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

have a great evening luscious one :-)

Hi Toya - I dont know you as well as the others - but let me join in wishing you a happy birthday - hope you have a great time.

Bas

o/t RNS for AMER today was positive (found 2 more columns of oil) but vague on amounts with further updates due next week - this had a negative impact on the sp today - but I remain confident of more positive news next week.

I am starting to sound more and more like a ramper for which Ii apologise. No more mention of AMER on this thread - prmise

I've just remembered why I hate trading the DOW.



Toya - I hope you don't feel like this in the morning!

Morning All - Skinny: no, I don't tend to suffer hangover; I think over the years (decades?) I've learned that it spoils the night before!

Bhunt: thanks for your b'day wishes :) Your Long should be nicely in profit.

I wonder what today will bring?? Need some coffee to think

Nationwide HPI m/m 0.0% consensus 0.2% previous 0.6%

for myself, closed long dow at 12977 last night as i already had limit in place at 12990 and was not convinced 13000 would be breached ..... however, i see cassh dow is 13006 this morning

It's all about the Fiscal Cliff and whatever comments are made by the various politicians - and I think that will influence all the indices from now until the end of the year.

As it's so unpredictable - as Skinny's chart above so clearly illustrates - I'm not sure I dare set up a position on the DOW unless I can sit and watch

Re the Fiscal Cliff:

"The default assumption appears to be that a deal will be reached before the year-end deadline," Ian Williams, equity strategist at Peel Hunt, said.

Williams, however, cautioned that there could still be many bumps in the road before an agreement is reached, laying the foundations for a potentially choppy final month of the year.

"Investors would be well advised to treat the smoke signals from the ongoing fiscal negotiations in Washington with a degree of caution; they are only increasing the volatility in markets, which are already vulnerable to low-volume moves," he said.

5,900 anytime soon?

just gone long ftse following break above 5820 and contemplating a new dow long too

Now not being selfish but an 5850 finish at 4.30pm friday would a great pre xmas treat for me........ Toya, happy birthday as I wasn't about yesterday.,.

German Unemployment Change 5k consensus 15K previous 20K

Thanks BB :)

I think when the FTSE hits 5900 I'll be shorting it. I don't currently have a position here

Happy Birthday for yesterday Toya! Small long gold and brent. 2 nights down 1 to go bo bose time zzzzzzzzzzz :O)

Short @5,851.

Add 9 to that Bb.lol

Merv the swerve speaks @10:30.

Morning all

Thanks Chris :)

And thanks for reminding us re 10:30 Skinny - Merve usually has something depressing to say...

Meanwhile, I found this:
The Euro STOXX 50 Volatility Index < .V2TX>, or VSTOXX, Europe's widely-used measure of investor risk aversion, hit a 5-year low on Thursday morning, a strong signal of investors' growing appetite for equities.

The VSTOXX, which measures the cost to protect stock holdings against potential pull-backs as it usually moves in an opposite direction to equities, was down 1.3 percent at 17.04, a level not seen since December 2007, at the very beginning of the financial crisis.