rather than pick out individual stocks to trade, it can often be worthwhile to trade the indices themselves, especially in times of high volatility.

for those so inclined, i attach below charts for FTSE and FTSE 250, though one might equally be tempted to trade Dow or S&P, which is significantly broader in its coverage, or even NASDAQ

for ease of reading, i have attached 1 year and 3 month charts in each instance

GBP BBA Mortgage Approvals 30.5K consensus 33.6K previous 32.3K

Fully agree Hilary, British banks for the past few years have told their not lending enough to then be told that they must lend sensibly and shore up their balance sheets.

This is what happens when politicans are allowed to medal in concerns which they are neither qualified in or have an understanding over. The FPC is nothing more than a gross waste of taxpayer money to place a government spin on the banks and combat government criticisms from the BofE.

Just short @6,448.

I'm short Dax and Dow, FTSE I'm not liking at the moment for a short, technicals not looking so good..

Yes, its in an up trend on the 5 minute, now just above resistance.

i am considering very carefully exactly when rather than if to short dow and/or s+p and/or ftse

i felt i had rather missed the boat to short ftse even though it may (eventually) fall 300 pts from here, so shorted dow instead (avr 14564)

DAX closed for a nice profit!

I'm also out for +20.

I'm wait and see if the DAX goes above 8000 which is where I've been shorting from last week and today.

FX CHAT: Despite bailout deal, caution remains on Cyprus
The bailout deal certainly brings relief yet the tone in financial markets is cautiously optimistic. Treasury bonds already moved off session lows and euro reversed overnight rally vs the dollar. Moody's already warned Cyprus still faces default risk and it remains to be seen whether the deal would prevent bank runs and capital flight. Besides, question remains on whether the deal helps ease concerns that Cyprus is a special case and the deposit charge won't be applied to other euro zone member countries. While deposits smaller than EUR100,000 "will be protected but this has opened up the prospect of bailing-in for future deals," says Steven Major, head of global fixed income research at HSBC. "What's more important is what the longer-term implications are for future crisis resolution." The 10-year note is 9/32 lower, yielding 1.946%.

FX CHAT: Euro will find a floor -BNP
The euro's relief bounce following last night's Cyprus deal didn't last long, and traders are selling the currency across the board as attention shifts back to the euro zone's tough economic outlook. But there is strong technical support for the euro at $1.28 while investors are poised to sell the single currency on any move above $1.3050, says Vassili Serebriakov at BNP Paribas. He notes given the Fed has committed to continue bond buying even as the ECB shrinks its balance sheet, investors are favoring bets the euro will slide against currencies other than the dollar. The euro is at $1.2925, versus $1.2989 late Friday, according to EBS via CQG.

Gold Futures Retreat Below $1,600 on Cyprus Deal
--Comex April gold down 0.7% at $1,595.60/troy ounce --Cyprus secures bailout, easing worries of a sovereign-debt default --Comex option expiration likely weighing on gold prices By Tatyana Shumsky NEW YORK--Gold prices fell Monday, slipping below $1,600 for the first time in a week, as the bailout accord between Cyprus and its international creditors limited investor demand for a refuge. The most actively traded contract, for April delivery, was recently down $10.50, or 0.7%, at $1,595.60 a troy ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. The Cypriot government will receive 10 billion euros ($13 billion) in financing and will shut the nation's second-largest bank, imposing steep loses on deposits of more than EUR100,000. The deal bolstered the euro against the dollar to a one-week high amid relief that the worst-case scenario of a sovereign-debt default had been avoided. Gold prices, however, came under pressure as easing concerns about Europe's political and financial stability eroded investor interest in a haven. "Now that we have a deal in Cyprus, some of the shine has been taken from gold," said Marc Ground, a metals strategist with Standard Bank, in a note to clients. Gold prices are also facing pressure from the upcoming Comex gold options expiration, which occurs at the end of trading Monday. April options turn into April-delivery futures contracts, and with a large number of contracts centered around $1,600 and $1,575 are likely to influence trading throughout the day. Still, gold's losses are likely to be muted as buyers in India, the world's largest consumer of the precious metal, are slowly returning to the market after a two-month lull. Indian demand is rebounding, industry executives say, as the spring wedding season draws out purchases of gold jewelry as a traditional gift for newlyweds. Bachraj Bamalwa, chairman of All India Gems & Jewelry Trade Federation, forecast that gold demand may rise by as much as 50% to 150 metric tons in April and May. --Debiprasad Nayak contributed to this article.

Thanks Skinny, cant seam to post charts at the moment, working from laptop running win8 using Chrome.... The article explains the dip though.. One to watch tomorrow, maybe gold up markets down... Also USD/EUR reversal tomorrow.

Off topic - how do you find W8? I have a new PC coming this week W8.

Hey skinners, don't forget to check out the Coupon Code Shack if you need any software for your new 'puter. :o)

Thanks Hils - "Furious Scalper" sounds interesting! :-)