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

http://rt16.it-finance.com/FinSpreadsFlash/showimage.phtml?id=ad7bc35c1a5d98527e8a6b491f613a63be930ba69c2d5b9bf581332380e2ce55&type=png

Same chart but a daily showing where I get the support line from, if it breaks then 12020 is the next level.

Ouch!

Philly Fed Manufacturing Index -10.7 consensus 1.1 previous 5.7

and the market has shrugged its shoulders, perhaps on the basis that a DCB is merited if nothing else

Well today I feel I know even less than normal!

your dow long was the correct call - so far ...... but the next and much harder question is how far do you let it run

"The Philly Fed blamed the disruptive effects of Hurricane Sandy ... on the negative reading".

This could be why the DOW is still hovering around

how curious that FB is effectively unchanged

FB indicators suggest buying, not for me though on current earnings, I still think way overvalued...

DOW - I've not actuly taken a position yet, still debating a long postion but yet to commit.

I've just added some BP - surely some upside now!

You'd think so being the amount they've set aside already. Might add to my equity holding in them also.

I had a little slide down a 50-point short DOW this evening, after the Bernanke speech, but have closed it now because I've no idea what will happen next - and tomorrow Obama and Boehner will set out their stalls, so the DOW will likely swing about a bit.

Ah Skinny - just seen your latest pic above - lovely!!!

Japanese bond issue seems to have perked up the asian markets, so hoping for a good end to the week. Am currently watching screen in Chennai, so having to source info from CNN, but along with BP they seem to think European markets should be in the blue, notwithstanding the Eurozone double dip.

AAPL continues it's decline, down another 2.1% - Don't you love hindsight!

Dell profit falls 47 percent

SAN FRANCISCO | Fri Nov 16, 2012 1:02am GMT

(Reuters) - Dell Inc's third-quarter profit slid 47 percent, hurt by lower PC sales, weaker demand from large corporations and the shift to mobile computing.

Dell's consumer PC business is struggling as more and more consumers are using smartphones and tablets to do basic computing, and the company's corporate customers continue to defer spending due to the uncertain state of the economy.

The No. 3 personal computer maker warned that it "sees the challenging global macroeconomic environment continuing in the fourth quarter."

The company, once the world's top PC maker and a pioneer in computer supply chain management, is struggling to defend its market share against Asian rivals like Lenovo. It is trying to bolster growth by focusing on products and services to corporations.

The company said it expects revenue to grow as much as 5 percent in the current quarter.

so what may we expect today from across the pond? ..... i doubt i shall do more than sit on my hands, but shall watch nevertheless ..... it is certainly of some concern that 12540 looks to have given way, though dow seems disinclined to drop away further, at least for the moment

I guess one eye to the middle east and the other to the opening round of Obama v Congress this pm.

European Stocks, U.S. Futures Drop Before Budget Talks

European stocks and U.S. index futures retreated as U.S lawmakers prepared for talks to avert the country’s so-called fiscal cliff of automatic tax increases and spending cuts. The dollar and the yen strengthened.

I would have said 12540 looks like its supporting, sure your going to get a dip below followed by a recovery over... Trend is still lower though and with the 50DMA we're likely to see the 100DMA cross today in support of the bearish trend on the daily chart..