No update on Friday - sorry about that but the hols have started and me and the lad are going to be out and about on Friday making it impossible to update, but back next Wed as usual.
Talking of the lad, Christopher is getting curious as to how he arrived in the world.
He understands a baby appears in the tummy but how it gets there is fascinating him.
"It has something to do with Daddy," he pondered. "Yes," said Mrs NT. "Daddy plants a seed - like a flower."
"I know now!" said Christopher.
"Daddy makes Mummy laugh and when she opens her mouth he puts the seed in..."
Erm, well I guess he's, erm, getting close...
We're thinking about the London Aquarium on Friday, might be a good place to stay cool in the likely heat.
Anyway school has finished, that's it for reception... it's Year One from September. I can hardly believe it!
It all ended at noon today and now it's just the three of us from now till September! We're a little emotional about it as it's the end of an era for us today.
We've come a long way from when he was in intensive care a while back and now he has grown to be a strong healthy and very lovable boy. Look forwards to more good times with him.
We have quite a few things planned though no major "holiday" or anything, well so far. Anything could happen.. in fact not long till we go "camping" at the music festival!
Policeman Rob, who came to my last seminar gave Christopher a nice surprise - as he promised, he came to see us at home with his massive police motorbike!
Christopher happily enjoyed being on board for a while and then even better he got an amazing Police cap.
Thanks very much to Rob for taking the trouble to come down and give the lad such a nice surprise... it was very kind of you and much appreciated.
Poor Rob was sweating badly as he has to wear body armour which as you can imagine is very sweaty but best to be safe.
Christopher is spending a lot of time "arresting" people now he has his police cap. He's pretty scary actually... I've been arrested a number of times but so far I've got away with cautions...
I see MPs are complaining about the amount of paperwork, forms and other things they now have to fill up to claim expenses.
Welcome to the real world! The amount of paperwork needed now to open an account for anything is startling. Even something like a spreadbetting account needs a whole pile of paperwork and documentation.
A lot of it has to do with attempts by the powers that be to clamp down on money laundering. But of course all the checks do is cause inconvenience and time wasting for the vast majority of the innocent.
The guilty of course are extremely clever and get round any attempts to stop them with clever forgeries and the like.
Recently my ISA broker wrote asking me to send in things like a certified passport, driving licence, bills and heaven knows what.. or my "account would be suspended"... under "money laundering regulations".
In other words I HAD to "prove" who I was, or else. It was down to me to spend time and money to get a "certified" copy of a passport and other documents and send them off.
This is despite having the same account with this broker for over 10 years!
And I would have to be a pretty crap money launderer to pick an account where over the years I could only put in £7k!
I guess because through my own efforts I have grown my isas into extremely large amounts that I probably crossed a secret threshold where I have to be checked out.
But of course money launderers are after laundering money fast. Not over 10 years using ISAs!! An obvious complete waste of time for me, and the broker.
Most of these silly checks simply cause a lot of inconvenience to people like you and me while the criminals just laugh - they can easily circumvent any of these "checks".

I hope all of you who came to last week's seminar have recovered!!
Many emails from those of you who think you can now value companies more easily, pick them out and also have the confidence to buy. And some of you are already using level 2 and the "trick" I showed you before you buy anything! I do wish you all the best.

I had a number of you who couldn't make the last seminar and some asking if I could do a summer holiday seminar for those who can't make it during termtime. I did this a couple of years ago and I will do one this year - so the date is set for the first Monday after schools break up.
The special extra seminar will be on Monday July 26th. I hope this will help those of you who can't make my normal dates because you work in the education sector etc and can't make the termtime dates.

It'll be at Heathrow as usual - mail me at robbiethetrader@aol.com if interested with "Summer holiday seminar" in the subject line. I'll send you details.

There is a generous early bookers discount which is about to vanish!

Beginners and improvers welcome for July! Come and spend the day with me, the markets and some lovely people - and of course, lunch!

I hope this extra date will enable teachers, educators and others who simply can't get a day off when schools and colleges are open for business.
If you're interested in details, mail me with "Summer hols seminar interested" in the subject line at robbiethetrader@aol.com.

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!

After saying "No" for so many years, I might do a one off follow up seminar only for those of you who've been before. It would be a quick refresh but mainly all about timing and we'd be doing level 2, placing orders on the live markets all day. We'd also scan for shares and research them live on the day. I don't mind doing a small group but there would still have to be enough interested for it to go ahead probably in October. If interested mail me at robbiethetrader@aol.com with "Follow up seminar" in the subject line. I can then judge whether enough of you are interested enough for me to do it.
After the success of the last couple, there will be another TA seminar with top trader Susan, probably in November. If you're interested in learning all about TA from a brilliant trainer, don't miss it. Susan's lessons in TA will help you take the emotion out of trading. Mail me with "TA interested" in the subject line. You must have been to one of my normal ones.

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.

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

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

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

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

**** BOOKING FOR MON JULY 26TH AT HEATHROW NOW OPEN**
Fancy spending a day with me, learning all the ways I have learned over the years to find good shares and play the markets? Well, you can at one of my seminars!
Booking is now open for a special extra summer hols Naked Trader seminar on Monday July 26th.

It's especially for those who can't normally make events during termtime.

Price is £495 plus vat. But there is an early bookers 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 "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 5 spreadbets (terms and conditions apply)
To get the offer, click here:
http://www.tradefair.com/promo/spreads/nakedtrader100/

Congrats to Hamleys for the second mention of Christmas this year.
Why is the new Govt going to press ahead with forcing everyone to change radios to digital by 2015?
Most people have 2-4 radios dotted around plus of course car radios will all have to be changed.
What a waste! All that in the main will go into landfill. And we will all have the bother of getting new radios for no reason at all.
What's worse is that digital reception is way worse than FM. I struggle to get it in some places at home and I'm close to central London. And the quality doesn't seem as good as FM either..
Why should people have to shell out more money from something so unnecessary?
Let's hope Nick Clegg's vote to change the vote gets kicked out. It's going to cost millions - let's just stick to the system we already have.
I don't want a "second choice" candidate. I just want to vote for one. They use this voting system for the Mayor vote in London and it's very confusing...
Oh dear - my two last world cup bets got blown up - but what a performance from Germany! Be fascinating to see if they can beat Spain tonight.
However I did get a profit of a couple of hundred quid on Uruguay as it was a spreadbet and they got much further than was expected. My Argentina bet though lost £170.
Finding Mary Queen of Shops good to watch though thought that money show on BBC2 last night a bit feeble.
They wheeled out all the usual suspects including that money guru who always tells people not to buy a coffee every day as they could save £620. Which they could "spend on a holiday". As a coffee lover, I'll stick with the coffee!

I haven't seen any of Big Brother yet - I will try and look at it sometime soon and come up with a bet!

The spreadbetting firm I use is here: via this link Via this link Sporting Index offers £100 credit to new clients. The offer is if you open an account and place 5 bets Please check terms and conditions
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.

Julie writes:
Thanls for June's seminar. If I only had a quarter of your talent and / or money I am not convinced I would be as generous, patient (sooo patient !) and open as you are, which seems to go far beyond any potential financial reward for you.
The seminar cost was easily covered several times by trades, ones that I'm sure I wouldn't have made otherwise, after reading your book last year. After "falling off the wagon" a bit lately I hope that attending the seminar will get me back on track, reminding me of the classic errors I have started making, mainly bending my own rules and your sensible guidelines. Level 2 was an eye-opener.
Thanks Julie. Glad it was useful.

Richard writes:
Thanks for a fab session on Friday, after some hesitation to part with the money initially, I'd have to say it was well worth it, a really good insight in to how you do things and frankly if we all follow your example and advice, there is no reason why we should not end up in the money to some degree.

One of the things I realised about half way through, was that day trading is not a good occupation short term, though once someone builds up a stash of money as you have then it can become a good way to earn a living as you do, obviously you don't day trade but your level of expertise and your system of trading is well built up and reliable and we should seek to emulate that.

Yes, I sometimes have trouble parting with money Richard!
Nasir writes:
Damn ironic isn't it that the tories are gonna screw the same people that put them in power the middleclasses, VAT at 20%, it's insane, plus the middleclasses will lose child tax credits, and those claiming 100K a year in housing benefit, well those days thankfully are over.

All in all a ridiculous budget which will hurt middle and lower income earners, the majority really, the hardest, plus all those public sector cuts will increase unemployment by an additional 500K. making it even tougher for the already unemployed because of intense competition. What's insane is that brother Osbourne says unemployment will fall from 8 percent to 6 percent by 2015, another 5 years of wasted talent, wasted youth, misery for unemployed,

Thanks Nasir. Well I guess some Liberal influence there.
Lalani writes:
I attended your seminar 18 months ago after reading your book and wanted to say thank you for:-
1. Talking in plain simple English. I actually work for an investment bank (not a trader I hasten to add) - and there is a lot of complex trading strategies, instruments, tools, terminology etc etc Your seminar and book actually helped me to understand the basics and I'm sure even helped me pass the IMC - a financial exam.
2. Making the seminar interesting and humourous - time flew by and it helped me solidify the principles in your book and gave me the confidence to actually have a go myself at investing in something other than index trackers. I'm particularly glad you value the importance of providing a plentiful supply of sweets, chocolate, coffee and a fab lunch too. Top marks in that area - and such variety too!
3. Putting a sparkle back into my marriage - yes - honestly. I recommended your book to my husband and he surprised me by actually reading it and finishing it (mostly on the toilet). He loved your book too and now we often have a good banter about the shares we like and whose portfolio is doing better! I am actually considering booking him on your seminars as a present.
4. Your website. It always makes me smile, and you write in an engaging and humourous manner and it's one of the websites I reguarly visit.
Thanks Lalani, well I never thought I'd be responsible for helping put a sparkle into a marriage... but if your hubby enjoys reading my book on the loo, that's great.

For me it's usually The Sun! Anyway thanks for the fan mail.

John writes:
Thanks for a great seminar last Friday, everyone I spoke to enjoyed it and marvelled at how you kept going so long; you certainly gave value for money.

If the seminar taught me anything it was how to trade in a more professional and detached manner. I realise up till now I was just playing at it.

Thank you once again for a fantastic day that will remain with me for the rest of my life.

Thanks John, though my wife sometimes complains I go on for too long.....

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

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

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

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

Well, they remain very difficult especially at this kind of point - somewhere in the middle between a bounce and a depression!
The problem for share prices is: are things going to get even worse and is the double dip on, in which case there are bigger falls to come.
Or.. is the fear of another dip unfounded in which case shares have gone too low too quick and we could see a very nice bounce?
I don't know the answer so for right now I'm mainly sitting on my hands waiting for the answer to make itself clear.
Because it could go either way unless you have a clear opinion, which I don't, it makes it difficult to short or go long that heavily for the time being. Also with the school hols here and a summer of entertaining Christopher ahead I don't want to be in too deep as I'm likely to be out a lot over the next few weeks.
However I have noticed in the main my good strong companies with plenty of cash or low debt are holding up nicely.
And talking of those kind of companies Volex (VLX) continues to be a dream trade. After very decent statement from peer XP Power it's been rising strongly and I picked up another lot, this time 2,000 shares at 173. Target 250 stop 130.
I've already nearly doubled on the shares I bought earlier in the year and profits of nearly £5,000 now. 200p will be an obvious barrier but 250 looks easy if it can break up through 200. It's come back today on not surprising profit-taking but I'm staying with it for another bounce up. When it moves up it motors and there is a bit more re-rating of VLX to come I think.
I've bought some Pace (PIC) for £30 on a spreadbet at 164.8. I bought on a spreadbet rather than normal bet just because the spreadbet account was already sitting there on the computer! I don't have any exposure to tech shares right now and this one probably looks the best play for now. Target 190 stop 154.
I sold and bought back Essar (ESSR) selling at 463.71 for a profit of £53 and buying back 700 at 447.85. I sold because of heavy sell orders on the book and bought back as I think it fell too much and prospects look good - however volatility means entry price will always be difficult.
I took profits of £315 on Photo Me today - results were excellent.. but the reason I sold is that they were really as expected and the current valuation looks about right. However a little way down the line the future could look very bright indeed so it remains on the shortlist for reentry at some point.
Best winner of the week is Spice which has rejected yet another bid this time at a higher price of the mid 60s. I reckon Spice topbrass are holding out for 75p a share which would suit me just fine!
What can I say about XP Power except wish I hadn't taken profits along the way.... now nearly a four timer with massive profits.
IG Group has been a fab trade and up strongly again today - volatility working well there. London Capital reported this afternoon that trading has been strong and volatility has helped - shares began to rise on the news but they seem to being held back by a seller in the mid 130s. However once the seller clears then 150-170 look a more realistic level. I guess the problem is they are under the radar and little traded.
Top up PZ Cussons still goes strong, consolidating its brilliant run and has now hit nearly 350. Been superb and keeps climbing ignoring whatever the FTSE is doing. Been a magic trade - it is tempting to bank profits but there seems little holding it back for now. Those coming to the seminar may see how much I've really made on these so far!
I also have a dirty little secret. I bought some BP. Please don't tell anyone a I'm very embarrassed about it and certainly a trade to keep to myself. (If you want any other dirty secrets afraid I will have to make a charge).
Recent buys Mouchel and African Aura both remain disappointing though I hope patience could pay off with both. Alternative Networks has slipped a little on profit-taking but believe a bid likely there.
Micro Focus is doing nicely though for now seems to hit the wall at 440.
Devro is trying to tackle 200 and is nearly there. A close above 200 a few times would look good for more upside. Hyder goes very nicely and in excellent profit there now and very hopeful of a bid coming there.
Recent buy Supergroup is proving really Super... up more than 60p for a profit of over £1,000 already. Could easily whizz up to a tenner at which point I'm definitely out!
BCG Group and Aggreko have gained ground again after falling back in the sell off. Dialight has recovered after profit-taking or a treeshake.
It's still very volatile and remains tough for investors though good for in and out traders.
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 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!