Well my dabbling with Forex has been up and down with only a very minor (£20) gain to show for my efforts over the last month.

I guess it could be worse since most novices lose money to begin with.

However, the markets have moved into increasingly choppy territory and once again I'm having to leave trading on the shelf.

Since November I've left the stock markets alone because there's been no discernible direction to it all and I consider myself to be a trend-oriented trader.

However, for the best part of this month I've been trading the Forex markets looking for short-term (24-48hrs) trend continuation patterns.

I'm doing my best, keeping an eye on the news, half watching the direction of the markets, periodically looking to see if any trends become apparent - and what do I get?

Chaos!!!

The markets are bouncing around more vigorously than a Hollywood divorce lawyer.

So, what can one do but sit right down and think!!!

The government seems desperate to make us feel as thought they're doing something to help with cuts in VAT and also NI contributions.

The problem with these moves is that 'people just don't want to spend because they think that things are likely to get worse next year'.

This means that businesses, banks and consumers have cut spending with no respite on the horizon.

If you visit www.betsfortraders.com you can download a free copy of the 'Financial Betting for Dummies' book.

Or, if you want to wait, you can order a hard copy which they will send to you for free.

I'm gobsmacked by the Bank of England's short memory. Have they not read that cutting interest rates to almost zero did nothing to help the Japanese economy recover in the 1990's?

The FTSE has been heading upwards for a week now and it's beginning to look as though it might have turned a corner.

But has it? Or is this just a fool's rally that belies the true market picture?

Well the markets seem to have reacted with its usual indifference to anything that old 'Prudence' seems to throw at them. They're continuing to slide despite the billions in taxpayers' money he's handing out to irresponsible banks.

So, the question is: what do we spread betting enthusiasts do about it?

My response is still: nothing!

I've deliberately not paid much attention to the markets over the last week due to the volativity.

Considering what's been going on I'm still not sure I ought to be contemplating trading.