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Your Investment Options
We offer access to a wide range of investment options, including funds, exchange traded funds (ETFs) and individual shares.
Read more about the investments we have available and how our research tools could help to find the right investment for your needs, along with details of associated fees and charges.
Please remember that the value of investments and the income from them can fall as well as rise, and you may get back less than you invest.
Ways to invest
Investments
- Shares – Invest in a company
- Funds – Have a stake in multiple investments
- Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) – Track the market
- Investment trusts – A collection of investments that form a company listed on a stock exchange
- Bonds & Gilts – Stability and fixed returns
- Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPAC)
Investments we offer
Do you need help deciding what types of investments are best for you? Discover our wide range of investments on offer.
Shares
Own a slice of a company
When you invest in a share you basically invest in to a small part of a company. Usually investors use a stock exchange to buy and sell shares. The prices of shares on the stock exchange change throughout the day based on the supply and demand of that particular share.
International shares
With Lloyds Bank you can invest in not only UK shares but a range of shares from other global markets such as: New York, Paris, Frankfurt, Milan, Amsterdam and Brussels.
Lloyds Bank does not have direct access to all overseas markets (for example the Japanese market). You may still be able to invest in an international share that we do not have direct access to by using a depository receipt. Depository receipts represent when you hold a share listed on a different overseas market. When you wish to use a depository receipt to invest in an overseas share, just head to our research centre and search for the name of the company using our global search tool.
Before trading US shares
If you are looking to invest in U.S. markets for the first time; you will need to complete a W8-BEN form and the NYSE Subscriber Agreement which can be found on our International Trading page.
Please note, if you are looking to invest in U.S. markets for the first time you will need to complete and return a W8-BEN form (PDF, 68KB).
- Completing and returning a W8-BEN form:
You can email a form to us, or you can return it by post to:
Customer Services Department
Lloyds Bank Share Dealing
12 Wellington Place
Leeds
LS1 4AP
- NYSE subscriber agreement:
- When dealing for the first time you’ll be asked to complete a NYSE subscriber agreement.
Once you've completed the form and confirmed that you are not a professional investor, you will be able to trade immediately.
Key feature:
- Some shares offer a small proportion of potential profits (dividend payments).
You should consider:
- Share prices rise and fall quite a lot and can be dependant on many things such as the state of the economy.
Funds
Own a stake in multiple assets with an online commission of £1.50 per trade
Funds are collective investments where fund managers pool together investors’ money to buy and hold assets in the fund on an investor’s behalf. Fund prices are set at the end of the day rather than moving up and down through the day.
One type of fund is an actively managed fund. The fund manager actively monitors the investments in the fund to ensure that the fund achieves its expected regular income or investment growth.
There are also passively managed funds whereby a fund buys and sells investments based on pre-set guidelines (for example tracking an index). This is done with the goal of mirroring the performance of the index, market or commodity in question.
Key feature:
- When investing in funds the risk is spread across many investments. This is because the fund manager is likely to invest in lots of different kinds of assets.
You should consider:
- At some point a fund may change what it invests in, away from your preferences.
Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)
Track a market, index or commodity
You can invest in a fund that tracks an index (like the FTSE 100 or S&P 500) or a commodity (such as gold or platinum) by investing in an Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) or Commodity (ETC). They aim to mimic an index, sector, commodity or currency. A fund manager will use the investors' money to buy relevant assets to achieve this.
Please note: We are not able to trade or hold US listed ETFs.
Key feature:
- ETF’s look only to track the performance of an index or commodity rather than out-perform it, so their charges tend to be lower. ETFs are an efficient way of investing as they are exempt from stamp duty.
You should consider:
- ETFs track the market and so in theory, may not return as much as shares or actively managed funds.
Investment Trusts
Companies registered on a stock exchange that hold a collection of investments
An investment trust is another form of collective investment. If you want to invest in an investment trust you will need to buy shares rather than give money to a fund manager (like in funds). This is because investment trusts are companies listed on a stock exchange. Prices of a share in an investment trust are based on the value of the investments held but also the supply and demand of the shares themselves as it is listed on a stock exchange. This means they can be riskier investments than other collective investments such as funds and ETFs.
Key feature:
- Like shares, investment trusts are traded in real time but hold lots of different assets. This offers the potential to spread risk like funds.
You should consider:
- The price of the share you buy may be lower or higher than the actual monetary value of the assets held in your slice of the investment trust. This depends on changes in the demand and supply of shares in an investment trust.
Bonds and Gilts
Steadiness and fixed returns
Governments and companies may need to raise money (capital) and they do so by selling bonds and gilts to investors. These governments and companies will offer a fixed rate of return if investors lend them money by buying a bond or gilt. A bond or gilt confirms that any return will be paid to investors after a set time period.
Key feature:
- Bonds and gilts may provide a regular and predictable income, at relatively low risk compared to other investment types. You can trade them, so your money is not tied up in a bond or gilt.
You should consider:
- Because of the relative security bonds and gilts may offer, income is likely to be low and the value of your bonds will drop when interest rates go up. Emerging market bonds and corporate bonds offer a riskier option than domestic or US bonds.
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPAC)
What is a SPAC?
A SPAC is a company or corporation which is formed with the purpose of raising funds through an Initial Public Offering (IPO). SPACs are not like regular companies with products or services and are also known as ‘blank cheque’ investments or ‘shell companies’.
What will my money be invested in?
The money raised in a SPACs IPO will be used to buy into one or more companies and/or company assets within a particular sector, and within a set timeframe. It’s also commonplace for SPACS to still be deciding on their future investments before and after an IPO takes place.
It’s important that you carry out careful due diligence on these types of investments before investing, and if you are still unsure we recommend that you seek independent financial advice. There will normally be a charge for that advice.
Important legal information
The Lloyds Bank Direct Investments Service is operated by Halifax Share Dealing Limited. Registered Office: Trinity Road, Halifax, West Yorkshire, HX1 2RG. Registered in England and Wales no. 3195646. Halifax Share Dealing Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under registration number 183332. A Member of the London Stock Exchange and an HM Revenue & Customs Approved ISA Manager.