Previously, HSBC InvestDirect was the only online investing service in Canada to offer online trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and provided access to North American markets online and to 30 international markets by phone.

Richard Kelln, Head of HSBC InvestDirect said: "We are living up to our promise as part of 'the world's local bank' to bring the world to Canadian investors."

Doug Rowat, Senior Equity Specialist, Private Client Investment Team, HSBC Securities (Canada) Inc. said: "Many Canadian investors feel comfortable keeping their portfolios close to home but this behaviour often doesn't work in our favour. Sticking close to home and ignoring geographic diversity can add significant risk to your portfolio because the Canadian market is limited, constituting less than 4 per cent of the developed world's total market capitalization, the performance is tied to resources and the fate of your Canadian portfolio is determined by just a handful of stocks with ten stocks dominating the TSX index."(1)

In order to make trading internationally more comfortable, HSBC InvestDirect offers:

• Access to online international quotes in real time from the Hong Kong and London exchanges and delayed from the Euronext Paris and Frankfurt exchanges.
• Multi-currency settlement in 10 different currencies to protect against currency risk
• Company news and international charts for historical performance on stocks listed on the Hong Kong, London, Euronext Paris and Frankfurt exchanges and global market research from the HSBC Group, Morningstar and Standard and Poor's.
  

Access to the additional markets has been available to select clients who traditionally traded internationally using our phone service in a test phase over the past few months. This unmatched online access is now available to all clients and over the coming months, additional resources specific to these markets will be made available on the web site including: an international exchange overview, a discussion of trading benefits and risks, and answers to the most common questions investors have when they begin trading internationally.

HSBC Securities (Canada) Inc. is a subsidiary of HSBC Bank Canada. HSBC Bank Canada, a subsidiary of HSBC Holdings plc, has more than 290 offices including over 140 bank branches. With around 9,500 offices in 86 countries and territories and assets of US$2,527 billion at 31 December 2008, the HSBC Group is one of the world's largest banking and financial services organizations.

1. There are additional risks with foreign investing and it may not be for everyone. Foreign accounting and taxation rules are often different than those in Canada. Foreign economies may be less transparent to Canadian investors and currency fluctuations can affect returns.

2. HSBC Securities (Canada) Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of, but separate entity from, HSBC Bank Canada. Member CIPF.