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Mr FT is a self-employed spread better. After 18 years in fund management he was given the choice of moving to London or .. not. ‘Not’ won out.

FT has been trading full time from home for two years, with nothing but four kids and a beach to distract him .

He fills his spare time with weight training and rugby, though more coaching than playing these days.

FT mostly trades the forex markets and although he plays FTSE on occasions his bread and butter market is £$.

He likes to think that his technique is evolving but still hasn’t the temperament or money to back the big calls. He prefers to trade between 1 and 3 times a day, aiming to take regular small gains, but feels part of the evolution is in not dealing if the conditions don’t feel right.
 An Eagle, A Black Horse And A Load Of Bullsh*t
Posted by FT on February 28, 2008
Category: Views & Opinions, Shares & Indices by FT 2 Comments

Yesterday mortgage lender HBOS slumped 7% as it warned that fierce competition in the mortgage market and higher funding costs had squeezed margins, and it could get worse.

A few days ago results from Barclays and Lloyds gave their share price the Viagra treatment, smashing above the downtrend line and suddenly looking a good bet for your pocket money. Alliance & Leicester dropped 14% when it announced results, but rallied 28% as Lloyds TSB hinted that it was sniffing around for acquisitions.

Banks are living in interesting times, as they say, and have been one of the most traded sectors by spread betters. I’ve had a few days where I couldn’t give a forex for the currencies, finding a good bank far more exciting.


Z is a Paddy Power employee. He spent 10 years being something small in 'the City' before moving to Ireland and has been trading spread bets, on and off, for the last 4 years.

Right now Z is trading occasionally with the aim of supplementing his ‘day-job’ income. His current trading strategy means he tries to:
a) trade just one market (the FTSE)
b) make relatively few trades
c) make lower-risk trades
d) not let the sleep-loss caused by his new baby girl trash his judgement
 Total Newbie Question 3: What Is An Index
Posted by Z on February 21, 2008
Category: Views & Opinions, Shares & Indices by Z 2 Comments

Indices huh? What can I possibly tell you about them.

This is the third post in a triumvirate (now there’s a big word) aimed at newbies who want to spread bet on shares and share indices. The first post dealt with shares and how to value them (including Market Cap, EPS, P/E and pizza) while in the second I gave a discourse about dividends (including why there’s no such thing as a free lunch and what those “credit due to dividend adjustments” entries in your account summary mean). So in this last-but-by-no-means-least post I’ll be discussing stock markets indices. Or blathering about them. Depending on your point of view. And how long this caffeine kick I’m on lasts.


Mr FT is a self-employed spread better. After 18 years in fund management he was given the choice of moving to London or .. not. ‘Not’ won out.

FT has been trading full time from home for two years, with nothing but four kids and a beach to distract him .

He fills his spare time with weight training and rugby, though more coaching than playing these days.

FT mostly trades the forex markets and although he plays FTSE on occasions his bread and butter market is £$.

He likes to think that his technique is evolving but still hasn’t the temperament or money to back the big calls. He prefers to trade between 1 and 3 times a day, aiming to take regular small gains, but feels part of the evolution is in not dealing if the conditions don’t feel right.
 Is The Euro Vision Over?
Posted by FT on February 15, 2008
Category: Views & Opinions, Economics, Currencies, Graphs & TA by FT Comment

What’s on my mind this week? The Euro. And why, even without rate cuts, it looks set for a fall.

Monsieur Trichet has been getting a pretty rough press recently. He’s been portrayed as the tough, uncompromising figurehead of the European Central Bank (ECB); the pantomime villain who in the face of slowing global growth has warned that European rates might need to rise, not fall.

Now, it really pains me to defend a Frenchman, but he’s in the right. He and his fellow members of the European Central Bank are only doing what it says on the tin. But they won’t stop the Euro from falling.


Mr FT is a self-employed spread better. After 18 years in fund management he was given the choice of moving to London or .. not. ‘Not’ won out.

FT has been trading full time from home for two years, with nothing but four kids and a beach to distract him .

He fills his spare time with weight training and rugby, though more coaching than playing these days.

FT mostly trades the forex markets and although he plays FTSE on occasions his bread and butter market is £$.

He likes to think that his technique is evolving but still hasn’t the temperament or money to back the big calls. He prefers to trade between 1 and 3 times a day, aiming to take regular small gains, but feels part of the evolution is in not dealing if the conditions don’t feel right.
 Sorry, You Are The Weakest Link
Posted by FT on February 5, 2008
Category: Views & Opinions, About Trading by FT 1 Comment

In case you hadn’t noticed, paddypowertrader have a competition running to find the dumbest trade ever.The prize isn’t bad - two tickets to Ireland vs England in the Six Nations, so check it out.

When it comes to dumb trades I can’t help but think that the worst are caused by excessive emotions.Books, fancy software, trading strategies, a hot news service and a dealing desk built by NASA. They don’t count for Jack if your head ain’t right. The key to a lifetime of rising profits is controlling the demons within.


Mr FT is a self-employed spread better. After 18 years in fund management he was given the choice of moving to London or .. not. ‘Not’ won out.

FT has been trading full time from home for two years, with nothing but four kids and a beach to distract him .

He fills his spare time with weight training and rugby, though more coaching than playing these days.

FT mostly trades the forex markets and although he plays FTSE on occasions his bread and butter market is £$.

He likes to think that his technique is evolving but still hasn’t the temperament or money to back the big calls. He prefers to trade between 1 and 3 times a day, aiming to take regular small gains, but feels part of the evolution is in not dealing if the conditions don’t feel right.
 Get Shorty
Posted by FT on January 31, 2008
Category: Views & Opinions, About Trading, Graphs & TA by FT Comment

Get Shorty
He-he-hey! Tell you what, I’m six foot four, and I love being short!
That’s why I prefer spread betting to investing. As a rule of thumb, investors lose money in a falling market, but for us traders it’s 3 oranges in a line, Kerching!

A recent newspaper headline read “Private investors steer clear of volatile markets.” Last quarter there was a net outflow of £600 million from equity funds, and not at the top of the market I’ll bet!


Mr FT is a self-employed spread better. After 18 years in fund management he was given the choice of moving to London or .. not. ‘Not’ won out.

FT has been trading full time from home for two years, with nothing but four kids and a beach to distract him .

He fills his spare time with weight training and rugby, though more coaching than playing these days.

FT mostly trades the forex markets and although he plays FTSE on occasions his bread and butter market is £$.

He likes to think that his technique is evolving but still hasn’t the temperament or money to back the big calls. He prefers to trade between 1 and 3 times a day, aiming to take regular small gains, but feels part of the evolution is in not dealing if the conditions don’t feel right.
 Making Money From Melting Markets
Posted by FT on January 25, 2008
Category: Views & Opinions, About Trading, Shares & Indices by FT 2 Comments

Stock market meltdowns, a time when fortunes are made and lost on markets around the world. At such times rational analysis, logic and computer keyboards go out the window. “Surely the market can’t go any lower.” “It just has mate.” And, like earthquakes and West Ham victories, they occur a lot more than you think they do. But a cool head and a list of do’s and don’ts can help you to profit from, rather than fear, such events.


Mr FT is a self-employed spread better. After 18 years in fund management he was given the choice of moving to London or .. not. ‘Not’ won out.

FT has been trading full time from home for two years, with nothing but four kids and a beach to distract him .

He fills his spare time with weight training and rugby, though more coaching than playing these days.

FT mostly trades the forex markets and although he plays FTSE on occasions his bread and butter market is £$.

He likes to think that his technique is evolving but still hasn’t the temperament or money to back the big calls. He prefers to trade between 1 and 3 times a day, aiming to take regular small gains, but feels part of the evolution is in not dealing if the conditions don’t feel right.
 Equity X-Factor: Part 2
Posted by FT on January 18, 2008
Category: Views & Opinions, About Trading, Shares & Indices by FT Comment

Think of last week’s article (Equity X-Factor: Part 1) as the voice coaching, choosing the right song, pitching a wide range of notes; it was all the preparation necessary to make the next stage successful. This article shows the screening process that I used, the results and how I plan to make money from them.


Mr FT is a self-employed spread better. After 18 years in fund management he was given the choice of moving to London or .. not. ‘Not’ won out.

FT has been trading full time from home for two years, with nothing but four kids and a beach to distract him .

He fills his spare time with weight training and rugby, though more coaching than playing these days.

FT mostly trades the forex markets and although he plays FTSE on occasions his bread and butter market is £$.

He likes to think that his technique is evolving but still hasn’t the temperament or money to back the big calls. He prefers to trade between 1 and 3 times a day, aiming to take regular small gains, but feels part of the evolution is in not dealing if the conditions don’t feel right.
 Equity X-Factor:Part 1
Posted by FT on January 14, 2008
Category: Views & Opinions, About Trading, Shares & Indices, Dummy's Guides by FT 2 Comments

Think back a couple of weeks to that drunken New Year’s party, waking up with a banging headache and your auntie’s knickers on your head, wondering what resolutions will come back to haunt you…

One of mine was to reach outside the comfort zone of currencies and indices and find a couple of shares to trade from time to time.


Mr FT is a self-employed spread better. After 18 years in fund management he was given the choice of moving to London or .. not. ‘Not’ won out.

FT has been trading full time from home for two years, with nothing but four kids and a beach to distract him .

He fills his spare time with weight training and rugby, though more coaching than playing these days.

FT mostly trades the forex markets and although he plays FTSE on occasions his bread and butter market is £$.

He likes to think that his technique is evolving but still hasn’t the temperament or money to back the big calls. He prefers to trade between 1 and 3 times a day, aiming to take regular small gains, but feels part of the evolution is in not dealing if the conditions don’t feel right.
 Those New Year Thingies
Posted by FT on January 7, 2008
Category: Views & Opinions, About Trading by FT 2 Comments

Well, that’s Christmas over and done with; I’ve put the wife’s birthday in the new diary, filled my kit bag with Christmas shower gels, sworn at the credit card statement and made a few New Year’s Resolutions.

I didn’t waste time with unrealistic targets; I won’t be a millionaire by next Christmas and I’ll never get that close to Kylie, but with my trading it’s always useful to look at ways of improving, which will hopefully lead to even bigger profits this year.


Mr FT is a self-employed spread better. After 18 years in fund management he was given the choice of moving to London or .. not. ‘Not’ won out.

FT has been trading full time from home for two years, with nothing but four kids and a beach to distract him .

He fills his spare time with weight training and rugby, though more coaching than playing these days.

FT mostly trades the forex markets and although he plays FTSE on occasions his bread and butter market is £$.

He likes to think that his technique is evolving but still hasn’t the temperament or money to back the big calls. He prefers to trade between 1 and 3 times a day, aiming to take regular small gains, but feels part of the evolution is in not dealing if the conditions don’t feel right.
 An Office Inspired By Noah
Posted by FT on December 21, 2007
Category: Views & Opinions, About Trading by FT Comment

“So, what’s it like doing that whatever-you-do at home all day?” is a question I get asked quite a lot. Others include “Dad, what is your job?” “What can I put you down as on this form?” and “How tall are you?”

With the markets winding down for Christmas I thought I’d give you an insight into life as a full-time trader working from home.


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