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Alpesh Patel
Alpesh Patel's columns :
04/07/2006Equities booming - so where is the rally?
03/30/2006More Highs
03/15/2006Awful Feb - looking back in March
03/01/2006Highs on Equity Markets
02/22/2006European Interest Rates
02/17/2006The Quiet Before the Storm?
02/08/2006The Heat is Off
02/02/2006February the month of Valentine
01/25/2006Another Flight
01/12/2006Stock Picks for 2006
12/14/2005Fast Jet to India
11/17/2005The View From Here
11/02/2005After the Party
10/23/2005IX Investment Expo
10/02/2005Women Traders
09/27/2005Forex for us?
09/21/2005Trading as a Business
09/14/2005Women and Men; Mars and Venus
09/07/2005Fund Managers
08/31/2005Exchange Traded Funds
08/24/2005New York, London, Chicago
08/16/2005NYC Again
08/10/2005Summer Fun
08/03/2005Global Markets from a Foreign Perspective
07/29/2005Portfolio Destruction
07/20/2005Trader Health
07/13/2005Portfolio Management
07/06/2005Analyst Speak
06/29/2005CEO Speak
06/22/2005Media Again

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Alpesh Patel – A weekly look at market opportunities and pitfalls
Alpesh B. Patel is one of the UK's best-known traders and financial journalists. He writes a regular column for the Financial Times, has written seven bestselling books on trading, and makes regular television appearances for Bloomberg, Sky Television, Channel 4, The Money Channel, and the BBC.

Hurray its September and it is easier

09/06/2006

As I was giving a tour of the ADVFN website this weekend at a course for traders, I remarked on the momentum indicators available on the charting packages on ADVFN. It reminded me just how much easier trading has become compared to five years ago.

As I ready myself for a CNBC appearance on Thursday where I will be interviewed from their New York studios, I am mindful of the US markets. On the market's mind is clearly US interest rates. Any indicator that they will be on hold for the rest of the year, and you will see the US markets rise.

The S&P 500 has fallen 0.7 percent on average in September between 1950 and 2005, according Stock Trader's Almanac. Stocks opened the month by rallying to four-month highs. What next? The Dow clearly has the 11,700 mark in its sites.

As for the FTSE 100, 6100 is the target if we can noticeably penetrate 6000. That also looks likely.

For an invitation to my new free Private Members Invitation Only SpreadBetters Dining Club ' The sPredators Dining Club' (it's free, as is the excellent food and drink); the eligibility criteria being Members regularly bet at least £100 per point on the FTSE or equivalent in other financial or sports spreadbets. We will meet periodically at the Oxford and Cambridge Club, Pall Mall, London with like minded people to talk about the markets and learn from each other. Email me with evidence of your betting if you'd like to be considered for an invite.

Examining the cheapest stocks of large, growing companies with market caps greater than $5 billion that are expected to grow earnings at least 20% next year but have price/earnings ratios less than 20 and price/sales ratios less than 1.5 - on this criteria there are a few retailers which stand out: Energy Transfer Partners, Valero Energy.

The stocks showing the strongest short term bullish momentum are: inchcape, Stanley Leisure, Clinton Cards, London Clubs.

(Email me if you would like the presentation on the stocks I like for 2006, which I broadcast on BBC2 - the picks in the past two years produced a 83% compound return.)

Value-Growth

Based on my value growth criteria which are based on stocks meeting revenue and profit growth and good value based on criteria such as price earnings growth -remember they are for a 12 month outlook: International Power, Reed Elsevier, NWF Group, among others.

Remember I am targeting about 20-25% with the value growth criteria. Last year it produced 33% return.

On my momentum value indicator (which tracks stocks with value but which in the short term also have money going into the shares) I have Photo-Me, Provident Financial and the rest are on the Value/Growth screen too - Reuters, Cosalt, Mallett, Allied Irish Banks.

Crazy Small Stock

These are high risk volatile stocks which could move sharply higher or move sharply lower in my Baggeridge, Carr's Milling, Coral, VEGA.

Also, if you would like a free multi-media CDROM on 'Investing Better', which covers spreadbetting, CFD trading and momentum indicators like the MACD, posted to you then drop me an email with your postal address to alpesh.patel@tradermind.com.

Spreadbetters

Spreadbetters and futures traders often look at hard and soft commodities. Here's my quick take on the action for the week ahead:

  • Oil: Sideways to down
  • Copper: Sideways
  • Gold: Sideways to down
  • £/$: Sideways to up
  • Dow: Up
  • FTSE 100: Sideways
  • Soyabean Oil: Sideways

Alpesh B Patel, author of “Alpesh Patel on Stock Futures” available from the ADVFN bookstore.