I detected a steely look in Mrs NT's eye after The Apprentice finished.
And in fact the very next day she said: "You're fired!"
Not to me, luckily. To the decorator.
We're coming to the climax (please, no schoolboy humour, come on, grow up!) of the renovation work.
I cleared off to the office I'm renting while it's all going on. That day it was time to start the painting. When I got home I thought I'd see some of it. But no.
Mrs NT has pointed the finger and fired him.

The firing was justified! He'd just started painting without doing any prep work at all. He then claimed all that was normal but lucky for us Mrs NT's Dad is a painter and a quick conversation with him (our version of The Apprentice's Nick) caused the Sir Alan moment.
As Sir A might have said: "You've done a bleedin botch job, you really are a useless plonka.."
New painter is in place today and he's doing it properly! Hurrah!
So it's all go at our place. In fact it's crazy.
Which means the decorating is being done, the bathrooms are being finished. There are builders everywhere. All is up in a heap. I haven't a clue where anything is anymore.
Where's the laptop? Have you seen my battery charger? And where the hell is the cat?
The builders arrive at 7.45am so the day starts early. Toddler Christopher of course is enjoying all the chaos and merrily making hay with the materials and pretending he's Bob The Builder.
Mrs NT is rather anxious as it's all her project. Is the colour right? What about the curtains? All will shortly be revealed.

I don't know why she worries - she's got very good taste and everything she does always looks good.
Anyway it should all be finished soon then work starts on the garden. Peace and order will be here once more.
Oh, I should add at this point that new computer I bought is good. I never thought a big screen would come i so handy but it does. And, no, it's not a Mac. I know how much you wanted me to get one but I was scared, ok?
Looks like a beautiful weekend, not sure where we're going yet but frantically contacting friends who live near the coast hoping to cadge a bed near the sea.
That's it! We're off on a massive holiday to South Africa in December. For the two weeks before Xmas, arriving back on Xmas Eve.
It's all booked and paid. I bought two premium ecomony seats and one first class. Christopher will just doze off overnight and me and Mrs NT can then share the flat bed. Seemed the best way to do it.
We're going to a lovely hotel, we're very excited. We're going to get sunshine in December and leave just after Christopher finishes his first term at "big school".
And the best part is we're having Xmas dinner with friends so there's no bother with cooking and all the rest of it..
Oh no, sorry I have mentioned Xmas haven't I and it's only May. So sorry.
I just got Maureen who cleans the offices double pay today. The owner of the offices was fretting that the temp hadn't turned up to man reception.
I said Maureen was perfectly capable of managing the front desk as well as the cleaning and pay her double.That was all agreed! I ought to be a shop steward.
The giant banana that Christopher won at Legoland (see last diary entry) is lying unloved in the garden. Poor banana. I just don't know what we're going to do with it.
Even worse Christopher is obviously going to win another banana everytime we go to Legoland. We could soon be overwhelmed by giant bananas. We could be driven bananas.
But it's time Christopher went into business. So when we go to Legoland next, people can pay him to climb the wobbly ladder and win them a banana. Or else he could start a how to win the giant banana training school there.
Hey maybe him and me should go on Britain's Got Talent, I can see it now: the ladder across the stage with us ringing the bell syncronised.
Then we'd get to the semis. Simon would be scathing. "At the very least I would have thought perhaps some flashing lights on the bells or something..it's just the same old act..."
Thanks for all the great feedback about the seminar, it's very rewarding to know it was worth your while attending. I'm not going to print much of the feedback as I think it makes me look like a crazed egotist (whatya mean I am one already, oh well maybe...) but I'll print one or two.

Thanks they've all been read and I will reply when I get a chance!
Anyway next seminar is June 26th.

It's 80% full now and at this rate it'll be sold out way before the event.

And even better there is again an early booker discount for that!

If you are interested in June's event please mail me at robbiethetrader@aol.com with "June seminar interested" in the subject line. And I will send you details. It's held close to Heathrow Airport. More details somewhere below.

I've decided to go ahead with an extra "holiday" seminar especially for those of you who find it hard to get a weekday off in termtime.

So it's going ahead on Fri July 24th again at Heathrow.

If you want the details mail me at robbiethetrader@aol.com with
"holiday seminar interested" in the subject line.

There will be a decent early bookers discount on that one too. I will be writing to those of you who already expressed an interest over the weekend.

Finally seminar wise there'll be a follow up seminar for any of you who've been to a previous one sometime this autumn - based on Technical Analysis with top trader Susan Marmor. Again let me know, it's for a max of 20 only.
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!

Thanks for the great spreadbetting stories - winning and losing stories for my upcoming spreadbetting book welcome at.. thenakedtrader@aol.com (spread stories ONLY to this address please!! -please use my normal address for anything else).

Did you lose spreadbetting? Why and what happened? Or have you found it easy and you're a winner? Tell me! Anyone whose story I use gets a free copy.

Hurrah! Spreadbetting firm Tradefair (Betfair's sister) has upped its offer exclusively to Naked Trader readers to a £100 credit!
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 (non equity)

If you'd like to open an account with Tradefair and get the freebie and try them out e-mail me at robbiethetrader@aol.com with "Tradefair" in the subject line and I'll send you info on how to claim the new £100 credit.
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!

I'm glad to say MF Global has improved its offer to readers....
First you get a free £2 bet on the FTSE.. and secondly when you place your first bet with them they will cover the potential loss of up to £100 if the trade moves against you.
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

MAY 15TH 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 still open for the next Naked Trader seminar on Friday June 26th. Price is £495 plus 15% vat. However there is a large early booking discount available!

That includes three course lunch, Starbucks coffee, parking 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 "June 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!

. Mf Global Spreads is one of the few companies that offers spreads on smaller companies valued at just £6m or more, including AIM stocks. And you can trade them online too.
So now you CAN deal in small companies without having to actually buy the shares in the market and you can deal in them on margin if you wish.
Every naked trader reader who opens an account with them though me will get a completely free £2 a point bet on the daily FTSE on a day of your choice.
As you can imagine get it right and this free bet could be worth a few quid. The bet cannot be a loser, because if you lose, it is as if you never placed it!

And MF now also offers £100 refund on your first bet if it becomes a loser.
So here is your chance to open an account to spread bet the smaller companies - of course you can deal in the whole range of usual spread betting with them too including the bigger companies and indices bets as well.
To take up what I think is a brilliant offer, simply cut and paste this link into your browser and sign up online:

http://tinyurl.com/c524ku

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 (non equity).

To get the offer, click here:

http://promo.tradefair.com/nakedtrader100/

At this rate are there going to be any MPs left? Let's hope Gordon does the right thing and has an October election to clear the air.
It can't be that much fun for him. He has to realise he's just not suitable to be a Prime Minister. You have to have a bit of charisma. Don't hang on much longer, Gordon. Just think how much fun you'll have glowering on the backbenches.
But aren't these resignations just a bit weird.
I mean in which other job can you get found out fiddling expenses.
You resign but stay in the job for another year and at the end of it collect a massive payoff and a fat pension... something not quite right here..
Problem is we all now know the priviledged life they've being living while the middle classes have been hit with all kind of dodgy tax rises.
Kate and the last remaining bloke what's his name will I am sure battle it out to be the Apprentice with Lorraine third.
Poor old Howard was torn to bits by the frankly scary Nick. You can imagine Nick working for a dodgy Government trying to get information out of people.
He does the interrogating while someone else does the torturing. Wouldn't he make a great Bond villain?
"You are not a brave warrior," said Nick. I half expected a trapdoor to open underneath Howard to reveal a pool full of crocodiles.
Poor Howard just couldn't manage to sell useless old tatt to idiots on TV. It was so obvious the pick was the £225 crazy dinosaur. They would easily have flogged ten of those. I would have bought one!
Next week it's the interview stage where various human rottweilers will attack. Anything not right on those CVs will be investigated for sure. Let's hope they have a good answer for the tired old interview cliche:
"Where do you see yourself in 5 years?"
Britain's Got Talent remains entertaining too.
Problem is are we voting for real talent or the stories of the contestants. Should the granddad and daughter win simply because of their amazing relationship because they're not such great singers. And Stavros Flatley is a laugh but not really talent?
I guess it doesn't matter in the end. I do feel inspired by the older contestants. The breakdancing grandad as brilliant and shows it is possible to stay fit and healthy into old age. Good on him.
Big Brother starts next week. Dunno about you but a bit tired of it now. I think they should have axed it and just kept the celebrity one going. Maybe I'll have a bet on it anyway but like last year I might just catch up with it on the web and not watch.
After all, life's too short to waste much time on it!
Shame Man Utd weren't good enough. I wonder if Everton can win the FA Cup. I think they could just spring a surprise.
But well done to ITV for screwing up its football yet again by forgetting to, er, show the score and time on the screen till well inside the second half.
I mean, honestly. It's not asking much is it? Well, at least they managed not to show an ad in the middle of the game...
If you want to bet on sport here's the sign up link, very large free bets for newbies: To open a Sporting account click here:
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.

Duncan writes:
I hope that you had a restful couple of days after the marathon seminar! Talk about stamina.
You might have got to the bar a little quicker if a few people were not crowded around you!
I would like to say thank you very much for choosing to pass on your experience - I really benefitted from the day and it was tremendously enjoyable, even so late in the day. Your style of presentation was ideal and I think your explanations were pitched just right for all.
I overheard you suggesting you might wind it up, or maybe that was the website, I hope you don't too soon anyway, it was a great day.

Hi James, thanks glad you enjoyed it. Erm, well I have been thinking about either ending or cutting down the website for a while. It's just the response is often so great I get a bit overwhelmed and it has started becoming more like work than an enjoyable hobby. We'll see. I'm sure I'll keep it going in some form or other. Maybe I'll take a long summer break from it and come back refreshed in the autumn.
Ed writes:
I need the money to pay for a porn movie, a plug, some manure for my garden, a patio heater, a repair to a pipe under my tennis court, a chandler and various other bills I have for my second home. Luckily, I've done a bit of a fraud and still claim single person's discount on the community charge while my firm pays the whole whack. I'm hoping to decorate it, at their expense and then pretend it's actually my main residence. That way, when I sell it, I don't have to pay capital gains tax ! Am I clever or what !?

The only worry I have is that somone at the firm will notice my 'holiday home' is actually only a few miles away from my real home. If they do, I might have to work out how to justify my travelling expenses. Still........

Good luck with your plans Ed. I think it's marvellous you should be thinking about following in the footsteps of the honourable members of the house of commons..
David writes:
I know you are really busy with too many e-mails to deal with each day, but I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your seminar last Friday. The time just flies past and I got the impression you would have stayed up all night talking if you could have done! (well, if you could have been provided with G'n'T's in the room of course!).
I don't know how you do it, you looked completely knackered when I left the bar late on, but you were still happily chatting to all and sundry - it's obvious that you love what you do and that enthusiasm shines through.
Anyway, all in all a great learning day and it was fun talking to lots of other people there too, so a big thank you from me!
Please also say thanks to Elizabeth for quietly getting on with everything in the background, truly the unsung hero of the day - doesn't she get bored in the morning though, sat at the back listenening to you, or do you always tell different jokes?
Thanks David and glad it worked for you - of course I use different jokes every time!

Keith writes:

Just finished reading your book, and I must say I enjoyed it immensely .So much so that I am going to read it again immediately to confirm that some of your ideas have stuck . Not only was it a good read , but it also confirmed that I am only doing a few things wrongly , not everything as unplanned as I thought .
One question though if you don't mind , where can I get relevant information regarding Aim listed companies which are moving up to the main market ? I don't seem to be able to find this info so far , and I wonder if you could point me in the right direction ?
Hi Keith..
There's no easy way.. I usually scan news items on advfn at 7am, a move is usually highlighted there - but there are only about 5-10 moves a year!

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

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

Deal three is ADVFN's silver subscription - for those of you who want all the benefits of Bronze AND always on real-time prices.. no more using the back button and getting frozen out!

The deal is via me you can save £30 for your first year by paying just £138.06 inc vat via me instead of £167.47.
Just mail me at robbiethetrader@aol.com if you'd like this deal with "silver" in the subject line.

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

http://tinyurl.com/57hp4n

Well, goodness me, the good times just keep rolling. Who'd have thought that May would have been so good?
The profits just keep rolling in and I'm sure it's the same for many of you out there. If you'd told me in January that between March and May I'd make more money faster than even in the last bull market I'd have said you were having a laugh.
The only thing is.. markets can get over crazy when everyone piles in so still happy I took some profits recently. And the other thing is the market will always bite in you in the bum the moment it looks like an easy game!
Still for the time being I can easily afford to give up some of the profits and while the trend is strong I'm sticking in there.
But I'm being a little more careful buying new things and sitting on the gainers.
Wow. Hardy Oil (HDY). After its announcement I did think a re-rating was due but I thought it might be over a couple of weeks not a couple of days and it easily hit my initial target of 350 giving me a near 50% profit on my first buy and 25% on the second.

Now it's hit the target I think there is more to come. Brokers have been putting 800p targets on it with one going for 1500p which really is a bit fanciful!
So I topped up on a small dip yesterday getting a further 1,000 shares using direct market access (ie buying at the prevailing "sell" price" at 334p. As I write it is trying to bust through 350. If it does 400 could be an easy next stop. if it doesn't then 330 should become support.

As usual I have few fears about buying a share I already bought much lower at a much higher price. This top up strategy usually works well for me.
Having taken some nice profits off the table I'm not going to take any more right now and hope the rises continue.
Goodness where to start with all the massive gains?
Well, I guess star of the day (apart from Hardy) has to go to Dragon. I've been patiently sitting there with them all the way from 129p so the big break up to 315p is very nice indeed today! Looks like this could be another trebler on the way.
Talking treblers Heritage remains nicely in the category, if it can just break properly through 520 then much more on the cards for me including that ever present chance of a bid.
Trebler Barclays remains a solid hold, if it can breach 300 could be more there if the market remains strong. Same with doubler RBS.
Topps Tiles goes really well now up and over £2,000 profit there now on the spreadbet. Plenty of buying coming into Fenner.
Asterand looks like it's about to break upwards. Also Porvair has gone brilliantly, great profit on that already and hopeful the Italian company will increase is stake yet again and then bid the for the whole company.
Close to doubling on Galifom, huge profits there. Petrofac has soared since the buy and is heading up to 700 and another doubler looks on the cards here!
Alterian is soaring today up to 100 in the run up to results which is rather promising. New Brit is up and away too.
All in all I continue to be delighted with the massive paper profits and also the recent profits that have actually been banked. The only question is can this great market rise continue? That's something that no-one really knows!

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 (non equity).

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!
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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!