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

Pretty much yeah, with weakness showing in recent figures investors seam reluctant to add to positions favouring profit taking right now. Weak volumes as you say back up the sell off we're seeing. Some stock however appears to have sold off too heavily, JMAT a good example and should recover some of the recent weakness. With no direction showing in the FTSE there's little point in holding unrealised profits. No doubt this situation will change very soon. Wall St looks slightly different, I think the sell off will continue into next week, its worth searching out oversold stock right now for quick bounce back gains. If you can't be bothered then just follow other investors that are normally good at picking these out for tips.

2 FTSE shorts today - closed and now re-opened @6,734.

Cheers Shortie.

FTSE gone short 3637

Keeping an eye on this following weaker consensus data.

Shortie - I hope that's not the FTSE!

Ex-divs to take up to 1.27 points off FTSE 100 on July 2

LONDON, June 30 (Reuters) - The following FTSE 100 .FTSE 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 up to 1.27 points off the index. COMPANY (RIC) DIVIDEND ESTIMATED (pence) IMPACT Babcock International BAB.L 16.4 0.3227 British Land BLND.L 5.4 0.2162 Burberry BRBY.L 23.2 0.4068 Royal Mail RMG.L 13.3 0.3263 Among FTSE 250 .FTMC companies going ex-dividend are: COMPANY (RIC) DIVIDEND (pence) Brown (N) Group BWNG.L 8.56 Cranswick CWK.L 22.00 Dairy Crest DCG.L 15.40 De La Rue DLAR.L 28.20 Foreign & Colonial Investment FRCL.L 2.20 Trust Halfords Group HFD.L 9.10 Homeserve HSV.L 7.67 ICAP IAP.L 15.40 ITE Group ITE.L 2.50 Paragon Group PARA.L 3.00 TalkTalk TALK.L 8.00

6779.9 gone short on FTSE.

Not trading it but that's the third time today has bounced of 50DMA 10 min chart on Cap Spreads.

Short @6,790.8.

Just closed the HFD that I bought last week as a hedge tomorrow +13.4.

Still holding DCG (15.4p tomorrow).

I'm simply playing it off the upper trend line..

I guess along with the China data earlier, there is also the 'NISA' effect atm.

Bank of England studies fallout from annuities reform

* UK regulator in talks with insurers over annuities fallout * Insurers see sales of annuities shrink by up to 75 percent * Companies examining viability of their business models LONDON, July 1 (Reuters) - The Bank of England (BoE) is asking insurers how they can stay in business after the British government scrapped a rule forcing people to buy their most successful product, an annuity pension. Finance minister George Osborne stunned Britain's pensions industry in March when he announced the rule change, the biggest reform of pensions in a generation to give savers a choice on how to use money saved during their working lives. ID:nL6N0MG4MJ The Bank of England's supervisory arm, the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), said it was how holding talks with life insurers whose annuity sales were their "unique selling point" as other parts of the business is under pressure. Sales are likely to be significantly and permanently reduced, BoE director of life insurance Andrew Bulley told a meeting of parliament's all party group on insurance and financial services on Tuesday. Life and pensions group Legal & General LGEN.L said after Osborne's announcement that it expects the individual annuities market to shrink by around three-quarters after the measures freeing retirees from having to buy them come into effect next year. ID:nL5N0MN294 It said it expects the amount of money going into individual annuities to shrink to around 2.8 billion pounds ($4.6 billion) a year from 11.9 billion. "Insurers and the PRA are currently assessing the likely impact of the changes - we are having many conversations with insurers on this," Bulley told the lawmakers. Significant potential issues include whether the viability of existing business models will be affected, spotting risks in new products companies may have to devise, and the potential for mergers among insurers giving rise to new risks, such as a clash of company cultures, he said. While it was up to insurers to decide on their business models, the PRA will consider what actions the companies must take to mitigate new risks that arise, Bulley said. Friends Life Group FLG.L said in May it was expecting a 50-70 percent decline in industry annuity sales and it would create new investment products to woo retirees. "For many life companies reacting to a new and fundamentally altered strategic and business landscape will be the key challenge over the next few years," Bulley said. Big British life and pensions companies also include Aviva AV.L , Prudential PRU.L and Standard Life SL.L .

dow currently just 30 points shy of 17,000 ..... and then what?
buggered if I know, as recently I've consistently known nothing

Sold out too early today on the Dow at 16924.

Not sure if I want to go short this week with 4th July Holiday coming up.

Ouch, took a few heavy losses last night on large short bets.. Lets see what today brings..

J Yellen will have to keep handing out the Sweeties today at 4.00pm to keep everyone happy.

Or maybe she could do something different with her hair and smile!!