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

Spot on with that dividend calculation Skinny for Drax.

The CNA dividend play was 'millibanded' - managed to get out @390 and just bought again @382p

DRAX didn't fair any better.

You lost me there skinny!
Oh the freezing of power charges. OK

6586 short FTSE

6564 position closed

15 minute FTSE, maybe a long play next, awaiting reversal

Tempted to go long

6552.3 gone short

30min Wall St, no position yet

1Hr DAX waiting for a short signal..

Still expect a fall back to 4024 at some point.

still out of this one while clenching the bum with NMX 3720 which is currently being rather naughty

Pretty safe to expect 10205 will fail and this will continue to trend downwards. 10116 looks like the target and where I'd consider buying from.

i fear you may be right, but guess i'll just stay put and just possibly add further (pain?) in due course ..... in fact, 10129 mid hit earlier today, which was pretty much spot on - i.e. implies 10119/10139

NMX 3720
i see it closed right on the upper resistance level ..... since then, dow has moved ahead again, though not with great conviction .... wait and see

Seems that even the Pro's can't agree on the chart analysis!
"If it were not for the US budgetary standoff, I (DP of Inv Chr) reckon that equities would be chugging higher nicely right now. We have seen this Congressional movie before, however, and we know how it ends. Common sense will likely prevail, albeit only after further brinkmanship. Volatility on Wall Street should give way to another powerful up-move. Most of the signs as I see them are pointing that way, from price-action, to momentum, to sentiment, to seasonality.

I see that my friend and fellow technician Tarquin Coe of Investors Intelligence has a rather different view. He sees the S&P having begun topping in June and the process as now being pretty much complete. He draws attention to a “bearish rising wedge” formation in the market, which foretells a decline to 1550. I don’t think he’s right, but nor would a 9 per cent correction be a disaster. In fact, it’d be a buying opportunity. "

Fiscal Cliff

6518 position closed

Just closed some @6503 +87 - makes up for the CNA dividend play.