(For those of you who missed my write up of the amazing South Africa holiday click "Holiday Heaven" under Diary Archive on the left).

There won't be any updates next week (Wed or Fri). Friday because of course it's the seminar.. the reason for no update on Wed is sad news. I'll discuss in a moment.
It's still a little hard to adjust to the cold after the warmth of South Africa - indeed seeing the test match yesterday reminded me of SA as the test was being played close to where we were staying. Great finish!
Still, we just booked the hotel again all the way from Dec 12th this year through to Jan 3rd 2011! I guess that shows how much we enjoyed it. It'll be about £6,000 just for the hotel but it's worth every penny.
Managed to get young Christopher to school - he loves it. We've been swimming most nights till bedtime which has been lovely and he's turning into a really good swimmer already. I didn't even learn till I was 8.
Even though I paid the school now right up till he's 13, I got a bill for £2.50 for the nativity play! Whether that was the entrance fee I shall never know. Anyway, I paid cash!
Can't wait to meet you all at the seminar on Friday (15th).

Unusually there is still some space as it's so early in the year, so if you fancy a day out with me and the live markets next Friday, email me for details and this time next week you could be watching me trade the markets with you.

If you can't make Friday the date is now fixed for the next, Friday March 19th. There's an early booking discount for that one, again mail me for details. Mails to robbiethetrader@aol.com with either "January, or March seminar interested" in the subject line.
I just love doing these days. Part of it for me is meeting people who come. Those who make the effort do so because they really want to change their lives and that inevitably makes them interesting.
I also love not really knowing what's going to happen on the day, what will come up. I especially enjoy the later session trawling through lists to see what new things to find. And best of all is unearthing your stories, your victories and mistakes.

I hope you all enjoy the day...Doors open 9.30am - coffee will be ready for you from 9.30am before we start at 10am. Just follow the signs.

Just come into the room and give your name or email address to Mrs NT who will be sitting at a table on your left as you come in so she can register you. Don't forget no suits or ties please! It's a relaxed event so suits and ties are banned!

I'm hoping to cover as much as I can in the time and it is likely to be a late finish though I rather hope not as late as the last one! Hope to see a few of you in the bar afterwards. I know my gin and tonic is going to taste good!

Everything will be live from Friday's markets so who knows what'll be happening except there is always something interesting going on and things to learn. And it's good for me too because I always ending up finding or coming across one or two good shares I might not have done.

Anyway, see you all there.. if you're a bit late, don't worry.. Mrs NT will sort out a seat for you.

If your eyesight isn't good and you find yourself at the back let Mrs NT know as there is space around the front and you can bring up your chair.

At the last two seminars I've struggled to finish anywhere near on time so it'll probably go on much longer than 5pm. Probably much, much longer! Remember no question is "too stupid" on the day - it's your day so if anything troubles you, just tell me!

I take everything slowly and in plain English so I hope everything will be reasonably easy to follow and you'll learn some of the tricks I've picked up from over 10 years of trading. There have been a lot of friendships made at these events and some traders groups formed which is terrific.

I hope you all have a good day and we will see where the live markets take us.. See you there!!
Because it's at Heathrow all the roads should be open so getting to the event I hope will be ok.
If you can't make it maybe see you for the Friday March 19th one.
OK onto something quite tough for me to state but..
There is no update on Wednesday because of a very sad reason: the funeral of my father who has died, just two years after my mother died.
I don't really want to talk about this and what happened just yet, but it really was a sad waste of a life - he was addicted to alcohol and drugs for all his life and was never really a father to me in any normal sense. I looked after him as best as I could.
I tried to forge some kind of relationship with him and saw him every week. Even then it was tough knowing he didn't care or know what I did and it was the vodka he wanted to see and not me.
The funeral will even more sadly be just me, sisters and partners because he never made any friends. His only friends were booze and drugs. The funeral is going to be horrible.
I'm also having to clear things up at the house and have found some things that have upset me.
I would ask please don't send me any condolence emails - rather than being comforting as I found with my mum they just create extra pressure for me at a difficult time.

So please no emails on this however kind your intent will be. It really just does make it worse for me. As I said it will do be good to write about this a little more, but maybe when a bit of time has passed. It's going to be a distressing week for me.
I know one thing: that my son will have, I hope, a supportive father in me, someone he can always confide in. I will always be interested in what he does and ensure he has a real father figure.

**Seminar news **
The next seminar is next Friday Jan 15th. Which will have to be called the "Happy New Year" seminar. There are still seats available if you'd like to come and you can pay at the door on the day. Otherwise I have a new date of Friday March 19th at Heathrow.
If you're interested then email me at robbiethetrader@aol.com with "New Year seminar interested" or "March seminar interested" in the subject line and I'll send you details.

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!

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.
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://promo.tradefair.com/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.
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

****HAPPY NEW YEAR JANUARY 15TH SEMINAR BOOKING NOW OPEN**
(NOVEMBER 27TH NOW SOLD OUT)
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 January 15th
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://promo.tradefair.com/nakedtrader100/

Don't know about you but I'm getting a bit bored with the "live" snow coverage on the news channels.
In the gym today Sky and News 24 were on and you've got to feel sorry for the reporters having to talk.
"Look it's really cold here.. er.. there's snow..." That's about it. They then have to waffle on endlessly and it gets pretty boring. OK, it snowed, get over it!
Those Labour politicians are so hopeless they can't even organise a coup. Thing about a coup is you're supposed to tell a few people before you announce it. You can't have a coup with just two.
The whole thing just shows that these idiots are only bothered about
Some good news at last! Jonathan Ross has "not renewed his contract". it's fairly obvious he wasn't offered enough money.
His stuff had really got lame with just innuendo etc and no hint of any real wit or any interest in his guests.
Let's hope the Beeb spend the saved money by making something decent because there's nothing good on.
This Celeb BB has been the best so far. And I think the producers have unwittingly come up with a way to eventually stop all crime.
In the last episode they punished Basshunter by on a loop playing one of his crap singles. That is some punishment!
so, instead of just locking people up in prison, give any offence four weeks inside. But instead of just locking them up, lock them in a room playing the same complete rubbish on a loop,
Bet you they wouldn't ever want to go back into prison again. Punishment would depend on the crime.
For minor crime you'd be forced to listen to Kylie Minouge. Then we go up in scale to Basshunter, then a song sung by the latest X Factor winner. For really bad crimes it would be Coldplay.
For the worst crimes of all, it would be I'm Not In Love by 10cc. Pretty nearly as effective as capital punishment.
Star of the show continues to be the lovely Stephanie Beacham.
"Are they calling that coffee?" she asked staring at what looked like a tin of Tesco Value Instant. I'm with her. "Yer," says Vinnie. "I'm make yer a nice latte."
Latte if you don't know what it is is what most people drink here which is a large cup of hot milk. Yuk. If you want proper coffee ask for a small dry cappuchino. That tastes of coffee, it's better for you and cheaper.
I'm quite warming to Heidi. After all, she put men together who wanted to pay for sex with women who wanted to provide it. So what? It should be legal. After prison the BB house must be a breeze.
As for Rolling Stone's ex Kat - how dreary is she? How on earth did he put up with that for nearly 2 years. Can't have been worth dumping his wife for, surely?
As to who's going to win, as I said this is set up for a gambling scam and I'd be looking to back anyone where there's a sudden reduction of odds for no reason. Sisko could be an interesting bet though.
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.

Richard writes:
Everyone and his uncle is presuming a tory win (let's hope so too, for sure) but perhaps not imagining a potentially very different outcome, i.e. all Brown has to do is to state that, either before or after the election ,he will immediately be handing over to pretty boy Milliband and it's bye bye new tory and hello new labour (government) mark two - Cameron is praying that Brown (a) stays in his post and (b) doesn't promise a handover. I'm sure there's a low risk spread bet on that one somewhere!

Hi Richard. Yes probably! But I think in the end the Tories will get a small majority - and the main thing is we will never have to see Brown again.
Simon writes:
Simon writes
From one parent to another with children of similar ages I thought I'd run an issue past you. My daughter Lotty (started schools this year) has been starting to learn French. I think it would be much better for her (and ultimately UK economy) if she was learning Spanish.

Chinese would be more useful but it's difficult to learn and afterall we are Europeans. Spanish is a more widely spoken language than French, developing countries such as South America, Mexico etc.. speak Spanish, Britain is in the service industry these days and going forward so learning a very useful foreign language is key for children.

Out with french and in with Spanish. I emailed David Cameron and suggested it to him a few weeks ago- no reply as yet. What do you think? Most parents don't think it's a concern which is fine I suppose.

Simon I tend to agree but you could equally argue Polish could be handy! Spanish is spoken more widely - indeed Christopher has French lessons. You wonder at an age where kids can learn fast whether they could do both. There also seem to be a number of bi-lingual kids at his school where the parents already speak another language. I just feel bad I only speak English and a bit of rubbish French. How lazy is that?
Phil writes:
Just read your update and the mention of Articulate made me laugh

I met my wife over a game of Articulate at a New Years gathering six years ago

We still play it today with anyone who will join in

If you have two people on the same wavelength (like me and 'er indoors) you can do well by guessing what the other is gesticulating about

Hi Phil good to know you're both on the same wavelength, I guess that helps. It's a great game!!

Jimmy writes:

I have just finished reading your book The Naked Trader. I bought it in a bookshop, I at WH Smith's at Monk's Cross Retail Park in York, where I live. I have to say that it was worth every penny. It is very informative AND entertaining. So thank you for writing it.

I have been trading on and off for the past 12 years ( I'm 43 years old). The biggest satisfaction I got with reading your book was that it confirmed to me what I was doing right, and also what I was doing wrong. Thankfully, I was doing more things right than wrong. Of course I learned the hard way (or the expensive way) over the years. The horror stories in your book were interesting, because anyone who has traded for long enough will have made the same classic errors. It really made me giggle. It's like watching someone trip and fall flat on their behind. It's not really funny when you stop to think about it because one can really get hurt... but you can't help but laugh when it happens, especially because you've been there yourself. I think that even if you're a seasoned trader, reading The Naked Trader is a MUST READ. You'll learn a thing or two and have a good laugh
Thanks Jimmy, I love the stories true and they are all real!!

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...
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Goodness me. An amazing start to the year so far with huge profits rolling in. However they are only on paper and it's not really a profit till it's banked.
I have to say it's getting quite tempting to sell the lot and take the massive profits by the end of January and then relax and do some origami till September.
I'm getting back into the swing of things after my long break.
First off I bought one on a spreadbet (because it's an AIM stock). As those of you who get the mail about my pension dealings I've held this in my SIPP for quite a while and already up 40%. However I think there is more to go and as it's now a reasonbly sized company I bring a trade in this onto the website.
The share is Avanti (AVN) and I got some early doors this morning - £10 at 482. The Times this morning quotes broker Cenkos saying it thought the satellite broadband provider was worth £13.58 a share! Well, here's hoping though I take that target with a large pinch of salt. Mine is a medium term 650. Stop 420.
New Brit (NBPO) has proved an excellent buy and hold and I'm in profit by around £4,000. It started rising nicely and with one or two larger trades coming in prompted me to do a top up and I bought another tenner a point at 417. This one has already gone well and it's up nicely today. target 550 stop 395.
And I also topped up on another excellent winner Spirent (SPT). Bought this at 67 and it's pushed well over 100. Some decent buying here so I topped up on the spreads for £30 at 106.5. Target 120 stop 97.
I used spreadbets for the last two trades because I'm out of cash in the ISAs!
With the shares going so well I am really loath to take profits in anything - but I did just topslice a little of the Centamin spreadbet at 135 after a very good run. For the website then that closes the 124 spreadbet for a profit of £330. Remain holding the rest.
Elsewhere I see some very large buy orders in on Carclo (CAR) on the order book which could signal a nice rise any day. Someone is keen to buy around 100,000 shares - if they decide to bite the bullet and buy the shares off order book there could be a nice filip. Anyway they are nicely higher now than the 127 entry. And the buyer is still waiting in the wings so a rise up to 200p is on the cards I think.
Other recent buys go well: London Capital up yet again with nice profits there now.
. Gamble Aminex has nearly hit 13p today which means it's now officially a double on my first buy position! And it means profits are up and over £8,000. Very nice.
Recent spreadbet Heritage has boomed - with quick profits of £600 in just a couple of days. Afren goes well though I guess 100 might prove a hard barrier for a bit.
Micro Focus just rises everyday and another good rise today - going brilliantly and around £2.5k profit there now with more than 100 points profits since the buy.
My lovely doubler and a bit Chime (up more than £3k) is beginning to motor again and wondering whether it could become a three timer.
Bioquell and Dialight (two of my faves for this year) consolidate nicely at higher levels. Both have the potential to really steam up once they start moving. have both performed well. Outstanding profits on Dialight now.
Porvair has also been going well - looks like a buyer picking up chunks of 50,000 there - interesting.
One of my faves Microgen is showing signs of another run up - picked up a nice div of over £1,000 there and it's doubled since I bought the first lot. .
Intec Tel Sys is going for it nicely today with an excellent rise which looks like a breakout..
The various doublers and treblers I have all look in good health for the new year - Petrofac especially. Alterian looks set for another run after my treble there and still more or less trebled there. XP Power is a confirmed trebler now and the top up also 100 pts higher.
Well, it's all looking remarkably good but I would be foolish if I didn't eye up taking a few partial profits at least at some stage before the end of the month. I haven't been bothered to add it up but I would guess website open profits are getting somewhere near the £80,000 mark.
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://promo.tradefair.com/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!