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

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.

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

****Look forwards to seeing all of you coming to spend a day with me at my seminar on Friday with lots of lovely live trading - see you all there, more below!!****

So I picked up the phone.

"There's a naked man in my flat, and I think it's down to you," said the caller.

I have to admit I never expected to ever hear that over the phone.

I've had some weird businesses in the past but... what?

Maybe it was going to be like a movie.

I get a strange call about something I did that I never knew about and then my life becomes a mess as I discover everything and everyone I thought I trusted turn out to be my enemy..

Soon I'll be running down the street chased by FBI agents.. and then George Cllooney will pull me aside and tell me who I really am...

... okay, fair dos, that's enough of my fantasy world...

Turns out to be less exciting: it's the manager of the apartments we're in. He has someone naked in his place and it really is down to me.

Me and Christopher often go for a pre-bedtime swim in the pool in our apartment block on a Sunday night. It's a nice little pool and hardly anyone uses it so we usually have it to ourselves.

Which means we can turn a blind eye to the sign "No ball games" and, er, well throw a ball or two around while we are swimming.

To be fair I wouldn't exactly call it a game...

Anyhow so we had our shower, Christopher changed into his pyjamas and as usual I just shoved everything into a large bag.

What I didn't know at the time is that... someone was in the sauna. And... along with our stuff I'd taken all his stuff too..

I ran to check, yes tumbling out of the bag was our stuff and, gulp, whoever was in the sauna's stuff too.

Shirt, his keys, the lot!

The poor guy had to run from the pool to the caretaker's flat totally starkers! I feel terrible.

I don't know who it is but he knows us!

I am slightly worried he'll be there next sunday ready to pounce on our stuff.

Still, if he does at least I can really call myself .. the naked trader...

I took Christopher and two of his friends aged 8 and 5 to see the Fulham Vs Newcastle game.

At half time with the team playing like, well, a 8 and 5 year old team would, all we had for comfort were packets of crisps and some skittles.

The boys were all a bit quiet and the 5-year-old asked me hopefully if the game had ended and whether it was time to go home yet. (The skittles cunningly got his attention for a while and diverted him).

The man in front of us complained at how rubbish we were and wandered off just before the restart for a hot dog.

I mean if you are already fed up, I promise you a Fulham FC hot dog will make it twice as bad. And that is just the smell of them.

Then a different team appeared for the second half, 15 minutes later three goals had gone in. The boys were cheering!

The bloke in front arrived with his hot dog to be informed he'd missed three goals so he complained again. Using words I had to cover the kids ears for. You can't please some people..

We've been to see two new movies!

The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo is a great thriller with Daniel Craig through Rooney Mara steals it as the girl and deservedly has an Oscar nomination for it. An excellent performance in a difficult role. Well worth a view.

And we saw Shame which is about a sex addict.

A very powerful movie but rather hard going at times and a bit grim but still, worth seeing.

I do keep telling the wife that I have absolutely no problem if she becomes a sex addict and I would promise to try and work things out.. and it there is any way I can help her she only has to ask...

I look forwards to meeting some of you at my seminar in just two days time on Friday! It got sold out at the weekend so disappointed one or two would be late bookers but I have booked a new date, Feb 24th, more on that in a mo.

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.

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 800 now. Microgen was also a goodie I remember.

So selfishly hoping to discover something new myself on Friday!

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 (maybe fish and chips or a curry) 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. I hope you all enjoy the day, as it's live from the markets who knows what will come up. And as you know I talk plain English with none of that idiotic jargon.

Anyway if you missed this one the next date is Friday February 24th. And the good news is there is an early bookers discount which won't last long as it only a month away! I know many of you could not make the January date which is why I'm holding one sooner than I would normally.

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.

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:

http://books.global-investor.com/books/860358/Robert-Harris-/The-Fear-Index/

Enjoy the read!!

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 FEBRUARY 24TH 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 Feb 24th

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/

read a jury member has been sent to prison for researching the trial on the internet.

I feel a bit sorry for the person. It must be very hard to be on a jury and not feel like you want to google the defandant or witnesses etc.

My bet is that on every jury at least one or more people do it, it's just that they don't admit they did to other jury members.

And that is a very big problem for fair trials and not sure how on earth it can be stopped. I can't think of any way.

I suppose one way would be to withhold the name of a defendant.

Interesting piece kindly mailed to be by reader Richard from the FT:

The difficulty in making money is pushing many small business Owners to consider moving to a salaried post, a survey has found. A quarter of the 500 small and medium-sized enterprise Owners interviewed for Aviva's bi-annual SME Pulse research said they were considering returning to the workforce as an employee while 32% said they had lost the enthusiasm they had when they started the business"

Well, who can blame them? Having been in business myself I know exactly what hard work it can be but I also know all the hassles and hurdles of owning a business.

You think after a while why do I endlessly have to sort through tax and employee paperwork issues and all those complex forms instead of being able to concentrate on my business?

Time to sweep away all the paperwork, rules and regulations for small business owners.

Instead of the onerous tax rules, why not quite simply allow a straight percentage for costs instead of a business having to keep every scrap of paperwork, then call it a 30% tax after that. Bingo, it's done.

Then business owners can get on with the business.

Sole traders should simply declare a turnover, an average percentage for the business can be taken off for costs, in most cases 20-30% should do it, then the rest taxed at a fixed flat rate.

A business could get a tax return done in a few minutes instead of weeks.

And those in PAYE? A straight flat tax with no messing about.

Let's stop all this red tape.

I bet the last week was tough if you are on paye, no pay for more than 5 weeks! I could see that when we went to Westfield on Monday, it was very quiet.

Still if you are in debt just think at least you're not in debt by one trillion! Which is apparently what we all owe.

Though who we owe it to and how they think they will get their money back remains a bit of a mystery!

I agree with Richard Branson, time to legalise cannabis, after all what is the point of a law which is unenforceable?

Put drugs under the health department not the criminal department and tackle the drug barons not the runners.

And in the end if alchohol is legal, cannabis should be too. Chill out, dudes.

There's so little worth watching at the moment though I forgot to record Birdsong which is supposed to be good but can watch it on I Player.

I see Sky Atlantic is repeating the brilliant Seinfeld on Mondays from the start, if you never caught it it's a chance to catch one of the best comedies of all time. First two series aren't so good but after that, pure delight!

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.
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

MARKETS
Well, they have had a very good run this month and it would be no surprise to see a bit of a pullback. The euro issues continue to hit the headlines.

But I guess if those get fixed someone even with sticking plaster things could still go well this year.

And as usual the moment things start to go well someone in a suit who looks about 18 downgrades something and we're all still worried about Greece.

Are you as bored with the Eurozone as I am and hoping it will go away as soon as poss!

The FTSE appears to be not sure whether to press on or to give back some of the gains made recently.

Right what have I been up to the?

Well, mind your own business .. oh all right then...

I surprised myself and bought a retailer. I haven't touched retailers except supergroup for a very long time indeed, although made well over £10,000 on the last retail buy, Mulberry. (Though I'd have made more if I'd stuck with the bet for longer).

However I was running a slide rule over a few of them and some of them, just maybe begin to look a little bit of value after steep falls.

So very tentatively indeed I have just put a toe in the water with a buy of Mothercare (MTC) on a spreadbet for £20 at 182 .

There seems to be a little value in it now after some steep falls and, indeed there is the odd bid rumour going on with Mothercare. It could be an interesting little recovery play though initially I guess I have no plans for it to be a long-term play. I made a decent amount shorting it last year, though again I didn't stay in the short long enough!

I bought some Low and Bonar (LWB) - it fell back a lot last year and looks to be on the way to a re-rating this year - I missed the bottom of it, but still I think there is plenty of upside left, at least another 20% so I bought 10,000 at 46.9 yesterday.

I've bought some Computacentre (CCC), 1,000 at 389. This one with a longer-term view. I wish I'd bought them a little earlier but still. They're from my list of ten to keep an eye on this year. This one looks to have an excellent future, looks in the right market and has good cash. A push through 400p is needed though to really get it higher and one I might get patient with!

I topped up on a couple: Zotefoams (ZTF) getting another 2,000 at 128 this week.

I noted some decent buying coming into ZFT and realised Chemicals had been going well and this one had been left behind.

Looking for a lift to about the 150-160 are as Zotefoams looks like it's having a bit of a rerating... And a top up too in Vislink (VLK) - it was marching nicely higher so I added some more getting a further 20,000 at 22.3 to the ones bought in early December. It's on the march and if the company's forecasts are accurate there is more upside to come here.

And as I mentioned last time was waiting for some weakness in Afren (AFR) to pick up a few more and that duly happened and got a further £25 on the spreads at 116. It's very volatile so an exit might be a tough call but will probably sell up in two different tranches.

The short-term Carnival bet worked a treat, the 2000 profit-taking target was nicely reached and beaten so profit was duly banked at 2008 for a profit of £1,650. It then rose higher so I cursed but then it went lower, so all in all a nice one. Eros kept drifting so I exited at 225.25 for a profit of £367. Same comment with the London spreadbet which has gone at 71 for a profit of £522. I got out of the add on Ocado short at 79 for a loss of £180. However I stubbornly have hung onto the last short in it but, well I'm up nearly £4,000 on it!

That's a total profit banked for the site of £2,359

Another pretty good week for the portfolio with some more nice gains in several shares.

The Essar bottom pick (excuse me) has worked a bit so far, up a few points on it now though I don't really want to hold it for too much longer as it was only ever meant to be a short-term bet so I expect to be out pretty soon. Hopefully for a profit.

The re-buy of Volex last week worked well and nicely up on that for the spreadbet.

And the Supergroup top up also worked well. Already nearly 200 points up from the initial trade.

CML Microsystems is close to breaking out over a difficult area. 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.

GB Group is pushing on very well now firmed above 50 and hope to wake up to a bid on that one one sunny morning.

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.

I was musing about taking profits in Gresham yesterday which I'm up over a grand on because it's been quiet for so long but there is now sudden upward movement which has changed my thoughts so now holding fast!

A good statement from Kentz, no idea why it's stuck on such a low rating when you consider it's profits, potential and huge cash balance it's got to have a good year. Patience required but it has a history of getting rerated very fast so no surprise one day if it rose strongly. Some kind of broker upgrade might do it!

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.

Sporting bet has at least broken up over the sticky 37p area which looks good. . 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?

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. Needs to break through 300 for further gains.

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 last week 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 has soared in the last week and headed way over the initial target but I still think a bid target potential here so I have stayed with it, a rise over 200 would be bullish here. 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 reported today, an inline report but lots of potentials in the pipeline and 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.

My fave long-termer with the massive profit Telecom Plus has been drifting, I don't watch it much as I expect to be holding it for at least another 2 years. It's probably fair value for now in the 6-7.50 quid range and as a defensive share it tends to drift in an upmarket. It would be tempting to add some more if it drifted under 600 again but I have so many that might be foolish!

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

1. Telecom Plus profit £85,000
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!
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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..