RM100 or RM1,000 — where should you start?

This is the question that shows up most in the comments, and the short answer most people give — “just start with whatever you have” — doesn’t actually help. Because with too little capital, there’s one thing eating your money before the market even gets a chance to move: flat fees.

So let’s answer it properly, with real numbers.

The short answer

Capital	What you can do	Worth it?
RM100	Buy 1 lot of a Bursa stock priced under RM1.00	You can, but fees eat a big chunk — read below
RM500	1 lot of a mid-priced stock, or a few units of US stock	Reasonable
RM1,000	1 lot of a RM10 stock, a US ETF, and you qualify for the new user reward	The most sensible starting point

If you want a one-line answer: RM1,000 is the point where fees stop being a real problem. Below that, you can still do it — you just need to understand what you’re giving up.

Why RM100 is hard on Bursa — two reasons

Reason 1: Bursa stocks are sold in lots of 100 units

On Bursa Malaysia, you can’t buy 1 unit of a stock the way you can in America. The smallest unit is one = 100 units.

That means your minimum entry price is stock price × 100. Here are real prices from Bursa’s most active stocks:

Code	Stock	Price per unit	1 lot (100 units)
0138	ZETRIX	RM0.250	RM25
0469	GTA	RM0.355	RM36
7113	TOPGLOV	RM0.800	RM80
5352	MTTSL	RM1.140	RM114
1066	RHBBANK	RM7.900	RM790
0097	VITROX	RM9.150	RM915
1155	MAYBANK	RM10.380	RM1,038

So with RM100, you can buy a full lot — as long as you pick a stock priced under RM1.00.

But notice what’s happening on that list: stocks under RM1 aren’t big banks or established companies. They’re small caps, and small caps move far more violently. You’re no longer choosing a company — you’re choosing what you can afford. Those are two different things.

MY Heat Ranking list in Moomoo showing Bursa stock codes and prices — Prices in the app. Multiply by 100 to know the cost of **one lot**.

Reason 2: the flat RM3 fee doesn’t care how much you buy

Every Bursa stock order carries a Platform Fee of RM3, whether you buy RM100 or RM10,000 worth. Add stamp duty, clearing fee, commission and SST, and the minimum total for a single buy comes to about RM4.30.

Now look at what happens when that RM4.30 gets divided by your capital:

How much of your capital fees eat — Bursa stocks

RM100

4.30%

RM4.308.6% round trip

RM200

2.19%

RM4.374.4% round trip

RM500

0.91%

RM4.561.8% round trip

RM1,000

0.49%

RM4.891.0% round trip

RM2,000

0.33%

RM6.540.7% round trip

RM5,000

0.23%

RM11.480.5% round trip

Why does this curve fall? Because the RM3 Platform Fee is a flat amount — the same whether you buy RM300 or RM20,000. On an RM300 buy, that RM3 alone is already 1%. On an RM20,000 buy, it is 0.015%.

Over 1% — inefficient 0.4% – 1% Under 0.4% — reasonable

Rates: Commission 0.03% · Platform Fee RM3/order · Clearing Fee 0.03% · Stamp Duty RM1 per RM1,000 · SST 8%. From Accounts → All → Fee → My Fees, Standard Order plan. Check your own plan — rates can differ.

That first row matters most. Buy RM100 worth, and the fee is 4.30%. And you pay it twice — once buying, once selling. So a full round trip costs you 8.6%.

What 8.6% means in the real world

Your stock needs to rise 8.6% before you make a single cent of profit.

For comparison: the stock market averages around 8–10% growth per year. So with RM100 capital, you need a full year of average market performance just to break even after fees.

That doesn’t mean don’t start. It means if you start with RM100, your goal should be learning, not profit.

If your capital is RM100

There are two honest paths, and one I think is best.

Path 1 — just buy one lot of a cheap stock, and treat the fee as tuition. That’s fine. You get the real feeling: tap Buy, watch the position in your portfolio, feel the price move up and down. That experience has value. Just don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re “investing” — you’re paying RM8.60 for a hands-on lesson.

Path 2 — save up to RM500–RM1,000 first, while learning on Paper Trade. This is what I’d recommend for most people. Paper Trade gives you RM1,000,000 in play money with an order screen that’s identical to the real one. You can make every first-timer mistake there — wrong order type, wrong quantity, accidentally buying a warrant — without paying a cent.

Then by the time you actually have the money, your first real purchase isn’t really your first anymore. You’ve already done it 20 times.

Paper Trade screen in Moomoo showing RM1,000,000 in play money — Paper Trade — **RM1,000,000** in play money, an order screen that's identical to the real thing.

What I would NOT recommend for RM100

Buying five different stocks at RM20 each to “diversify”. You’d pay the RM4.30 fee five times — RM21.50 out of your RM100, which is 21%, gone before anything even happens. For small capital, make it one purchase.

If your capital is RM500

Now the fee drops to 0.91% per purchase (1.8% for a full round trip). Still noticeable, but now in a reasonable range.

With RM500 you have two real options:

One lot of a Bursa stock priced under RM5. This range includes a lot more established companies compared to the under-RM1 range above.

Or — US stocks and ETFs. Here’s something many people don’t realize: US stocks have no lot concept. You can buy just one unit. So RM500 can buy one unit of a US ETF or stock priced around USD100 or below.

US stock order screen in Moomoo showing Quantity 1 — US order screen — **Quantity 1**. No 100-unit minimum.

Moomoo also offers for some US stocks — meaning you can buy part of one unit. Useful when one unit costs hundreds of dollars.

US stock fees are different from Bursa

The US market’s fee structure is different from what’s shown above — those numbers are specific to Bursa Malaysia stocks.

Don’t guess. Use the calculator in the app: Accounts → All → Fee → Calculator, enter the stock code, price and quantity, and it breaks down every charge for your own account plan. How to use it is covered in the buy your first stock tutorial.

If your capital is RM1,000

This is the most sensible starting point for most people, for three reasons.

1. Fees become small. 0.49% per purchase, under 1% for a full round trip. At this level fees are no longer a major factor in your decision.

2. Your options open up wide. RM1,000 is enough for one lot of most established Bursa stocks (MAYBANK RM1,038, RHBBANK RM790, VITROX RM915), or several units of a US ETF.

3. It’s the minimum for the new user reward. If you sign up through a referral link and enter the promo code, depositing RM1,000 qualifies you for a RM150 cash reward.

Understand the reward conditions properly before counting it as profit

The reward is not RM1,500 for everyone. RM1,500 is the maximum, for large deposits (up to RM40,000). For a RM1,000 deposit, your cash reward is RM150.

And there are two time conditions you must know:

The deposit must happen within 30 days of you registering
The capital must stay in the account for 60 days for the reward to unlock

You can withdraw your money anytime with no penalty — it’s just that if you withdraw before 60 days, the reward doesn’t unlock. Full terms are on the reward page.

If we count the RM150 reward against RM1,000 capital, that’s 15% — far bigger than the 0.98% round-trip fee. But don’t make the reward your main reason to invest. It’s a one-time bonus per account; your investing decision should stand on its own without it.

So how much should I start with?

Three questions, answer honestly:

1. Will I need this money in the next 6 months? If yes — don’t invest it at all, no matter the amount. The market can drop anytime, and you don’t want to be forced to sell at a loss.

2. Can I watch this money drop by half without panicking? If not, shrink the amount until you can. Your reaction to that first real move will teach you more about your actual risk tolerance than any quiz.

3. Have I ever pressed the Buy button before? If not — do it in Paper Trade first. Ten times. Once the order screen feels boring, then use real money.

Practical suggestions

Capital under RM500 and never bought before: Paper Trade first, save up to RM1,000
Capital under RM500 but want to feel it now: one purchase only, one stock, treat the fee as tuition
Capital RM1,000 and above: open an account through the referral link, enter the code first, deposit, then follow the buy your first stock tutorial

If you want to add a little each month

Instead of saving up RM1,000 in a jar and buying once, there’s a tidier way: RSP (Regular Savings Plan). You set the amount and frequency, and Moomoo buys automatically every month. Minimum as low as 1.00 USD per purchase.

This avoids the “I keep putting it off” problem, which kills more investing plans than picking the wrong stock ever does. How to set it up is in the RSP tutorial.