Hallo again!
Remember me? Had an amazing holiday in the sun - but to be back in the snow after being in the South African sunshine is weird and I feel quite disorientated, a stack of mails still to answer (sorry) and a seminar next week and quite a few other things.
Still at least we got Christopher to school this morning - the snow isn't too bad here and school is still open. He was so happy going back to school yesterday that he sang heartily in the bath for an hour!
Before anything else I forgot this seminar was so near the start of the year - it's only because my favourite hotel didn't have any rooms free till mid Feb. But it means it is next Friday the 15th. Can you believe it?
Those of you booked in should by now have had all the venue details from me, if you haven't got them please let me know asap... and if you want to send the questionaire back, please send it back to me by Saturday am at the latest as I'm working on what to cover at this seminar from that feedback at the weekend.
As this is such an early one I still have some space free - so if you fancy spending a day with me and the live markets next Friday mail me for details at robbiethetrader@aol.com with "seminar interested" in the subject line.
Look forwards to spending time with some of you on the 15th and hopefully helping you all to make some money in 2010 - or at the very least showing you how not to lose it..
Boy oh boy. What an amazing time we had in South Africa. So good we've already booked for December again for this year!
I guess in the end it's a bit dull reading about someone else's holiday so I'll try not to bore you too much!
Well. Just magical. Having heard a few tales of "be careful" and "watch out" etc any fear we might have had was quickly dissipated by the South Africans who to a fault were all charming, friendly and delightful.
We were so happy to arrive at a brilliant hotel with a great view of tabletop mountain oh and free fast internet and even live UK football games and Sky News! (Even saw the Fulham beat Man U live!)
Some stunning gardens with a riverside adventure walks - and the hotel had three resident giant tortoises, almost as big as Christopher!
There's a lovely pool with a decent gym and some fantastic food too. I can't remember one bad meal in the whole time we were there.
Breakfasts were sensational with an array of local fruit and delicacies. Probably the best breakfasts I can think of anywhere.
Christopher had a great time and none of us wanted to leave.
We enjoyed the walks to the local shopping centre where The Seattle Coffee Company which Starbucks took over in most other countries still exists and my favourite coffee, short dry cappuchino is even on the menu and not hidden away like in Starbucks.
Many seem too worried to visit South Africa because if a perceived fear of crime. This just wasn't true and we felt safer there than in say, London.
We called a reader, Ashleigh who had mailed us to say she lived in Capetown and the very next day her and boyfriend Gregg took us three to an openair concert!
It was a brilliant swing band - we all took picnics and had a wonderful time in the sun. Thanks guys, and also thanks for the loan of your sat nav.
We hired a car for most of the time so their sat nav came in very handy indeed as we drove around unfamiliar territory. Nothing like hearing "You have reached your destination" in a strange country.
Love the parking there. Parking is free everywhere - all you do is pay whoever is there with a yellow jacket on about a pound or 50p to "look after" the car!
Which they do. So not only is parking about 50p but there risk of it getting stolen or damaged is next to zero! What a great system.
Towards the end of the trip my trading friend from Switzerland Laurent and wife Nathalie and their two boys checked in at a neighbouring hotel so we soon met up with them for one or two memorable meals. And a bit of trading chatter.
Their hotel was decent too and generally service in South Africa is top of the tree. Friendly but not servile and very warm, genuinely.
In fact when Christopher's toy hamster broke down, it was quickly mended and presented back to hi on a silver tray!
In fact I must mention the food. Never had a duff meal in South Africa - all the food was tasty and good.
So, next year we're going to go for even longer from school break up day right the way through to new year and give ourselves nearly a month of extra summer this time.
There's a terrible divide between the well off and the poor in SA. You really are either doing fine and have decent money or else you have none. There seems little middle ground. It seems you either have a nice place (defended with electric fencing) or you have a shack.
Things seem to be improving though, chatting to locals, and the World Cup this year should be a big help. We heard some horror stories of what went on before apartheid ended and amazingly, though there is some resentment those treated badly by apartheid, most have in the most part forgiven.
One chap told us if a white person had crossed the pavement he had to move to the other side of the road and he told us a lot of stories of the brutality that went on.
Those with nothing do seem to make a real effort to sell things rather than just beg. Plenty of salesmen at the traffic lights. There are way more people begging in London than Capetown.
Great to see one of my favourite charities The Big Issue has taken off there. I gave tons to them over the days and indeed collected about 15 copies! I know giving them a tenner or 20 will probably feed their family for a month while lucky for me I don't need it so badly.
I got a lovely hug from my favourite big issue seller at the traffic lights up the road before we left for home. She was excited about going home for Xmas - and I know the money I gave her will make a big difference. So worthwhile and no middle man taking a cut.
I read an article in the SA Big Issue talking about giving and a quote that any man who dies rich should be ashamed. As the article says it doesn't mean not provide for family etc after you're gone but giving sensibly while alive. I agree with that.
I never see the point of people who make so many millions and then they want to make even more just to biy more stuff to show off with.
It was a bit weird to be back - going straight from summer right into a winter was strange and disorientating to say the least and it's been hard to get back into any routine.
I guess with school just started we're just about getting back into it but we definitely are going to spend as much time in the winter from now on somewhere warmer.
I think that's probably enough about the holiday but as you can now tell we are South Africa fans!
We got back Xmas Day for lunch with friends and their kids and we played the brilliant game Articulate.
Well, us adults and the teenage girls. The teenage boys were all upstairs playing computer games of course!! However an hour in, they got intrigued by sounds of merriment from downstairs. Soon the X Boxes were discarded and they began to realise you can actually play a real game with real people and have fun!
We made the mistake of letting Christopher bring his fireman's outfit which included an "extinguisher" and he spent most of the time squirting everyone with water. The extinguisher has now mysteriously gone missing.
Went to a Panto on New Year's Eve (Oh yes we did) and now I realised I've rambled on way too much and so it's time to shut my face - more on Friday!
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.
If you're interested then email me at robbiethetrader@aol.com with "New Year 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!

With Xmas on the way have a look at the shopping site I'm involved with.

I now use it to buy pretty much everything online and I get a kickback from everything I buy from places like Debenhams, Boots, Mothercare etc. Even things like parking at Heathrow, hotel rooms, anything!

YOU can make money out of this too - by simply doing your online shopping as normal but via your site (it costs nothing) and then tell friends to open their shopping site using the link from yours - you then get commission on their buys!
Have a look at this link:
http://www.ei42.com/Nakedtrader/ then click "earn money" on the rhs. So for free you can sign up and get this 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/

Of course incumbent Governments love things like a failed bomber trying to bring a plane down. Gordon would have been pleased. Makes the voting public feels scared and that's good for votes. Means you can put out a "we will look after you" type statements.
Why the hell aren't we profiling passengers properly instead of wasting time scanning an OAP visiting family or indeed a family off to Disneyland?
Search the passengers in the high risk category - everything else is pretty much window dressing.
In fact I had an idea: given all the bombers are in their 20s why not let everyone over 40 go straight through! The searching of older people is pointless.
We now have months of misery of watching politicians try and make us vote for them.
I've got a feeling there are going to be some very low viewing figures till it's all over and Brown at last gets kicked out.
However I like the Tories plans to cut bureaucracy, red tape and scrap ID cards and also spend the money in the right places. As Cameron pointed out it's all very well chucking money at the NHS - but the money's gone in the wrong areas.
Britain is facing the coldest winter for 25 years.
I already told you that would happen the moment the Met Office forecast a "mild winter".
Which comes after they forecast a "hot dry summer".
Dunno about you but I really really hope they forecast a damp cold summer. If they do I'm spending the summer in the UK!
Every year though we get a week or two of ice and snow and every year we don't have enough grit or salt to keep all the roads open. Unbelievable really. Every other country manages it.
Great idea coming out - charge drunks who go to A and E. I'd go further and have two A and E's at each hospital - Turn left if you're drunk and please swipe your debit card and turn right if you had an accident that wasn't your own fault.
I for one am fed up whenever we had to take Christopher to A and E having to mix with some horrible drunks who frankly scared Christopher .. and us.
So Xmas TV was a load of crap, even worse than last year. Victoria Wood! Is that the best we can do?
And are you fed up like me seeing the same 15 overpaid and undertalented comedians/presenters all guesting on each other#s panel shows? My life really won't be ruined if I never have to see Jonathan Ross/Ricky Gervais/Dr Who/ Gordon Ramsay/Davina McCall/Alan Carr.. etc again.
Fire the whole bloody lot of them (Copyright Alan Sugar). Poor old Graham Norton has had his pay cut to "only" £4m! (Remember we pay for this rubbish).
Not surprised the viewing figures were down. The only thing worth watching was Fulham beating Man U 3-0!
It's the last celeb Big Bro. I think I might even miss it. They ought to have cancelled the normal show and kept on with the celeb one during the summer.
Born again Christian Baldwin is fascinating and I loved the bit where he tried to charm a Jordan ex by telling him he could be the next James Bond. He bought it.
Religious zealots always use this tactic to influence targets. Flatter and flatter some more - always works.
Hard to bet on it yet especially with low voting I think like last time there will be some dodgy betting going on via syndicates and it might be worth waiting. Got to love Stephanie and could she spring a surprise?

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:
Thank you so much for a really, really useful and interesting day on Friday. My eyeballs were falling out and brain seeping from my ears by the time I staggered out at about 8:30. I don't know where you get the stamina from since you were doing all the talking all day.
You are incredibly generous with your knowledge and expertise and I hope I can do justice with all the information you provided. You probably know this already but your style of sharing information is really accessible and understandable for ordinary people who want to break out of what they are doing.

I hope you continue to have fun with what you're doing and enjoy your time with your young boy.

Thanks Richard - I'm sure "well done Robbie" mails probably are a bit grating - but thanks to all of you who came for the feedback which this mail kind of represents.
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?
Vadide writes:
Before you fly away to your african trip (lucky you!!) I wanna thank you
for the great performance last friday!! :-)

I really enjoyed your seminar . Your seminar did what it said on the
tin! Brilliant!

Thanks Vadide, I do try and deliver and glad you felt it was a useful day. i really enjoyed this one - you lot in the audience were terrific!

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.

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It feels like about a century since I wrote about the markets! After making some huge sums in 2009 my aim while on holiday was to actually have a holiday and not spend all day on the laptop.
I surprised myself by letting go and did hardly anything except check in from time to time just in case. Mrs NT was amazed. "What the hell," I said. "I can afford some losses.." Of course I said it way too smugly and it would have served me right if all my stocks had crashed. Take that you smug git!
Some days I never even looked at all. Amazing. However given the portfolio was packed with strong stuff there wouldn't have been much need anyway.
While I am no forecaster I do reckon this year could be quite flat and picking the right stocks is going to be important. I'm going to guess markets will end up not doing much this year.
I think with low interest rates and QE we're unlikely to see another really massive crash but equally I can't see where the massive upside is coming from either once the current money has gone in.
But I do think some individual companies could have a good year and I hope to be in those. Indeed some of the companies I had a lot of success with in 2009 could have further upside to them which is why I'm still sticking in there with some of them.
If you push me the three companies I'm most interested in for 2010 are Dialight, Carclo and Bioquell, all have big potential although risks with all three too. But I'm after 50% upside at least from all three.
Mainly I bought some small caps as at the start of the year with fresh fund money going in they tend to rise.
I'm also not keen on high volatility stocks at the moment as they take so much time to look after.
Ok, so the long list of small caps I've been buying include Carclo (CAR) which I've been in and out of for a number of years. It's always promised to deliver but never quite but this time perhaps is its time and I've bought back in - actually at a higher price than when I last sold it.
I've picked up 2,500 CAR shares at 127 before I left for my hols. What's interesting is not its current figures which aren't so great but the possibilities of its Conductive Inkjet Technology. The company says it expects substantial revenues from this and if it's right the price could go a lot higher. A problem here is the price is controlled by just two market makers who swing it about at will so getting an entry/exit can be tough but I expect to hold tight from the entry price unless the story changes for the worse. Indeed I expect to hold for some time to see how the story unfolds. Target 250 stop 110.
Sometimes (not often) free money drops in. Small cap London Capital Group (LCG) issued a profits warning just before I went on holiday. I had a look at it and became very interested because despite the warning they still said they were going to make £6m. With panic selling going on the market cap fell below £40m. That was well oversold and I put an order in on the order book at 106.25 and again a little higher. I got 2,500 at 106.25 and 2.500 at 110.25. I never expected to get the shares at that price but blow me down, I did! Since then they've risen back up to 130 and I think they're still worth a bit more. So I do expect to take profits pretty soon. Target 160 stop (raised) 125.
Little oil explorer Aminex (AEX) has been quietly going higher since I picked up in the 6s and 7s - I was waiting for a break through 9.5 to buy more as there were a load of sellers. It broke but I missed the initial break but still ended up with another 25,000 at 10.2. In very good profit now and this week's statement gives hope. It does remain on the risky side and I think that'll probably be the last buy as I have enough now. However there could be massive upside. target 16 stop 9.
Sticking with oils I'm still just on a treble with Heritage (HOIL) and think it was oversold so I added some more on the spreads getting £10 at 444. Target 550 stop 410. As a spread a shorter-term trade to complement the normal share pos.
Delta (DLTA) is another smallcap that looks interesting with so much support at 138 ish, it has cash but the problem of a big pension deficit. Still, with plenty of buyers around I bought on the spreads for £30 at 139.5. Target 160 stop 132.
Not much on the selling front as with the holidays I only intended to sell anything if it really had to be sold and some days I never even looked at the market.
But Photo Me went before I left at 43.54 (9th) for a profit of £204 - I was a touch disappointed with the statement. However, it's one I am keeping an eye on in case the story develops (gettit?)
Elsewhere an outstanding start to the year with some good gains already - I have to say I'm a little surprised at such quick gains but I am not complaining about it either.
Micro Focus is going brilliantly and around £2k profit there now with nearly 100 points profits since the buy.
Two of my favourites for this year, Bioquell and Dialight have both performed well. Both are gradually going higher - Dialight profits looking very good now indeed. I expect them to continue to rise quietly with good buyers for both.
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. .
Creston too is going higher could be a nice performer too for this year. Afren and Centamin Egypt my two volatile ones have all been doing fine and both could have more upside.
Spirent has been rocketing really nicely and big profit in that. Intec Tel Sys has bounced nicely higher too. Nice £3,000 plus dividend in the bank from income stock Telecom Plus.
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.
So still very happy with the current line up - let's see how the first part of this year develops.
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!