Hey there Pic... :) As usual I agree with the top half of you post and disagree with your politics... but that always makes it interesting. Today I avoid politics as radical left winger-nut pinko commies (like me) rest on Saturdays (although I suspect Michael Moore rests pretty much every day judging him by his figure).

I was also a bit shocked today when checking in that we have so much interest on a Saturday. Good to see though eh?

I just wanted to add a little something to my bit about the trend followers from my previous post. The fact is that the biggest of them have one extra little angle; they are programmed with 'human sentiment' software. This software helps the hedgers etc. to avoid getting whipped up into bubbles of enthusiasm (like ECU at 3.60 Sept 06) and/or following logic into the ground. This I believe is one of the reasons we see shudder/shakes which are not entirely in line with logic. I would imagine that the software may look at a stock with a 50%+ uplift in a short span and put a warning up that some investors will get nervous regardless of the logic involved/fundamentals of the company.

These machine driven trading mechanisms take advantage of our natural human emotions, which is key to their success when programmed right- the only way to beat them is to work contrary to logic. That's why I always stress to fellow investors- look at the company, research, research, research and then hold on when you get a good one. Day trading is for fans of skydiving, it's bloody hard to get the timing right and it really is a casino! I don't agree that it's a casino when you look at the big picture (do I pay pic a royalty when I say that?), research, buy and hold... it's an investment.

Just looked at the clock... just turned 36 :)... big party in the afternoon as I edge closer towards 40! Scarier than a shorter with a brain or a conservative who talks about 'caring'. Whoops... politics! Oh well it's technically Sunday!