depot / securities account
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securities account
An account at a bank or broker in which securities such as stocks or funds are held and traded.
Er hat sein Depot bei einer Online-Bank, um seine Aktien einfach zu verwalten.
He has his securities account at an online bank so he can easily manage his stocks.
'Depot' comes from French and means 'Lager' (storage place/warehouse) or 'Ablage' (place for putting something away). This one basic idea connects all the meanings: a place where something is kept, whether it is securities, vehicles, or artworks.
Die wertvollen Manuskripte lagern sicher im Depot des Archivs.
The valuable manuscripts are stored safely in the archive's depot.
You can recognize which meaning of 'Depot' is meant immediately from the context. Words like 'Aktien' (stocks), 'Fonds' (funds), or 'Bank' point to the financial meaning. 'Bus' or 'Straßenbahn' (tram) indicate the vehicle depot, and 'Museum' or 'Kunst' (art) indicate art storage.
Er prüft täglich die Kurse der Aktien in seinem Depot.
He checks the prices of the stocks in his securities account every day.
In the financial context, 'Depot' (securities account) is often used with certain verbs. You can 'ein Depot eröffnen' (open a securities account), 'führen' (maintain), 'verwalten' (manage), or 'auflösen' (close/liquidate).
Um mit Aktien zu handeln, müssen Sie zuerst ein Depot eröffnen.
To trade stocks, you first have to open a securities account.
In connection with vehicles, 'Depot' is often used as part of a compound noun to specify the type of depot, e.g. 'Busdepot' (bus depot) or 'Straßenbahndepot' (tram depot).
Am Tag der offenen Tür konnte man das neue Busdepot besichtigen.
On the open day, you could visit the new bus depot.
bank / bench
'die Bank' and 'das Depot' both belong to the area of money and finance. 'die Bank' is the company where you can have accounts, transfers, or loans. 'das Depot', on the other hand, is a special account where securities such as stocks or funds are held. You can have a securities account at a bank, but the bank itself is not a securities account. The words can be confusing because both come up in conversations about investing money. For the institution, you say 'Bank'; for holding and trading securities, you say 'Depot'.
In ihrem Depot liegen mehrere Aktien und ein Fonds.
There are several stocks and a fund in her securities account.
Die Bank schickt mir jeden Monat eine Übersicht über mein Konto.
The bank sends me a statement for my account every month.