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Spread Betting is is a leveraged tool that gives investors the opportunity to trade the financial markets without ever taking physical ownership of the underlying instrument. It's quite huge in the UK as they pay no tax on their gains. It's also illegal for a U.S. citizen to open a Spread Betting account.

 

How did I, a humble Emini Futures Trader gain such intimate knowledge on the subject?

"This is London calling..."

 

Edward R Murrow?

The Clash?

 

No, this education came to us live on the Radio Program today via Laila one of our listeners in the UK. If you missed the Live Broadcast be sure to click the headphones above and have a listen.

 

Once you hear the story you may well want to move. Do take an umbrella as the weather can be dreadful even on a good day. On the flip side, Fish and Chips washed down with a Black and Tan at your local pub is guaranteed to be a tasty treat on even the bleakest of days.

 

And did I mention the gains are tax-free every day?

 

The concept was launched by Stuart Wheeler who in 1974 founded IG Index so that investors could bet on the gold price without all the expense of buying bullion at a time of penal exchange controls. Popular spread bets were originally based upon performances of the Financial Times, Dow Jones Index and other financial barometers. The purpose was to hedge investment positions and was largely confined to those in the financial community.

 

Today, over 400,000 people in the UK have a spread betting account, and the majority of the traders, currently, are male (except Laila of course). Spread betters tend to be self employed individuals or those working in the IT and finance and insurance sectors.

 

Thank you Laila for sharing your story.

 

Emini Podcast for Tuesday 02/07/12

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Michael X Returns

Many of you will remember Michael. He has been a guest on our radio program 3 times over the past few years. He's a man who trades in sizes that most of us haven't dreamed of yet. We all know traders can dream. We've all got big plans right? I've often thought of trading 100 contracts. Even if just to see what it felt like. I may have even fantasized about swinging 1,000 after an especially good run. But never in my wildest imagination did I consider trading 10,000 contracts in a day. Michael is that guy, an institution unto himself.

 

Don't worry, you won't have to sit through any phony tales from the pit, or listen to any chest thumping braggadocio. Michael is a rather quiet and private individual despite being one of the single largest Emini traders in the world today. What you'll hear from him is real. He will be visiting our co-host David Williams for the next week and trading from Page Trader headquarters in Las Vegas.

 

Our plan is to have Michael on for a bit as often as we can during his visit. What you will find most interesting I believe, is that this trader has built a stunning career on the back of a few points a day. That's not to say he doesn't catch a "runner" from time to time, but he's genuinely content any day that he's net a couple of points on the S&P 500 Emini Futures.

 

This Podcast is not to brag about size, it's about creating hope in the heart of every Emini Daytader who ever struggled to put 2 points on the board. Sound familiar? No matter how many contracts you currently trade, this single podcast has the potential to change your trading forever.

 

He speaks softly so listen carefully.

 

Emini Podcast for Wednesday 02/29/12

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S&P500 Emini Futures, Stocks, Gold, even Crude all traded lower after the Fed Notes were released today. Traders may have simply been looking for an excuse to book some gains and they got it. The Fed seemed to play both sides of the street with their remarks but gave no obvious clue that further monetary easing is on the table. They did however leave the door open should the need arise.

 

 

When you have a sitting President who is very pro-stimulus, and you are mere months away from a Presidential election, that is a powerful card to be holding. How he plays it is yet to be seen.

 

 

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The S&P Emini Futures took the biggest tumble of the year today. The Dow Jones Industrial Average Cash Market dropped 214 points, or 1.7%, to 12,715.93. The S&P 500 Cash Index fell 1.7% to 1,358.59 and the Nasdaq Composite Cash Index fell 1.8% to 2,991.22. And then came Alcoa...

 

Alcoa shares bounced up 5.9% to $9.87 in heavy volume as the company’s first-quarter net earnings were $94 million, or 9 cents a share. Earnings were 10 cents a share, and revenue rose slightly to $6 billion from the year-ago quarter. Analysts expected the company to post a loss of 3 cents a share on $5.77 billion in revenue.

Did the markets respond in a positive manner on Globex? Let's take a look

 

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S&P 500 Emini Futures (ES) 04/10/12

 

Roger that! Is the work of the Aluminati enough to turn the entire herd? That's the big question. Earnings season is now underway so be very careful holding futures positions between 3:15 - 3:30 Chicago time. An upside surprise is always nice (if you're long), but if you had been short today based on analyst projections you would be crying in your beer, or your soup, or whatever.

 

 

Emini Podcast for Tuesday 04/10/12

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Well you can't say we didn't warn you. OK, technically you could but that would simply expose you as a follower who wasn't paying attention. Right? It was an easy call really. When all the world is suddenly predicting a $1,000.00 Apple, there has to be a snake in the garden. Or at least a worm...

 

 

Apple stock has lost 8.7% over the last five trading days. What does that have to do with Emini Futures? Apple’s 43% increase this year has added 15% to the S&P 500′s total return. Is the sky really falling? No. This is all so long overdue it's almost anti-climactic. But it is what it is... a reality check. And in a world where an iPhone App (Instagram) has a larger market cap than the New York Times, we desperately need a dose of real.

 

Candlestick Patterns

We all have our favorites right? The Doji, the Hammer, the Shooting Star.

 

 

Riddle me this Candlestick Wizard -

How do you spend 16 hours inside a 1 hour candle?

 

es-emini-futures-041612.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1334642222562S&P500 Emini Futures 04/16/12

Just like that. Unusual? Define usual...

 

Does this look like a scared market? Not at all, more like a stunned market. The Sacred Cow of Tech can do funny things to even the steadiest trading hand. The recent losing streak has wiped out about $60 billion of Apple's market value.

How much is $60 billion?

More than the most optimistic projections of the value of Facebook.

60 times more than the Old Gray Lady's current value.

 

Is life in the Garden over? Far from it. From the sweat of our brow and through the pangs of start-ups, there is much, much, more to come.

 

 

Emini Podcast for Monday 04/16/12

 

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The S&P 500 Emini Futures traded higher on Globex due in large part to Apple's (AAPL) better than expected earnings. Apple shares (NASDAQ:AAPL) were up 7% in after-hours trading following the report. The stock had dropped 13% since hitting an all-time high of $644 on April 10. Shares were down 2% at $560.28 at the close today prior to the release. Perhaps the old adage "An Apple a day keeps the Bears at bay" is true after all.

 

 

Emini Podcast for Tuesday 04/24/12

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The S&P 500 Emini Futures gapped higher on the Globex open Sunday Night but failed to take out Friday's high on two attempts. The second failure led to lower markets into the Wall Street open and also triggered the Tweet we issued last night shortly after the session began. Today's high was 1397 on the day session and the low was 1389.75. Price rallied off the low to 1396.25 but has begun to show some weakness during the Asian session.

 

 

 

As we move from Asia to the European session tonight keep in mind that the London Stock Exchange as well as many other markets across Europe will be closed or have an abbreviated session in observance of May Day. Watch 1395 for any sign of weakness and consider being short below that level.

 

 

Emini Podcast for Monday 04/30/12

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podcast_small.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1336714148979The S&P Emini Futures dropped 14 points after hours when JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon announced a $2 billion trade loss in their prop trading department. During the surprise conference call Dimon said the loss was a "big mistake" but that it did not violate the Volcker Rule. He also said, "These were egregious mistakes, they were self-inflicted,” and that "the losses could easily get worse this quarter and beyond."

 

Transcript of the Conference Call

Trader Bruno Iksil had earned the nickname “the London Whale” in recent months by selling huge amounts of credit-default swaps to hedge funds, a strategy that soured in recent weeks. The WSJ released the following video over a month ago.

Emini Podcast for Thursday 05/1012

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This is our first interview with James Koutoulas, Hedge Fund Manager turned White Knight / Wonder Boy Attorney for over 10,000 victims of MF Global and PFGBest. Are you a victim?

 

James Koutoulas co-founder of the Commodity Customer Coalition, which represents the interests of over 10,000 investors and traders, pulled no punches today as he spoke with great passion regarding the plight of those who have been victimized not only by Jon Corzine of MF Global (currently partying in the Hamptons) Russell Wasendorf Sr. of PFGBest (currently incarcerated) but by the very regulators who were put in place to protect them. The breach of fiduciary duty is heinous at best.

 

"My goal is real simple: getting everybody's money back," he says. "And I think we have a very high likelihood of doing just that." In early November, Koutoulas, along with fellow Chicago futures trader, John Roe – son of Tennessee Republican congressman Dr. Phil Roe – founded the Commodity Customer Coalition, a grassroots group that seeks to represent the complex legal interests of MF Global's former clients and now those of PFGBest.

 

 

To listen to today's interview simply click the headphones above.

 

This interview originally aired July 13, 2012

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