Right, sorry about the late update as I warned it would probably be. I'm on my tod as the Mrs is away, and I've just put the lad to bed. I think he'll be asleep in a mo. Pleassssee...

I've got a massive headache after a kids party with kids off their heads on e numbers and after not much sleep thanks to the election!

That has got to be the weirdest 7 days I have ever lived through and not one I'm going to forget in a hurry.

My son shouts "I hate doctors" in hospital recovering from his operation.. People unable to vote as queues build outside polling stations. Someone types B into the computer instead of M and the Dow falls 1,000.

The second placed party wanting a deal with the third place to stuff the first. Some shares in the US go to zero in a mad 15 minutes. Bruce Forsyth tells a packed election party to be quiet and then yells: "Nice to see you...to see you...." (It's not all about you, Bruce).

Gordon Brown holed up in Number 10 with the door barricaded and a "Keep Out" notice on it. Inside he's busy shredding all the documents showing how much worse we're doing than we thought.

I watch havoc on the markets from a laptop balanced on the basket of a bike in the park while trying to sort out arguments between 5-year-olds.

A lethal cocktail gets me drunk as a skunk. Nick Clegg loses the X-factor and wears a red tie. And Mrs NT tells a waiter she "didn't expect to pay £16 for a plate of crisps".

I've been filing a patent for a possible exciting new business and been talking to Chinese who will make it!

And with the Green party winning its first seat I consider starting the Purple Party.

Apart from all that, life's been quiet!

I wouldn't have it any other way as life must be lived to the full as it goes so fast.

Mrs NT is away at a friend's wedding leaving me in charge at home - the main aim to ensure Christopher doesn't make too much mess...

Before she left we went for an early evening meal with the lad. At a ribshack that's usually good. But they're obviously cutting costs as it wasn't what it used to be.

Thought they definitely haven't cut what they put in their cocktails as I was completely hammered after half of the Berry Surprise.

Through a haze I saw Mrs NT glare at what was supposed to be the Tiger Shrimp special. This used to come with a baked potato and corn on the cob but this recession version came with a load of cheap Nachos.

She called the waiter over. "I didn't pay £16 for 4 prawns and a plate of crisps," she argued. (Nor did we want the cheapo bar coke - we want a bottle)

This caused a flurry of staff dismay as if they couldn't believe we didn't think it was good value. Christopher added: "This hot dog is horrible..."

If only we'd gone to MacDonalds which was the first idea.... Don't ask me how I got home after the rest of the cocktail.

When I get drunk I tend to giggle a lot, say slightly rude things and then gently slide under the table. I guess I'm too old to take it any more...

In charge of Christopher I picked him up and we went to the park where he started playing.

Not a bloke in sight except me - just mummies and mainly nannies.

I had the laptop balanced on top of Mrs NT's bike basket watching the markets while the mobile was going from the people making my prototype thing.. while various toddler struggles were going on... something to do with whose football it was...

I knew I'd laugh about it over the weekend... it was like trying to work while being constantly heckled. "Why've you got no hair?" enquired one boy. Charming.

Anyway I managed to get him to bed, little did I know during this time the Dow Jones would tumble 1,000 points! Complete madness - I comment more fully on this in the markets section. One crazy week, I thought.

I made it till 2am watching the election hoping for a Tory majority, but it never really looked like it was going to happen - I drifted in and out of sleep and jolted awake again at 6am by.... guess who.

I got him to school today, played with him and then ended up with him at the kids party (lucky I remembered the earplugs).

The election has really shown that we hate all politicians and the country appears to be split.

England is Conservative - Scotland and Wales are Labour. It's a divide that's become so clear. So how's about Cameron rules England, Clegg Wales and Brown Scotland?

The election shows were quite fun but you have to hand it to David Dimbleby - he's great! A brilliant relaxed presentation together with healthy scepticism of politicians. And what stamina!

But did the BBC have to blow more than 30 grand on a massive boat party for celebrities hosted by the Director General? I mean, isn't that enough to take on a new journalist? (Or 1 second of a Johnathan Ross programme).

Who is going to deal with who? Can Clegg really shore up a discredited Labour Government? At time of writing it's all up in the air. How weird.

He's talking to Cameron apparently. I can't see any way Brown can survive as PM though. Maybe it will be a relief to him when it's all over. Certainly be a relief to me.

Labour's offering him a referendum on changing the voting system. Is that too big a prize to turn down? And how come the guy who's come third gets to choose the new Government?

What's annoying is there was no reason at all to stay up to watch the election as the exit poll was spot on and gave us the result!

In the end it's a result that is no good for anyone.

A quick message to those of you booked into next Friday's seminar! If you haven't filled out your questionaire and returned it yet please get it back to me by Saturday morning as I'm working on the seminar over the weekend...

I look forwards to meeting you all on Friday.

The seminar on May 14th at Heathrow is pretty much sold out, about 2 slots left. If you're interested in coming then email me at robbiethetrader@aol.com with "May seminar interested" in the subject line.

I'll then send you details and a full agenda of what is covered. Also more details below somewhere.

Because some of you couldn't make May, I've also opened booking for the seminar after this one which will be on Friday June 25th at Heathrow. If you're interested in details on that one, mail me with "June seminar interested" in the subject line.

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! E-mail me for details.
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.
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/
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 MAY 14TH AT HEATHROW NOW OPEN**

(March seminar is sold out)
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 the next Naked Trader seminar on Friday May 14th
Price is £495 plus vat.
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 "May 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/

What's annoying is there was no reason at all to stay up to watch the election as the exit poll was spot on and gave us the result!

In the end it's a result that is no good for anyone.

It's time to move elections to the weekends - you can vote from 8am Saturday to 4pm Sunday - then we can all watch the results come through by midnight. See how it all unfolds during the day.

That way everyone gets a chance to vote and more people will vote and no-one should be turned away.

So let's campaign for a weekend election!

The best thing about the election is Nick Clegg doesn't look as nauseatingly smug! He even ordered cameras out of his train journey today. What a difference a day makes.

Apparently there's a new diet which enables you to live to .. 120!

The only problem is you can't eat much: no wheat, dairy, meat, sugar, tap water and you can't grill or roast anything.

My thoughts are if I can't have some toast and tea and a chunky kit kat I'll be happy to live to 80 thanks - I'd rather that than live to 120 and have no fun at all.

This has got to be nuts -- doctors say allowing patients to view their fave TV shows during operations could stop the need for a general anaesthetic!

They say a local will do and any pain felt will not be apparent because they are watching TV.

A suggested programme is "Only Fools And Horses".

Give me the general .. PLEASE!!!!

Good luck to next door club Fulham next week in the Europa League Final.

As the last English team left in Europe hopefully you'll all be supporting them - and congrats to our next nearest team Chelsea who ought to win at the weekend and clinch the Premiership.

Sporting offer £200 credit for new accounts at this link, see terms and conditions.. click this link to get the offer:

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.

Ian writes:
Just wanted to drop you a line to say hello and hope you and your family are well, and also comment on what you said last week about Facebook and electronic "˜friends'! I totally and whole heartedly agree, no one seems to want to talk to people directly anymore! I would much rather use the phone and actually hear the persons voice or even better "" be in the same room as them! I really don't "˜get' Facebook and others like it. And how the heck do you get any fitter on a Wii fit? Surely actually going out of the house for a walk or run is far better and cheaper. Youtube, I do exactly the same as you! Spend hours typing in random tracks from years ago and dancing round to the tunes! Keep up the good work.

Exactly Ian! But can you get fitter than a wii fi fitter?
Dean writes:
Hi Robbie, I noticed that you keep getting emails about pills to make your "˜manhood' bigger.Well recently I have startdeaned to get phone calls saying that I can wipe out all my debts within 2 years and wondered if we should tell Gordon Brown to give them a call.

Maybe they can sort out the £950 billion we owe! I think it's the best chance we have of getting out of this mess.

Yes, Dean I think the UK should start borrowing on credit cards, transferring balances from one card to another at 0% and collecting various points along the way...

Andy writes:
I am reading your book. I am sending you this email not in direct reference to anything financial but musical. I am many things including a DJ.
No man of your standing should be subject to commercial tripe when it comes to dance music.
There is no reason why one should dis-like "Put your hands up for Detroit" , but if my surmise is correct, if you like the commercial stuff, you would probably be left speechless by the good stuff. Here i can help -I think. Both my wife and I agree, that of all the music I have, the Global Underground series is excellent. Nick warren, Sasha Darren Emerson and almost all of the 38 albums so far in the main series are great. "Communicate" by Sasha and John Digweed is also an album i hold dear and one i am quite sure you would love. Sometimes it takes a couple of listens to really get it but they are a world away from the "commercial"
Hi Andy!
Thanks for that. What you may not have taken on board is how crap my music taste is - I just like stuff that gets me up on my feet with a happy tune and a good beat! But I'll order one of those and give it a try - thanks for trying to broaden my horizon!
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.

Sheila writes:
Hope Christopher's op goes OK and he is not to unwell afterwards. I enjoy reading about him, it is lovely that you share some of your family life with your readers. My three girls are now grown up, oldest married, she's a bloodstock underwriter, middle girl is getting married in September and is a doctor and just passed her exams to train as a GP and youngest at Vet. School, 3rd year and working very hard. Why I mention this is it only seems like yesterday that they were wee things, I don't know how the time went so quickly, maybe before too long there will be grandchildren!!

Thanks Sheila, time passing, yes - seems to go faster the older you get...

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

The papers say the FTSE falls today because of the election worries - this is rubbish in my opinion! We just follow the US markets point for point as usual!

As I said above somewhere, I really, really thought I had seen everything in the markets but yesterday has to be marked down as new.

And I think it is very worrying that someone can type in a wrong trade, causing a plunge of 1,000 in the Dow Jones - apparently an idiot typed B for Billion instead of M for million. How can there not be something to stop this?

This trade panicked the trading robots into immediately selling everything causing some shares to go to zero. A bit like Terminator! Rise of the Machines!!

What kind of market is that? That's not a market, it's some kind of weird super casino and you;re playing against crazy robots.

As an investor I am absolutely shocked that because of this so many people would have had their stops taken out over there, making any falls instantly worse.

In fact it's not worrying. It is downright unfair! Investors who had, probably rightly, been in a very solid and safe company Proctor and Gamble suddenly found their investment half gone because some halfwit made a mistake.

(It was a phat finger trade in Proctor that sparked the trouble).

Also, it was caused by what's called "High Frequency Trading" - a computerised programme that can sell huge amounts of shares in a nano second.

The same kind of thing is happening here too. There are computer programmes, robots and machines working against each other everywhere.

The worst thing is for more illiquid stock traded electronically and with market makers. Panicked investors selling up exaggerate the falls which are then made worse by the robot sellers, and CFD traders.

I think the fact robots, machines and crazy traders can screw up a market and make a share go to near zero for no reason at all is a total disgrace, and sheer daylight robbery.

I hope systems will be worked on here to ensure it doesn't happen. In some automated traded shares it just takes a sell of a couple of grand to drive down a price - an auto trade sell of 50 grand could push it down 20% in a flash. It's not right and needs to be looked at urgently.

If it isn't, investors might decide enough and enough and give up putting their money in the markets for fear of wild swings.

Even after more than ten years in sometimes crazy markets this week takes the biscuit and making any decisions is very tough. The temptation is to go crazy, keep pressing the buttons, quick, sell it's going down!! Quick buy it's going up!!

Hard to resist doing that but I've just stayed calm and in tea and toast mode - maybe it's best to let it just play out. I'm lucky in that I have sold off quite a bit over the last couple of weeks and what I did keep is relatively ok though of course that could change.

Normally I'd wade in and buy at the highest point of fear which could be today - however I've just held fire in case there's a another wave down. Also I'd normally have a few shorts open - but it just didn't happen with lots going on at home. Never mind.

So you may be surprised but..I've done very little. I hate being diddled out of good ones by panic markdowns.

But I added some Centamin Egypt (CEY) - despite the sell off up over £600 already on the spreadbet and bought some real shares this time - 3,000 at 142. I like the strength shown during the sell off too. Target 170 stop 120.

I sold the Domino spreadbet at 425 to take a profit of £500 and Pace spreadbet went at 178 for a profit of £60.

Other than that, where time allowed I just played the FTSE up and down on the spreadbets - I don't usually find this easy, but this time once a trend established for a few minutes it seemed to keep going.

Being mostly in small caps my general experience is the worst thing to do is sell on the morning of a sell off as market makers will already have marked down the shares expecting sellers at any price. But as long as it's not Armageddon, often the prices begin to rise again as the lower prices tempt buyers back in at much better prices.

Quite deliberately for now most of my shares are under the radar types - some were marked down early door but most got marked back up.

My defensives where profits remain good all held up pretty well such as Hilton Food, Cuzzons. Most were all marked down but all in the end a penny or two.

Next week is going to be fascinating. Are we going to get a recovery.. or is there more downside? I wonder whether this dramatic sell off will end or last for longer.

However what is very exciting is the number of great bargains that are appearing - and if there is another big leg down I don't think I'll be able to resist buying.

If you are a new trader/investor and got wiped by this sudden move, I feel very sorry. And I don't think it's been fair. However, the very first company I ever bought went bust and the second halved!

So I have been there - and I did fight back. Hope that helps!
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!