07:10am (WET)  ~  Back to the UK later today after a lovely week or so in the sun, but first an early morning cycle up into the hills for a couple of hours to get the blood circulating. I will report back later if I manage to do any chart watching this morning.

The markets were worried yesterday that a Russian military presence in Ukraine might lead to a more serious confrontation and this sentiment sparked volatility in the global markets sending equities into a bearish slide. The Dow Jones 30 lost 153 points on the day to close at 16,163 and my favourite, the S&P500 was not spared either and fell to 1845. The US manufacturing data showed a stronger than predicted expansion but that was easily discarded by the recent geopolitical tensions. However we should see a small rebound today as Russia’s threat of military strike at 3am GMT this morning has passed without incident, so markets may interpret this as merely sabre-rattling by the often bare-chested Putin.

As expected, both Oil and Gold prices soared yesterday amid the growing tension in Ukraine, WTI values surged sharply gaining $1.82 to $104.82 and Gold ended up $18 at $1350.6 a level last seen on September 2013.

09:40am  ~  I have just sat down to do some emails so I’m also watching some favourite charts as well – but there’s not much occurring yet, but with the situation in Ukraine changing by the hour I am sure something will happen soon.

10:10am  ~  There’s something developing on my Brent Oil chart – I shall keep my eyes peeled.

10:30am  ~  I am in a ‘short’ position on my Brent Oil chart with one of my trendFX set-ups – there is a 25 pip stop loss on this trade.

13:25pm  ~  The U.S. open is coming up very soon so I am now out of my Brent Oil position, I’ve managed +41 pips.  After a quick lunch out it’s off to the airport and back to the UK.

23:40pm  ~  Just arrived back home to news that I am off again tomorrow – there is an offer of skiing in Meribel with some friends so I shall be off in the morning.

09:10am  (WET) ~  It’s my last full day out here in Gran Canaria so I’m concentrating on my new trading manual completely today, but before that I am off for a cycle ride up into the mountains on this bright, sunny morning.

As you’ve probably seen, the news is dominated by Russia’s incursion into the Crimea and their build up of troops in the area over the weekend has caused the markets to open down this morning after a broadly bearish Asian session earlier today. Both European and U.S. markets have reacted negatively and we should now see a flight to safer investments such as Gold and Silver.  Slumping crude oil inventories at Cushing, Oklahoma kept the WTI prices well supported and at the same time we saw a sharp climb in euro and a rise to a record for 2014 in equities which both enticed energy investors to remain long crude.  As expected, tensions in Ukraine on the brink of war with Russia already pushed the WTI almost 1% higher in overnight trading.

09:55am  ~  Just had a quick look at my favourite charts as we’ve just got broadband back after a short break and there’s not much happening apart from a possible ‘long’ opportunity on my Gold chart.

10:50am  ~  The Gold trade was triggered and I am in the market with a 28 pip stop-loss. It was a trendFX strategy 1 set-up.

13:45pm  ~  I have just the minute come out of the Gold trade as the U.S. markets are beginning to get going and a small amount of volatility is showing itself – and as I am ahead I shall bank the profit. There is also the offer of lunch out at the marina as well !  The trade has given me +41 pips.

It’s the end of another month so I’ve just checked through my trading accounts to see how I’ve done in the past 4 weeks.

My beginner’s “Trade With A Day Job” strategy has managed +167 pips after 8 evenings of trading and overall all my trading in February has resulted in a profit of +961 pips.

09:05am (WET)  ~  Broadband seems to be ok this morning so I’m going to do an hour or so of emails before a cycle ride out up into the mountains and then lunch with a neighbour of James’s.

Another record finish in the US last night saw the S&P500 close above the 1,850 level for the first time in five attempts yesterday, but interestingly the Dow Jones remains well shy of its record highs suggesting a little divergence and uncertainty amongst US investors, with the Dow lower for the year, while the S&P is in positive territory – perhaps it shows that the top 30 companies in the U.S. are fairing less well than the main 500 ?  Janet Yellen’s comments yesterday regarding thoughts that the bad weather probably affected the economy more than initially believed gave a boost to U.S. indices and traders seemed to shrug off the bad news of continuing East European military manoeuvres.  The daily Gold chart formed a spinning top right on a short-term support line on my charts yesterday so any move above $1337 may indicate a march up to $1360 in the short term – keep an eye out for long trade opportunities today.

11:10am  ~  Not much happening on my charts this morning – time for some exercise I believe……..

14:55pm  ~  We are back from lunch, and this afternoon is going to be spent writing some more of my Long-Term Trading manual – I was hoping it would be completed today but I fear it still needs a few more days work.

21:10pm  ~  Once again there’s been issues with the broadband and electricity supply this evening so there’s been no trading for me. As I write this we’ve just had another 5 second lights-off moment so there’s another power cut arriving imminently.  I shall miss all this when I’m back in the UK on Tuesday !

08:35am  (WET) ~  I’ve a pile of emails to catch-up on this morning after spending a lot of yesterday out on the water, so I’ll watch some charts at the same time.

The Dow Jones 30 daily chart produced a second spinning top in succession yesterday (as did the S&P500) hinting towards trader uncertainty about more buying in the current climate. Traders who wanted to look away from the U.S. domestic economy for inspiration concentrated on the fact that there 150,000 Russian troops getting their kit ready for a march into Ukraine – generally the markets hate uncertainty like that.  Over in London – the FTSE100  has long since retreated from Monday’s high and is now looking for support somewhere – not sure where yet as 6800 was no real help in propping up the index.  This type of sentiment often pushes investors into Gold but new highs after yesterday’s Asian session brought out some profit taking and it fell $10 on the day, down to $1330 although there seems to be some brief change in sentiment this morning by the look of the chart.

08:55am  ~  There does seem to be something going on with the Gold chart this morning, there looks like another UTB set-up bracing itself for a move upwards.

09:15am  ~   I am in a ‘long’ Gold position with a 26 pip stop-loss.

10:05am  ~  My Gold position is doing ok but nothing much else to get excited about on my MT4 platform at the moment.

12:20pm  ~  After a good run-up the Gold price hit what seems to be a ceiling around 13335 so I am now out of the market as we’re off for a cycle ride shortly. I have managed +64 pips.

23:40pm  ~  Having some problems with the broadband here, this is the first time it has come back on since earlier this evening.  As far as the markets are concerned, I had two trades earlier with my “Trade With A Day Job” evening system – the 1st one dead on 5pm which was stopped out at minus 15 pips and a 2nd one just after 7pm which ended up at +22 pips when I came out of the market at 19:50pm.

Daily Target Reached ?  YES (+71 pips)

08:50am (WET)  ~  Slightly cloudy here this morning but still 65 degrees as I write this, so some windsurfing has been promised by my host later this morning. I will also have a few hours on the new manual later on, the plan is to finish by the end of the week.

As mentioned yesterday, some indices are hovering around at new highs but it seems as though traders have sat back and taken stock and decided there is no reason for this buying enthusiasm so there was a generally subdued day’s trading yesterday. We also witnessed a surprise drop in the US consumer confidence which dented investors’ optimism keeping any attempt to move higher in close check. Gold prices reached a new recent high above $1340 mark, the strongest level in more than 4 months and ended the session nearly $4 up. It was the decline in the US consumer confidence that pushed up demand for precious metals as safe haven assets.

09:20am (WET)  ~  I have just been trying to send out some charts to students but our email provider Aweber has been subject to a DDoS attack which has rendered their service inoperable for the time being – apologies to all who are waiting for this info from me.

09:30am (WET)  ~  While sitting here with a laptop I’ve just scrolled through my four favourite charts and there seems to be a ‘short’ trade setting up on my Gold chart. More news later.

11:05am (WET)  ~  The Gold trade triggered a short while ago and is currently running at +8 pips with a stop loss of +29 pips.  It is a UTB set-up from my “Any-Time” collection of strategies.

12:45am (WET)  ~  I’ve been informed that the wind is now at a reasonable strength to go windsurfing in so my Gold trade is now closed. It managed +59 pips.

22:55pm (WET)  ~  I did have a quick look at my S&P500 chart earlier this evening before we went out but there was not much happening with my “Trade With A Day Job” strategy, the S&P was in a narrow channel for a while and broke off quickly in a downward direction.

Daily Target Reached ?  YES  (+59 pips) 

09:25am (WET)  ~  Back in front of a laptop today after a few days fishing off the coast of Gomera. I am concentrating mainly on my long-term trading book today with James but will be doing emails and some chart watching as well.  I also want to fit in a cycle ride at some stage before lunchtime.

If you were trading yesterday you could not have failed to notice that the S&P500 stretched itself mid session above the previous high at the beginning of 2014 and after a brief retrace (profit-taking) finished 11 points ahead at 1847. The Dow Jones is not quite so near all time highs but did rally quite quickly on the back of U.S. health care stocks and sat at 16207 at the close.  Over in London, the top 100 company index also managed a new high, briefly shooting above the previous level achieved in May last year. We are at a tipping point as far as these indices are concerned, are the bulls going to shrug off recent jitters and just plough on regardless or will geopolitical events in Eastern Europe where alleged reports that Russia is beefing up it’s military presence at Sevastopol temper enthusiasm ? Interesting times….

These thoughts may have been in the minds of commodity traders yesterday as Gold prices rose $11 yesterday, as investors seek out some safety for their money.

13:40pm (WET)  ~  We have been out for most of the morning but after lunch I shall be back writing up my new manual – and later this afternoon I shall watch the S&P500 chart for any “Trade With A Day Job” set-ups.

17:05pm (WET)  ~  The S&P500 seems to be making another drive upwards after a volatile start to the U.S. trading session – it hit a low at 3pm and has been rising overall  since then although it’s not been a smooth ride. It looks as though there maybe a long set-up getting ready so I’m going to keep and eye on the chart for the next 15mins or so.

23:35pm (WET)  ~  The internet has been down for most of the evening and is still intermittent so this is the first chance I’ve had to update this blog. I ended taking the long trade I mentioned earlier and it came out ok at 20 pips after a short run-up.

Daily Target Reached ?  YES  (+20 pips)

08:45 (WET)  ~  I’m in Gran Canaria for a week or so to try to finish my manual on long-term trading with a trader friend. It’s started out a bit cloudy this morning but already 63 degrees with clear skies predicted in a couple of hours.  I have been promised some windsurfing later….

U.S. markets closed higher last night, the Dow Jones 30 jumped 77 points to 16,124 after a takeover deal involving Facebook worth $19 billion buoyed the market and PMI numbers came in better than expected so tempering fears of a general economic slowdown.  The S&P500 was also up and is banging up against that persistent 1850 resistance level, so there maybe more short trading opportunities today once the index has risen slightly.

Despite the slightly stronger US dollar, gold prices resumed their climb upwards yesterday, closing $11 higher at $1323. The reason behind was probably some bargain hunting and the overall feeling the mixed picture for the US economic data is a catalyst to keep some extra cash into safe haven assets.

07:15am  ~  An earlier than normal start for me today as I have some errands to do plus emails and Skype calls here in the study before I am off to visit a friend (James) in Gran Canaria this afternoon for a week or so. While I am out there the plan is to finish my book on long-term trading with James’s assistance.

Occasionally fundamental and technical traders will agree and this has occurred on the S&P500 index - the  price has come up against a resistance level around 1850 giving technical traders an excuse to go short and the fundamentalists are firmly bearish after FOMC meeting details show that a couple of Fed members are in favour of a rate hike in the U.S. in the near future. Additionally, it was also noted that the Fed is committed to further cuts in the monetary stimulus in an orderly fashion which pushed the Dow Jones 90 points down to 16,040. The cold winter was blamed for the weak employment numbers with yesterday’s overall drop in equities also supported by disappointing housing data.

U.S. WTI Oil values climbed again on falling temperatures across the Atlantic and the forecast still looks grim for the near future. There was a rise of 27 cents to $102.87 a barrel and now energy investors are waiting the release of the weekly oil inventories today, a day later than usual due to Presidents Day holiday on Monday.

10:25am  ~  Just noticed a possible short UTB trade on my Gold chart as I quickly glanced at a laptop a moment ago – I shall keep an eye on that.

12:20pm  ~  Not only am I in the previously mentioned Gold position, I am now in another UTB trade on my S&P500 chart.

12:55pm  ~  I am now out of the Gold position, the price has come down to a previous low so I am happy to come out with a +40 pip profit.

13:25pm  ~  Off out for lunch now at Prezzo in town and then to the airport so I’ve closed the S&P500 trade as well now. It’s given me +18 pips.

Daily Target Reached ?  YES  (+58 pips)

08:05am  ~  I arrived back home yesterday evening, too late really to do much trading although I did look at an S&P500 chart around 8pm but low volume and restricted movement in a narrow band made trading very uninviting.  I shall be around the house this morning catching up on emails and watching a few charts before I am off to Gran Canaria tomorrow to spend a week with a trader friend of mine.

The Dow Jones had a mainly down day yesterday after reaching what seems to be a major support/resistance line around 16220 on Monday. Over in UK it was a completely different story in London as the the FTSE 100 ended up 60 points at 6,796 points, close to this year’s high reached in the 3rd week of January. It has now risen in nine of the last 10 sessions, taking its total gain over that period to 5.4 percent. That is its best run since October, and leaves it up 0.7 percent year-to-date but it now faces psychological resistance at 6,800. Today traders will be waiting on the Bank Of England’s monthly MPC meeting minutes as well as latest unemployment numbers.

Continued cold weather in the U.S. seems to be staying so demand for crude products such as heating oil and diesel pushed WTI prices up $1.41 to $101.53 and expected inventories at Cushing, Oklahoma are expected to come in lower than usual, so giving values another boost this week.

10:35am  ~  Just got back from an invigorating cycle ride and I’ve now got two Skype calls plus a meeting with builders before lunch. Not going to have much chance to look at charts, but this afternoon may quieten down a bit for me.

15:10pm  ~  Back indoors after a lunch out, I’m going to switch my charts on and see what pops up in the next few hours.

16:15pm  ~  I have just got into a ‘short’ Gold position with a 25 pip stop loss. It’s a UTB set-up from my “Any-Time” system manual.

17:10pm  ~  I am still in the Gold trade and now I have also opened a long position on my S&P500 chart with one of the “Trade With A Day Job” strategies.

17:35pm  ~  My 1st S&P trade has been stopped out at minus 26 pips, and I am now in a 2nd trade on the same chart.

19:15pm  ~  I had planned on coming out of both trades just before 7 o’clock due to the FOMC meeting, but I am cooking supper for friends here in the kitchen while I’m also watching my trades, so they’ve over run slightly. The markets have become quite volatile but I have managed to get out with a small profit on the Gold position (+21 pips) and a 50 pip profit on the 2nd S&P500 trade.

Daily Target Reached ?  YES  (+45 pips)