HOW TO THINLY DISGUISE A BOOK PLUG...

I was wondering how I could tie in a plug for the very first Naked Trader Diary (2013) with this column without making it too obvious.

Oh hang on, now I just made it obvious. Don't have a go at me. Let's face it we are all marketing something, no?

One of the main reasons I decided to produce the diary was I realised I always got asked this question:

"How do I know when my share is going ex-dividend or when it's going to report results?"

A good question. You can find out but it takes a bit of effort.

And it is easy to forget to look it up.

So my diary will hopefully help solve this problem: it has all the forecast ex-dividend and reporting dates for the whole year ahead for you.

I've got them all, week by week - keep the diary on your desk and it will tip you off when the dividend is about to go ex or a set of results is around the corner.

These things are very important to know - after all both move share prices.

It always amazes me that investors, and spreadbetters in particular, don't check ex dividends - shares always go ex-dividend on a Wednesday.

Remember - a share tends to open down by the amount of a dividend on ex-dividend day.

Let's say you are holding a share at 940p with a stop loss of 900. The share is due to open ex-dividend so will probably start the day down 40p.

Your stop will get hit! You must remember to change it before the share price opens - remember you can change at stop at any time.

I get so many mails from people who got stopped out because they hadn't factored in the ex-dividend!

The same kind of thing happens with results days. People get surprised when an announcement is made or even miss it.

For example if you've had a good run with a share you might just want to bank a little profit before results.

Or at least you ought to be alert in case you need to sell them or even buy more when the market opens.

Something else that's important is when are the best weeks and days of the year for trading? Those are in the diary too!

Every day has an arrow by it telling you how it has performed in history and I've pointed out the best and worst times to trade.

You want to know the best time? Well, it's actually just before and just after Christmas right in the middle of the holiday season...

Often if you bet on the FTSE 100 to go up you'll usually find yourself in profit...

There are also some bad times in the year when it is worth keeping your money out of the market.

The diary also has a commentary by me on companies about to report, sports betting ideas and dates and important stuff for spreadbetters like rollover dates...

Plus some fun too, cartoons and some trading ideas.

I hope you will find it very useful to have on your desk to help with your trading for 2013.

You’re dying to buy it now for next day delivery aren't you...

... here's the link.... Hope you like it!

I'm heading off to Florida for a winter break but I'll be back with some new stuff from mid November. Hope the markets treat you well!