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

The US added 175,000 jobs in February, topping expectations, even as winter's slush and frigid temperatures kept thousands of Americans from finding work. The unemployment rate edged up to 6.7 per cent.

Economists on Wall Street expected the country to add 149,000 new jobs during the month, after a 129,000 gain in January. Unemployment was forecast to remain unchanged at 6.6 per cent.

dow
i'm looking to gently short the dow at about this level or a tad higher
too far too fast springs to mind, and i don't think the ukraine/crimea/russia scenario has run its course either ...... but having singed myself about 10/15 days ago, i sure won't be aggressive

============

done at 16485
may add later

Looks like GJ double top forming...

WASHINGTON--Flat U.S. trade in January offered the latest sign the economy is struggling to gain momentum, as consumers at home and abroad spend cautiously. The U.S. trade deficit widened 0.3% to a seasonally adjusted $39.1 billion in January from a month earlier, the Commerce Department said Friday. Exports climbed 0.6% to $192.5 billion. Imports rose 0.6% to $231.6 billion. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had forecast a January trade deficit of $38.4 billion. January's trade figures are the latest sign American consumers have reined in spending during the winter. While overall imports ticked up in January, imports of cars and consumer goods fell. It's unclear whether those figures represented a temporary pullback by households due to the weather or a longer-lasting trend that could impede a speedier U.S. recovery in coming months. Meantime, weak demand in overseas economies dented exports of American products such as cars and foods. Exports of consumer goods and capital goods were up only slightly. One bright spot: Imports of capital goods climbed to the highest on record, indicating American firms may be stepping up investment. That could bode well for the economy in the months ahead if firms boost spending overall. Indeed, many firms and economists say they expect stronger growth in the months ahead as the weather warms. Unemployment remains high in the U.S. and abroad, and Americans' incomes are growing very slowly. That's weighing on household spending and keeping the recovery sluggish. The economy grew at a subdued, 2.4% annual rate in the final three months of last year, and many economists expect first-quarter growth to clock in at below 2%. Economies abroad, particularly in Europe, appear to be stabilizing after years of volatility. That could ultimately help U.S. factories. Growth in China, meantime, has slowed. China is a key trading partner with the U.S.-not just because it makes many goods purchased by U.S. consumers but also because it's become a significant buyer of American-made products. U.S. exports to China were up 10.4% in January compared to a year earlier. The trade deficit with China compared to a year ago was flat. Exports to the European Union were up 6.2% in January compared to a year earlier and exports to Japan were up 8%. Other recent reports indicate U.S. factories lost momentum after the new year. A key measure of factory activity picked up in February but still showed growth remained weaker than last fall, the Institute for Supply Management reported this week. The report also suggested export orders grew at a slower pace in February compared to a month earlier. The Commerce Department report on trade can be found at http://www.census.gov/ft900.

FTSE short closed 6759 +19.3

Added upper trend line...

Thats me done for the day, have a good weekend all.

And you - it looks like being a warm weekend!

Well that was nice!

Yep bounced off support, debtaing a long position now..

6717.8 gone long... S&P looks interesting

I thought you were done for the week shortie

Jimmy - it's like a bad woman - you know you shouldn't.....

I'm not going to get in to that one :)

Probably best not to Jimmy... lol

Yes - forget I said anything :-)

Sorry I'm late on stage, Skinners - I hadn't been keeping my Equity card up to date (actually, I'd been in the UK for a few days to see Mrs Carter and was on my way home on Friday afternoon)

Hils :-)

Just closed a short @6,699 - where this afternoon?

DOW does'nt look too promising .