07:45am  ~  Due to the sharp drop over the past few days in the the major world indices – and for most August really –  there were bargain hunters out yesterday at the start of the U.S. trading session but this ultimately turned negative in the afternoon session as the weight of bad news overcame any buying bravado. The worries for the market include the continuing unresolved Syrian crisis, soaring energy costs and the upcoming U.S. debt ceiling problem and these all helped wipe out early gains in the markets last night.

We also have the fact that trading in August is going to end negatively for the main markets after a positive July, and traditionally September is not a good month for gains – so this all conspires to weigh heavily on traders at the moment. Oil prices hit another record high yesterday because of worries that problems in Syria may spill over to other Middle Eastern countries but it has eased back slightly now. If you just started trading stocks, you may consider using trading robots.

Yesterday was my last trading day for August as I am off later today for a short 5 day holiday in the south of France with my two sons.  My trading for this past month has given me +1625 pips overall, and my evening “Trade With A Day Job” beginners strategy ended with +297 pips.

I have a couple of Skype calls booked for this morning, but first I am off for a cycle ride up to Hylands Park now, around 8 miles there and back.

Don’t forget, if you want to have a face-to-face chat about trading, trading systems or ambitions to learn to trade, just email me and book a Skype session.