Arrrggh. Speak to me slowly today. Late night. Drink. Not used to it anymore.
Who am I? Am I going to be late for work? Oh it's ok I haven't got a job. Phew.
I nearly didn't do an update - the allure of lying in bed was nearly too much. But I'm a professional damn it!
Babysitter said "Stay out as long as you want".

Course she'd say that - who wouldn't like to be paid £10 an hour to watch TV?
So out we went to meet some friends for theatre and a meal. Unusually we weren't going to one of my sister's theatres but we were off to see Enron - about the fall of, erm, Enron.
Got a cab with plenty of time to get there. But it was hacking down with rain which steadily got worse along with the traffic and once we got into Town the traffic just seized up.
"Not seen it like this for years," said the cabbie. Was the recession over with then?
No, apparently it was all down to Alice in Wonderland! The stars of the new movie were out on the red carpet but caused traffic jams for miles around.
The upshot was after sitting in traffic for more than an hour (while the meter of course is still going) and £30 lighter for a three mile ride we got to the theatre 15 minutes late - our friends were late too along with about another 50 late arrivals.
We were all herded into a room and were allowed to watch the show on CCTV until gradually we were allowed to take our seats at breaks in the performance.
So I can't tell you what the first half hour of it was like but the rest of it was brilliant.
The Enron share price is displayed throughout the show as it goes up and up before of course coming crashing down.
The show explains well using clever imagery how the company build on nothing simply locked all the debt away inside another company - the debt was symbolised by nasty alligator men who grew and grew.
Some hilarious scenes as executives invented more and more ways of hiding away debt.
All they needed to do, they thought was to keep the share price high and everything would be ok in the end but of course they soon entered a crazy world of complete denial.
"Analysts" come in for a real pasting here. Of course they were the ones helping to ratchet up Enron's share price by issuing continuing "strong buys".
They were completely taken in and never bothered to properly research the company.
If you go and see this show you will never believe what an analyst says again.

In fact over the years I have been in the market I've learned they nearly always talk crap and often have an agenda. It's their job to get share prices up for their clients. How often do you hear them call anything a sell?

Some of them are also teenagers who've never traded a share in their life.

The play seems to show in the end there was not much remorse from the executives even when they met one or two of those who had lost everything.

They even still appeared to think what they did was OK.
Anyway, a great show, so go and catch it! Just make sure you leave plenty of time to get there..

Oh, and also expect to want to sell every share you have the next day.. after all ... could you be holding the next Enron?
A cab after the show to an extremely posh Chinese restaurant. However we were a bit late for the booking, well only 15 mins arriving at 10.45 instead of the 10.30 booking.
We were welcomed by: "Last orders are now, you have five minutes to order!"
Rushed to our seats with menus thrust into our hands and the waiter poised. Too much pressure! Looks like the chef was very keen to get home.

You can imagine it in the kitchen. "Tell those bastards who were late to order fast or else they get nothing!"

Lucky for me Mrs NT ordered and our friends had been there before and knew what they wanted.
This restaurant is so up market the items on the menu don't even have a number by them! However the food was excellent and we loved it!
It was lovely to see friends Gursh and his lovely wife Satinder. Gursh is also my dentist so when I ordered a coke I did get a raised eyebrow .. but honestly I have one very occasionally as a treat!

And I know they are a big destroyer of teeth and I'll probably pay with yet another root canal shortly!
Gursh was telling us about the explosion in teeth whitening in this country. It's common in the USA and if you don't have white teeth over there you are considered an outcast..
But he said funnily enough it's addictive and once someone has the whitening done they want it done time and time again.

And not only that even if they are really white, people get obsessed with getting them even whiter!
Well I don't care. I think yellow is a lovely colour. In fact my favourite colour so indeed surely my teeth should be in my fave colour?

After a great evening we were kind of forced out by various glares from staff members who wanted to go home. I guess you can't blame them.
Anyway we rolled home in the early hours after such a lovely evening. Us people with kids really appreciate these evenings!
Paid the babysitter £70 plus a tenner for the cab! Now I must bill the makers of Alice in Wonderland for part of the cab bill.
Awoke this morning at some horrible hour with Christopher yelling "cock a doodle doo" at me using an empty toilet roll cover as a megaphone.
That was some coming back down to earth. That's it gotta sleep now... ow.
Thanks for the continued feedback from the last seminar, some lovely mails, much appreciated because as you know I put a lot into it.
My next seminar is on Friday March 19th at Heathrow so if you couldn't make the last one maybe you can make this one.
If you're interested in coming then email me at robbiethetrader@aol.com with "March seminar interested" in the subject line

I'll then send you details and a full agenda of what is covered. Also more details below somewhere. There is a decent early bookers discount available but not for much longer, indeed it is about to end!

My seminars are designed for beginners, dabblers and improvers and deals with everything from how to look for winners, how to research, spreadbetting, level 2 use how to time trades and short, how to use advfn properly and run your portfolio without having to spend money on systems and tipsters.. and tons more.
A lot of the day comes directly from the live markets and I show you many of the tricks I use to get good prices live. And there might even be the odd live trade or 2! E-mail me for details.
The number of emails to me is nearly reaching saturation point and I'm struggling! I'm getting 100s which is lovely in a way but killing me in another.
The main problem is the length of some of them, indeed some run to the length of novels, so, please, help save my eyes and please keep mails to under 150 words.. you can do it! It's close to the stage where I am going to have to say I will answer all mails but those over 200 words will get deleted. Keep them short and sweet, please!!
Also, it's possible the answer you seek from me is already in FAQ's. And do remember I can't discuss individual shares with you as it would be classified as investment advice which I'm not authorised to give.
Spreadbetting firm Tradefair Spreads has upped its offer exclusively to Naked Trader readers to a £100 credit. This offer is exclusive to me and not available anywhere else...
I've been using them for a few weeks to check that I'm happy with the service. As you know I don't take ads or allow referrals on the site unless it's a company I've used and I feel confident about.
What I like about it is it's easy to use, spreads are surprisingly tight on the smaller companies and interestingly an automated stop loss is applied to each trade - so beginners know what their max loss is from the outset.
Anyway they now offer a £100 credit as long as you deposit £100. You get the credit after you placed 2 trades (Terms and conditions apply)
If you'd like to apply for an account with Tradefair Spreads and get the freebie click this link:
http://www.tradefair.com/promo/spreads/nakedtrader100/
MF Global offers a free £2 bet on the FTSE to all readers.
To take up the offer either click the MF banner you should find somewhere on this page, or cut and paste this link into your browser and you can sign up online:
http://tinyurl.com/c524ku
Terms and conditions obviously apply
Many of you enjoy the cheap advfn toplists bronze deal through me as do many of you with the cheap level 2. However many of you say you want a half-way house to include real-time share prices always on.
So I'm pleased to announce I've managed to seal a new deal with Advfn for its "Silver" service - that's always on real-time share prices for a good saving (Bronze toplists etc are included in this).
The deal is via me you can save £30 for your first year by paying just £138.06 inc vat via me instead of £167.47.
Just mail me for full details if you'd like it with "silver" in the subject line.

Those of you looking for some extra income could be interested here:

http://www.ei42.com/Nakedtrader/ then click "earn money" on the rhs.

So for free you can sign up and get this shopping site for yourself. What's brilliant is any product you want type it into the search and it will come up with it, which store it is at and where it is cheapest, then buy it and earn commission on your spend!
Everytime you buy anything yourself on your site you get commission.. So if you normally shop online anyway it's a no brainer: just use your own site instead of going direct and get some commission every time you shop.
Then you just get some friends to sign up and get their own site too - when they do online shopping using their mall, you get commission too. Simple as that.

They've just re-published "The Zulu Principle" by Jim Slater who's written a 2008 update at the beginning.
This is a brilliant classic book. Reading this is a real pleasure and it was a great idea to republish.
Jim believes like I do the best gains can come from smaller stocks and in an easy to read style takes you through how to evaluate smaller companies that are about to become bigger ones - he uses some excellent examples.
Really this is a must read for all more longer-term investors or anyone looking to grow their money... a number of you have also written to me about this book and praising it.
Here is the link to buy it:
http://books.global-investor.com/books/167207.htm?ginPtrCode=10453
Here's a very topical one: The Little Book of Bull Moves in Bear Markets by Peter Schiff.
The book is all about how to keep portfolios up in a down market. He focusses a lot on how to play commodities and win with some sensible advice especially on natural resources and precious metals. He is very much a realist and there is no rubbish here: some straight talking and some interesting strategies.
Everyone who invests should think seriously about keeping portfolios up in bad times so this book should be read.
Well worth picking up at this link:
http://books.global-investor.com/books/271958.htm?ginPtrCode=10453
To order my new book Naked Trader 2 for next day delivery click this link... or the cover of the book top right!
http://books.global-investor.com/books/27120.htm?ginPtrCode=10453
I've had heaps and heaps of praise from many of you regarding The Financial Spreadbetting book.
The book really seems to have helped a lot of you understand spreadbetting a lot more than you did. You say it's really helped you with ideas too. The writer deserves commendation. With the ability to go short so important in these volatile markets, it's a must read. To order click this link... http://books.global-investor.com/books/23307.htm?ginPtrCode=10453
Several people have asked me for a recommendation on a book which shows how to study accounts in a reasonably easy way. The one I like the most is http://books.global-investor.com/books/15717.htm?ginPtrCode=10453 by Robert Leach. Ten crunch questions to ask before buying any company.
It' s a decent easy-to-read book with several key chapters and it's highly recommended. It's one I keep and dip into from time to time. To order, click this link... http://books.global-investor.com/books/15717.htm?ginPtrCode=10453
The best book on charting and easiest read on the subject is http://books.global-investor.com/books/15618.htm?ginPtrCode=10453 by Alistair Blair. Click here -> http://books.global-investor.com/books/15618.htm?ginPtrCode=10453
Another good one is the second edition of http://books.global-investor.com/books/23792.htm?ginPtrCode=10453 by Peter Temple. Included in this one is how to use spreadbetting, CFD's warrants and trackers to reduce risk. And there are some decent trading strategies too.
This is an excellent book for new investors and also experienced ones. It explains all the things you may not be sure about in the markets and will explain the tools that are there. To order The Investors Toolbox by Peter Temple (new edition) click the following link for delivery in 24 hours... http://books.global-investor.com/books/23792.htm?ginPtrCode=10453

**** BOOKING FOR MARCH 19TH AT HEATHROW NOW OPEN
Fancy spending a day with me, learning all the ways I have learned over the years to find good shares and play the markets? Well, you can at one of my seminars!
Booking is now open for the next Naked Trader seminar on Friday March 19th
Price is £495 plus vat. However right now there is an early booking discount!
That includes three course lunch, coffees, snacks etc. And most importantly it covers choc bars and fruit gums too.
The seminar is mainly aimed at beginners and dabblers though improvers are welcome too.
Topics covered using live market feeds all day include: Market psychology, level 2 - a simple guide to how to use it for better timing; how to value companies; finding companies that are about to rise. I will also cover techniques for handling events such as the recent meltdown and volatility.
Spreadbetting: How to use it to gain an edge and go short. Market makers - how they work and how to beat them; how to stop losing money and make it instead and plenty more.
How to plan trade entries and exits - how to research companies and understand reports, plus all those niggly questions you always wanted to ask. How to set stop losses and targets. Charts and how to use them.
Also covered: Market maker tricks: How to spot tree shakes and use them in your favour, How to tell when NOT to buy a share. I use live ADVFN all day with lots of level 2 and looks at all kind of live market data.
The idea behind the seminar is SIMPLICITY. I don't use jargon or fancy words - everything is in PLAIN ENGLISH! No question is too stupid and the event is held in a friendly relaxed and supportive environment.
The idea is you will come away from the event I hope a wise and better investor with lots of new ideas. I try and translate complex topics into easy bite size pieces. I also aim for it to be entertaining as well as instructive.
If you are interested please e-mail me at robbiethetrader@aol.com with "New Year seminar interested" in the subject line and I will send you full details of the event including comments from those who have come to previous seminars and you can then decide whether you would like to come. See you there!
One seminar attendee Clare wanted to write a testimonial about her experiences at the seminar which follows now!
"I've just come back buzzing from one of Robbie's seminars. What a day! He's just brilliant, and manages to pack an awful lot into one day, and with his enthusiastic and humorous delivery the day just flies by. There are no gimmicks, no sell, no "˜get-rich-quick' promises, just his own solid, sound approach which he has learnt over the years and which works.
He shows you how to minimise the risks and maximise the profits and points out the banana skins on the way. Where the seminar really comes into its own is when he teaches using live level 2. Hearing him talk through his thought processes and reasoning is invaluable, and really brings home everything from the book. He has endless patience answering peoples' questions, and really seems to care that everybody understands.
On top of that, you meet some really nice like minded people and swap e mail addresses, you're plied with
chocolates and coffee all day, have a great lunch and spend the evening getting tiddled with Robbie in the
bar afterwards! You might even get to see the amazing crocodile boots . . . .
Don't worry about the cost, it's easily worth it, and you'll soon make it back with your new-found investment skills, and in what you're no longer losing. If you're thinking of going along to his next seminar, whether you're a novice or an experienced trader, don't hesitate ""just go!
Thanks Clare, did you want the tenner in cash, or will a cheque do?

Exclusive One Point Spread, £250 Cashback Offer

Still a massive response coming in for the sensational 1 point indices spread offer plus £250 cash back on losses - my mail box continues to be full of enquires - don't miss out!
I have arranged a deal with a spreadbet company that gives you just ONE POINT spreads on all the major indices and very tight spreads on everything else. A one point spread is just amazing and you can use it on the FTSE, DOW, Nikkei etc...
Not only that, I can offer those of you interested a fantastic £250 cash back on any realised spreadbet losses made within your first 8 weeks. That means you get back any losses up to £250 which could come in extremely handy.
If you'd like the details of this offer just mail me at robbiethetrader@aol.com with "£250 cashback offer" in the subject line. This really is a great offer which will have a limited lifespan so if you want it, get cracking!

I've started using Tradefair for spreadbetting - I like the auto generated stop losses which help to maintain discipline and that's good for beginners I think. And exclusively for Naked Trader readers they upped the offer to £100 credit.
So there's now a £100 credit on offer for anyone opening an account via me. You get that after 2 spreadbets (terms and conditions apply)
To get the offer, click here:
http://www.tradefair.com/promo/spreads/nakedtrader100/

The BBC is reportedly going to cut costs. You can imagine how easy that would be. Just cut a lot of middle management jobs - ie the people who sit around and do nothing all day except emailing their mates and going on facebook.
But no. Instead of course they will cut anything that's good or different. Like the website which is great - oh and the only radio station that really is different - 6 Music. A station that is actually interested in music and not presenters who talk crap all day and don't play any.
It's to be expected - after all the people in charge of the cuts are going to be the very people who sit around all day providing nothing and they of course will look after their mates. It was ever thus!
Oh and they will also stop buying the superior US stuff. Goodbye to mad Men then.
Hurrah we're out of recession! Yes, instead of going up 0.1% we're up by .. 0.3%!!! Get the bunting out!!
Of course none of us with any sense believes we are really out of the woods yet. Just wait till the VAT increases etc feed through the system..
I'm hearing reports some councils have been giving themselves parking tickets!
And you could not make this up - they then appeal against the tickets.. to themselves. And even worse, turn down their own appeals and end up at a tribunal! Another tick that this country really is run by idiots.
It's sad to see Portsmouth go into administration and I feel sorry for the fans.
But what a terrible way the club was run - how on earth did they think they were going to pay back £70m debt? They were paying one player £90,000 a week and yet average attendance at the ground is only around 20,000.
The books were never going to add up - shame it wasn't stopped a bit earlier on.
Well done to our next door neighbour Fulham FC for its magnificent win over the holders of the Europa Cup. An amazing achievement for Fulham which operates on a way smaller budget than its rivals.
If you press "Sports" there is a preview of the weekend's sports betting action and a look at the weekend games.
Get to grips with sports spread betting by opening an account with Sporting Index. . Click the link below to find out more.
http://www.sportingindex.com/?tpid=6755
Do remember if you do bet you ought to treat sports spreadbetting as entertainment - and expect to lose! Also with spreadbetting work out what your max loss could be and make sure you can afford it! In other words if you say backed the favourite at 15 for a fiver and they come nowhere your max loss is £75.

Michael writes:
I wish to thank you for a really fantastic seminar. Compared to the average newspaper pundit//broker/analyst you're worth your weight in gold. Sorry, even better, make that platinum not gold!

It was great to be able to witness you at first hand going through the actual nuts and bolts of your methodology, your thought processes even. And then, watching you trading and giving us access to your real time trading accounts as you trade. You're a very inspiring, generous, accessible and completely down to earth bloke. All in all, that seminar was a masterclass.
Thanks Michael - good to meet you and good luck.
Dan writes:

A big thank you for the seminar, you're an absolute trooper to keep
going to such an unsocial hour, especially with the last bunch of us
propping up the (closed) bar! It's a new record for you, although I
think I'd keep that one a secret otherwise your next seminar might be
a 24 hour bender!

It was a great day, really informative and yet strangely relaxing! Met
some very interesting characters and now just hoping I don't get a
case of amnesia, and forget the whole lot before I start trading. If I
do I know where to come.

Hope we didn't drain you too much and you get some TLC and chill out
time with your lovely wife Elizabeth and Christopher over the weekend.

I'll keep you posted should my trading take-off otherwise if you never
hear from me again I've probably packed it all in, and emigrated with
a lovely Swedish girl to live in a log cabin!

well, I hope you get to that log cabin and you and Swede will end up happy together...
Andy writes:
It was great to hear how much you all enjoyed South Africa as it brought back some good memories. I went in '94 to see a friend who was working in Cape Town. I had 4 weeks there and enjoyed every minute. We spent the first and last week in and around Cape Town, plus two weeks on the 'Garden Route'.

I agree having someone to show you around is a huge bonus. Some of my favourite things were: Drinking Mitchell's beer at the Waterfront, which is made using a combination of bitter and lager yeasts (later we visited the brewery in Knysna), catching the train down to Simonstown & visiting the Naval Museum, seeing the Penguins at Boulders Beach, drinking at the Brass Bell in Kalk Bay, driving scenic Chapmans Peak drive, wine tasting at Stellenbosch vineyards, the botanic gardens at Kirstenbosch, climbing the Lion's Head, canoeing on the Breede River, camping at Addo elephant park, driving over the Swartberg Pass with Massive Attack on the stereo, visiting the Kango caves, whale watching at Hermanus, chilling out at Tsitsikamma National Park ... and so much more. No wonder you're going back next year!
Hi Andy you remind me I can't wait to return but have to wait till December!!
Barry writes:

Barry writes:
Just great to here how much you enjoyed your holiday in South Africa. I sold up my investments in 2007 after making good profits using the knowledge I gained from attending your seminars and reading your books and of course spending many many hours on research and monitoring prices via ADVFN.
The proceeds I used to buy a piece of land and having a 2 bed roomed thatched bungalow built on Gondwana Game Reserve a 5 * game reserve near Mossel Bay, on the garden route in South Africa. I think that all investors must have a purpose to their investing, whether it be educating your children, a financially sound retirement or upgrading their home. This was always my dream which I have now achieved.
So many thanks for that. Having worked very hard at making some profit would you mind if you could give a plug to Gondwana (www.gondwanagr.co.za) in that we have some great offers on at the moment for visitors this summer and still about 7 plots left of the 96 plots in the 11,000 hectare reserve. Some of these plots can earn an income being part of a rental pool where the homes are used as hotel accommodation.
As I sit on the management committee then your readers can contact me direct barryvernon@btinternet.com to get the inside information and the best possible deals for their holidays or investment opportunities

I think we can safely say, Barry, plug done!!

I have 3 great offers from ADVFN. First great deal: If you want level 2, though me it is only £299 for your first year including VAT!
This compares to £360 PLUS vat from ADVFN direct (£423) so this deal saves you over £100! ADVFN level 2 also includes all the live trades made through Plus Markets which I find invaluable.
To accept this great deal just e-mail me at robbiethetrader@aol.com with "Level 2 offer" in the subject line and I will tell you how to get it. Level 2 for only £299 for a year (including vat), or under £25 a month!!

Deal two is ADVFN's bronze subscription - normally £60pa - available from me for only £40! That's a saving of £20! You get access to the premium bulletin board which contains my discussion forum with direct access to chat to me and some very good traders.
Plus you get ADVFN's premium top lists which I talk about in my book and think are a must for finding great stock picks. That includes great lists like ex dividend dates, market maker buys plus chart breakouts and downs.
To take up the offer, e-mail me at robbiethetrader@aol.com with Bronze in the subject line and I will tell you how to claim the deal.

Deal three is ADVFN's silver subscription - for those of you who want all the benefits of Bronze AND always on real-time prices.. no more using the back button and getting frozen out!
The deal is via me you can save £30 for your first year by paying just £138.06 inc vat via me instead of £167.47.
Just mail me at robbiethetrader@aol.com if you'd like this deal with "silver" in the subject line.

Want to try out broker Selftrade superb trading system for no risk? You only have to trade once to get £50 bunged into your account! You get £50 and I get £50.
All deals are just £12.50 with no funny small print. They also charge £35 plus vat pa for all accounts. Follow this link...
http://tinyurl.com/57hp4n

The volatility continues and probably continues to irritate a lot of traders by taking out their stops before merrily going up again.
Unless you're a good day trader these conditions can be tricky. Still, some good strong rises seen recently. Can the market break out here and go up strongly? I still have doubts and feel at best markets are about fair. Then again I'm not sure massive downside is there either. Perhaps we'll just go sideways.
Anyway for better or worse as they say here's a taste of what I've been up to.
I've nipped a few Hardy Oil (HDY) getting 1,000 at 215.9. I made a great deal on these early last year but topped up at the wrong time and got surprised by a dry well losing some profit and over a grand on the top up. I don't often return to things I got wrong for fear of revenge feelings etc but I did notice volume picking up ahead of next Thursday's results so on that basis I've been tempted. It's actually still moving up smartly on good volume so hoping there is something better on the way and that it's been oversold. Target 300 stop 200. Well, look, if there is no oil at all at least my max loss possible is £2,159!
I bought some more Axis Shield (ASD) at a lower price than I bought them earlier this week. I only noticed I had some more this morning - I had put a buy order for another 1,000 on the order book at the sell price but never thought I would get them. I didn't get them all but I find I bought 369 shares then 432 to make the weird total of 801 shares at 368.25. Well thanks whoever sold me those.
I'm trying a short in Imagination (IMG) again.. took a small loss on the last one but though it's a nice company I still think it's a tad overated so I've tried again this time for £15 at 248. Stop 265 target 200.
And I'm shorting Hunting (HTG) after results. Made a lot of money in the past on this one and I like this one too but for just now it looks again just a tad too high and so I've gone in at £10 at 604. Target 550 stop 615. 600 looks like a barrier for a bit. Both these shorts I'd consider relatively short-term given both companies are long-term strong with plenty of cash.
I've taken a loss on BATM. The trade never really looked like it was going to work and I did have doubts when placing it. 309-3 Still, it's ok because better to take a small loss quickly which is what I try and do so anyway it's gone at 40 for a loss of £216. One to come back to another time.
I've had a good run with Beazley but it just seems to be running out of fizz now so exited at 115 for a profit of £360. Xaar has done bog all and I just got bored! So I'm out at 82.6 for a loss of £218.
Very pleased with the progress of some of my holdings.
PZ Cuzzons gets the star award, up 30 pts now from my buy price and still heading higher. Even nicer as it was supposed to be a slow steady winner! And a dividend coming too!
Carclo appears to be attracting good buyers - it should also get a promotion to the small cap index next month which ought to give it a further boost.
Kentz has announced yet another contract win and I hope this will get another lift from results due shortly.
SDL has flown up with profits of nearly £1,500 in double quick time - however results are due so here's hoping there is nothing bad in there. Aminex is being buffeted about crazily by the market makers - looks like they are enjoying pushing people in and out of it ahead of news. I'll just stay put and see what happens.
Microgen reported a great set of figures which showed at worst it should be trading about here and best, should be higher. One to hold onto. Micro Focus goes well. RM has gone above 170 which looks bullish.
Dimension Data has gone up even more strongly over the last couple of days after its excellent statement and now up more than £3,000 already on the big spreadbet I have on it and more than £1,000 on the standard trade.
My lovely trebler Petrofac is booming and has soared well back over 1000. Little Asterand doing ok so far. The long-termers all look pretty settled for now.
Some very decent dividends have come in this year including a massive one from Telecom Plus and Microgen and also from Treat, Dimension Data, PZ Cuzzons and others building into quite a tidy sum.
Where on earth is the market going? Could be an interesting week next week if it breaks out to the upside or downside, either way a watching brief is going to be necessary.
I've been getting e-mails regarding my use of direct market access and who I use. I've tried a few and for me the easiest system for me is here:
http://www.igmarkets.co.uk/?QPID=1079&QPPID=1
Direct market access means you can place orders directly onto the order book bypassing brokers and market-makers with a chance to buy at the "sell" price. I would suggest you ensure you know what you're doing first but IG does provide much education with its "tradesense" educational tool which comes with it.
I also use its spreadbetting service too along with other firms like Tradefair because it now provides trailing stops which to me is a pretty sensible way of trading. Link is here: -
http://www.igindex.co.uk/?QPID=1078&QPPID=1
that also includes a pretty decent educational programme. As usual before opening accounts please read all the warnings on the sites. You can lose a lot of money if you're not careful so pay close attention to them and make sure you always understand what you are doing and what your potential losses are.

I've also started using Tradefair for spreadbetting - I like the auto generated stop losses which help to maintain discipline and that's good for beginners I think. And exclusively for Naked Trader readers they upped the offer to £100 credit.
So there's now a £100 credit on offer for anyone opening an account via me. You get that after 2 spreadbets (terms and conditions apply).
To get the offer, click here:
http://www.tradefair.com/promo/spreads/nakedtrader100/

If you want to get the contents of The Naked Trader website into your mailbox instead of waiting for the update to come through, plus exclusively news on the progress of my SIPP from the old Sunday Times column inc new higher risk Aim buys made for that, e-mail me at robbiethetrader@aol.com with SIPP in the subject line for details of how to get it.

Want to quit the rat race? Try and start a new source of income so one day you can tell the boss to stuff it? You could do what I did to escape my grotty office job and become an independent distributor for the Utilities Discount Warehouse.
You get to sell great broadband, phone packages and energy to friends, relatives, contacts and anyone else you find and you get cash for each sale but more importantly you get a cut of their spend EVERY MONTH for as long as they are a customer!
It's called residual income and is a far better way to enjoy a ripe old age than relying on a pension. Because even after you stop selling the money STILL comes in!
I still get paid EVERY MONTH for sales I made back in 1999! Every time a customer uses broadband or the phone or switches on a light you get paid.
It's a great business and backed by a stock market company (Telecom Plus), a dedicated team of advisors.. and me to help you on your way!
Not only do you get paid out every month for each customer you can take on distributors. encourage them like I do and get paid on their sales as well.
One day, say you could made redundant, needed a year off or wanted to retire early can you imagine what joy it is to have the regular income coming in. It's wonderful.
You have to work at it, but if you do genuine repeat wealth could be yours. I did it. You can too. For full details, why not email me at robbiethetrader@aol.com.
An overview is also available at http://www.telecomplus.org.uk/fabdeal you can sign up directly there but do tell me!
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Trade tables follow! Trades are current open and recently closed trades. Closed trades feature the closing price and the amount I won or lost. All others are open. Trades get updated a little later than the narrative. Trading costs are ignored, however I also do not add in dividend payments and with the kinds of companies I buy, dividends tend to equal or outweigh costs. Spread rollovers ignored for web purposes. Tables as accurate as poss however a mistake or two can creep in and very occasionally if I forgot I sold or bought something it will be added at a later time.
Trades first reported Weds and Fri afternoons under "Markets" section.. afraid I can't do live trades as that would turn me into a tipster and I'd have to be regulated!