Stock market dealing

It's guaranteed to lose value as it will not keep up with inflation

unless you seriously believe you will win a million,

A low cost tracker can be expected to give better results over the years.

Negligible effort required.

Are you contributing to a pension scheme?
Its an indulgence in that sense but the thought of winning a million is an outweighing factor
 
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If you give me all your money, I can mail you once a month "sorry no luck this time."
 
Really useful that one, just for you, it gave you something to moan about. It means you can save energy right there and discount the whole list.:rolleyes:
Yes, we should all read everything we come across on the Internet. There isn't much there after all, so we owe it to ourselves to make the most of it, and it would be lazy not to. Have you read this yet?


A Historical Overview of Andorra in the 19th Century

The Principality of Andorra, a tiny landlocked nation nestled in the Pyrenees between France and Spain, is known today for its picturesque mountains and robust tourism industry. However, in the 19th century, Andorra was a quiet, isolated region with a unique co-principality governance system that left it in a constant state of political stasis. The 19th century in Andorra was marked by incremental changes, minor adjustments to its governmental structure, and a slow but steady progression toward greater autonomy and modernization.

Political Structure and Governance​

Andorra’s governance in the 19th century was characterized by the long-established co-principality system, which originated in 1278. The co-princeship arrangement mandated that both the French head of state (initially the Count of Foix and later the French king, followed by the French head of state) and the Spanish Bishop of Urgell were the dual sovereigns of Andorra. This unique arrangement was intended to safeguard Andorra's independence by balancing French and Spanish influences and preventing either nation from asserting full control over the principality. By the 19th century, this setup remained largely unchanged, resulting in minimal local political evolution.

The co-princes’ influence was mainly ceremonial, with day-to-day governance handled by the Consell General de les Valls, Andorra's General Council. This council was composed of representatives from various parishes, with its members elected by Andorran households. However, suffrage was limited to male heads of families, and even this democratic structure was largely conservative. Any substantive changes to Andorra’s governance required the approval of both co-princes, which effectively curtailed Andorra’s capacity for self-directed political development.

The Effects of European Turmoil​

While the 19th century was a period of significant upheaval across Europe, Andorra’s political isolation shielded it from much of the turbulence. Events such as the Napoleonic Wars, the revolutions of 1848, and the unification movements in Germany and Italy had little direct impact on Andorran society. Nonetheless, Andorra’s neighbors, France and Spain, were frequently embroiled in conflicts, creating periods of tension for Andorra.

The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) did impact Andorra in a limited way, as French forces moved through the Pyrenees region. However, due to Andorra’s neutral status and its geographical seclusion, Napoleon’s forces avoided occupying or disrupting Andorran life. Later, during the Carlist Wars in Spain (1833–1840, 1846–1849, and 1872–1876), Andorra's proximity to Spain made it a potential haven for refugees and dissidents, though its lack of infrastructure limited the number of those seeking refuge within its borders.

Social and Economic Conditions​

Throughout the 19th century, Andorra remained a predominantly agrarian society. The primary economic activities were agriculture and livestock farming, with little to no industrial development. Andorra’s economy relied on self-sufficiency, with limited trade primarily focused on livestock and a modest amount of crop exports to nearby regions in Spain and France. The country’s mountainous terrain and lack of arable land made agriculture challenging, so most Andorrans lived subsistence-based lifestyles with minimal economic security.

One important social aspect of 19th-century Andorra was the rigid, traditional family structure. Andorran society adhered to strict roles within households, with men responsible for public life and politics, while women largely managed domestic matters. Given the limited social mobility, most people in Andorra followed the same life patterns as their forebears, with little opportunity or need for change. Education was limited, and most Andorrans received only rudimentary schooling, if any. Religious instruction from the Catholic Church played a significant role in shaping social norms and moral expectations.

Developments in Communication and Infrastructure​

The 19th century brought modest improvements to Andorra’s infrastructure, although its mountainous landscape posed significant challenges to connectivity and mobility. Roads and paths connecting Andorra with nearby regions in France and Spain were basic at best, often impassable during winter due to heavy snowfall. The difficulties of travel contributed to Andorra’s isolation, as few foreigners ventured into the region, and Andorrans themselves rarely left their valleys. Communications with the outside world relied on couriers and occasional travelers, which kept Andorran society insular and resistant to outside influences.

It wasn’t until the latter part of the 19th century that Andorra began to see modest infrastructure improvements, spurred by the gradual introduction of roads suitable for mule carts and, later, limited vehicular travel. These developments helped to lay the groundwork for Andorra’s gradual integration into the broader European economy in the 20th century, although such modernization efforts were limited and slow.

Diplomatic Relations and Independence​

Andorra’s foreign policy in the 19th century remained largely nonexistent, given its dependency on the co-princes for external relations. Nevertheless, Andorra managed to maintain its neutrality and avoid direct involvement in foreign conflicts. The co-princes’ influence in Andorran affairs was mostly limited to ceremonial visits and nominal oversight, allowing Andorra to function with a degree of autonomy. Despite its reliance on French and Spanish protection, Andorra was never formally occupied by either country, underscoring its status as an independent, albeit dependent, microstate.

Andorra’s minimal foreign engagement and its isolation contributed to its political stability, though it also meant that Andorrans had limited opportunities to participate in regional developments. As other European countries embraced industrialization and political reform, Andorra remained largely untouched by these transformations, maintaining its traditional structures well into the 20th century.

Conclusion: A Century of Subdued Stability​

In summary, the 19th century in Andorra was marked by minimal political and social change, with the country maintaining its traditional co-principality system and subsistence-based economy. While Europe underwent substantial transformation, Andorra remained largely isolated from these changes, focusing on self-sufficiency and preserving its unique governance structure. The country’s geography and limited resources contributed to its slow pace of development, ensuring that the rhythms of 19th-century Andorran life remained largely unchanged from previous centuries.

This period of subdued stability laid the groundwork for Andorra’s gradual modernization in the 20th century, as increased contact with the outside world led to new economic opportunities and social developments. However, in the 19th century, Andorra was defined by its insularity, cautious governance, and unwavering adherence to tradition. And while this era may seem uneventful in retrospect, it was a vital period of preservation and quiet resilience, ensuring that Andorra’s distinct identity would endure amid the changing tides of European history.
 
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Really useful that one, just for you, it gave you something to moan about. It means you can save energy right there and discount the whole list.:rolleyes:
I just found one of their highlighted stocks, XBP Europe Holdings Ltd, and decided I'd like to go short, right now. But I can't, not at IG and not at Trading 212. So that was a waste of time. Would have been better to have read about Andorra.
 
Bonkers. I stacked up on Bitcoin stuff as soon as we knew it was Trump. Harris was positive too. Everyone was on about it...???
I assumed everyone else was doing the same
This was today before the 5x leverage.
SOmeone yelled so many pitched in to this ETF.. Couldn't quite believe it, I was selling other stuff to free up cash to use it.
I'll let you do the sums.
1731444993006.png
 
I’ll stick to premium bonds, much less hassle, tax free and every one is a free monthly lottery ticket.
I have some too.
A low cost tracker can be expected to give better results over the years.
The quoted return on PBs is the bank rate, ish. It has just gone down. :(
There are simple better options, but yes.
Take your pick.
1731463430439.png

Green is S&P 500, orange a bond, and blue one of the funds designed to beat the S&P 500.
Gold is gold using up the colour which is hard to see.
If you switched between blue and orange about 8 times in the 28 months, you'd be off the top of the chart. There are plenty of indicators to guide you when to switch. I have shown some, like Donchian channels and Bollinger bands. You could also use moving averages, macd or rsi.

although the leverage sounds a bit risky (assuming the downside can be x 5 the losses as well).
Most percipient, sir. Yes, indeed, it can be. But if as today when bitcoin is on a charge, and you're sitting there, they make sense. That BTCT above went 2x. With 5:1 leverage, it was 10x.
There are other reasonable circumstances. It's the same as using more money, but if you have £100 in the account, and you use it all, at 5:1, you're using £500 but the most you can lose is £100. It's different if there is more in the pot.

one of their highlighted stocks, XBP Europe Holdings Ltd,
Nobody mentioned XBP holdings. Making yourself look silly again.

Its an indulgence in that sense but the thought of winning a million is an outweighing factor
Yes I get that. It's fun. Watching your dosh change in front of you is dangerous at my age whichever way it goes. I'm sure my pulse was up this afternoon on BTCT.

Yes, we should all read everything we come across on the Internet.
You're trolling again. What I showed you was done to help people achieve the shared ambition and would help you not lose so much. Simple.
Your need to satisfy whatever psychological maladaptions you're lumbered with appears to be messing with your head.
Drunk? Possessed (by the drivel)?

No I went long. From the earlier time in the extract to the later one.
I saw the "-"
£-202.2
And assumed it meant you'd lost again. You never explain what you're doing.


To those who wonder why to bother using other than an index, I was just checking this. It's holding a fairly modest amount left over from something or other long lost in the mists of time.
The bottom fund is the orange line one, above. (Yield is dividend rate, ignore).
1731467563623.png

Funds could be better but they'll do, picked at US election time. The 1,07% is today's growth., because there's quite a lot of that bottom fund dragging the average down. This is very good, but not particularly unusual.
Run the numbers: 50 weeks a year, 5 day = 250 days.
Starting with a quid, one year of that gives £1 x 1.0107 ^250, = £14.30.
The S&P500 today was ok, it would have been about a quarter of that.

COuld have done better, we use the blue-line fund above (Baillie Gif US B) which went 12% in 5 days :cool: .
 
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Bonkers. I stacked up on Bitcoin stuff as soon as we knew it was Trump. Harris was positive too. Everyone was on about it...???
I assumed everyone else was doing the same
This was today before the 5x leverage.
SOmeone yelled so many pitched in to this ETF.. Couldn't quite believe it, I was selling other stuff to free up cash to use it.
I'll let you do the sums.
View attachment 362641
My T212 account flashed up with this particular trade yesterday. I don't see how anyone could spot that this was going to jump 100% in a 15 min window and then a further +100% in another 20 min window. Surely it could have just as easily dropped back 100% at 15:40 as gone up again?

Sorry if that's a simpleton question.


Ps- I lost nearly £1,000 of fake money playing around yesterday :D
 
Nobody mentioned XBP holdings. Making yourself look silly again.
It was in their email. So you're berating me for not reading it, but you don't read it yourself?

XBP Europe Holdings Inc (XBP)

+62.82%​

Gapping up after Reaktr, the business unit XBP operates with Exela Technologies, announced that its SecAi platform's availability on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and the Oracle Cloud Marketplace. This move enhances SecAi's accessibility, leveraging Oracle's infrastructure for broader adoption.

 
I saw the "-"
£-202.2
And assumed it meant you'd lost again. You never explain what you're doing.
You can see the two times to the right. Obviously the earlier time was when I got in, and the later one when I got out. I bought on the Friday when it dipped then it soared at the open on Monday, bringing my trailing stop loss up and that got hit when it came back down.
 
My T212 account flashed up with this particular trade yesterday. I don't see how anyone could spot that this was going to jump 100% in a 15 min window and then a further +100% in another 20 min window. Surely it could have just as easily dropped back 100% at 15:40 as gone up again?

Sorry if that's a simpleton question.


Ps- I lost nearly £1,000 of fake money playing around yesterday :D
It's people doing the noticing, that makes the price move. Agencies are watching all the time. The major moves are initiated and sustained by "bots"/"algos" which react automaticaly in milliseconds. I heard it from an agency called Benzinga, via reportes on the web. There would have been a delay, but in under a minute. The rate of rise causes the alert.
There are only a few bitcoin -related investment instruments. Even I have about 10 on a watch-list. BTCT is on there but my attention was drawn only by the web. A minute is a long time, a lot happens in there if you're connected. An hour is a lifetime.
If something is rising extremely rapidy, such as in a "short squeeze" or one of those "meme" or "hyperbolic" events, you're taking something of a punt, but even I have a service from TradingView which shows a 1 second, rather than one minute, chart. Yes I was twitchy, and moving the "stops" up as it went. When those rallies come to a halt they can drop back, but if you've been on it you usually lose a relatively small part of the gain. You get an idea of how much that can be - it's not perfect.
Usually they do what that one did - come to a stop relatively gently.
The feared collapses for normal mortals, usually occur when the market's closed, ie overnight. Nothing you can do about those. Day traders hold little or nothing overnight. Fortunately, significant ones have been years apart. In hindsight it's rare for them to look as dramatic as they feel at the time. 2008 was one of course.

Here's a pump n dump.
1731500877139.png

From the curve of the ends of the green candles, their reducing height and top wicks, it's not hard to see what's coming. While it's rising, the price goes to the leading (top) end of the candle. You get out when the increase between those decelerates, which here would turn out to have been one or two candles before the top where the dotted line is. You're not getting the last 5 or 10%, which is good enough.
I once referred to it as watching the sea waves coming up a sloping beach. You can estimate how far each one is going to get.
I didn't say what duration the candles are. They can be months, to seconds. The whole thing is what they call "fractal" - same patterns on all scales.
They aren't always as nice as that - you might miss 50%, but overall, you make headway enough of the time to go forward.

Ps- I lost nearly £1,000 of fake money playing around yesterday
Good! A necessary part of the process. Now learn some stuff about what to look for! There are many decent Youtube vids which are easier to take than a textbook.
Here's one of the classic patterns, from Microsoft yesterday: The green edged wedge leads to a break upwards from the "flat top".
The subsequent yellow rise, retest of the top, and rise again, are what you expect. 5 minute candles.
1731503896607.png
 
It was in their email.
You didn't cite it. You can't expect anyone to chase around trying to find what you're on about when you post crap like the Andorra rubbish.

Once again you're scraping around to find one thing you can try to use to denigrate all you can in a jerkish outburst.. Did you note the Oracle boost? Of course not.
If you wanted to short XRB, - (daft thing to do based on that) it's up to you to find where you can do that, not condemn the carrier of the info, isn't it. It would be YOUR problem.

When are you going to use the tools other successful traders use to your benefit financially instead of inventing trivia to sneer about them with invalid obections?
 
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