I played the (stock) markets today, and only lost £7.50, not too shabby?

John,

Don't spend $300 on a video course, it won't be worth it. Buy yourself a book for £10 to £30. There are loads out there, The Intelligent Investor, The Naked Trader etc etc. They are infinitely better than a video course, which I guarantee will be overpriced. In fact, buy both of those two books. The second is more accessible to start, and the first can be read afterwards. Even if you decide you don't want to go into the market, they are good reads.

On your second point, there is no systematic pattern to what the markets do that can be determined as easily as that. Sure, there are some patterns that repeat - these are what algorithms try to detect - but these can break at a moment's notice, and I assure you that they certainly aren't as simple as start low at 8am, go high by 4.35pm!

How did you go about starting to trade?

Thanks good advice.



Just from learning what people have been telling me, and watching the odd video!

I've decided to use trading212 but I don't want to use any real money. It's said free £10000 free practise account but it says below the sign up details '*your capital is at risk', any ideas?

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My dad and mum don't know very much about money i'm afraid. Specifically my dad, when i told him that i was getting in to the stock market, he told me that he wouldn't talk about it, but that it was foolish. Then i lost a small percent, and pulled the lot out, at a loss i might add. I will consider reinvesting at some point, i am even thinking about spending $300 on a 'learn the market' course by barry burns.I have already watched some of his videos, and he seems to know what he is talking about.

To be honest with you, the last time i looked, the markets started low and went up throughout the day. So if i could get up in time, this would make sense as the right time to buy and sell. My only problem is that i struggle to sleep at the right time, sadly!

You need to learn how to invest and not trade, trying to time the markets and go in and out can be one of the most dangerous things if done wrong.

All you should be doing is looking to buy a great company at a great price and then holding the stock forever. The dividends over time will pay back your initial investment. The best thing to do is reinvest your dividends, so buy more stock of another great company at a great price.

When I buy stocks I am planning to hold them forever, no shorter time period. The only time I will sell is if I really need the money or if I feel the company has lost its ability to generate money.

Markets are very volatile over a short time period, say 1-2 years, yes that is considered a short time period in investing. When you hold a stock for more than 5 years, you will see a gradual growth emerging in most good companies. Over a 10 year period the growth is very evident, and the stock price would be 5/6/7/8/9 times what you payed for it 10 years ago.

Why you lost money is because you essentially held the stock for a short period of time, you need to have the idea you will be holding forever.

Great businesses like coca cola and shell have returned 10 fold to investors who have held for 20-25 years. Investing is a game of patience.

I suggest you read up everything you can about Warren Buffett and in particular the Intelligent Investor, a book by Benjamin Graham.

I hope you're not talking about trading cfds. The case with them is completely different. You need to put a tremendous amount of money in your account to assure enough margin and to make sure your trade will survive the expected volatility. That's theoretical case of course and such a strategy is completely impossible in retail cfds trading in my humble opinion. Never heard of a trader who closed their trade 20 years after opening it. Markets move constantly, rapidly and aggressively, e.g. due to Brexit and not only. Retail traders can't afford the unbelievable amounts needed for margin (otherwise they won't be retail traders, right). Cfds trading strategy is simple - study the market using some sort of analysis (fundamental, technical, sentiment or some sort of a mix), open small positions with let's say 5% of your funds and always put SL and TP.

I don't trade, I invest. I don't need stop losses as I don't care about the stock price. All I want is growing dividends.

Fair enough. However, I think cfds trading and stock investing need to be separated and clarified, as they are completely different things. As far as I can tell this topic is regarding cfds retail trading. Please excuse me in case I'm being wrong.

All brokers with FCA licenses are obligated to include such a warning. As per my knowledge it's mandatory. If you browse through the websites of other FCA regulated brokers such as FXCM, Cmc markets, Fxpro, etc. you'll find warning like that on every single one of them.

Thanks, just to clarify this practise account will have nothing to do with my actual money?

You take the hit in a money purchase scheme, whatever is bought is your risk, though there is compensation, I think, if they run away with the money, but that does not happen

Final salary schemes are different, the employer's scheme promises to pay usually 1/60th or 1/80th of your final salary usually index linked for each year of service, if you do become a lecturer I think that will be sort of scheme employer may offer (Civil service, teachers, public servants etc tend to get offered these at present, private sector now very scarce) If they become unfunded there is a scheme but you do take a hit, see recent BHS news.

Do remember that the pension office money purchase funds are pretty spread re where invested so single share risk is tiny, where money does leak is charges (bid offer spread etc)

Sometimes with money purchase compensation can be offered, but that was more re with profit funds (equitable life paid my wife re a small fund she had with them) and whilst WP were popular in the 1980s (My Standard Life started as one) they have since fallen out of favour.

I have said for years all of this ought to be explained at school, plus basic tax, benefits, NI etc, it is a real shame it is not. I was lucky, my father was a solicitor and was financially savvy, so I picked up a lot from him (plus through work), I work with people in their 40s with no pensions, no long term savings, the only thing they own is part of their house, and they somehow think come 65-66-67 it will be alright, it will not, they will be working into their 70s as they will not be able to afford to stop.

Thanks, just to clarify this practise account will have nothing to do with my actual money?

I played the (stock) markets today, and only lost £7.50, not too shabby?

I was actually down £10 right away because of a bad deal i made, so then i tried to get some of this back.

I was actually down around £13/14 at one point, but made some good money on a buy of the pound against the dollar, and sold when the pound was strong, then again with gold, meaning that i only lost £7.50 altogether. I think that this is quite good going huh? For someone who has never traded before i mean??

If you play the stock markets, you are a fool. It's a mug's game and you'll lose money at the end of the day. What you guys do is no different to horse race betting

If you play the stock markets, you are a fool. It's a mug's game and you'll lose money at the end of the day. What you guys do is no different to horse race betting

long term sport gambling and trading are the same thing. If you put £1000 on Man City to win the league, the cash out evaluation will flucuate constantly depending on if their performance each week. Exact same with stock market. I know a lot about both subject matters, and they are pretty much identical

long term sport gambling and trading are the same thing. If you put £1000 on Man City to win the league, the cash out evaluation will flucuate constantly depending on if their performance each week. Exact same with stock market. I know a lot about both subject matters, and they are pretty much identical