Trading the stockmarket (NO Referrals)

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
9,297
Location
Pembrokeshire
Odd day today. Greggs +4%, AAZ+6%, CAML +8%, but LGEN down...? Makes no sense but overall a pretty good week.

Next week I think will be an interesting one - will people have followed the rules this weekend re: social distancing, or is this really the beginning of the end. I’m thinking of taking a position in Wetherspoons (I hate myself...) and/or Marstons. Will be a medium term hold - I do NOT want to support Wetherspoons - but can see a lovely little bounce on the horizon.

Same time next week? Stay safe...

I've had JDW for a while. Been a decent bet so far. Bought MAR too but that's kick my butt over the same period. Picked up after the loan so hopefully will continue.
 
Associate
Joined
2 Feb 2020
Posts
145
Location
UK
I've been trading in the Foreign Exchange market since Feb last year. Took me about 6 months to properly find my feet and now it's great! The extra income I'm making basically covers all my bills so my wage stays untouched :)

Don't have the balls to quit work and do this full time though hahaha

Curious what kind of time involvement you're putting into this, watching charts all day or managed to automate? What time frame(s) are you working with?

I've been playing with backtesting a lot of technical indicators, and my current conclusion is that technical analysis is pretty much a joke and that applying it to Forex where price data is close to, or is a random-walk makes it hard to get any better than 50% guessing :) I'm sure there's clever ways to tune indicators such that they are effective for a short while though. It's a fun game :)
 
Soldato
Joined
19 Mar 2012
Posts
6,567
Curious what kind of time involvement you're putting into this, watching charts all day or managed to automate? What time frame(s) are you working with?

I've been playing with backtesting a lot of technical indicators, and my current conclusion is that technical analysis is pretty much a joke and that applying it to Forex where price data is close to, or is a random-walk makes it hard to get any better than 50% guessing :) I'm sure there's clever ways to tune indicators such that they are effective for a short while though. It's a fun game :)

For me, the problem with everybody using the same logic and indicators to make decisions, does that not mean that over time the auto traders end up creating an almost self fulfilling prophecy?
 
Soldato
Joined
13 Jul 2004
Posts
20,079
Location
Stanley Hotel, Colorado
Forex is one of the hardest markets I know of. Wish I had bet CHF would break its fix from EURO TA is valid so long as its only meant to increase probability, its nothing more then attempting to identify a pattern or trend. They exist, its not all random some of its event news but theres patterns also.
The best take is to consider multiple time frames, this is confusing because a day will vary from the week to a quarter in its own pattern. Just like a wave, the tide and the season all have their influence for some duration in natural motion of water. I've posted up a trader previously who wrote a book on that theme but he dislikes forex and commodities so far as I know.
Everybody here trades forex if you consider every price is dollar or sterling and you can bet theres an influence from strength, weakness, contraction or expansion to the monetary base, politics, trade deficits, rates apparent and determined in bond markets. It never ends :D

Forex > Bonds > Stocks allegedly

Whats the chances of a tradable pullback in gold here. Some kind of snap up to take profits would be ideal before rebuying lower
 
Associate
Joined
25 Aug 2008
Posts
947
I was thinking of adding a new fund/tracker to my monthly contributions and struck a thought.

There is a lot of money being pumped into small global healthcare funds right now. Most are likely high risk, and have a high burn rate, so would it be possible to short them?
 
Caporegime
Joined
29 Jan 2008
Posts
58,912
I've been playing with backtesting a lot of technical indicators, and my current conclusion is that technical analysis is pretty much a joke and that applying it to Forex where price data is close to, or is a random-walk makes it hard to get any better than 50% guessing :) I'm sure there's clever ways to tune indicators such that they are effective for a short while though. It's a fun game :)

Most of it is yes, I mean a portion of it you can't even test as it is just subjective BS. Lots of the rest is like some alternative medicine version of statistics.
 
Associate
Joined
27 Sep 2008
Posts
1,296
To the person who made a lot with the practice account. I was exactly the same. Making significant amounts. From £50000 to £65000 in two weeks. I then went real cash and it all changes. As said already the actual amount 212 give you for your shares compared to the market rate is sometimes ridiculously low. It makes it difficult to catch the small increments. Lost out £550 in one AA trade as they wouldn't give me the market rate to get out. Also it's a lot harder to watch the money go down and up when it's your own. I would be up 1000s if I had just held my nerve like I did with the practice account.
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
4,158
Location
UK
Give it a try for a week and see
I've had JDW for a while. Been a decent bet so far. Bought MAR too but that's kick my butt over the same period. Picked up after the loan so hopefully will continue.

Definitely think they both have legs. I hate Wetherspoons but would love a pint anywhere right now.
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
4,158
Location
UK
To the person who made a lot with the practice account. I was exactly the same. Making significant amounts. From £50000 to £65000 in two weeks. I then went real cash and it all changes. As said already the actual amount 212 give you for your shares compared to the market rate is sometimes ridiculously low. It makes it difficult to catch the small increments. Lost out £550 in one AA trade as they wouldn't give me the market rate to get out. Also it's a lot harder to watch the money go down and up when it's your own. I would be up 1000s if I had just held my nerve like I did with the practice account.

This is exactly right. Don't be mistaken though you can definitely make money doing this! Just remember the volatility can work against you and that everybody's experience is different.

Aa is a good (short term) example: some will have made a fair amount trading the volatility, others will be showing a paper loss. It'll come good in the end, but this is easier said than done - to hold your nerve in a sea of red is painful.

But do report back if you give it a shot, we would be interested in the experience I'm sure.
 
Associate
Joined
27 Sep 2008
Posts
1,296
Also Aviva and BP. This is why I just decided to get out. It's very addictive and amazing when you make more in two minutes than you would working for a week.
 
Caporegime
Joined
29 Jan 2008
Posts
58,912
As said already the actual amount 212 give you for your shares compared to the market rate is sometimes ridiculously low. It makes it difficult to catch the small increments. Lost out £550 in one AA trade as they wouldn't give me the market rate to get out.

Are you talking about a long only stocks/ETF account or a CFD account?
 
Associate
Joined
27 Sep 2008
Posts
1,296
The normal ISA account. The example was AA trading 24.3 but they would only give me 23.3. multiple examples though. Tesla at 823.7 and they would only give me 823.4. it doesn't seem much but on the practice account I checked and they give the perfect amount to make it seem like you are doing better. A large trade with those numbers and they must be making millions off of us.
 
Soldato
Joined
15 Feb 2003
Posts
10,054
Location
Europe
I can see Tesla buy at $799.23 on IG it's $799.62 and HL buy at $798.95

AA sell 18.27p buy at 18.53p, on IG it's 18.2 for both bid and offer, on HL it's 18.28p and 18.52p
AZN 8656.97p buy at 8659.03p, on IG 8671p bid and offer, HL sell 8,657.00p buy 8,661.00p
Aviva 228.29p buy at 228.60p, on IG 229.20, HL Sell:228.30p Buy:228.60p

It seems on Trading 212 you cannot see the sell price unless you already own that share or use the CFD account, and there is more spread. IG doesn't list the last bid offer prices whilst the market is closed.

EDIT:

In other news is JC Penny the first big bankruptcy in the US?
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52691160
 
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Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
4,158
Location
UK
Bought more #CAML following their presentation last week. Fully expect the dividend to be reinstated, so possibility for capital growth and dividend...what’s not to love?
 
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