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

LONDON, June 2 (Reuters) - The following FTSE 100 companies will go
ex-dividend on Wednesday, after which investors will no longer qualify for the
latest dividend payout.
According to Reuters calculations at current market prices, the effect of
the resulting adjustment to prices by market-makers would take 5.47 points off
the index.

COMPANY (RIC) DIVIDEND (pence) ESTIMATED IMPACT

Associated British Foods 9.70 0.1340
National Grid 27.54 4.0729
WPP 23.65 1.2635

Among FTSE 250 companies going ex-dividend are:

RIC COMPANY DIVIDEND(pence)

Alliance Trust 3.74
Bank Of Georgia 2.00 (GEL)
Brewin Dolphin 3.65
Cineworld 6.40
Debenhams 1.00
Evraz 0.06 (USD)
Greencore Group 1.76
Grainger 0.61
Keller Group 16.00
Laird 7.90
Murray Inc Trust 7.00
Pace 2.19
Pepretual Income & Growth 5.60
Synthomer 3.60
Taylor Wimpey 1.54

cash dow tumbling - currently -51
at least i'm short already, albeit at the wrong levels!

I've just bought NG. @876.50 for the 27.54p dividend tomorrow - I may regret the move, but they have fallen 20p (2.2%) today.

Same here

Well we both might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb!

I meant same here to Cynic's post Skinny... I'll absorb the FTSE divi tonight as already taken profits in excess of it.

So just me then to hanged for a sheep as a lamb!!

"The boy stood on the burning deck
Whence all but he had fled;
The flame that lit the battle's wreck
Shone round him o'er the dead.
Yet beautiful and bright he stood,
As born to rule the storm;
A creature of heroic blood,
A proud, though child-like form."

That chart looks very familiar Skinny, I make it 6740 for a downside break otherwse it'll maintain bullish sentiment. It gets very nervous on any run up to 6900 though, what do you think, testing 6800 support right now?

Sorry Shortie - just seen your post.

Yes 6,807.82 stamped earlier.

I agree, although I've missed quite a few opportunities recently.

I still have the short (my top yellow line) in place, but haven't traded it today as yet.

A bit miffed with NG. - especially as I have a reasonable share holding.

NG.
bloody hell; that's been a stinker for you chaps notwithstanding there's a 27.5p divi in today's dump .... no logic i take it; just that the MMs saw you buying i dare say

Oh dear, just had a look at NG. Was looking rather overbought.

The ADRs are faring slightly better.

http://www.mideasttime.com/national-grid-plc-stock-rating-reaffirmed-by-jpmorgan-chase-co-ngg/153256/

6,800 looking tenuous.



Shortie - I posted that and another link on the NG. thread earlier.

Yes sorry, just had a smooze on the thread and saw it... 790p maybe for NG??

It looks very possible - similar pattern at the time of the dividend last year and only really lost about 5 weeks of rise.

I think the fall is due to the 18% fall in earnings, current divi is some 42p in total so at 832p a share the 42p divi works out at 5.04% yield. This is respectable, if however the fall in earnings gets translated to the divi we'll see a future divi of 34.4p which at 832p a share is a yield of 4.13%. Of course now that OFGEM has also stuck it's ore in and moved the divi 8% growth figure to that of RPI 3% the investment is far less attractive. Just for reference, if the divi gets stripped back 10% to 37.8p and the sp falls to 790p the yield will be 4.784% as it was recently at a sp of 878p and a divi of 42p....



LONDON, June 4 (Reuters) - British spot and forward prices for wholesale natural gas fell to multi-year lows on Wednesday as oversupply combined with weak spring demand. British gas for delivery next winter traded at 59.40 pence per therm in the afternoon, its lowest level since at least the third quarter of 2011, while day-ahead spot gas prices dropped close to four-year lows at 41.50 pence per therm. "The gas market is completely oversupplied. There's a lot of gas in storage, a lot of gas in pipelines, a lot of LNG tankers have been coming in and demand is very low because of mild weather, so that's putting a lot of downward pressure on the market," one gas trader said. "If it hadn't been for the slightly firmer oil market, we'd have seen gas prices fall further still," he added. Brent crude rose further above $109 a barrel on Wednesday and U.S. crude jumped by $1 following a sharper-than-expected drop in U.S. oil inventories.