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

KISS mode today. Light volume due to Easter, markets tend to be volatile.

Closed FTSE short for 30 pts.

sure glad i sold over the last couple of weeks all bar a bare handful of stocks in my trading account

in my sipp, i have added no funds for about 2 months though i have switched one or two to more defensive holdings - eg BATS

whether chris is right that this is just pre-easter malaise, time will tell

I'm forecasting nowt cyners, merely pointing out markets may be volatile due to low volume.

a politician's response :-)

Closed my FTSE short too early ,however the last months it can't be trusted to do what you want.

6473 for April please...ops wrong thread

FTSE 100 not moved much over past few sessıons.

FTSE
just dipped below 6100 which has proved a decent support in recent weeks, but will it hold this time


S&P (cash)
now below 2040 so keep an eye on this too

so then ....

FTSE
closed just below 6100 and to be honest, never looked like breaking back north of that for most of the day


DOW
was decisively below 17,500 but now hovering just below that, and looking disinclined to go north from there


S&P
not doing much, but stuck at 2035



depending on market sentiment o'night, further falls could be in the offing ...... which of course really means heading north :-)

Yellen reiterates need for rates caution
Janet Yellen has reiterated the need for the Federal Reserve to "proceed cautiously" in lifting interest rates given unfavourable market conditions, weaker than expected overseas growth and an uncertain inflation outlook.
The Fed chair said recent declines in market expectations for interest-rate increases had helped cushion the US economy from adverse developments overseas, describing the moves as an “automatic stabilizer”.
But she stressed that the Fed has little scope to reverse course and stimulate the economy if the US unexpectedly hits the buffers, underlying the need for a gradual tightening of policy. She homed in on risks still stewing in China and the oil markets as she argued in a New York address for the central bank to move carefully as it considers when to lift rates again.

=========================

DOW
is up to 17,560 as a kneejerk reaction

GOLD
has perversely surged as well ........ all good logic innit :-)

Dow gettıng wıthın strıkıng dıstance of last years hıgh. 2000 odd Poınt swıng ın 6 weeks!!!!

absolutely bonkers, but wtfdik

.

NON-FARM PAYROLLS
Friday’s report will be viewed in that light. As has been the case for a year or more now, the actual headline number should not be the prime consideration, unless it diverges wildly from expectations (in either direction).

Instead, it is the wage number that we will concentrate on. Poorer wage growth points towards weaker inflation, which would indicate that monetary policy will remain accommodative for longer. A sudden spike in wage growth would likely boost the dollar, which would (ceteris paribus) suggest indices will go lower.

Roll on 9.35pm tomorrow.

NON-FARM PAYROLLS
expected to show that the US added 205,000 jobs in March, down from 242,000 in February. No change is expected for the unemployment rate, which is currently at 4.9%. Average hourly earnings are expected to rise by 0.2%, after declining by 0.1% in February

and if you want to know why i am so gloomy about world economies, try the below as a good indicator ......

my latest issue of a shipping/container related journal makes very dismal reading

on the dry freight container side, continuing chinese over-production has led to newbuild prices falling to 2002 levels and daily return rate on investment as low as it has ever been in the last 50 years

plenty more such gloomy stuff, such as .....
ocean freight rates have fallen further than anyone could have predicted, particularly in Q4

You have to wonder what planet those crazy yanks live on, doesn't resemble earth. Stayed well clear. Had a nice 68 point long on gold this aft.