** My new book - about spreadbetting - has just been published, you can order it here:

http://books.global-investor.com/books/401334.htm?ginPtrCode=10453

Welcome to any new readers coming to the website from the new book, I would suggest you read the spreadbetting book in conjunction with Naked Trader, available here:

http://books.global-investor.com/books/27120.htm?ginPtrCode=10453
**

** Before emailing me with a trading question PLEASE check FAQ's, it is the button just above as I keep getting the same questions and you would kindly save me at least half an hour a day in sending you emails saying please check FAQ's! **
** Those of you coming to the March 25th seminar should have full details of venue etc from me, if you are coming and have not got them please let me know...
We dread it when a note comes through from Christopher's school entitled "Special Day".
This will always mean: you parents are going to have to do some work.
It usually involves some kind of "project". Said project of couse always ends up being done by the poor parents. As if we haven't got enough to do already.
Yes, and there it was. Your children should come to school on Friday dressed as their favourite book character. The winner gets a prize!
Arrrggghhh! This means the poor parents have to come up with the idea and the costume, it is nothing to do with the kids.
And you can imagine the competitive parents at your posh school can't you?
And you know there will be two mothers who spend days making costumes to be the winner.
Yes, their child will arrive in some intricately made super costume. And it will be a brilliant idea, someone no-one else thought of.
The mum is saying "I'm the number one mum. Don't even consider competing with me."
She will hang around on the school collection run beaming that her kid won the prize. What she doesn't realise is she not winning any brownie points from us parents.
Personally I'm with the mum who thinks "sod this and where's that old spiderman costume?"
We were kind of mid range with a Cat In The Hat outfit. Though he wasn't allowed to wear the whiskers we made (hey it took 2 mins). Heath and safety of course.
Just as well I didn't do the pick up. "Hey well done on your child winning. Whoops, I appear to have tripped up your child who is now head first in a puddle... sorry...!"
"Ps we all know you have a house in the country. See if you can start one sentence without the words the house in the country in it."
(I feel sorry for Londoners with houses in the country. They go there every weekend, just time to do the washing up and check it's all ok before sitting in a traffic jam on the M4 for hours. Lucky them.)
Met a sports teacher the other day. He has developed a great way of winning rugby games against other schools.
He slips in one or two girls into the team!
"The boys on the opposing teams aren't sure whether they are allowed to bring the girls down.

By the time they've realised they can, the girls have already scored a few times...works a treat," he said.
Now that's my kinda teacher!
Christopher's teeth are no longer causing him grief. Or us. And my slight toothache has gone after my lovely dentist friend Gursh filled another two for me.
"This might vibrate a bit," he said at one point. (Hey I always thought that was the wife's line)

That meant "I am about to put the equivalent of a road digger in your mouth but it won't hurt, honest".
I definitely have more artificial stuff in my mouth than real teeth. Thank you chocolates. And coke.
I get him to bung lots of lovely stuff into me so I am a numb as a bum and no pain for me. It took hours for it to wear off so no chocolate for me for a long spell, so that's a good thing too.
"What job do you do?"
When I get asked this I freeze and make something up. If I say what I really do they either look bored right away or I get asked for a "good tip" or more likely I get given a "good tip".
Whichever I always end up wishing I hadn't said.
One of the personal trainers at the gym asked me. I looked around frantically for inspiration and luckily I saw an ad for a TV show come up on one of the screens.
"I'm an air crash investigator" I said. Was he going to buy it? Yes!
"How interesting," he said. He's in there every day. So from now on I have to remember what I do.
Remember... "Would you like a personal training session today?"
"Ahhhh.. love to but I'm in the middle of a crash investigation, it's a tough one, probably ice on the wings... got to fly back to the office..."
Thanks for the great feedback on the last seminar. So glad you found it useful and epecially glad to hear some of you are now finding level 2 invaluable like I do.

If you missed the last seminar the next seminar is approaching fast on March 25th, for details that one mail me at robbiethetrader@aol.com with "March seminar interested" in the subject line.

There is a decent early booking discount available but not for much longer given it's not really that early anymore. Also it is filling it. This may sound like marketing bs but it is filling up and if you leave it till the last minute there may not be any space left and had to disappoint some at the last event.

Beginners and improvers welcome! Come and spend the day with me, the markets and some lovely people - and of course, lunch!
If you mail me I will then send you details and a full agenda of what is covered. Also more details below somewhere.

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!

FOLLOW UP SEMINAR: For those who have been to one of my seminars I'm holding a follow up event for a small group on March 18th. It's a day of level 2, DMA, and research direct from live markets, 10am-6pm. First come first served, for details mail me at robbiethetrader@aol.com with "Follow up interested" in the subject line.

I get quite a few mails asking what magazines or news services I subscribe to etc. Well, hardly any! I get the Investors Chronicle delivered.
However I do subscribe (£8.99 a month though take the yearly option at 20% discount to that) to a daily email which is my main source of news about such things as broker upgrades, main news items, analysis of stocks and markets, forthcoming company statements and events, stock recommendations and targets from the top brokers, what kind of earnings expected from companies and a whole heap more useful stuff.
I sometimes get ideas from this for companies to watch or monitor or even buy. And it's handy to get a summary of what the brokers are saying and looking at future earnings etc.
It usually arrives around 5ish every day.
I contacted the people that put it together and they offer a free 14 day trial of it to my readers - so you can cancel after 14 days if you don't feel it's useful enough.
Once you cut and paste this link into your browser, click "uk 14 days free trial" then I would go "yearly option" which gives a 20% discount making it just over £7 a month, as you can still cancel seems worth it. Hope you find it useful like I do. It's one of the few paid for news services that has really impressed.
http://bit.ly/eBPXuG

Head honcho of advfn Clem Chambers has released the third in the current trilogy about the adventures of the best trader in the world!

For those of you who've already read Clem's first two, The Armagdeddon Trade and The Twain Maxim, this is a must buy! Our rich trader just can't help trading even though he has more money than nearly everyone else.

This time he buys a golden box worth countless billions and of course gets a bargain. Problem is a lot of people want this box, really badly which leads to some terrific page turning drama, and not forgetting a bit of comedy too. A great read, I was hooked and read it in two sessions!
Link to Clem's books is here. It's worth buying all three in the trilogy starting with The Armageddon Trade

http://www.advfn.com/ct.php?ct=NDI0NTM=

An interesting email from a reader. The thrust of it was he was going to buy a share after doing a lot of research but then it went up 12% and he hadn't bought it yet. So he felt angry.
How does he stop/halt the feelings of anger?
Well, you have to take the emotion out of trading. Which isn't easy.
I suggested he should read this book.. by Jason Zweig
http://books.global-investor.com/books/256158.htm?ginPtrCode=10453
This is the one to read on psychology. Great read.
Fancy getting the naked trader updates direct into your inbox? And a bit before it gets updates on the net including news from my pension trades made from my SIPP?

All you have to do is take a phone or energy service from the Utility Discount Warehouse at www.telecomplus.org.uk/fabdeal.

I get some commission and you get the service! On top of that you ought to make some amazing savings on your phone, broadband, or energy use or all! There's even an internet phone where you can make free calls from wi fi hotspots!

Prices are guaranteed lower than the top 6 suppliers but even better you can get huge discounts on your energy/phone bill if you shop at places like Marks and Spencers, Boots, Sainsburys and a whole load more. 5% of your spend comes directly off your billl. Many are saving a fortune from their energy bills.

So save a few quid, and get my stuff in your inbox! A win win? Mail me at robbiethetrader@aol.com with "mail service" in the subject line and I'll send you details.

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 5 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/

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.
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
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 FRIDAY MARCH 25TH 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 open for the Naked Trader seminar on Friday March 25th

Price is £550 plus vat. There is an early bookers discount currently available.
That includes three course lunch, coffees, snacks etc. There is an early bookers discount currently available.
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 "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?

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 5 spreadbets (terms and conditions apply)
To get the offer, click here:
http://www.tradefair.com/promo/spreads/nakedtrader100/

The events in Japan are absolutely awful as the forces of nature unleash.
It must be petrifing to be in the area and makes me grateful to live in a country where apart from some flooding we're in the main not in fear of our lives.
Considering the coalition has made seemingly loads of mistakes in the last few days you'd have thought Ed Milliband would have a great time at PMQs.
Labour MPs must be thinking, how on earth did we end up with the brother of the guy we really wanted?
Because you can imagine David M would have done a good job this week.
Brother Ed just isn't up to it. He relies on scripted answers and just can't think on his feet.
He remains a pretty feeble sixth form debater and they must be wondering how they can elbow him out before the next election.
It's almost like he is just going through the motions and where are the policies. I think I can kind of get where the Tories are coming from. But I'm lost with Labour.
Do they want to go back spending on our giant country credit card? Probably.
Interesting mails from some of you agreeing about the royal wedding.
None of you seem to care much about it.
The papers would have us believe we're all crazy about it. And just who buys those tacky wedding souvenirs?
Those of us not interested are going to be bored silly with it until it's over (phew!).
Still working my way through recordings of Air Crash Investigations when the Mrs is out.
I think she is getting worried: everytime she comes through the door all she can see is a plane crashing on the TV.
Could be worse: I could have been watching the Hot Basingstoke Housewives channel...
The spreadbetting firm I use for sports betting is here:
Via this link Open a Sporting Index account and there's £100 cash offer - please check terms and conditions which apply.

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.

Chris writes :
I read your book during my holiday in the summer and have made profits of over £11k since September, compared to losing nearly £10k in the previous year. I found myself laughing (if I hadn't I would have cried!) as I think I must have made every mistake in your book! Since reading it I have totally changed my approach, putting into practice what I learned from your book and it seems to be working!

I will hopefully get to one of your seminars in the not too distant future.

Thanks Chris, glad the book was a help.
Duane writes:
Wanted to say a big thank you to you and Mrs NT for an amazing day of learning and fun at your seminar.

The way you explained the share trading from start to finish was understandable and really interesting, well worth the seminar fee!
It was great to hear such down to earth and honest assessment from a successful trader like yourself. The way you explained everything was good revision from your book and gave further insight into successful share trading.

I particularly liked your live trades and going through your accounts when you gave snippets of why you invested in certain shares and why you kept/dumped them. Also helpful was the way you searched for prospective shares and within minutes discounted them or put them on a short list for further examination and correct entry points. Amazing!
You could really tell that you loved doing what you do and your energy levels to keep going till 10pm was well....... I had to leave at 9pm I was shattered!

Thanks again Robbie I am keen to put into practice what you have taught me. Even though you make squillions from your trades and I am sure don't need to do the seminars for financial gain, but please keep doing those seminars for newbies like me!

Thanks Duane! Don't expect to be doing them foreever but very rewarding for me to help people so expect to carry on for a while longer.
Malcolm writes:
A thousand thanks for the seminar, which I found both informative and inspiring. If I can keep my own psychology somewhere near balanced I can make steady money at this until I pop off.

I was particularly pleased to find your approach so simple. This chimes with Warren Buffet, who of course says,

'If calculus or algebra were required to be a great investor, I'd have to go back to delivering newspapers.'

It also confirms my own prejudice, and what my friends in the City have told me, namely, that the financial complexity is unnecessary, only there to bamboozle the unwitting public, and doesn't make it any easier for the City boys to make money. Hence nine out of ten funds haven't beaten the index in any four year period since 1914 (Motley Fool).

Thanks Malcolm. Glad to hear and hope you don't pop off just yet. I agree: simplicity is best and all the jargon tends to be just there to make the jargon talker sound important or that they know what they are talking about.

Terry writes:
Fantastic seminar.

I have always been sceptical of the public testaments you see on web sites
saying how great an event was. Now I'm one of those people!. I
genuinely believe that the tips and techniques as well as the overall
approach you demonstrated will radically improve my trading performance

Thanks Terry, well all the testaments are real but know what you mean and glad you feel it was worth it!
Stephen writes:
I read your book and did the course - and I wasn't sure if I'd recoup the cost, it's been 2 years and I've made £38k + saved a loss transferring a Jupiter ISA heavily invested in BP. I can't tell you how important this is or how grateful I am. That's just me, who knows how much people have made with your help and saved by not making mistakes. I wanted to get into shares as they recovered after the crunch, but I assumed I had to put a large amount in one company I thought would make a big jump.
But what happens when you make £1m on the website, will you still do courses? I don't know how you do your ISA and SIPP investments, write the website, books, courses and answer e-mails. But please don't give it up. Couldn't you do the courses and have a standing website which gets updated with your trades say once a month so people can see what you do..

Stephen thanks so much for such a nice mail and much appreciated! Dunno about the future, I feel like I'm getting jaded. It's possible I might just reduce it all at some point to twice a month after going weekly - that would probably help. The other problem is other people's angst is getting to me and the email workload becoming overwhelming. I think after ten years it might be time for me to quit. Anyway good luck with your trades and hope you make a lot more.

I have 3 great offers from ADVFN.

SAVE OVER £120 !
First great deal: If you want level 2, though me it is only £305 for your first year including VAT!
This compares to £432 direct from advfn so this deal saves you over £120! 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 gives you access to all the market maker positions and the order book and I would not trade without it! More on level 2 in my book and I spend hours on it at my seminars.

Deal two is ADVFN's bronze subscription - normally £72 pa - available from me for only £41! (inc vat) That's a saving of over £30! You 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 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. All as explained in the book.
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.

Bronze is included inside the level 2 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 nearly £30 for your first year by paying just £141 inc vat via me instead of £169.20.
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 online deals are just £12.50 with no funny small print. Charges for phone deals are higher, check terms and conditions. They also charge £35 plus vat pa for all accounts. Follow this link...
http://tinyurl.com/57hp4n

Well, I guess there is only one word to desribe the market this week. Come on, you know what it is. The market is a complete that word at the moment. Yes, it's a complete Jeremy Hunt.
Private investors will have seen portfolios decimated in some cases in just a few minutes as the robots, stop losses and auto programmes kick in at once to create total chaos.
Markets certainly had plenty of excuses to sell off: Middle-East, Spain, Portugal, Japan earthquake, take your pick.
Everyone wants to sell at the same time so it all goes crackers. A lot of it is done by computers. Which in turn force other computers to sell. Unfairly on value or not.
Spreadbetters of course suddenly get calls asking them for more money as they go over their credit limit, so they are forced to sell stuff.
Like the flash crash last year you wonder how wise it is for us to rely on robots and programmes to do the trading.
There are various options you can take. One is the stock market is a (bad word) and I'm selling up and not coming back and I'm off into premium bonds and lottery tickets.
Or I'll sell most of my stuff cos I'm scared I'll lose the lot and buy back when things look better.
Or I'll try and short loads of stuff while keeping my long termers open.
Or I'll hide behind the sofa till it's safe to come out.
Or it doesn't matter, my shares will be higher than they are in 6 months so I'm off out for a game of golf.
Or if everyone is scared I'm going to buy in at the height of the panic.
None of these is the correct answer cos there ain't a correct answer and I don't know the answer even though I have traded for ten years plus full time and have seen it all before.
Because maybe things will get worse in the Mid East, Spain and Portugal will default and maybe we are in the s*** again. Maybe we are worrying too much about Saudi Arabia, maybe we aren't.
Maybe the market has a lot of this is priced in. Maybe it hasn't. I don't have a clue.
But I do think it is not a bad idea to prune back spreadbets, especially if you're on leverage. And one has to consider falling capital. But then there are costs of getting in and out too.
See, I wish I had an answer. I am getting a lot of angst ridden mails right now. But I can't help. I can't give advice and anyway I don't want to. I don't know whether you should sell your shares or not. I really don't and yes I'm supposed to be a kind of expert. I still don't know. The angst makes me feel like it's close to winding up the website - I'm probably too sensitive but I can't help it.
What we know is there is uncertainty and while there is your and my faves will get turbulent. Even the good ones.
However I also see a lot of opportunity coming and looking forwards to a buying spree shortly snapping up the bargains.
A pinstriped suity guy was interviewed on the radio on Sunday. "What will the FTSE do this week?" he was asked.
"Oh up, dear boy," he said. Yes, he really did say "dear boy".
I'm sure people believed he knew what he was talking about. Beware the sages you see on Bloomberg and CNBC. They are there cos they have to sell their company or wares. They are just guessing and filling airtime. Same with the mags and the papers.
Anyhow enough waffle.
What I do when things get nasty is try and follow the market rather than panicking. I tend to cut the spreadbets back first, and begin a little shorting. The point is to treat it calmly like a business. Making less profit today than yesterday is a business expense, and maybe only temporary. If I got scared out of it easily I would have stopped trading in 2002.
I've continued cutting down the spreadbets during this volatilty, but in the main again I've for better or worse held onto my long termers. And I could well be wrong. And if I am, well I shall be out there buying some juicy bargains.
I bought some Dexion (DAB) I bought on the spreads at £30 at 150.5.
It's an interesting one, operates from the channel islands operating a long/short investment strategy across world markets and bonds so I'd guess the volatility will actually be good for them.
Also their shares have held up very nicely while all around tumbles. That's a good sign too. It's done well already and I would think it is very well managed. So worth a shot from me. Target 180 stop 135.
I couldn't resist topping up one or two on what looked like overdone sell offs,.
Volex (VLX) has had a torrid time of it, sinking fast but it looks way overdone and I picked up 1,000 more at 250.25. Still in good profit on it despite the fall though in hindsight obviously I should have topsliced higher. But it looks a bargain under 300 and I'd expect it to regain 300 once the market settles whenever that is.
I also picked up 5,000 Photo Me (PHTM) at 47.25 as a fall after a statement again seemed a bit too much. At the very worst it looks at the bottom of its range and I see people using its machines all the time. Target 70 stop 38.
I shorted Dignity (DTY) for a fiver at 736. While results were goodish, it has massive debt and also always struggles at this kind of level, usually falling back below 700. Target 680 stop 770.
I've topsliced a few things, mainly spreadbets, leaving everything else pretty much intact.
I've topsliced some Hyder at 380 to bag a profit of £810, holding onto the rest.
I've terminated/topsliced some spreadbets as a defensive move against the current market. And also because the sb's hold the most crazily volatile and would rather wait for things to settle with them.
The short-term ITV trade has gone at 90 for a profit of £600. Croda went at 1619 for a profit of £355. Laird went at 151 for a loss of £300. Dialight spreadbet went at 710 for a profit of £1,430 - of course the main bulk I stick with. Essar I can only seem to make losses on and caved at 506 for a loss of £75. Chime SB went at 267 for a profit of £960 (kept the main holding) . Rpc at 238 loss of £60, topslice Kenz at 369 for a profit of £540.
All of which leads to a profit for the site of £3,300.
Recent buys have more or less held their own for now which is the best to expect in the current scared market with Alternative Networks seeing a gentle rise which I would hope will rerate it to 230.

And, Kofax (KFX), a nice little company that joins the FTSE 250 in a couple of weeks keeps on the level around a fiver, not a bad performance. Know this one well, it came up at a seminar about a month ago where I made quite a lot on it in my pension fund, buying at 350ish and selling at 470ish.
Micro Focus is going especially well and even rose a bit in the down market and Acal settles a bit higher.
Little nervous on Xchanging, so would expect to take the profit quickly there,
The short in Ocado goes better and better and the FTSE short of course is in a big profit.
Dialight unfortunately is now not off the radar anymore with people punting it. Quite glad in a way the spread has widened as that should stop short-term traders and lessen volatility as they move onto another share. The website holds profits of nearly £40,000. In reality, as those who've come to seminars have seen, my profits actually way greater than this. Still, it seemed sensible to cash in that recent spreadbet while keeping my main stake.
Filtrona appeared have conquered the 300 and then today guess what, back right there. Should have taken profits at 315 and bought back at 299 shouldn't I? So here's hoping it can manage another run up. star mover is Xp Power has kept its value well and looks like it could take it to 2000! I bought this one at 164 a year and a half ago with a profit of £15,000 plus. It goes to show if you can hold the good ones for a bit and resist the take profits temptation it can pay off big time! Of course hindsight is marvellous and all I ever needed to do was put all I had into it at 164 ! Never mind!
Now of course it is very tempting to now take these profits. Trouble is it is so nice to see a share which says +700% on it that I cannot bear to part with it!! Yes, I have become emotionally involved the hypocrite I am.
Character Group has come back a bit this week but not bothered short-term there and wondering whether to top up.
Also pondering a top up in Yule, only thing that stopped me is I have quite a few already. It looks totally oversold to me on worries of cost pressures which they already said they can pass onto customers. Maybe I will, at under 200 looks a bargain. I was very surprised to see it under 200 again, a crazy fall surely?
Devro has moved smartly higher it produced another fabulous report and it remains a brilliant long-term bedrock with great profits already and I think more to come. Can it push through 300?
Little long-term punt Loq has moved into profit. Management has changed and seems keen to drive it onwards and upwards and I expect to stay in for hopefully about 200. Seems happy at 150 for now.
African Aura hit 300 but has come back since then. It's confirmed it will split into two separate companies sometime next month. up more than £4,000 now and a lovely near trebler. I think I will stick with it. Continued excellent statements and possibly more to come. Indeed one broker is targetting 400 which would give me a four timer! However for now hope it can consolidate recent big jump.
Entertainment One continues to be a star performer and has more or less consolidated recent fantastic gains and profits close to £5,000. It's raised some more money for acquisitions and it announced institutions have really backed the placing at 160. I would not be surprised to be still holding this one in a year's time.
Microgen has held its own throughout and some lovely profits of more than £20,000 for the site. What a lovely share this has been since I bought it live at a seminar at 45p.
Oil gamble Cadogan has risen quite nicely and sits a bit higher for now. Seems happy sitting in a 35-42 range for now. Waiting some news soon. Of course it is a gamble and could just as easily skid down as hike up.
Exillon is looking very good: seems to have definitely broken 400. produced a decent statement but now is well over 400. Shame about the spread but interesting if it can head up towards 500.
Porvair, wow, what a share that is proving and I've now doubled! It produced an excellent statement which produced profit taking - that often happens on even good results - but one to stay with I believe for more upside. It's down a bit this week but wonder whether to top up on weakness.
AZ electronic got sold off a bit but looks on the way back. It is a hard one to weigh up and makes sophisticated chemicals that are used in electronic goods such as semiconductors and smart phones and is used in ipads and iphones. Looks to have found support around 270.
Telecom Plus is always a lovely share to have in a savage sell off. It often starts to move higher in market weakness as a defensive and has made it onto the FTSE 250 reserve list. It looks like it might make a stab at 500 soon. . Website profits are up and over £25,000. And it's starting to move higher again today. This is also my big dividend earner which brings me cash of more than £15,000. It got number one Broadband/phone bundle in the current issue of Which Magazine .
Cineworld is climbing again now. Some talk in the papers it might be a bid target. The Vitec Group gave put a decent report and is settling around the 600 mark - been brilliant so far.
Petrofac has come back on middle-east worries but remains a core hold. Though easy for me to say that as I bought in the 350 area. Together with spinoff Enquest sees me sitting on profits way in excess of £30,000.
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 5 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.

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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!