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

Yeah on ABG I remember posting that they were undervalued but never bought as had enough exposure elsewhere. I'll have to keep an eye on them for a correction.. I didn't know you followed my FTSE trades, I don't always post the opening and closing positions if I'm away from a computer and do it over the phone. Skinny is good to follow on the FTSE also, I follow his posts and have to say always recheck my positions if he's going the opposite way.

FTSE100 Daily, should be a short play.

Yup iv'e been watching skinny too , i'm next to useless on indices myself :)

I've had one short from last night and one long this morning - now flat and waiting for 1:30.

I've got a few CEY which are doing quite well. Also bought ADN a few days ago.

We all have those days aswell Jimmy. I'm no professional trader, for a long time I lost on the markets but over time you get a feel for it as long as you learn from mistakes..

What you hedged at Skinny, 6774 I'm, debating a short carried over the weekend...

I always stick to shares shortie iv'e traded everything in every way but after many years i settled on buying and selling shares it works for me .

I have equities also and a few bonds, mind you I tend to buy these for yield more than anything else.

6778.3 gone short, just a little one though..

Shortie - I was short overnight and closed and reversed (too early) @6,760.

Long was closed @6,775.

I'll definitely be short over the weekend - cue Hilary stage right :-)

On edit :- I'm also short AV @524.

Eyes down....

The US added 175,000 jobs in February, topping expectations, even as winter's slush and frigid temperatures kept thousands of Americans from finding work. The unemployment rate edged up to 6.7 per cent.

Economists on Wall Street expected the country to add 149,000 new jobs during the month, after a 129,000 gain in January. Unemployment was forecast to remain unchanged at 6.6 per cent.

dow
i'm looking to gently short the dow at about this level or a tad higher
too far too fast springs to mind, and i don't think the ukraine/crimea/russia scenario has run its course either ...... but having singed myself about 10/15 days ago, i sure won't be aggressive

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

done at 16485
may add later

Looks like GJ double top forming...

WASHINGTON--Flat U.S. trade in January offered the latest sign the economy is struggling to gain momentum, as consumers at home and abroad spend cautiously. The U.S. trade deficit widened 0.3% to a seasonally adjusted $39.1 billion in January from a month earlier, the Commerce Department said Friday. Exports climbed 0.6% to $192.5 billion. Imports rose 0.6% to $231.6 billion. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had forecast a January trade deficit of $38.4 billion. January's trade figures are the latest sign American consumers have reined in spending during the winter. While overall imports ticked up in January, imports of cars and consumer goods fell. It's unclear whether those figures represented a temporary pullback by households due to the weather or a longer-lasting trend that could impede a speedier U.S. recovery in coming months. Meantime, weak demand in overseas economies dented exports of American products such as cars and foods. Exports of consumer goods and capital goods were up only slightly. One bright spot: Imports of capital goods climbed to the highest on record, indicating American firms may be stepping up investment. That could bode well for the economy in the months ahead if firms boost spending overall. Indeed, many firms and economists say they expect stronger growth in the months ahead as the weather warms. Unemployment remains high in the U.S. and abroad, and Americans' incomes are growing very slowly. That's weighing on household spending and keeping the recovery sluggish. The economy grew at a subdued, 2.4% annual rate in the final three months of last year, and many economists expect first-quarter growth to clock in at below 2%. Economies abroad, particularly in Europe, appear to be stabilizing after years of volatility. That could ultimately help U.S. factories. Growth in China, meantime, has slowed. China is a key trading partner with the U.S.-not just because it makes many goods purchased by U.S. consumers but also because it's become a significant buyer of American-made products. U.S. exports to China were up 10.4% in January compared to a year earlier. The trade deficit with China compared to a year ago was flat. Exports to the European Union were up 6.2% in January compared to a year earlier and exports to Japan were up 8%. Other recent reports indicate U.S. factories lost momentum after the new year. A key measure of factory activity picked up in February but still showed growth remained weaker than last fall, the Institute for Supply Management reported this week. The report also suggested export orders grew at a slower pace in February compared to a month earlier. The Commerce Department report on trade can be found at http://www.census.gov/ft900.

FTSE short closed 6759 +19.3

Added upper trend line...

Thats me done for the day, have a good weekend all.