I’m using Interactive Brokers & interested mostly in US markets....

I’m using Interactive Brokers & interested mostly in US markets. I’m a year in & not looking to short anytime soon until I’m confident in the game but...

I spoke to an IB rep who said that they (IB) don’t allow Australian residents to short stocks (even in the US) due to restrictions by our regulatory office (I’m assuming ASIC).

So my question is: How does an Australian resident with an individual account with IB, short a US Stock?

- Are these restrictions only applied to IB?
- Does an Australian resident need to open a trust account (for example) to get around this?
- Is it easier to open an account with a US only provider?