deposit Account which you nominated as your Beneficiary Account upon Application . Cut-off for this withdrawal request is 11:00am (Philippine time, GMT +8).

If you would like to deposit stock certificates or transfer your existing stock position from another broker, please send us an e-mail at bpitrade@bpi.com.ph and we shall gladly send you instructions on how to do so.

Should you have any further queries, comments, or suggestions, please feel free to get in touch with us through the aforementioned e-mail address.

Thank you for choosing BPITrade.

Very truly yours,

Maleen S. Feliciano
BPI Trade Online Team

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[Image via BPI Trade]

Is it time to buy?

As my friends and I usually say when we trade stocks especially when buying, we say 'It's shopping time!' Now, is it 'shopping time?'

A resounding YES! Let me explain why it is time to buy stocks NOW. I will show you WHY by using illustrations from the Philippine Stock Exchange.

Miko Sayo said, when he talked about stocks in one of my MBA classes, that generally The Philippine stock market shows a cycle of boom-bust in 10 years. He said this in the early 2006 AND he said that time that 2007 will be a bull market in the Philippine stock market - looking back, he was right.





Shown below is the Philippine Stock Exchange's index (PSEi) from 1996 - 2008. It is an interesting study of a typical stock market volatility.

The above graph shows that stock investments are best be done with long term in mind. If an investors want to trade through the stock securities volatilities, then an active portfolio management and perhaps, complicated trading processes, are NECESSARY. But for average investors like me, long term is the way to go.

Now, let's take for example the stocks of Philippine Long Distance Company (PSE: TEL). A year ago, it traded at P3,000, now it is trading at P2,200 AND four months ago, it even traded as low as P1,850! A decline of almost P1,200 in the stock's value!

Once my BPI Trade account is activated, I am buying TEL and so much more.

Folks, it is shopping time!

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[PSEi image from http://finance.yahoo.com/]

CitisecOnline Easy Investment Program

For those who have been wanting to venture into Online Stock Trading, but just do NOT have enough extra CASH for the required opening balance, well here is your CHANCE!




CitisecOnline is offering an affordable program for everyone to participate in the stock exchange. For as low as P5,000 in cash you can open an account for their COL Easy Investment Program.

For additional information click here AND for the application form click here. Let's take advantage of this program while it is still being offered AND while the market is still reeling.

It's shopping time!

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[Image is from www.citiseconline.com]

what happened at BPI today => i went & registered a BPI Trade account

All over the world, financial markets are down - the stock markets, the futures markets, the commodities markets - whatever market you can think of, it's down!

Thus, the million dollar$ question is, is it the RIGHT time to buy? [This I will address in the next issue]

The point is WHETHER it is the RIGHT time to buy, a prudent investor should always be ready. Hence, I am readying myself to be able to take opportunities the moment they arise. **Imagine a frog flicking it's tongue immediately (at the blink of an eye, eherm, tongue) at an insect when it appears** That is my how I picture me now (still far from looking like a frog though). Better yet this picture says it ALL. That is ME celebrating *wink*wink*








So yesterday, I signed up in the Bank of the Philippine Islands' stock trading platform. It is called BPI Trade. I promised someone to share my experience in opening the account, but before that let me tell DDDDD reasons why I choose BPI Trade.

1. BPI has the best online banking platform and processes. It is much better than BDO's which is just a step up from traditional banking.
2. I have heard good things about BPI Trade from friends who have been using it. Using the platform actually made these friends invest more, and hence save more.
3. I like it that trascations in BPI Trade will directly be credited/debited to my BPI account unlike traditional brokerages where you have to wait for the brokers to send you the check for the stock proceeds.

Now, so yesterday, I filled up the application online and the Web site instructed me to print the form AND together with other documents (photocopy of passport, SSS ID, or any 2 allowed ID) submit it to my BPI Branch. My Branch is the one in Cubao Supercentre - the one in front of Shopwise and beside AliMall.

Today, I went there and it was a very FUNNY experience. The branch doesn't know about BPI Trade. Yay! A good thing the branch manager was there and very accomodating. I explained to Sir Vic, the accomodating branch manager, the BPI Trade - BPI branch relationship. Mainly

• I need to submit to the branch the printed form which I filled up online.
• This is for the branch to verify my signatures (total of 5 in the BPI Trade application form)
• If I am not an existing BPI account holder, then I need to open an account right there and then.
• But since I am a cardholder, the branch needs to attach a photocopy of my account's signature card to the BPI Trade application form
• Then the branch has to forward the complete form to BPI's Fulfillment Banking (whatever that is)

It was fun though. Funny that I have to inform the bank about one of its products. Sir Vic promised to send the form right after I submitted it to him.

Now, let's wait and see how fast BPI's Fulfillment Banking works and how soon I get my BPI Trade account.

Thanks Sir Vic!

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[Image from www.telegraph.co.uk]