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

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 .

NEW YORK--Crude-oil futures fell Monday as China posted a bigger drop in exports than expected, a potential bearish sign for demand. Light, sweet crude for April delivery was down $1.54, or 1.5%, to $101.04 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude on ICE Futures Europe was down $1.11, or 1%, at $107.89 a barrel. China over the weekend said exports fell 18% compared with a year before, the first year-over-year drop since September. Some analysts cautioned that distortions related to the Lunar New Year holiday may account for a big part of the decline, but, as Energy Management Institute analyst Dominick Chirichella wrote, the disappointing export data coincided with a drop in oil imports into China for February. "The data out of China have been consistently suggesting that China may not meet its growth objectives this year even though the leadership just projected a 7.5% (growth in) GDP for 2014," Mr. Chirichella said in a note, adding that he expects global demand forecasts to sink this week in a reflection of the weaker Chinese data. The state of Chinese demand for oil is especially important for Russia if other nations impose economic sanctions related to the crisis in Crimea, said Carl Larry, an analyst at Oil Outlooks & Opinions. Russia is the world's second-largest crude exporter behind Saudi Arabia. "If that market gets squeezed out of the West, it's going to go to the East," Mr. Larry said. Futures have largely been higher lately as a supply glut at the storage hub in Cushing, Okla., has dwindled over the past five weeks and amid the escalation of tensions both in Ukraine and Libya. Observers see these factors providing support for prices. "With mixed industrial production data out of Europe added in, oil would probably be even lower were it not for events in the Crimea and Libya," Tradition Energy analyst Addison Armstrong wrote in a comment Monday morning. The Libyan government has threatened to attack a North Korean-flagged tanker off the Middle Eastern nation's coast, saying rebels are seeking to export oil, according to reports in the media. As for Cushing, energy-advisory firm Ritterbusch & Associates said in a note that the ongoing supply drain there "appears sustainable for at least another month" and is "an important supportive influence." Additionally, the jobs report Friday supported the view that U.S. demand is increasing, Mr. Larry said. Rising oil prices aren't as worrisome in the U.S. as they were in the mid-2000s, he said. "Everybody's used to $100 oil now," he said. Reformulated gasoline blendstock, or RBOB, for April delivery was recently down 2.8 cents, or 1%, at $2.9458 a gallon. April diesel was down 4.02 cents, or 1.3%, at $2.9719 a gallon.