After a six month wait and getting through the various vetting procedures, this week saw me begin the No Smoking Clinic at the local health centre. They run the course which has zyban as its mainstay. I started the treatment on Wednesday and all seems to be well so far, although his is the easy bit. After smoking for forty years (so long that I can't remember not smoking), I knew it wasn't going to be easy. After three days, instead of the twenty a day I would usually have puffed my way through, I am still on the same pack. The weekend is crunch time when I get rid of all smoking related stuff and go for broke. I must admit the thought scares me a bit, but I know it makes sense so I'll give it my best shot. If you see me in the street, please just walk on by - my temper is beginning to snap quite easily as the nicotine disappears from my body. I could have done with a less stressful week on the markets before starting this. Ho hum!

You could have been fooled into thinking things were going to get better amongst front line stocks on Monday as early indications were that they were showing signs of recovery. However, despite showing blue much of the day, the FTSE100 ran out of steam by Monday close to lose 11 points and drop to 5551. A technical bounce on Tuesday gave some respite as news of the impending review of US interest rates was awaited - analysts hoping for more than the half percent rise. The US markets had also performed better overnight to add a bit of confidence. So, Tuesday's FTSE100 close showed a rare gain. It ended the day 95 points up at 5646. On Wednesday it was clear that a half percent cut in US interest rates was all that was coming - for now - and the markets acted accordingly, the FTSE100 ending Wednesday at 5540, below the week's opening mark. The techMARK was also suffering; finishing below its inception figure for the first time at 1976. On Thursday the bloodbath continued with both FTSE100 and it technology-based cousin both showing red throughout the day. A massive 225 point fall in the FTSE100 took it into critical territory at 5314. At the same time the techMARK index lost a further 5.7%. A bad day indeed. Early indications on Friday were that there would be a revival amongst FTSE and techMARK stocks alike as many analysts began to consider that the fall had been overdone. Temporary blip or real recovery? The early performance of the DJIA was first encouraging and later disappointing, although the NASDAQ did manage a reasonable start and stayed in positive territory throughout the afternoon. @@@@

Some new options in the Charting tool emerged this week with a bigger selection range. Also, the "from" drop-down on the date selection now includes year 2001. Top Lists now offer two additional analyses - by Market Cap and Liquidity. The latter throws up some interesting names



The Weekly BB Review

It was difficult to know whether just to sit on your hands or go looking for some safety stock in which to tuck away your pennies this week. raging bull1 decided on the latter although his choice may be controversial in more ways than one. In HUNTINGDON - A BARGAIN RECESSION PROOF SHARE, he sets out his reasons for seeeing Huntingdon Life Sciences as immune to the current recessionary influences. In all, he lists eleven good reasons why. Thomas10 and moves seemed to be riding the same train, the former eagerly awaiting news of the date for quarter four results (which turned out to be Thursday). frenchman and dodddy are amongst a number who would probably avoid investing in the company on "moral" grounds but this was, perhaps, not the right thread to say so. There is no way that supporters like smithmar and the detractors are going to find common ground but there should be room for ALL opinions on the Bulletin Board. The only line we don't want to cross is that of personal attack. Let's leave that for the others. As for the company results and accompanying statements, they were largely as predicted and quite up-beat. The negative press the company has been subject to is seen as damaging performance in the current year, although, with new financing in place, they are well-placed to overcome any short-term difficulties (they claim). Regardless of the news and views, the share price remained docile enough, ending the week at 4p bid.

Netnut spotted the apparent potential for a swift fall from grace (or a good shorting opportunity?) in SWD Thread.....Ready to go South? (Sportsworld) as the chart showed a fairly consistent fall in share price this month. cheve and Gordoncurrie were already short on the stock and dodddy's only question was why has it taken so long to show? Certainly the fall has been much more measured than the rise was. Worth watching to see if they find a new support level. None appears to show. cheve's 180p target could be less wild than it would appear at first glance. When everything else was showing signs of blue on Friday, SWD continued their gentle slide, losing a further 1.5p to end the week at 393p bid.

Fibernet was back under the microscope this week in Fibernet getting better all the time with MH considering them "dirt cheap" and pommy considering them "oversold" on Wednesday. Romeo, Sardine and Camp Freddie seemed to agree. Friday saw them take a turn for the better following a statement from the company the previous day, designed to allay fears that there was a problem. As Technet pointed out the shares are trading at a massive discount to the recent rights issue. Solomon has changed his strategy to "accumulating", as opposed to just plain buying. Sounds much more professional. Let's hope Fibernet keep accumulating too. The share price had recovered a useful 17.5p (4.2%) by close of play Friday, still way short of the comfort zone.

In Cambridge Mineral resources hmmm, zzaxx99 had picked up a snippet from Shares magazine suggesting that US leviathan Newmont Mining was imminently to pump in a placement at 60p per share - significantly higher than CMR's current rating. johnnyseven sounded a bit nervous about the whole situation, convinced there was a catch somewhere. tad novak, meanwhile, saw short-term upside but was dubious about how long CMR might survive in their current shape if a big boy like Newmont became involved. If the US company is prepared to invest to that degree they will expect value out of their investment and that value is likely to be manifested in the exploration rights the company owns rather than the organisation itself. Maybe, as suggested, some short-term opportunities for a buck, but I'd be ready to make a sharp exit - just in case. Not much sign of life on Friday.

Our resident astrological investor, thatsmart expects more bad news to come although he sees some oil minors, particularly explorers, as shrewd investments. I'm afraid there are no EPICs to accompany the prediction, however, he also sees England beating Finland at footie on Saturday. Maybe I'll invest my fiver at Ladbrokes this week.

Discussions on bottoms were much to the fore this week, in the best possible taste! Take, for instance The Variable Bottom started by roy boy on Wednesday when the lights were looking decidedly dim. Whether you can smell, feel, call, sense or touch the bottom is the question. As roy boy says, "no one actually knows the bottom". Martini, of course, is in no doubt that he can recognise one, despite his advanced years. davewuzz much prefers head and shoulders. In This Is The Bottom, 2020 placed much faith on the Dow and saw it bottoming out at 9500. As it closed Thursday at 9389, that theory didn't last long. ;) But, as crocodile said, "don't give up trying!". StewJames saw possibilities of it falling as low as 5000 over the next couple of years - a scary thought! pommy's graph, although not too clear for my old eyes, did appear to show the long-term trend as up, up, up. This is what all the experts tells us too, although the timescales vary acording to what they are trying to prove. As Charles Bronson pointed out, we are currently only on a 2 year low. Rayrac (posting 39) found a more upbeat statement from LeggMason which I hope everyone took on board. energyi was in no bout that the FTSE100 should bottom out at 4600-4700. Still a way to go then. Friday's reversal of fortune, I'm sure, is only a temporary respite but at least it puts off the evil day. The FTSE100 at 5402 still looks a bit shaky!

When things aren't going according to plan, it is easy to pretend that they are and close your eyes to the reality. Then, before you know it, your life has got out of your own control and there seem few avenues left to explore, looking for a way out. Bouncer found himself in exactly this situation this year as his investments went sour and he had to face up to the disaster he had created. It is one thing to admit to yourself what a mess you've made but quite a different thing making it clear to your family. Then to make it public in the way Bouncer has by publishing his tale on the Bulletin Board takes a special sort of courage. The story is best told by the man himself in Tell the wife...sooner or later you have to.... It is invaluable to have the support of your family and friends in these situations and I know many others have suffered similar fates over the past couple of years. No-one is immune from making the basic errors. I hope now that Bouncer and his family can pick up from this experience and move forward with a positive heart. This is a thread worth looking at by all, either as a reminder of how important it is to be honest with yourself (and your family) or to underline the criticality of creating a framework of rules within which to work. When people like Bullie and Limpy keep harping on about such boring things as "stop losses" in their lectures, it isn't just to fill time - it is because they are an essential tool to safeguard you against runaways.

It was time for the latest of the regular meetings of the East Anglian Mountain Rescue Dinner Club this week and, although numbers were down a bit (a sign of the times?) those who attended seem to have had a good time and an excellent curry. If you live in the East Anglian region, get in touch with Dead Cat Bounce next time there is an event planned and call in. It is a great way to get to know your peers and, you never know, you might just learn something useful. (The Thread)

Meanwhile, in the Land of the Free.......

Since its introduction to the AIM in January, life for holders of Direct Message has been nothing short of disastrous with the shares heading quickly for oblivion. A statement issued by the company on Tuesday did nothing to help, amounting to a very thinly veiled profit warning. The chart looks pretty grim. ARGY2 is understandably angry with the recent open offer priced at more than double the current bid price, when it must surely have been evident to the company that the contents of this week's statement would have to be made public sooner rather than later. MH29 and cyan are all for making their complaints official - and seem perfectly justified. Bowler was a bit more philosophical about the situation, accepting such corporate shenanigans as part of the game. IMHO, if investors have been purposefully misled then they should have some recourse to official action and explanation. The shares finished the week a sad 11p bid.

kerr was perplexed at the early performance of Celltech after such a promising rally amongst bio companies in the US overnight. As discussed in CELLTECH RE-RATING OVERDUE!, it didn't take long to recover the early losses and put on some weight. MegRyan is still biding time but Calleva found a news item outlining that broker Cazenove had set a buy rating for the stock. With bio companies generally showing signs of recovery around the world, it is hoped that CCH will be amongst the first to show. The Intraday Chart gives some indication of the volatility on Friday when they ended the final session 55p (5.4%) to the good.

Interesting to note that in the latest ADVFN Stockpicker of the Month...March 2001 table, eight of the top ten places are taken up by Free BBers, with top picker peeky, 26.74% to the good with Anglia Group. mikelangdon is third overall with Harrier Group. I guess the TA boys on the Premium site have not had too good a time of it lately. :=)

-GoldDog has kicked off what is seen as a daily non-shares environment to allow BBers to share ideas,amd problems and post questions unrelated to investment. Conversation at The Shares Cafe (Fri) on Friday mostly enveloped doors (UPVC or hardwood) and their relative merits although it did give Edelbrock the opportunity to get his opinion of "sleeping policemen" off his chest. It is always good to have somewhere to let off steam. Then onto some chatter about the night life of Brussels which has always been good if you could track it down. I worked over there for a year in the 80s and it took a while to sort out the best places to be. Sounds as though greenasgrass has been quick to discover some of the liklier spots. Now, how can we make the capuccino more tasty?

This week's Poster of the Week award goes to Bouncer who bared his soul, not only for his own benefit but as a salient warning to us all to be vigilent, disciplined and honest with ourselves and our families when things aren't going to plan. It was a very courageous posting. I hope that a bottle of champagne can be used by you and your special wife to celebrate the new beginning. Congratulations Bouncer and thanks for the timely reminder of how vulnerable we all are! Please drop me a line with a delivery address and I'll get your prize on its way.


Good Hunting!

The ADVFN Who's Who is still growing and is now a quite long list. If you haven't sent me your bio yet, please drop me a few lines about yourself - a full editing service is provided! No e-mail addresses are published unless specifically requested.