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U.S. stocks closed lower with most of the declines made in the last half hour of trading with the Nasdaq being hardest hit Alliance & Leicester reported profit up 12 percent to 525 million pounds from 468.3 million a year earlier slightly above market expectations mainly due to mortgage lending. It also announced that it would buy back shares this year. De Vere Group hotelier said it saw its overall trading environment as variable, with resilience in the leisure break market but a less consistent recovery in business conference demand. Like for like revenues rose 1.8 percent in the first 19 weeks of its financial year. Go-Ahead transport group posted a 43-percent jump in half-year profits to 47 million up from 33 million and at the top end of estimates, boosted by its rail and bus units.

Calendar: United Kingdom	United States (GMT)	Europe & World (GMT
Go-Ahead Group (F), Alliance & Leicester (F), ASOSDe Vere Group (AGM), Bankers Investment Trust (AGM)	1.30pm  Core CPI 1.30pm  CPI	Deutsche Boerse (F) L'Oreal (F)

Croc@SnappyTrader.com  WWW.SnappyTrader.com

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Hi seawatcher,

I'm not a spreadbet specialist, I'm just venturing into
that particular field as we speak.

I've been trading CFD's for over a year year now with CMC(D4F).
I trade them just as I would shares, but with the ability to
go short or hedge using the FTSE100(UKX).

A lot of people seem to have had problems with CMC, but I never
really have. I don't margin up excessively and it would have to
be a really vicious false spike to take me out of a position
with a margin call. Maybe that's why, I don't really know.

You do get requotes, but I've had them in my favour as well as
against me. FTSE 100 share spreads are similar to what you see
on the Mam stockwatch, but they can and do widen when things
get volatile. As I mainly swing trade stocks this isn't really
a problem to me. I just wait until things settle down and usually
get what I want during the day's trading range.

The platform does freeze sometimes, but from what I read on other
sites this seems to be pretty much endemic to other providers as well.
Especially when a big move happens and more and more people try
to trade at the same time in a fast moving market.
Some people say it's to stop people making money on a big move, but
I'm not so sure myself, the computer would have to be programmed
to selectively freeze out traders who would cost the company money
and keep live those who would make the company money. There will always
be some folk short and some folk long.
Possible I suppose, Croc could answer that better than me.
I would tend to think that it was an overloaded system that couldn't
cope with the demand.

Try a few more demo platforms and see what you think for yourself.
Compare spreads and up front margin, initial account deposit etc..

Melnibone.

Having posted all that, I've got 3% profit to take on a share
and I can't log in on MarketMaker or the web-lite version to take it.

Sod's law. Lol.

Melnibone.

Afternoon people - see BP are on a share buy back, good
for the price for now anyway!
So no shopping after all Melnibone??
((Wouldn't blame you it is absolutely freezing out there
when the wind blows!!!))

Done the shopping this morning, stockbunny.
M@S and House of Fraser now have more of my money
than I would like them to have. :-(

Finally logged in on CMC and got my shares sold.
Logged in to Capital Spreads and it looks like they
are having problems as well.
FTSE Daily Cash is showing 4535 and they are accepting
Telephone orders only on the FTSE. Little odd that.

I bet there's a lot of frustrated Bears about.

Melnibone.

Melnibone,
Thankyou very much for sparing me so much of your time on this interesting day and for the helpful answer.
sw

Capital Spreads seem to have got their FTSE feed sorted out.
Quote is back in synch with the cash market and internet
orders are back on the menu.

Melnibone.

I hope you have shares in M&S !!! :o)
If you don't I for one am very grateful for your choice
in store!!!

I'm on these, ALLIANCE & LEIC .

Santander Central Hispano is reported to be in exclusive talks to acquire Alliance & Leicester PLC in a deal worth more than 6.5 bln stg.
That is over 1400p a share

what a strange biz this is ....... volume = 19 million, split almost equally between buys and sells, yet sp has dumped 200p = 22.5% today alone

and now down 250 ..... hope no one knows something we don't

i found the following of interest ....

"Royal Bank of Scotland (LSE: RBS.L - news) said in a note that neither Alliance & Leicester nor Bradford & Bingley (LSE: BB.L - news) was as exposed as Northern Rock to wholesale funding, but added that Alliance & Leicester had a similar-sized balance sheet with a large block of treasury assets."

am i even more stupid that already well-broadcast, but can "a large block of treasury assets" be anything but good?

meanwhile, i note lots of soothing noises, particularly from BoE re guaranteeing of NRK deposits - as if they were ever truly at risk anyway

Wel, I know something.

The pendulum swings the other way tomorrow.

So, I buy here.

sure hope you're right, though shan't be buying more as have more than enough

what a difference a night makes!
having read the Telegraph at breakfast and seen its SELL recommendation even at <600, i fully expected a further fall, not least because of 2/3 broker downgrades yesterday.
suddenly, sp rockets (thank you God!) and Cazenove upgrades the stock!

....

looks like the bears may be getting rather uneasy ...... sp has been hovering 765/775 for the last couple of hours but has now broken upwards to 785

managed to recover not only my shirt but also socks and tie! ...... bought back in again latish yesterday at 676 and just sold again at 841 .... will now watch to see if all bubbles over

forget NRK as a recovery play; it is surely a dead dog! ....... AL however, already had a tentaitive t/o approach a little while back, and this could be a genuyine target ..... hence, i guess, the sudden excitment in sp today, perhaps bolstered by some realisation that this company is not likely to call for the lifeboat

Fortunately I sold mine at just over 10 pound before the fall. Interesting that wholesale rates have eased below BOE emergency lending rate.AsI for myself, I wouldn,t reinvest at present.

i haven't either! ..... i merely pointed out the possibility