Market guide
Investing in United States
The world's deepest equity market — 6,000+ listings, the most liquid ETF universe on earth, and the home of the global tech complex.
01 — Market overview
The shape of the market
Exchanges
- NYSE
- Nasdaq
Headline indices
- S&P 500
- Nasdaq 100
- Dow Jones Industrial Average
Top sectors
- Information technology
- Financials
- Healthcare
Currency
- USD
Regulator
- SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission)
Market capitalization
- ~$67–69T (NYSE + Nasdaq, end-2025)
02 — Ways to invest
What you can actually buy
A non-exhaustive inventory of instruments available in this market — stocks, ETFs, ADRs, REITs, bonds — with notes on access.
- Stocks
- Open to non-resident retail via international brokers; 6,000+ listed companies across NYSE and Nasdaq.
- ETFs
- Largest ETF market globally — VOO, VTI, QQQ are the core long-term holdings. Over 3,000 ETFs listed.
- Mutual funds
- Open-end MFs widely available to US residents; non-residents default to ETFs to avoid PFIC issues.
- ADRs / DRs
- Hosts ADRs for hundreds of foreign companies — Infosys, TSMC, Nestle, Alibaba.
- REITs
- Mature listed REIT market (~$1.4T); trades like stocks via the same brokers.
- Bonds
- Treasuries via TreasuryDirect (US persons) or any broker; corporates and munis via broker.
03 — Access & brokers
How a foreign retail investor gets in
Brokers that serve non-residents
- Interactive Brokers
- Charles Schwab International
- Vested / INDmoney (India fintech wrappers)
Choosing a platform? Compare Vested, INDmoney, IBKR & Rovia →
KYC & onboarding
W-8BEN required for non-residents; passport + address proof; no SSN needed.
Notable restrictions
PFIC rules can punish non-US holders of US-domiciled funds in some jurisdictions. US estate tax applies above $60k of US-situs assets for non-resident decedents — and there is no US-India estate-tax treaty.
04 — Tax & regulatory
What gets taxed, by whom
Headline tax treatment for foreign retail investors. Specific situations — large holdings, real-estate-rich entities, treaty residency — can diverge. Always confirm with a qualified advisor.
Capital gains
Residents: 0/15/20% LTCG. Non-residents: generally exempt on US-source capital gains (with exceptions for real estate and US-trade income).
Dividend withholding
30% statutory; 25% under the US–India DTAA for Indian-resident individuals after filing W-8BEN.
India DTAA
Yes — 25% dividend withholding for individuals; foreign tax credit available in India via Form 67.
05 — For Indian residents
The India-specific angle
What changes when you're investing from India — LRS eligibility, Indian feeder-fund options, and the tax / reporting gotchas you should know upfront.
Eligible under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme
Indian residents can remit up to $250,000 per FY to invest here, subject to 20% TCS above the threshold.
Indian feeder options
PPFAS Flexi Cap, MOSL Nasdaq 100 FoF, ICICI / Mirae S&P 500 FoFs — subject to SEBI / RBI overseas-investment caps which periodically halt fresh inflows.
Caveat / pitfall
Schedule FA reporting required for any US asset held during the FY. US estate-tax exposure above $60k for non-resident decedents — a real planning issue once direct US holdings get large.
06 — Drill down
Pillar guides on United States
Four deep-dives we're writing on how to actually execute in United States. Each becomes a full article at /us/[slug].
07 — Tools
Related calculators
Free Vested calculators relevant when you're investing in United States.
- RSU take-home calculator →Estimate INR take-home after perquisite tax, surcharge, and cess on a vesting RSU tranche.
- LRS & TCS calculator →Compute the 20% TCS on LRS remittances above Rs 10 lakh and how much actually lands at your broker.
- US capital gains calculator (INR) →STCG vs LTCG, the 24-month rule, and Indian tax on US stock sales with currency conversion.
- Form 67 / FTC calculator →Compute foreign tax credit available on US dividends and net Indian tax owed.
- Schedule FA helper →Compute initial value, peak value, and closing balance in INR for foreign-asset disclosure.
- US ETF SIP calculator →Project a multi-year US ETF SIP corpus in INR and USD with FX drift baked in.
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