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

Link to article on CNBC website

Rather a depressing view (but at least it means my FTSE short is currently in profit):

'The Dow Jones Industrial Average is repeating a pattern that appeared just before markets fell during the Great Depression, Daryl Guppy, CEO at Guppytraders.com, told CNBC Monday.

Those who dont remember history are doomed to repeat it there was a head and shoulders pattern that developed before the Depression in 1929, then with the recovery in 1930 we had another head and shoulders pattern that preceded a fall in the market, and in the current Dow situation we see an exact repeat of that environment, Guppy said.

The Dow retreated 457.33 points, or 4.5 percent last week, to close at 9,686 Friday. Guppy said a Dow fall below 9,800 confirmed the head and shoulders pattern.

The Shanghai Composite is seeing a very rapid collapse, falling below 2,500, which suggests the major fall in the Dow, he added.

The same head and shoulders pattern seen in the Dow can also being seen in the FTSE, he added.'

go crawl back under your toadstool you depressing little elf!

It's not so depressing if you're trading the indices though - as you well know.

Anyway, I guess the sun of the S of F is enough to dispel any market worries for you - best retreat under your sunshade with a glass of something bubbly.

Good thing I set my short to close if it fell below 4800, which it did during the night!

some work to do this morning and then a bit of food shopping ..... may go exploring thereafter - perhaps ile s/l sorgue

you make a wonderful wife and mother cyners.....

I suggest a Pastis & crudit at midday, followed by a quick siesta before the DOW opening. Americans should be itching to get going, futures currently +66.

At last some brighter news from the US - glad there's a glimmer of optimism after all!
Reuters:
'U.S. stocks advanced more than 1 percent on Wednesday as a bullish earnings forecast by institutional investor State Street Corp lifted bank shares and higher crude oil prices boosted the energy sector.'

Wonder how long this will last.

can you smell short knickers burning!!

Reckon toya would wear a skimpy thong myself.......not much to burn there.,.

whatever her arse is getting tanned!!

blush !!

doesn't she use that on her cheeks?

would like to see that :0

i couldn't possibly comment!

Oy - behave yourselves!
Neither knickers nor thongs burnt as I'd set my shorts to be pulled off at 4800 - which happened the other night...

Kicking myself though that I did not then go into long-jons mode, and so missed the opportunity for a tidy profit in the last couple of days. Still, there'll be other times I'm sure.

i got overexcited and only read as far as "neither knickers nor thongs"

Thought you were being a good garcon in Provence cynic!

i am i am i'm sorry to say