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

Thanks Shortie - any companies in mind?

It might be worth investing in a 6 thousand year old technology! :-)

"Although many other factors could be compared between these two prototype procedures, the outcome is already clear. While 3D printing is extremely useful in the early stages of a product, injection molding is absolutely the best path to take when creating a more formalized and finalized prototype."

thanks Shortie - a very good and informative article that, to my mind, enhances the reason why 3-D printing is (will be) an invaluable tool with a great many applications already

A quick search comes up with Carclo CAR.

Nope, I wouldn't invest in injection moulding either... It just seams to make the point that this is the technology used for mass production, its here I'd imagine the money to be rather than in the prototype stages... I think this is a clear case of if you understand it then you'll invest, if like me your not getting it you won't..

Doesn't hurt to look though :- Injection Moulding Companies in the UK

The market for 3D printers and services is small, but growing fast. Last year it was worth $2.2 billion worldwide, up 29% from 2011

Thanks Hils.

6578 FTSE long closed.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25878078

The best thing about this one if you scroll down to the ChefJet picture is its from another time when the planet was run by Apes.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25647918

DDD down 5.8% on the NYSE.

actually not quite that much, but it's certainly pretty lively .... like i said, it's more a case of pick (guess!) your entry point and stick them in a drawer for quite a while though keep watching

anyway, that's my view

Shortie :-)

I think this would have to be the best market as the end consumer is well established and is already prepaired to pay a premium...

Hershey!

hard work to make 2p!
banked a nice but small profit on HG+HC but still (slightly foolishly) holding this morning's small FTSE long

Long @6,543 - not hanging around if it breaks!

6548.8 gone long

NEW YORK--Gold futures eased from a two-month high Monday as relative calm in global markets limited demand for the perceived safe haven. The most actively traded gold contract, for February delivery, recently traded down $5.80, or 0.5%, to $1,258.50 a troy ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold futures pushed to the highest price since Nov. 19 on Friday, buoyed by a rout across global equities markets and volatile currency moves as investors worried about the impact of a slowing China and less Federal Reserve stimulus on emerging markets. Some investors view gold as a refuge in times of economic turmoil. But gold sagged Monday, taking cues from stability in global equities markets after the Turkish central bank said it would schedule an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday to take steps to ensure price stability. Potential gold buyers were also cautious ahead of the Federal Reserve's policy meeting, set for Tuesday and Wednesday. Gold's gain amid the market tremors "was muted and short-lived," said UBS analyst Edel Tully. Global growth is likely to remain on track despite this month's jitters, she said, keeping gold prices under pressure. Platinum and palladium fell as talks to end strikes in South Africa resumed on Monday. Workers in South Africa's massive platinum-mining industry went on strike Thursday, part of a campaign for higher wages. South Africa is the largest platinum-producing country and the No. 2 palladium producer, and prices of both metals rallied to two-month highs last week in anticipation of the strikes. Platinum for April delivery recently traded down 0.6% to $1,420.20 a troy ounce. Palladium, produced in South Africa as a by-product of platinum mining, fell 0.8% to $728.75 an ounce.

6562 position closed