When I lost £7k on Coffee Republic shares in 2001 I would never have guessed in 2009 I would be kissing the co-founder of it on the cheek!
Life can be strange sometimes eh?
So co-founder of Coffee republic and ten other brainboxes were on our table for the big charity quiz. And fiercely competitive brainboxes they were too.
Not only are they impossible to compete with, but most of the people in the room itself were massive Alpha males and some well known.
Those there included Bamber Gascoine, who used to present University challenge, Judith Keppel who won a million on Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Will Self the author, India Knight from the Sunday Times.
I could go on: a room full of cleverness. And a lot of money which I guess is why a lot of them were invited.
Each table brought its own food - we had some nice takeaway meals.
But some of the tables! One had an amazing selection of cheeses, another had caviar and champers.
Host for the evening was Lloyd Grossman who, to be frank, was a bit rubbish. Not one joke and he went way too fast causing uproar. He was also almost impossible to understand but luckily questions were typed up on a big screen too.
I was supposed to be our team's finance and stock market questions answering expert and so when a finance question surfaced I was under pressure. "Let the guy answer this one," said one alpha. "It's what he does for a living after all.."
Lucky I knew the answer. When was the stock market big bang? I knew it, phew (answer in a mo in case you want to guess)
However my moment of glory was spoiled by clever lady next to me who said "Yah, right. I was a financial journalist then and spent a year covering the big bang."
(Ie I knew that one too, hah!)
My only other moment of glory was knowing which virus floored diners at Heston Blumental's Fat Duck. Did you know?
Mrs NT came up with the answer to one that floored everyone - the opening passage to a book she used to teach to students when she was a teacher.
The book starts: "My brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow when he was nearly 13"..
She also got "Who is the head chef at Petersham nurseries?"
A lot of the time conversations went like this. "Hmm, the relationship between Louis the 15th and 14th.. I think great grandson.. "No great nephew..
Anyway our team ended up coming 5th out of 22 which wasn't bad.
The winning team looked packed with old professors of various descriptions, all of whom you could imagine would get close to the million on Millionaire.
The co-founder of Coffee Republic was very charming indeed and she got one of the questions right that no-one else knew.
She was not really near me, we just exchanged a few words and I could hardly bring up the fact I bought shares in her company that went straight down. And I got the usual two cheek kisses thing that the poshies do.
The whole event was for a brilliant cause RAPT which stands for Rehabilitation for Addicted Prisoners Trust , website is www.rapt.org.uk
The idea is to help prisoners who've been addicted to drugs, alcohol or whatever to kick the addiction for good and get back into society. The aim is to help to reduce crime and help addicts start a positive new life.
I must have bought £300 worth of raffle tickets (I never win anything) but I feel the money well spent.
I do like these kind of charities which back people who are really trying hard to make a comeback from life's tough knocks.
Which is why I'm a big supporter of the Big Issue and I've already handed out £100 this month to shocked sellers. They get £20. Because I know how hard it is for them and how little £20 means to me and how much it means to them. And I know exactly where the money is going.
Anyway enough of goodie goodie me and you want to know one or two of the quiz questions don't you. OK then. See if you know the answer.
Don't google them- you are only fooling yourself, right? Hey but if you want to cheat go right ahead.
What is Eugene A Cernan famous for? Have a guess.
How many avenues are there between 3rd and 5th Avenue in new York?
What is the time difference currently between Moscow and Washington DC? Now you can work that one out!
Best question of the day though was How tall is French President Sarkosi without shoes on. Is it 5-7, 5-5, or 5-3?
Answers to these questions plus the ones Mrs NT got right up above...on Friday! Nothing like a cliffhanger.
Hey did you just click Google? Stop. You flipping cheat!!
OK, I will tell you the stock market big bang answer: 1986. And as sods law dictates of course markets crashed spectacularly the year after.
Mrs NT's sister has been with us for a week from New York and sadly she has gone back and we won't see her for a good while.
She bonded so well with Christopher that she was in tears on leaving him. But we have set up a computer to computer thing so she can keep in touch with him.
It's his birthday tomorrow and we're planning a party for him at the next door gym.
As a big fan of Tom and Jerry he's getting a Tom and Jerry cake.. and a kids camera and of course a go go hamster! It's going to be fun! Tell you all about it on Friday.
The Nov 27th seminar is sold out. Sorry - I had to turn some of you away but I did warn you. It's no good pleading. If you didn't book yet, you're not coming in!

However if you missed it, take heart.
I always expect the next seminar to be the last but there has been so much interest that I've fixed a date for the one after the sold out one this month and that'll be on Friday Jan 15th. Which will have to be called the "Happy New Year" seminar.

The good news is right now you will get in cheaper than the sold out one because there's a decent early booking discount to get the first few bums on seats!

If you're interested then email me at robbiethetrader@aol.com with "New Year seminar interested" in the subject line and I'll send you details.

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!

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 2 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://promo.tradefair.com/nakedtrader100/
Still with BT for your phone line? Why? Move over to Utilities Discount Warehouse under me and pay just £8.99 for your line rental, and deal with a nice company. I get commission and in return you get my e-mail - this site into your mailbox at every update!
You could also add energy, guaranteed cheaper than the top 6 suppliers and get the lot on one bill every month. Mail me at robbiethetrader@aol.com if you fancy it. Easy to do!
MF Global offers a free £2 bet on the FTSE to all readers.
I use MF Global myself for spreadbets on the smaller companies as they have more online than anyone else and offer spreads on pretty much everything.
To take up the offer either click the MF banner you should find somewhere on this page, or cut and paste this link into your browser and you can sign up online:
http://tinyurl.com/c524ku
Terms and conditions obviously apply, check them on that link.. I think those are good offers.
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.
The money - real money - is already coming on from my own internet shopping site which is at www.ei42.com/nakedtrader.
In fact I've already made £1,000 - that's in a very short time and as this grows I think there could be a very good income there.
YOU can make money out of this too - by simply doing your online shopping as normal but via your site (it costs nothing) and then tell friends to open their shopping site using the link from yours - you then get commission on their buys!
Have a look at this link:
http://www.ei42.com/Nakedtrader/
So for free you can sign up and get this site for yourself.
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.
It's all explained on the site top right.. just click "Make money with your own shop find out more" and it's all explained. Or click here
http://www.ei42.com/?10850514
So you just shop away as normal - but now you earn commission - and there's also decent money off coupons too on top of 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

****HAPPY NEW YEAR JANUARY 15TH SEMINAR BOOKING NOW OPEN**
(NOVEMBER 27TH NOW 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 January 15th
Price is £495 plus 15% vat. However right now there is an early booking discount!
That includes three course lunch, coffees, snacks etc. And most importantly it covers choc bars and fruit gums too.
The seminar is mainly aimed at beginners and dabblers though improvers are welcome too.
Topics covered using live market feeds all day include: Market psychology, level 2 - a simple guide to how to use it for better timing; how to value companies; finding companies that are about to rise. I will also cover techniques for handling events such as the recent meltdown and volatility.
Spreadbetting: How to use it to gain an edge and go short. Market makers - how they work and how to beat them; how to stop losing money and make it instead and plenty more.
How to plan trade entries and exits - how to research companies and understand reports, plus all those niggly questions you always wanted to ask. How to set stop losses and targets. Charts and how to use them.
Also covered: Market maker tricks: How to spot tree shakes and use them in your favour, How to tell when NOT to buy a share. I use live ADVFN all day with lots of level 2 and looks at all kind of live market data.
The idea behind the seminar is SIMPLICITY. I don't use jargon or fancy words - everything is in PLAIN ENGLISH! No question is too stupid and the event is held in a friendly relaxed and supportive environment.
The idea is you will come away from the event I hope a wise and better investor with lots of new ideas. I try and translate complex topics into easy bite size pieces. I also aim for it to be entertaining as well as instructive.
If you are interested please e-mail me at robbiethetrader@aol.com with "New Year 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 2 spreadbets (terms and conditions apply)
To get the offer, click here:
http://promo.tradefair.com/nakedtrader100/

Of course today's Queen's speech is a farce.
It's full of nonsense - after all Labour hasn't the time before an election to get any of it through - the Queen might as well be reading the Labour manifesto.
It's a kind of last minute plea - please don't kick us out, we'll give you lots of great stuff - how about a free I Phone for every household!!
Of course there is nothing they can do and they will be rightly kicked out in May. Can you imagine - a summer next year without having Gordon Brown droning on every few minutes.
The Queen's Speech and all that pomp and ceremony really seems like a waste of time. With days wasted like this and long summer and Xmas breaks, it's amazing that anything ever gets done at all.
Time to put the speech out to pasture along with a lot of the silly ceremony. I know it's historical, but sometimes it is time to move on and the time is now.
Swindon as well as being known for 1000s of mini roundabouts is about to become fully wi-fi wired.
Which sounds good in practice. I mean it's amazing - free wi fi for everyone in Swindon.
Ah, but hang on a minute - there is some small print. Everyone gets a "daily allowance" and then, guess what - yes you gottit - you've got to pay.
So if you're in Swindon expect a sales call the moment you've sent more than 2 emails!
Lovely comedy from The Thick of It which seems to fly under the radar but it is beautifully written and gets to the heart of why we are all sick of politics. Just brilliant, watch it on I Player if you missed it.
Classic Curb on More4 - dealing with issues which could not be touched here - like, how do you dump someone who's in a wheelchair?
"I'm back on I'm A Celebrity to prove to Pete I'm not a monster," says Katie Price.
And there I was thinking she'd done it for the £350,000. Oh. Silly me!

If you press "Sports" there is a preview of the weekend's sports betting action and a look at the weekend games.
Get to grips with sports spread betting by opening an account with Sporting Index. . Click the link below to find out more.
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.

Steve writes:

Read your website and smiled. My son is now 22 but how your stories brought back memories! Just my advice but don't buy hamsters, gerbils or any other caged creature. I did when my son, Jim, was Christopher's age.

We had to have not one but two females (apparently gerbils get lonely according to the lady in the pet shop!) She assured me, indeed promised they would only live 18 month at the most. Oh yeah! Nearly 5 years later I would come downstairs every morning to find them in the peak of health - bloody gerbils - God, how I wished they would pop their clogs! They did eventually, long after Jim had lost interest in them!

Thanks Steve will take your advice on this and avoid anything small and furry!
Richard writes:
The people of this country need to be mobilised and motivated to fight back against what's happening in the UK by gradual excuse after excuse for building the Orwellian database, and its eventual sinister misuse by immature officials who are becoming the police and creating a climate of fear and suspicion and over criminalisation of ordinary people who just want to be left alone.
In recent years the excuse was anti terror, they don't bother with that one now - it's spies in the dustbin and hysteria over children instead.
What alarms me even more than what this government is doing is that the Opposition should be leading the rebellion but is not doing so. it's time for the people to rise!

Thanks Richard - I agree let's rise up. Oh hang on, let's not, the X-Factor is starting!
Julian writes:

Just a quick comment on the FX and index playing - couldn't agree more. My worst losses ( which are now a year or so ago and never to be repeated!) were in daytrading them . They move very quickly , especially the FX since i suspect that the nearly all the players have their trades automated and stops can get tripped quickly . If you go on Youtube you can see demos of people chasing daily breakouts on the FX . I tried this and 80 % of the time it doesn't work and when it does it goes a little way then comes back!! I also tried maybe 5 different strategies in a short time frame and they all just cost me money !
I do think they can be played successfully but only over a much longer time frame.
Hi Julian - agreed!

Julia writes:

Thanks so much for a wonderful seminar on Friday, everything about it was brilliant. I can now see why some people keep coming back again. Have spent this morning raving about you and it, so may well end up sending a load more people your way .. Thanks Julia.. erm but too many please!

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

I have to say I'm a bit surprised at the speed of the rise of the markets over the last few days..
Can there possibly be much more to come? As you know I don't predict things but I am wondering whether the market is starting to overshoot to the upside.
But yet November and December are usually good months so it could go higher still perhaps leaving a big hangover for the new year?
I'm away for much of December on hols in South Africa and I don't fancy being stuck in front of a computer while there so I have half an eye now to profit banking - certainly for the more volatile stock. However for right now with things still looking rosy I am in the main still holding on.
But any new buys now are really going to have to win their place in the portfolio..
However one I think should be ok is Booker (BOK) ("Boring Booker") and I bought some more, getting another 10,000 shares at 46.17, Target 60 stop 42. I saw Booker dropping off cans of coke at an M and S yesterday and I spoke to the van driver who said they were really busy. Just think I thought these were a bit dull when I first bought them in the early 30s and the profits on these have been tremendous, taken profits and now on paper.
I took profits in Styles just now selling at 28.03 for a profit of £123. My reason was a company which operates in a similar sector gave out a pretty dire statement this week and as it's due to make a statement any day - I now feel the risk may be greater than the reward if the statement matches that of the other company. If I'm wrong then I will miss out!
Some absolutely brilliant rises for me - star of the day award has to go to the wonderful Dimension Data which came up with very upbeat statement ahead of expectations this morning. The price has risen fast today leaving me up by more than £3,000 since buying them quite recently. Up to around 80, I think 100p is still in play and even better - if they carry on like this a place in the FTSE 100 is possible in about a year or so. The spreadbet alone is now in profit by £2,500.
Other recent buy Micro Focus has also stormed ahead putting profit into four figures already - a great performance here and it just keep going - as I said when I bought I think it's worth 500 plus on its statement.
And what can I say about very recent top up XP Power - a tremendous report this week which has pushed the price up even further leaving my first buy as a now doubler and a half! Even better directors have bought more even at this much higher price and on top of that a large buyer for nearly £200,000 today at top price. I am starting to wonder whether I'm looking at a possible bid story coming up here? I am now holding on very firmly and sitting on great profits.
Staying with recent buys Afren is now into a good profit after being wobbly for a bit though Kier hasn't done much yet and is around where I bought it.
Dialight consolidates at 200, simply a matter of hopefully waiting for more orders to come in! Centamin is trying to rise, CSR moves nicely into profit but it of course can move down as fast as it moves up. Nestor Heathcare has slipped a little but hoping for a bid there.
Doubler Chime moves well this week and looks to have taken out 200 strongly now and 250 looks a real possibility. Recent buy Hunting in a reasonable profit but doesn't look that happy and I may have to part company unless it improves a bit.
What a star performer Microgen is proving and I've now doubled from my first buy with excellent profits of over £5,000. I still think there is more to come from this well managed outfit. A little bit of not unexpected profit taking pushes the price down a tad but I'm in for the longer term.
Dragon's price has come back as it looks like there may be enough no voters to prevent the bid at 455p. Could just mean the shares will stick at the low 400s for a while now till the picture becomes clearer. Might need some patience but given I'm sitting on £7k profits here I guess I'll stay with it.
Trebler Alterian is on the rise yet again - and it looks like 200p is conquered!! what a great share! Profits of more than £8,000.
Well, despite the thought that the market is due a giant pullback it still doesn't seem to want to.. so here's holding! However it has to be said at these dizzy levels it won't take much for a big pullback.
I leave today's market report with a quote:

"Most of the time common stocks are subject to irrational and excessive price fluctuations in both directions as the consequence of the ingrained tendency of most people to speculate or gamble... to give way to hope, fear and greed."- Benjamin Graham "" economist "" 1894-1976

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 2 spreadbets (terms and conditions apply).
To get the offer, click here:
http://promo.tradefair.com/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 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!