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

That's funny - I've just closed my latest long @6,437!

6435.5 closed at 6427

Well done Shortie - I'm out atm.

no sign of the fat lady yet!!

Just in from twitter......

zerohedge‏@zerohedge15m
OBAMA, SENATE REPUBLICANS TO MEET ON FRIDAY AT 11:15 A.M. ET; MCCONNELL SAYS "GOOD START" BUT ONLY IF OBAMA NEGOTIATES

Here's a link - Republicans, Obama to meet on fiscal issues Friday

reuters - U.S. Politics Live

Be glad when they have settled it and I can start buying stocks again but some on Yank sites say it may be just put back 4 weeks.

Very boring being out of market and fratching on talk to yourself thread.

BUT it saved me loads of money in 1992 1997 2000 and 2008 when we had similar attacks on our capital.

Cheers for the link skinny, cant help think though that theirs always at least one sucker rally before the main event.

Hope Im wrong.

Latest..........from twitter.....

Mike van Dulken‏@Accendo_Mike8m

So debt ceiling extension proposal would be to 22 Nov. Can we assume sorted before Thanksgiving (28 Nov)? Or will Thanksgiving be cancelled?

US Republicans in debt-ceiling offer

US Republicans have offered President Barack Obama a short-term debt limit increase to stave off default.

House Speaker John Boehner said they would do so in exchange for wider negotiations with the White House to end a government shutdown.

Can being kicked further down the road. last thing markets want.

The markets don't seem to be such a big deal of this as you are gf.

Yep thats right and thats why Ive never been caught out on the big Macro issues.

Capital preservation is the only way you can carry on in this business.

Of course the optimists or should I say the less experienced traders will be talking a good game right up to the cliff edge.

Hope your not over listening to CR. Ask him what happened to him in 2000. I know the true facts.

Short @6,440

LOL gf, you never, ever, get anything wrong despite the fact you were pressing the panic button about this on the Talk to Yourself thread not so long ago. As far as your obvious obsession with what CR is saying - I think that is your problem and not mine. You must know if you follow his thread regularly, I sometimes agree with his opinions and sometimes I don't. You need to get a life mate, you have so many chips on your shoulders they are weighing you down.:-) Another tip from me - stop following all these various idiots on Twitter and stick to the facts.

Ill give you a fact...... your hero CR lost 95% of his followers to the top traders thread. Now that is a fact.

And secondly one of these idiots on Twitter caught you out hook line and sinker this morning LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL.

I D Smith remember. I could hear Hillary pissing himself laughing down the phone line.

Well worth a look chaps on the Talk To Yourself Thread, havent laughed as much for a long time, and it wasnt meant to be a set up.

Ive flagged it up. On the Talk to Yourself thread.

Could happen to anyone doodles................maybe.

don't tell me sticky!
you're another of that large band on here who have never made a duff market call ..... that must be why you're still working at it - or is that just avarice?