Hello again - gosh, this long - planned trip of mine is looming and I feel like I have done nothing whatever to prepare for it!Doesn't time just vanish when you're enjoying yourself?

Anyway, there's not really a lot to add to the comments of the past few weeks, quite frankly, with markets shaping up pretty much as expected.

In fact, 'not a lot to add' right now might be a very good thing, because I see quite a lot of new faces in the form of recent TTEW subscribers - if that description applies to YOU, then a very, very warm welcome to these ramblings (and to the occasional rant too!) - it's great to be able to talk to you! Or as my family might contend - cynical lot (don't know where they get that attitude from) - talk 'at' you.

I realise from several recent emails that WICS entails rather a lot of 'extra information' above and beyond the content of the manual.

Just remember that it (the TTEW manual) should be considered as providing the 'basics' and WICS represents the 'more advanced' material - but don't lose sight of the fact (and this applies equally to those of you who could be considered 'old stagers' in terms of WICS) that if ALL you ever do is trade from the market understanding you have obtained by reading the manual alone, you'll STILL find plenty of profitable trading opportunities! It's just that WICS has rather 'evolved by popular demand' and I see no reason to short change those who want to learn as much as possible about this wonderful way to make a living - but I totally accept that for a beginner, WICS can be more than daunting!

Anyway, I trust that you'll know by now that you can always email me for help if or when you get stuck, and that (generally) I reply pretty quickly to your questions - although that won't apply between the 12th September and 1st October of course!

Moving on to 'the markets' then - I suggested above that they're looking more or less as I thought they would as per my comments over the past few weeks.

The FTSE100 index took a bit of a hammering towards the end of last week, and that will prove the forerunner of further weakness for sure. However I still think it will have another 'pop' at 6000 before the end of the recent bull phase - after that however, it's goodbye to anywhere even near 6000! 5000 will then be firmly in the crosshairs in my view. We'll see how matters evolve of course, as the autumn progresses, but it's not that far off until the day when all the major world indices begin to turn downwards - they won't all act in the same way at the same time - but overall, recession is beckoning and stock markets are going to suffer. (Of course, it's not the MARKETS that suffer - it's the PARTICIPANTS - specifically the INVESTORS, because they cannot make a profit unless prices RISE. However WE can profit just as easily from falling as from rising prices.)

Moving along then, let's have a look at a few charts by way of hopefully enhancing your overall market awareness - but before discussing these, just let me remind you that there's been quite a lot, particularly in the last four or five issues of WICS, that is still highly relevant and perhaps during my absence till October 1st, you might care to revisit previous issues? As my Mother used to say, that might "save ye frae wearyin as the nichts dra' in". (Prevent you from becoming bored as the long winter evenings approach.)

This weekend then, we'll update the Carpetright chart from the other weekend and we'll examine a couple of charts (AGA and Rank) that might be of interest from the viewpoint of 'looking for clues' - then we'll have a look at a 'triangle' on the Photo - Me chart to see whether you think it might or might not have some significance.

And that's your lot till October 1st - if you have mentoring questions after Tuesday 12th September, it would be a great help if you keep them 'on hold' till after my return - you won't receive any quicker a reply by sending them - in fact you'll get a quicker reply by NOT sending them till after my return because my inbox won't be so clogged and my current lousy dialup connection will manage to download them all the quicker - if 'quicker' is the correct term for "three legged tortoise resting a moment while puffing on illicit weed".

Anyway, my best wishes till October 1st - by which time we might be seeing an awful lot of ursine activity!

All the best till then,

Ian.