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

FTSE 15min Cross forming for the downside...

6406 I'm short FTSE also..

Underwear change

Thanks Hils - I saw it and assumed it was fat finger.

Skinny - whats your analysis on your post of chart ? long or short

I am currently short

Nar1 - it looks like I shouldn't have reversed my long!



UK retools flagship credit scheme to get growth going again

LONDON | Wed Apr 24, 2013 6:09am BST
(Reuters) - Britain reworked its Funding for Lending Scheme on Wednesday in the hope of getting more credit flowing to small and medium-sized firms and injecting more life into the country's flat-lining economy.

The Bank of England and the Treasury said the FLS would run for an additional year until January 2015 and would increase incentives for banks to lend to smaller firms. Also, the scheme would include non-bank providers of credit, they said.

Apple's cash plan takes heat off Cook, buys him time

Wed Apr 24, 2013 4:37am BST
(Reuters) - Tim Cook wants investors to "think different" about Apple: less as a hyper-growth startup-like company and more as a mature but robust technology corporation with the world's most lucrative dividend.

If Wall Street follows Apple's famous advertising slogan of old, it may relieve some of the pressure on Apple's chief executive, quiet investors' grumbling about its recent share price slide, and buy the company time to do what it says it does best: come up with and market new products.

Nikkei vaults to nearly 5-year highs, aided by weak yen, strong U.S. earnings

Just as well I closed my FTSE short this morning for a -5 loss.
It has continued the climb up again.
Getting close to the "sell in May and go away" time!
Wonder if it will be appropriate this year?
TT

yesterday's momentary plunge on dow highlights the dangers and problems of setting stops

Or just how easy it is to manipulate the market with one rogue tweet, or am I being cynical? My own opinion fwiw is it illustrates just how jittery, fragile whatever Mr or Mrs Market is at mo.

EUR German Ifo Business Climate 104.4 106.4 106.7

EUR Italian Retail Sales m/m -0.2% 0.4% -0.5%

as i shall not be at my screen for most of today, and with a view that it's all looking a bit frothy, i have just banked some very nice profits in longs of ftse, dow and hg+hc ...... that still leaves me with more than adequate exposure in individual stocks

i think i may have another look at AAPL later

Still short on the FTSE and DOW.

Eyes also on AAPL

10:33am German 30-y Bond Auction 2.16|1.5 2.45|1.8

Analysis - ECB poised to cut rates to help recession-hit euro zone

(Reuters) - The European Central Bank is closer to lowering interest rates than at any time since it last cut them in July 2012 and is likely to shave a quarter-point off at its policy meeting next week.

Senior sources involved in the deliberations say momentum is building for action to help a euro zone economy which has slipped back into recession, a move that some policymakers wanted to take earlier this year.

GBP CBI Realized Sales -1 7 0

Yesterday's plunge was automated trading reacting to that tweet - more an illustration of how automated the market has become.

4HR FTSE

FTSE closed, short Wall St and Dax.

USD Core Durable Goods Orders m/m -1.4% 0.5% -0.7%

USD Durable Goods Orders m/m -5.7% -2.9% 5.6%