** My book about spreadbetting , 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

Naked Trader three will be out on Sept 30th, you can pre-order it here

http://books.global-investor.com/books/818560.htm?ginPtrCode=10453

That is a newly updated version which includes lots of new strategies including strategies for when markets fall!

So I thought I would spend this update moaning about my poorly knee. Poor old me, boo hoo etc.

But I imagine that would be pretty boring. Reading about someone else's injury isn't exactly interesting is it?

I thought about moving Friday's seminar to another date but so many had booked flights and hotels etc I held firm with it and glad I did as I think I'll be fine, though probably will have to exercise it from time to time. More news further down, look forwards to seeing you all!

Anyhow at least I am off crutches and it does seem to improve a little every day. I'm now doing some slow walking and I can get some suggested exercises done in the swimming pool.

I just wish I'd gone private straight away. But with the hospital literally a street away it's much more convenient to go nhs.

Despite the fact I registered with the GP practice actually inside the hospital it seems impossible for them to keep hold of any paperwork. I had my blood pressure taken five times in a week, the results never seem to end up anywhere.

Indeed the GP said "Why are you here?" when I arrived. No X-Ray available to him even though the x-ray dept is right next door!

So I could go on about the fact no-one seems to talk to anyone else in the place and everyone seems permanently puzzled. The exciting news I could get a letter about when I get my physio any day now!

If it doesn't get here by the weekend I shall just resign to have to travel and do it privately. It would be rather handy to get hold of the x-ray though!

Instead of moaning on, given I can't get out so much I have been consoling myself by trying out new choc bars and ones I haven't had for ages... Here are my ratings...

Kit Kat senses and Aero Caramel One star. What a disappointment both these are. Stick to the excellent originals.

Double Decker 2 star. Nice at first but a bit of an effort after a while too much to chew.

Toblerone. 2 star. Same comment then the almond bits get stuck in teeth, too much hard work.

Chocolate Orange Bar. 3 stars. As you'd expect really. Bit boring though.

Yorkie Raisin/Yorkie 4 stars. Pretty good - except I think the chunks have got a little smaller. Good with tea.

Frys Chocolate Cream 4 stars. Decent and excellent with coffee.

Aero Mint 4 stars. Always excellent old standby. Beware of eating too much, very addictive.

M and S Vanilla choc fudge 5 Stars. The winner. Melt in the mouth delicious. Well done M and S!! Works with tea or coffee too.

Phew! Christopher is settling nicely into his new school...

Gradually making some new friends. He's pretty impressed with the new school.

"We have our lunch on real china plates," he says.

That IS pretty impressive. The last school was all plastic plates. Just not good enough eh?

I'm still struggling with doing up his tie. What's worse is one of his teachers tried to show him how to do it. What kind of parent am I who doesn't know how to do up a tie?

Thanks for some of your emails on this including suggestions for clip on ones, which I'll be looking into...

In the meantime each morning is spent in a struggle to get it right. Just wait till the maths homework comes in next year. Oh no, do I really have to do equations again? All I remember is a hypotonuese? And perpendiculat triangles? Although what any of them have to do with anything I haven't the foggiest.

Mrs NT is giving up on me and is looking around youtube for how to do up a tie videos.

Don't tell anyone but I'm even more rubbish at doing up shoelaces. Me and knots, we just don't get on.

And we're off to see how many goals Man City are going to knock in against us on Sunday. I have warned him we are likely to lose and it's just a question of hoping it'll only be by one or two goals rather than six or seven..

At least we have rubbish seats this time with a restricted view which ought to help on this occasion...

Well re had rubbish weather recently but at least shortly we will get some sun as we're off to Tenerife for half-term with some friends. Assuming the knee is up to it...

My golf mad friend will be there. Maybe my leg will be better by then.

I look forwards to seeing some of you at the seminar on Friday.

If you're coming and see an old bald hobbling bloke at the front that'll be me then.

It's going to be a bit difficult for me to sit down all day as I have to exercise the leg so apologies and expect me to be jigging around a bit. I'll bring some nurofen to keep me going too....

I always end up enjoying them. Every one ends up being a bit different as it all depends on who is there and sometimes there are some very different roads we end up in. This one was sold out ages ago, there were a huge amount of bookers when I went away on hols which is why I called a halt to booking a while back!

Quite a few beginners coming to this one so there will be a beginners session, I really enjoy the basics.

And often seminars are also great for my trading as inevitably in all that time some shares come up that I might not otherwise have spotted and researched.

In the years I've been doing them I remember some fantastic ones popping on screens, the best one was the seminar where Mulberry kept appearing at 250... I remember buying the following Monday and although I sold out too early at 950 it was a tremendous profit. And the other really good one was Dialight that was 150 at the seminar and pushes 700 now. Microgen was also a goodie I remember.

Of course we will probably be facing the current hard and volatile situations but that could make it even more interesting, I hope so. I'll definitely have some ideas on how to handle it.

Those of you coming on Friday doors open 9.30am... follow the signs to Naked Trader..

Please come and register first from 9.30am and then find a seat - coffees will be there waiting for you..... And there's another load of coffee and tea and snacks due to arrive at 11am.

Hopefully something nice for lunch and then more snacks a bit later.

Please do not worry if you are late, it's easy to get delayed Mrs NT will direct you to a seat.

Grab a coffee and just relax, I promise to be gentle with you all.. as long as you are gentle with me and the gammy knee...

I hope you all enjoy the day, as it's live from the markets who knows what will come up. Hopefully we will find some interesting shares to research and some good level 2's to puzzle out timing.

It's likely the event will carry on into the evening as once I get going it's hard to get me to finish! Though with my leg the way it is perhaps not as late as it has been...

Do chat to other delegates, part of these seminars is to find similar people interested in trading and there are a lot of friendships made. So make sure you note down some email addresses!

Anyway see you all there and hope you enjoy it and find it a very useful day. And I really hope you find it very educational, useful and will help your trading immensely, especially some of the timing part.

This seminar unexpectedly got sold out really early, in fact it is already sold out over 5 weeks before the actual event!!

So as mentioned above have booked a new overflow event for Fri Oct 14th
at Heathrow. If you are interested, mail me at robbiethetrader@aol.com with "October seminar interested" in the subject line.

There is a decent early bookers discount for this new one. 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!

If you have been to a previous seminar of mine I'd just like to judge if there is any interest for follow ups.
One would be a follow up day with me, with mainly searching for ideas and all day level 2 and placing orders on the book - "follow up seminar".
The other would be a Technical Analysis seminar with top trader Susan and myself - this is usually on a Saturday - this would give you a basic grounding in how she uses Technical Analysis for great entry and exit points. I've had plenty of good feedback from these sessions.
If interested in either please email me at robbiethetrader@aol.com with either "Follow up interested" "TA interested" or "both interested"
That can then help me to decide if there is enough interest to fix dates, probably back end of this year or early next.

I get quite a few mails asking what magazines or news services I subscribe to etc. Well, hardly any!
However I do take (£8.99 a month though take the yearly option at 20% discount to that) 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

I do also get the Investors Chronicle delivered by the newsagent every Friday. It's always worth a read and brings to my attention things I may have missed.

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.utilitywarehouse.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 OCTOBER 14TH 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 October 14th

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/

Do you know what? I'm sick of the news... I used to watch it a lot and now it's pretty much turned off.

It's a wall of doom and gloom. A lot of pretty good stuff happens out there yet everything is misery out there right now.

With the country in serious financial trouble this of course is the time the unions show how they are going to help: yes, strikes.

Great idea! We're already in a mess so why not stop the trains and prevent people getting to work! Great idea!! Make things better instead of worse and get more job layoffs. It's amazing really.

Most people think they are poor now because they can't afford the latest idiotic update on their I thing.

They should have a chat with the previous generation - most of which are suffering from low interest rates after they saved all their lives.

Ed Milliband was simply awful with the unions yesterday. Such a dull speaker.

No-one could seriously want him to be Prime Minister, he just hasn't got it. This career politician has done nothing outside of politics and I think he knows very little about how the real world works.

Not surprised to see a report about parents trying to buy their way out of guilt offering their kids all the new computer games, the latest status items etc.

Instead of doing what the children say they actually really want - time with their parents and friend being creative, being outdoors, doing sports...

They don't really want to be couped up with some dismal computer game all the time.

I am so glad I can spend time with my kid, we have been out every single night in the summer, he plays no computer games at all and hardly watches the TV.

A few offers at last coming in from the very cautious dragons.

However I thought they missed a trick with the balance bike for kids. I'd have made a very good offer based on winning licences with some of the best kids characters.

A Peppa Pig balance balance bike for example could sell really well indeed, and there are countless of other possibilities for design.

Duncan seems to have cheered up. I reckon he is getting some much needed offers... in the bedroom department!

Strictly has started, got it on tape so not watched yet though I presumed Jason and Lulu could go well.

I used to hire Russell Grant as a freelancer in a previous job. Expect lots of tears.. he cries easily is all I can tell you!

What a stinker Red or Black was. A silly show really because in the end the only good bit is one minute of it right at the end when someone spins the wheel for the money.

The rest of it is pure boredom. Maybe Simon should stick to what he knows best with the X Factor. Ant and Dec are probably hoping the next series gets cancelled.

The new Big Brother has started but without me! The show has reached the end of its life and no-one is interested any more. So as they say ... I'm out!!

I see the Toys for Us bloke spent £20,000 a week on a hooker.

I guess she must have kept breathing in his ear: "I've got some toys for us, big boy...."
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 :
Chris the builder from sunny Wigan here, fan from day 1, (well about day 323 but who's counting eh?)

Anyway....I feel the need to say THANK YOU again for staring at me via (the first book) on Waterstones bookshelf on that faithful Christmas weekend a few years back, then the seminar at posh Heathrow that i drove to in my van! Ha!

Patience is free, watched my portfolio turn to poo, then back into gold, bought another house with profits, ISA is crammed with good earners, and KENTZ? Need I say another word? Here's one... wow, and another, did I mention thank you Mr Burns

Thanks Chris, I remember you well! In fact I remember you giving me some "humble builder" type nonsense and so glad you've done well and I helped with the book and the seminar. One thing you picked up is the ability to hold onto the good winners for yers to get the real rewards.

I'm happy for you. Great thing about trading is it doesn't matter who you are, what you do, or how you perceive your "status". We are all equals in trading and that is just great.

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

I do wonder if all the fear around is causing the markets to go down. And I wonder if all the fear is simply misplaced.

I've read a lot of company statements in the last week and I have yet to find one with a massive warning in it.

Most have either matched expectations or are ahead and most seem to be reasonably confident of the future.

If I hadn't had my brain full of all the stuff on the TV and was simply going from reports my view would have been while there is no massive growth around a lot of companies are doing ok, thank you very much.

So as mentioned above the TV in my office that used to be on a lot is either nearly always off or I'm finding other things.

One bizarre programme is called "Bargain Hunt"

Teams buy rubbish bits of naff antiques from retailers - and then send them to an auction - which is of course populated, by, er, well retailers who need a mark up.

So in effect they are buying with the mark up in then selling it back to those who mark it up in the first place and wonder why they lose money in the process. All the teams lose, it's daft!!

Anyhow, I've always found it much easier to make decisions about investing without all the "clutter" of other people.

Like the news, Doomberg, bulletin boards, experts, tipsheets... all of these things simply fill one's head with other people's stuff. On top of that most people don't have a clue in the first place especially the experts and journalists.

Anyhow in the main this week after a manic August, I've had a quiet week. Having banked a lot of profit and mainly in defensives I'm idly still using the supershort to make some money from the downside.

And I continue to buy the FTSE in the low 5000s and sell or short once it gets to the 5400-5500 level.

I got a nice long on around 5085, with the ftse rising nicely today thinking of cashing it in.

With so much volatility about I'm sitting on the sidelines sharewise in the main waiting for the dust to finally settle. But, I am still picking up what I see I think are bargains which will make me money when markets rise. I've got a nice shortlist of really good companies (I'll go through them at the seminar for those of you coming on Friday) that I am looking to bag at cheap prices.

I picked up some Gulf Keystone (GKP) on a spreadbet (as it's aim though not for much longer) for £30 at 142.

This one is a big fave among private investors - pi's often get involved in the really awful oil companies and don't seem satisfied till they do all their dough, I've met enough of them to know they fall in love with the worst. However I think this one could end up a gem. I got some in my sipp last week and I followed up with the spreadbet. Results today did not disappoint. It's got an aggressive expansion programme and is going to move from the aim to main market. It's down a bit today on not surprising profit taking.

This will put it right into the FTSE 250 and with oil production targets it has, a potential FTSE 100 entry is not out of the question if its potential is realised. I'll stick with the spreadbet for now and add to the ISA once it moves to the main market.

I'm looking around for bargains still at lows and I picked up some Exillion (EXI) at 242.8 - looks to pretty well oversold here so a tuckaway.

Hurrah!! Entertainment One (ETO) has paid off bigtime for me now, having bought quite a number in the 80s today's price of near 200 gives me a double and a bit and very glad I picked some more up recently at 150. I'm in profit by near £10,000 now.

Today the company comfirmed it was in talks for a sale. This company has so many top shows like Peppa Pig and Ben and Holly, a huge valuable library and also some top movies.

Given more than one party is involved I'd be really surprised if it wasn't bid for at nearer 250 than 200, and if I was a market maker I would have pitched it at 220.

So I could hardly resist buying more after the announcement and picked up another 2,000 ETO at 187.5. And more than that slightly higher but I think there is enough on the site now!

It's rare the market gives you anything for free, but ETO really looks a goodie at under 200p now. Downside is limited to 160-170 anyhow yet the upside could be 250-300. And someone is going to buy it at some point so to me it really is a question of sitting on them till it happens. Almost free money eventually and maybe even quite soon. Lovely. And even if a bid doesn't happen eventually they will be worth more anyhow.

I've taken part profits on the Ocado short at 110 for a profit of £2,430. I've taken part profits as there is a trading statement on Monday, and they have pretty much halved already since I shorted them. If there is a dead cat bounce on Monday I might well get stuck in again. There is an analyst out there who reckons they are only worth 50p and I agree !

The recent attempt at bargain hunting still looks okay though that could change fast. Kofax sits a little higher but disappointed so far it could not hold 300. Cape goes well. Just after I nipped a few Shaft Sinkers a big seller drove the price down though it recovered a bit though I held on and in a small loss. I'm hoping it will still pay off though buying a share with "shaft" and "sinker" in the title may well be asking for trouble...

New Brit stays calm as ever. (NBPO). It's been a brilliant profit maker and dividend payer for me over the last 2-3 years - I did take some profits last time of over £3,000 and sitting on a near £7,000 profit still on my original buy.

Telecom Plus remains the star of the show at just under 7 quid with those buys on fear days looking good. Total profits are well in excess of £50,000 and way more than that personally - plus all those lovely dividends. I suspect 700 ish is the limit of upside for right now but 1000 looks on the cards for later next year.

Kentz produced a super fabulous report and in better times I'm sure they would be over a fiver, as it is still in a nice profit on these and feel sure eventually the ones I bought recently will pay off. They head into the FTSE 250 in the next couple of days. Now hitting 460 which puts all the buys into a profit. I reckon eventually I will be selling Kentz when someone bids for it at 700p.

Coastal Energy too and is going well, it keeps coming up with successful drilling reports and this overlooked company could have massive upside in my opinion and already up nearly £2,000 on it.

. Dialight has held up pretty well too as has shares like Alternative Networks.

Avon Rubber won another decent contract supplying masks to the USA and has risen nicely again and back near then 300p level and nice profits building on this, the original buy and the top up.

Character's profits will be flat this year they said yesterday and sensibly were careful with stock for later this year. ETO's takeover shows it could too be a bid target. Risky Cadogan has stayed strong with institutions picking up shares.

London Capital spreadbet is really paying off now, they must have made a lot in August and there has been some heavy buying coming in with the spreadbet up nearly £1,500, looks like more to come.

So the stategy continues for me.

Buy the odd bargain on a really bad day. Use FTSE spreadbets and the supershort for the ISA to short on the good days. Think about buying the FTSE in the low 5000s and sell or short once getting near 5500.

Although as many of you know after 12 years I do want to quit doing these updates sometime soon, I feel though while things are rocky it might be of even more interest to see how I handle the bad times so on that basis I am going to keep going for a while longer! However please do not be shocked if also I suddenly retire. One mad email too many could knock me over the edge. But I think I will see this year out though, and do intend to at least start the next!
I've earmarked next year to write a novel (fiction not finance) - that's my number one aim so if the website gets in the way of the time I need it will have to go. Or maybe I should just take a year off. We'll see.
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.

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 Wednesday afternoons under "Markets" section..