My grandparents in Canada transact with Questrade and fancy shorting the FTSE SmallCap Index.
- EWU (iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF) and EWUS (iShares MSCI United Kingdom Small-Cap ETF) don't support options, but they would've liked to buy Put Options.
Options No.
They shun short selling without hedging with a protective call, as your loss is potentially unlimited. "Never did any floor trader I knew sell any stock short without owning calls as their hedge".
UK small caps aren't cross-listed or have Depository Receipts on any North American exchange.
How else can they short these ETFs? Doubtless it's too unproductive to short singly the small-cap UK stocks in the ETFs, even if I open an account with another brokerage.
As you’ve discovered, the most popular online brokerages in Canada allow you to trade on Canadian and U.S. exchanges only. If you want to trade in London or Frankfurt, you’ll need to open accounts with one of the few brokerages offering access to global markets and allowing you to trade in foreign currencies, such as HSBC InvestDirect and Interactive Brokers.