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  • Difference Between “a Market Bottom” and a “Bottoming Process”?

    by Marty Chenard

    … and, Where are We Now?First, a “market bottom” call is typically a speculative conjecture based on anecdotal stories and some improving data suggesting that a market downturn may be ending.

    Often times, the improving data is not positive, but merely “not as negative as before”.

    It is from an improvement of “not as bad as last time”, that some investors assume a conclusion that there is “a trend of improvement occurring that will continue into a turnaround where everything will become positive soon”.

    Remember the old saying, “the trend is your friend”. The opposite was also inferred … “going against the trend is your enemy”.

    If speculative conjecture is or was correct, then the stock market’s trend would have also changed to an “up trend” from a “down trend”. If that has not happened, then there is no “proof” that the speculation of a market bottom was indeed true.

    So, let’s look at the stock market’s trend, and we will look at it on the New York Stock Exchange because that is where most of the Institutional trading is done.

    Note the red arrows in the chart below. We have a low, followed by a high, followed by a lower/low on the NYA Index. The NYA Index is currently moving up … BUT, it has not made a higher/high yet.

    By definition, down trends are conditions with lower/highs and lower/lows. Up trends, are conditions with higher/highs and higher/lows.

    So far, we still have lower/highs and lower/lows. Until a higher/high is made, this is still a down trend.

    After a higher/high is made, you need to see a higher/low followed by another higher/high for a new up trend to be verified.

    Conclusion: We have not had a trend reversal yet. Yes, things appear to be improving, but the market is not entirely convinced of the sustainability of the improving conditions yet.

     

  • Revised Minimum Order Values for CFDs and Stocks

    • New Minimum Order Values for CFDs and Stocks will apply from March 2009.
    • The minimum order value applies to all equities trading, including CFDs, CFD DMA and Stocks, and is in place to prevent traders manipulating the underlying market price.
    • You will not be able to open new positions via the platform below the minimum order size for the relevant exchange.
    • See the table below for details of the new Minimum Order Values
    Minimum Order Values as of 2 March 2009      
    ID Short Description Description Currency New – Minimum Order Value Current Minimum Order Value
    XASE AMEX American Stock Exchange USD

    50

    50

    XAMS AMS Euronext Amsterdam EUR

    100

    50

    XASX ASX Australian Stock Exchange Ltd. AUD

    150

    50

    XATH AT Athens Stock Exchange EUR

    100

    50

    XBRU BRU Euronext Brussels EUR

    100

    50

    XCSE CSE OMX Copenhagen DKK

    1000

    500

    XCSE CSE_FN OMX Copenhagen – First North DKK

    1000

    500

    XCSE CSE_INV OMX Copenhagen, Investments Trusts DKK

    1000

    500

    XHKG HKEX Hong Kong Stock Exchange HKD

    1000

    500

    XHEL HSE OMX Helsinki EUR

    100

    50

    XLIS LISB Euronext Lisbon EUR

    100

    50

    XLON LSE_INTL London International Exchange USD

    100

    50

    XLON LSE_SEAQ London Stock Exchange SEAQ Market GBP

    100

    50

    XLON LSE_SETS London Stock Exchange SETS Market GBP

    100

    50

    XMIL MIL Milano Stock Exchange EUR

    100

    50

    XNAS Nasdaq NM NASDAQ Global Markets USD

    50

    50

    XNAS Nasdaq SC NASDAQ Capital Market USD

    50

    50

    XNYS NYSE New York Stock Exchange USD

    50

    50

    ARCX NYSE_ARCA NYSE ARCA USD

    50

    50

    XOSL OSE Oslo Stock Exchange NOK

    1000

    500

    XNAS OTCBB OTC Bulletin Board on NASDAQ USD

    50

    50

    XPAR PAR Euronext Paris EUR

    100

    50

    XSES SGX-ST Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited SGD

    150

    50

    XMCE SIBE Sistema De Interconexion Bursatil Espanol EUR

    100

    50

    XOME SSE OMX Stockholm SEK

    1000

    500

    XOME SSE_FN OMX Stockholm – First North SEK

    1000

    500

    XSWX SWX Swiss Exchange CHF

    150

    50

    XTKS TYO Tokyo Stock Exchange JPY

    10000

    5000

    XWBO VIE Wiener Börse (Vienna) Stock Exchange EUR

    100

    50

    XVTX VX SWX Europe CHF

    150

    50

    XWAR WSE Warsaw Stock Exchange PLN

    300

    150