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/PARIS, June 4 (Reuters) - European shares inched down on Wednesday after data confirmed a slowdown in the euro zone's economic recovery in the first quarter, with investors awaiting fresh action by the European Central Bank to spur growth. The 18-nation bloc's economy expanded by just 0.2 percent in the three months to March, statistics office Eurostat said, cementing investor expectations for the ECB to trim its refinancing rate, send its deposit rate into negative territory and launch a cheap-lending initiative targeted at businesses. The FTSEurofirst 300 .FTEU3 index of top European shares was down 0.1 percent at 1,372.67 points as of 1007 GMT, hovering below a 6-1/2-year high hit on Monday. "No-one's really eager to make any aggressive moves ahead of tomorrow," said CMC Markets analyst Jasper Lawler. "It seems unlikely the ECB would disappoint in terms of action...(But) the real crunch is going to be what the ECB guides for the next meeting and beyond." The market's pause for breath saw national benchmark indexes in France, Britain, Italy and Spain fall between 0.1 and 0.4 percent, while Germany's DAX index stayed flat. Euro zone peripheral markets have been rallying on hopes of further measures from the ECB, with Milan's FTSE MIB index .FTMIB up 14 percent for the year-to-date and Madrid's IBEX .IBEX up 9 percent. Shares of Spanish oil-and-gas company Repsol REP.MC fell 3.6 percent, one of the worst performers on the FTSEurofirst 300, after Mexico's Pemex PEMX.UL sold the bulk of its stake in Repsol for 2.09 billion euros ($2.85 billion). ID:nL6N0OL1O6 Construction companies Holcim HOLN.VX and Lafarge LAFP.PA rallied more than 2.7 percent after a report said that private-equity companies were considering bids for some assets as part of the companies' planned merger. ID:nL6N0OL2OJ Hopes for ECB intervention have supported share prices in recent months, often leading to a bullish investor response to weak data, although some traders said there was a growing risk of a pullback after the central bank's meeting on Thursday. "There's a real danger the ECB has created a rod for its own back (with expectations)," said Nick Beecroft, analyst at Saxo Bank. "The risk is that if some of the expected measures are announced but not all of them, that the market strengthens the euro and tries to force the ECB into more action." Shares in Tesco TSCO.L fell 1.5 percent after Britain's biggest retailer posted its worst quarterly UK sales drop in 40 years on Wednesday, ratcheting up the pressure on boss Phil Clarke to show his turnaround plan can counter the challenges of the grocery industry.

Yesterday's purchase aside, I've held/traded NG. since they floated - mainly for their yield.

They were also one of the most profitable rights issue results back in @2010.

So your sat on your own gold reserve then Skinny?

Divorce sorted that out! :-(

Don't know why anyone gets married , it's much easier to just meet someone you don't like and buy them a house ..

Us and Them

Getting married is more for the woman I think, my wife wanted to get married after we had our son so that we'd all have the same name and everything. I also think that you should also keep some assets secret just in case...

Lets hope your wife doesn't read this thread then, otherwise your secret assets are going to be exposed (and certain other assets are going to be seized and twisted!) :o)

She has no interest in what I do and doesn't even know that I post here... As for the other assets getting twisted, I wish... I could have it all tatooed and she wouldn't notice.

that sounds a very sad relationship young harry me lad :-(

Of course you mean 'Young Shortie, me lad'.
But of course women always pretend they're not interested, and then at a crucial moment.........they expose all your weaknesses!

Quite the opposite Cynic, she used to take an interest but isn't cut out for taking financial risks and used to worry and never quite got her head round it. Its far easier for her to understand that I will not put us at financial risk and only gamble what I can afford to lose.

My wife never understood money until we went to court!

Could the euro face a short squeeze after the ECB?

Already priced in?

I bet she never Skinny, thats why its always an idea to have a little put away thats not on the register as to speak.

Stash in the attic:

Have some cash, bullion bars/coins are also good, jewellery and antiques. Simple assets that aren't on the register that should you require you can later cash in.

http://atkinsonsbullion.com/gold-bars/metalor-500g-gold-bar-32204

i guess draghi didn't have much to say, or at least nothing interesting as € hasn't moved