Hello,

I want to trade (invest) on the American stock market, buy bonds, currencies
and other equities etc. Therefore, I may want to open a brokerage
account with an American trading corporation,or I may decide to trade
electronically as an independent active trader on an American trading
site. I am a U.K. citizen, however, and so my question is: What are
the restrictions upon me as a stock market trader if I wish to trade
on American sites as a U.K. citizen?

Thanks, John

Placed a quick call to E-trade to find out and it looks like there are
no restrictions in place to trade US stocks from an off shore or
overseas base. You do need to fill out all the normal forms plus one
https://content.etrade.com/etrade/extras/ETB_w8.pdf
that form pretty much states everything you need to do. According to
the broker since there is no 'list' of restrictions it would be safe
to assume that there are none.

You may want to have your broker say as much in writing when you open your account.

This is not legal advice....  :-)

I don't think they care.  As long as you give them American Dollars
they will let you trade.

Thanks for your comments. They point me in the right
direction.(Elids), the tax form is perfect.
John