Thanks for responding. I'm interrested in UK and USA markets. I've read horror stories for just about every broker, I realise it's a trade off and am not certain which to prioritise as i'm a novice. It seems to me commissions are always important for profit with limited funds and experience (making small trades). From what i've read customer service can be cruicial if your unlucky but as I understand it even if they have great customer service it's doubtful you'll get any money back when they make a mistake.
I did look at IB but they require $10000 deposit and i have approx $4200 to start with, otherwise i'd go with them as they seem to be the most rated broker and mainly favourable reviews despite their customer service. Is there another broker like IB without the $10k restriction as I like the low commissions and variety available. I'm currently looking at 'think or swim' the canadian brokers that were recommended by someone on this site but mixed reviews elsewhere as usual. They mainly deal with options but i've heard these are more difficult to trade than stocks, is it recommended for a novice to launch into trading options or stick with stocks for a year or more?
Thanks for the help