The all new edition of my book Naked Trader 3 is out now !!!

Markets change so I have learned a lot since 2007 and it is all in the new edition.

But lots of new strategies including my top 20, lots more mistakes to avoid, loads of new trader tales, cartoons and a bit of fun too.

Those who bought NT 2, there is plenty of new stuff in it for you and if you are a beginner, you can buy NT 3 without having to buy NT 2.

I hope you all enjoy it - and can tell I put a lot of effort into it and I really hope if it just stops one person from making the mistakes I did it will be worthwhile.

Indeed I hope the book is worth it even if you read about other people's stories, it is amazing how so many make exactly the same mistakes.

Anyhow if you buy it I hope you enjoy it! Click here:
http://books.global-investor.com/books/818560.htm?ginPtrCode=10453

** My book about spreadbetting , you can order it here:

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

**A quick message to those of you coming to next week's seminar: you all ought to have the venue details and all about the day... if you are booked in and do NOT have the details please let me know asap!***

I have to laugh at competitive dads...

My 7-year-old Christopher was doing his usual hour of football on Saturday, he's not bad to be fair and scored a hat trick... although to be honest the other team's goalie was rubbish.

There are about 20 kids of 7ish playing, most of the parents take the chance and run for it for a hour of peace. I head off for a coffee and watch the last 15 minutes.

However there are three loud competitive posh dads. You kind of feel for their kids as they get yelled at.

"COME ON JULIAN!!!!" roars one. "GET STUCK IN!""""

Poor old Julian is trying to keep away from the ball and obviously resents being forced to play at all. All he wants is to get back to his Ninendo. Just his luck his dad is probably some kind of aggressive banker.

"ALEX!" screams another. "TACKLE HIM!""""

Alex is only barely interested and glares at his dad. "Okayyyy!" he shouts back. Of course his dad has now distracted him, the other lad has nipped ahead and scored.

Dad now has his head in his hands

The dads stand by the pitch, testosterone ahoy. The coaches on the pitch smile at each other knowingly. I stand there quietly, quietly glad when Christopher boots one in. I just give him a thumbs up.

Phew bit of a struggle to get back to reality after such a wonderful holiday in the sun. Keep thinking all I have to do is nip to the sunbed followed by an afternoon of tea and cake on the terrace.

But sadly January for some reason is full of the most tedious things.

This includes getting the MOT done on my 14-year-old BMW. I don't like driving much nor am I interested in cars so I just keep this one going for say getting to seminars. It's only done 40,000 miles so at least the engine is usually in good shape.

I hardly dared look at the mechanic's face when I went to pick it up. I knew rightaway.

He wouldn't meet my eye. The pursed lips. No way had it passed. Just a question of how expensive it was going to be.

The chap is one of few words. "Shock absorbers need doing," he says. I wonder how much it will be.

"How long might that take?" I ask. "Three hours or so," he says.

Hmmm, so that means 5 hours, going to be at least £500, isn't it. It always is. I only did 300 miles in it last year. Be cheaper getting a cab to seminars. Sentimental value I guess.

The Mrs has a Lexus which is very nice to drive but there is something rather nice about the old BMW.

Some kind of old leathery smell, the fact it doesn't beep if I haven't put my seatbelt on rightaway. In fact the fact nothing beeps in it at all. Rather refreshing.

Then there is sending off the tax cheque and checking the paperwork is right on all that. Tedious paperwork month!

Still, it's just starting to get a bit lighter in the evenings and yesterday at least got a little football in in the park before it got dark.

I was speaking to the next door neighbour the other day. "Would you mind logging onto my twitter feed," he says. "And following me... I'm trying to get my numbers up..."

"Erm, yes okay," I said to be polite. (In any event who wants to upset a neighbour?)

I don't have a twitter account and have no idea how to follow someone. He has some kind of retail premises and deals in fine art so maybe it's a work thing. I don't even know what following him means and in any event I don't really want to follow anyone. I want to be a leader! Hah!

I see more and more that blokes especially (doesn't seem to bother women) are desperate to get more and more "followers".

It's plain weird to me but I figure the more followers they get the more excitement they feel, and I assume it is good for the ego? But to some blokes it appears to be their sole reason for existing. Must get my figures up, I must....

The more followers they have the more popular they feel? Search me.

They feel they're not popular maybe without a load of pretend friends?

Must be the same with Facebook. No-one "Liked" what I said today. Boo hoo, what a failure I am.

we're all starting to exist on a weird computer world where we don't feel validated as a human being unless someone in cyberspace "Liked" us or "followed" us.

And in the meantime real communcation between people is going downhill rapidly as we all get more obsessed with our pretend cyber connections.

I wonder how much of my day would be wasted if I joined Facebook and twitter and got a mobile phone? I know, most of it!

I'd be typing away for no real reason and probably get hooked on a game on my mobile.

Come on, all this can't be good can it?

It can't be good when people sitting in a restaurant aren't communicating with each other but would rather text someone who isn't there.

I can see why Facebook is addictive, it isn't really about keeping in touch with friends? It must be the good feeling you get when you post something and people "Like" it.

Validation! Your peers liked what you did. Gives you a good feeling. You want more. You need more likes. if you are not liked in a day you get depressed.

And research published today shows the more people use Facebook the more they think other people are happier than they are thus causing them depression.

Carefully chosen happy smiley pix convey a debilitating effect on others.. you think everyone is having a better time than you are so it makes you feel crap.

Of course the reality is they might be having a bad time it's just that no-one puts their bad stuff on Facebook do they?

You don't read stuff like "I had a shit day today so I ate three doughnuts in a row and I feel fat and useless, yes that is what I am fat and useless. I have changed my profile picture, here see, this is what I really look like.. see my double chin!"

I get the feeling we'll soon be getting a backlash against "social media". There will be facebook and twitter deletion parties!

Yeah! Delete your accounts! Cancel the I phone !! Let's be free!! Phone people instead!! Make real conversation with someone face to face not on facebook.

Come to my place and I'll throw your I thing in the river for you! I'll even delete your social media accounts too for free! You'll feel better, really.

Research shows people get worried if their phone doesn't buzz, ring or whatever for ten minutes and they get "Phantom vibrations". They really think their phone has gone off.

They get terribly anxious if their phone has stayed silent for too long.

I'm imagining a 20-year-old reading what I just wrote and thinking "God, what an old fart..." And probably they'd be right!

I have got an old Nokia phone somewhere that just does calls except I lost the charger and it ended up in the washing machine and it's not happy but one day I shall get a fortune for it when everyone goes retro!

I read an excellent stock market thriller on holiday,

"The Fear Index" by Robert Harris.

A maths genius joins a hedge fund and together they create a monster trading robot giving it billions to play with.

The robot starts to short everything and starts to cause massive market crashes. Then takes on a mind of its own.

Plenty of excellent page turning stuff here, if you are a trader or investor a lot of it will ring true with the robots almost already in charge of some shares!

There's tons of drama and action and I couldn't put it down though it helps as it is a thriller about the markets!

If you're into the markets you'll love it.. here's an order link to the book:

"The Fear Index" by Robert Harris.

Enjoy the read!!

My goodness the first seminar of mine is next Friday!! There is still some small space left though it is nearly sold out so contact me if you think you can make it. I'm just about to book some further dates as there is a lot of interest and will put those dates up here when I get the room booked.

So there is still time for you to spend a day with me next Friday January 27th.

For details, email me at robbiethetrader@aol.com with "seminar interested" in the subject line. I'll send you everything that I cover and all about the day itself. In a few days you could be (I hope) enjoying a day with me and live markets.

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!

For those of you who've been to one of my seminars already and would like to improve further, there are two follow up seminars planned for next year.
Follow up with me is on March 9th where we do level 2, research and stock picking, timing and placing live trades all day. Always an interesting session. The last one went really well. For details mail me with "follow up" in the subject line.
Technical Analysis seminar: on Saturday Feb 18th learn with top trader Susan how to use TA to take the emotion out of your entry and exit points - I am there too all day to back up with a bit of fundamentals! It's always best to learn from someone who really trades not a rip off merchant in a suit who doesn't! And Susan has been trading successfully for more than 6 years. Email me with "TA seminar" in the subject line for details.

Want to know what my last monthly elec/gas/phone/broadband/mobile phone bill was for me and Mrs NT?
What so you reckon? £250? £300?
Nope, wrong. Nothing at all. In fact, a CREDIT of £67 on my bill!
How so? Well, Utility Discount Warehouse offers 10% off your energy bill every year as long as you have 1,500 Telecom Plus shares.
But how do you fancy getting that same whopping 10% discount off the whole of your energy spend for the whole of your first year? Ie your last month will probably be free! You don't need to own any shares, just sign up with UDW services and do it via myself, and you also get my weekly email which is the website stuff direct to your inbox PLUS exclusive higher risk trades made for my pension!
All you have to do is take four services - choose from homephone, broadband, electricity, gas, mobile phone and the amazing discount and my email is all yours. AND you can't lose as there is a "double the difference" promise. That is you are guaranteed to save money by swiitching or they will give you back double the difference.
So by signing up you get the UK's cheapest home phone, homephone and broadband bundle, mobile tarrif and cheapest gas and electric. AND instead of getting loads of different bills from different companies there is just one bill for the lot!
And if you think switching is a pain in the bum, think again. It's easy, a few clicks on a website. On top of all those savings there are loads of other ways to add even bigger savings too.
Want to go for it? To sign up via me and get all those benefits and my email go to this web address only
www.utilitywarehouse.org.uk/fabdeal

and sign up directly there - you can also read about alll the services and how much you might save!
Once you have signed up, just let me know and tell me what your customer number is (they will send you your number) and you get my email! I get ongoing commission in return, you save money!
I use all the services myself, and have done for many years. You get a UK call centre with calls answered quickly and a monthly bill.

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/

I use IG Index for betting on the very small companies, the only spreadbet firm I can find that does the smaller ones making it possible to trade AIM cos tax free.

To sign up and get an excelllent weekly education programme use this link:

www.igindex.com/nakedtrader

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 £145 inc vat via me instead of £173.71
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 JANUARY 27TH 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 Jan 27th

Price is £550 plus vat. There is an early bookers discount available.
That includes three course lunch, coffees, snacks etc.
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 sinking of the cruise ship is just awful. However as with planes we must always remember that these events, tragic as they are, are very rare and we should carry on cruising and flying.

Whatever we do has some sort of risk, especially when we are on the move and we can only accept it as part of life.

I'm not into cruises as I get sick the moment I set foot on a boat but if I was it wouldn't stop me. Crossing the road is a risk. Driving is a risk and life is a risk.

Labour appears to be in a total mess. Now it appears to be backing some of the cuts it was once opposing.

I guess maybe focus groups told them to do it. Ed Milliband looks totally lost and comes up with a whole pile of cliches which mean nothing and there appears to be no substance to anything.

Meanwhile Ed Balls who helped cause the current debt crisis with his merry spending together with his crazy pal Gordon Brown seems to spout any old nonsense.

The public is not totally stupid, we know full well who helped caused some of the bust and we won't forget it.

Let's be grateful Labour didn't win the last election, because if they did we'd be in a terrible state and our ratings would have been downgraded.

I gave up trying to understand them. They said they didn't oppose the cuts. Oh hang on, we do. Oh no we don't....

Finished the Xmas Downton special. Bates wasn't hanged after all, there's a surprise!!

Terrible acting, awful scripts... yet somehow... very watchable. Weird!

Nothing much to say about TV at the moment as there is little if anything worth watching, so currently starting series four of the sublime Sopranos.

If you never saw the series order the box set and thank me when you finished.

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 :
Glad you all enjoyed yourself in SA, sounded like a mega holiday. Your blog was a great read again thanks. I have to say, I do really enjoy them.

I'm going to join in your rant about self-service tills.

I found out that Tesco staff are targeted on how many people they can push through those horrid self-service tills. They are just trying to justify an incredibly poor investment in my opinion. Britain needs more people like us to voice our disapproval with the whole concept.

There, that's me finished. Andy and I will try to get on another seminar later this year.

Thanks Chris,
well of course I agree, those self-service tills are a joke and should be removed. Indeed I think we should definitely not use them, perhaps we could start a campaign.. SUSS... Stop Using Self Service!

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.
Gabriel writes:
If you are reading this, you are perhaps considering going on one of Robbie's Seminars. You maybe asking yourself (like I did) the testimonials are all well and good but once the euphoria and excitement of attending a Seminar has died down ..... and I am back home in my normal routine and faced with the "graft" of putting it all into practice... will I become a better trader and be financially better off?
Let me tell you that in my case it certainly has!
Book your place pretty sharpish....... is what I say !

Thanks Gabriel!

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, through me it is only £350 for your first year including VAT!
This compares to £473 direct from advfn inc vat so this deal saves you over a whopping £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. So if you get level 2 and want to learn how to use it properly live, book my seminar!

Deal two is ADVFN's bronze subscription - normally £74 pa - available from me for only £50! (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 £145 inc vat via me instead of £173.71
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.
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MARKETS
Another nice few days for me. However the FTSE is hovering around 5700 not sure what it's doing.

Certainly the 5700 area seems sticky and I guess rightly so, after all there is still a lot of bad news about.

But the latest downgrades by those rating agencies didn't do much damage so there is hope. I don't really care what the ftse does as long as my shares stay strong!

And how come just as things are going okay that is the exact time they make the downgrades?

And that all the downgrades do is make things even worse than they were already? What is the point of them? Let's ban ratings agencies!

Anyhow the stats are if January is good the rest of the year is often strong so one can only hope it works out this year...

Unusually, all the trades this time are spreadbets, my ISA is almost totally in shares right now and with nothing I am desperate to sell, spreadbets it is!

I noticed Afren (AFR) breaking out very nicely so got £50 at 110. It wasn't long before I discovered why there was so much buying, as they soon announced a new oil find. Shame I missed a few points taking profits before but never mind. Almost impossible one to try and value but I like it when finds are announced and often with oilies it's followed by more good news so could be worth me sticking with it for a while. Profit takers are in at the mo but I might be interested in buying more on a dip.

I'm not one for bottom fishing (stop it with your filthy mind), however occasionally I do it (stop!!!) but only if I think there has been a real knee-jerk reaction down, if the company suddenly looks good value because of it, and if there is no chance it will go bust tomorrow. So two in a row came up this week.

Carnival's (CCL) share price of course fell a long way because of the ship sinking - however I did think nearly 20% price fall was too over the top so I dipped in for 10 on the spreads at 1843. Of course it's quite risky but I would think the share price could easily recover by another 100 points. And it's not going bust. So I reckon i could take profits around the 2000p mark.

And Essar (ESSR), a disastrous listing at near a fiver last year has lost a massive amount of value, down to 125p this morning - however looks value here so I got 40 on the spreads at 127. It's gone up a little and is appealing against the tax ruling that drove down the price.

My plan with both is the same. Both I expect to be very short-term and I will probably be out by the next update. I expect to stick on a trailing stop with each and let that decide the exit so if the share prices continue to rise I'll stay in them a bit longer. Neither trade is an "investment", just a short-term idea for some quick bucks and as I said something I rarely get involved in.

Talking plans, remember you ought to have a plan with every trade. Of course the plan could change if things go better or worse but you really ought to have an idea of what you want from a trade before you place it, like timescale etc.

I re-bought some Volex, (VLX) this time on a spreadbet for £20 at 228. Tried to buy some at the sell price but no luck. Could possibly be undervalued now after its drift down and perhaps a decent rise again this year from what could be near a low.

And I added some more Supergroup (SGP) at 575 for a tenner spreadbet as I really liked the new break up over the 550-560 area and it's another one that could easily add another 100 points. Already nearly 200 points up from the initial trade.

I've taken profits in Gulf Keystone. They were just too good and quick to resist it even though plenty of stuff about a bid at twice the price for but now I've banked at 281 for a profit of £2,380. It also kept knocking up at three quid and falling back so all in all seems sensible to bank though I missed the top by 20 points.

Right a look at how some things are doing:

Recent buys are mostly going well. That includes CML Microsystems (CML) which could have a very good 2012, there are plenty of hints in the last statement we could see some interesting developments and some bigger buyers on the scene make me think something good is on the way here. It's trying to crack 230, if it can crack the previously sticky 240 could be a very bullish sign giving an eventual possible 300.

SVG capital, Flybe and Howden, all recent buys and all going very well. not my usual type of share but after big falls it looked rather attractive and well supported around 2 quid so I lobbed on a spreadbet of £20 at 206. I'm targetting an initial 250 on it but I think there is potential for 300 this year.
Coastal Energy sticks nicely around a tenner which has now officially doubled and more for me - I have the tenner I was after but this good news story just keeps getting better and better and I am now looking for well over a tenner here, perhaps up to 1400 now - I've now pretty much doubled on the first buy not that long ago and nicely up on the topup. Fantastic share which reported yet more good news while I was away.

Second biggest winner long-term superstar Dialight continues to strengthen after the excellent trading update a few days ago. Well, I have been patient all the way from 150p to 750 and as those of you who have to my seminars have seen from my accounts my profits in real life are something like £70,000. For the website profits are more than £40,000 - and of course there have been dividends on top.

Thinking about taking the profits in the Sporting bet trade which has given me a very lovely 20%,. It finds it hard to break 37. Gamble Filtronic has proved a great gamble and has come up with a nice 30% already but 2012 could be its year so holding fast! Also some good buying there. Could it be a trebler?

Vislink has gone very well for me, bought that in early December and one of my ten to watch for 2012.. now up nearly 20%, will be interesting to see if it can turnaround this year, if it can no reason why it can't go back to 26p ish and any break above that would be very bullish for the share.

Nichols put out another superb statement and very good profits on that one now.

Alternative Networks has been a top notch share for me, again doubled on it and made a lot of profit on this one but expect to continue to hold long-term for a decent capital gain and nice income too. In the meantime some great dividends to come. It's also nicely defensive.

IP Group is having a nice run since I bought it, looks good for up to 100 from here unless something not good happens.

LOQ announced an excellent contract win today and has been a tremendous share in 2011 and another doubler. Potential for more in 2012 and has broken up through 200 for the first time, nice share and a good longer-term winner. Looking at a potential 3 quid and a treble now.

Yule Catto put out a good enough announcement, when the economy picks up this one is going to leap and I still think a bid target potential here. Some nice profits building on this one.

An unsung long-termer in the portfolio is Aggreko, just continues going up over time, a lovely one! Bought at 11 quid ish and now nearly doubled at 21, fantastic share and another producing a very decent statement.

BTG has bust out well over three quid since I have been away and remains a nice doubler for me this year. A nice long-termer and another I'm keeping hold of. It got approval for a drug today.

And Microgen has been a lovely winner, first bought this one live at a seminar a couple of years ago and it's done nothing but rise and trebled for me. I reckon more to come.

Biggest three winners in the portfolio remain: (rough profits!)

1. Telecom Plus profit £92,000
2. Dialight profit £43,000
3. Microgen Profit £27,000

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. Also with this link there is an excellent education programme and it offers the biggest range of smaller shares.

www.Igindex.com/nakedtrader
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!
****
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..