Trading Thoughts For The Week Ahead  - Sunday 15th August

This week's guest is Howard0181 and gives his own thoughts on the week ahead If anyone else would like to be the guest "Thoughter" please let us know by emailing mike@moneyam.com

Monday 16 AugustInterims Michael Page -The recruitment consultant recently said it expected first-half sales to rise 14.4% from last year, although turnover fell from 2002 to 2003. Investors should look for accelerating trading in the UK and Europe, which could see a justified re-rating of the stock.Interims Systems Union - In early July, the global software vendor warned first-half profits would fall about 5% short of expectations after a particularly quiet May and June. Investors will be hoping sales are set to pick up after a spate of acquisitions including the 10 million purchase of Australian software designer Lasata in May.Tuesday 17 August Interims Schroders- After the bear market the fund manager is making a solid recovery following a 230% rise in first-quarter profits. Schroders is now looking to grow its share of the fixed-income market and build its successful emerging market debt funds.Finals Angle - Todays figures will be the venture management and consulting groups maiden set of results since listing on AIM back in March. Angle has recently won a three-year contract with Mansfield District Council to manage the Mansfield Centre, a technology-based business environment.Wednesday 18 August Ex-Dividend Cosalt - Although the diverse industrial group saw interim pre-tax profits fall on last years figures, its protective clothing business is improving market penetration and its leisure homes division is seeing increased demand. A dividend of 6p a share is payable on 15 September.Ex-Dividend Viridian Group- Northern Irelands power utility saw profits rise 8% in the year to March despite having to stash another 12 million into its pension fund. The group is facing increased competition in Ireland, but at a yield of 6% the share remains attractive to income seekers. The final dividend was raised to 33.66p.Thursday 19 August AGM Investec - The specialist banking groups plans to offload its Israeli division has hit a snag, with its employees demanding Investec secure their retirement rights before exiting the investment. The group is also believed to be considering expansion in the UK through buying up private banking assets.Economics Betting and Gaming Bulletin - This report provides historic data on the amount of revenue collected from betting and gaming in the UK, including proceeds from the National Lottery. The monthly bulletin is free and can be downloaded from the HM Customs and Excise website www.hmce.gov.uk.Friday 20 August Interims WPP Group - Recent activity will be a highlight of the media groups half-year results. WPP is set to create Russias biggest advertising agency in a joint venture to be called WPP Russia, while it is also in talks to buy US group Grey Global, and has announced a joint venture with Dutch firm VNU.AGM Heiton - Construction group Grafton has agreed in principle the terms of a possible offer for Irish builders merchants and DIY group Heiton. The revised offer is at a price of 2.64 in cash and 0.58667 of a new Grafton unit for each Heiton ordinary share. Grafton has until 13 August to announce the offer.BACKGROUND I am 53 and was interested in shares from an early age. My first job when I left school was with a firm of West End surveyors however, at 18 I had a chance to join a firm of city stockbrokers (A J Pryor & Co) where I started off at the bottom. Two years later I had the offer of a job as a blue-button (old timers will know what that means) with a firm which is still going (Keith Bayley Rogers & Co) and at 21 I was a dealer on the London Stock Exchange (21 was then the minimum age). I had three great years. My speciality was South-African gold mining companies. We had this big former client Mr Pordez who was trading elsewhere. I got him to trade and soon became the favourite dealer with the partners. The guy was a pure gambler. I had to call him every morning at 9.15am with market prospects (then the Market opened at 9.30am).

One day he said, Get the FT and turn to the gold mine section. He then said, Close your eyes. I said, What are you playing at. He said, Close your eyes and pick a share. I picked out Hartebeestefontein. He said without knowing the price buy me 1500 shares. I said but Mr Pordez they are 31 a share!!!". He said great buy me 15,000".

He made 30,000 in three days and I got dinner at the Ritz. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. Dennis Healy made stamp duty on shares 1% and Mr Pordez and all the other traders in gold shares moved their accounts to Switzerland and/or South Africa. I was made redundant and I moved back into property. It was sad as I had three great thee years and I have so many great stories. I even go as far back as the Australian gold mining boom of late sixties and early seventies. Today I am a chartered surveyor with my own small practice. I hardly traded shares or followed the markets between 1975 and 2001.TRADING IDEAS It must have been around 2001 and I happened to be watching Bloomberg for the first time. They had this guy on talking about this share I cant remember the name of the company but the price was about 1.20. I had a few quid spare and I opened an account with an on line broker and bought 2500. Two weeks later the price had fallen to 1.05. However, lucky me the company had an approach and I was out at 1.50. That got me interested in shares again and I started to look around at how experienced people were trading. A friend told me about a web site called (well, I wont mention the name) but this guy Croc headed a trading board every day and had great ideas. I subscribed. Everyone was so helpful. I went to one of his seminars and had a long talk with Croc the next day on the phone. A lot of what I have learned to this date originated from David. I had a taste for the way he traded with the computer programmes. He was just so helpful and what a sad loss. I spoke to him last about two weeks before he died. I told him that I was richer and wiser for having met him. David was very humble. At the time he was very excited about a new way of trading Direct access. Idea being to buy the yearly exchange fee and then just pay a small fee of about 1.90 for each trade. The other person who has influenced me a lot is Ruth. Never met her but she has become a good friend and she is great with the charts. I still think that the 5.8.5 and 13.26.9 system is a great system. Anyone using this last year would have done very well. This year it is not so good but its still a good bread and butter way of trading shares. You cant just rely on the charts as you have to, when you get a signal, look at Level 2 as a back check and of course the FTSE 100. I call this Ruths System. Because I am busy with work always I realised from day one the importance of placing stops. On Barclays for example its 2.00p 2.25p. On GSK its around 5p or 6p. I normally like to close at then end of the day. I also like using trailing stops if I can get a profit because then your gambling with their money and not yours! This year I mainly trade SETS MM stocks with GNI. I play the spreads and the computer programmes when I can find them and I take out positions in the auctions at the market close. As for the future its going to be more electronic trading. WISH If I could have one small wish it would be for Jason to get his act together and start thinking like a trader. Tight stops would have kept your pot. One more wish lets keep this site the best site around!NEXT WEEK This year the FTSE 100 range is 4300-4575. We have had three tests of 4300 in recent days together with the March low of 4300. Each time it has bounced off. The late rally on Wall Street looks to have saved 4300 for the time being. I am going for a small up week however; watch out for 4285, as this could be a marker for a large move down. I am virtually flat on my positions. Trading is difficult at the moment and I am cautious. PLUGI can't resist the opportunity to mention my project of turning an unknown into a 16-year signer/songwriter with a record contract. I am talking about my daughter Francesca. She has written three songs with a well known record producer and the songs are currently in production. She is adding the vocals at the end of August and the songs will be available for preview and show case in first week of September. She is performing these songs live fore the first time on 18th September at a gig where she is the support to Geno Washington. These songs are outstanding. Record companies out there please contact me or if anyone has any national press contacts we are looking for publicity.

Click here to go to Francesca's web siteClick here to preview a demo of Franceca's new song Howard0181

All the above comments are purely a personal opinion and no investment advice is intended. Please do your own research