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What you can trade in

With both our Sharedealing account and our Stocks & Shares ISA you can trade in most UK and Irish equities listed on the London Stock Exchange, UK government securities (gilts) and a range of UK listed Exchange Traded Funds.

What are stocks and shares?

Stocks, shares and equities are all words used to describe the same thing. A share is a small part of a company and when you buy shares you're essentially buying a stake in that company - making you a shareholder. When the value of the company goes up or down, so does the value of your shares.

Shares are usually bought and sold on a stock exchange, the main one in the UK being the London Stock Exchange. But the general public can't do this directly - which is why you need to use a stockbroker or a Sharedealing service like ours.

How risky are stocks and shares?

Share prices change based on what investors 'feel' a company is worth - it's quite a subjective thing, but it's loosely based on supply and demand. The more people who want the stocks, the more they cost - and visa versa. This means that stocks and shares can be pretty volatile and the price can change at the drop of a hat, going down as well as up.

Important Information

The value of investments (and any income received from them) can fall as well as rise, and you may not get back some or all of what you invested. For some investments exchange rate fluctuations will have greater impact to the value of shares depending on their level of exposure to overseas markets.

Any investment should be considered as a medium to long-term investment - so should be held for at least five years.

Early withdrawals on fixed term products could mean you may get back significantly less than you paid in.

The value of the tax benefits depends on your individual circumstances - and tax rules may change at any time in the future.

The information on this site definitely isn't advice - we don't give financial advice. If you need any, you should speak to an independent qualified financial advisor.

If you apply direct, without first receiving advice, you should understand that we are not required to assess the suitability of funds for you. So, you won't be protected by the FCA's rules on assessing suitability, if you have any doubts about any investments, please speak to an independent qualified financial advisor.

Register for Sharedealing

Existing Customers

If you've got a 1st Account and use Online Banking, registering is simple - log on, select 'Apply' and then 'Sharedealing'.

Register now for Sharedealing

If you would prefer to speak to us, please call us on

Available Mon-Fri 7.30am - 7.00pm


New to first direct

This product is only available to first direct Current Account customers.  (you're more than welcome to join us...)

More about our current account

Before you apply

Before applying, please take the time to read through the following:

The UK FSCS Information Sheet and Exclusions List is relevant to cash balances maintained within the product account.

You can find general information about financial products and managing your money on the Money Advice Service™ website.