Littlewoods Dancing Girls; Liverpool in the 1950's

Liverpool in the 50s

Britain in the 1950's was a different place than it is today. Liverpool was still reeling from the effects of the war and the loss of its pride; the first overhead railway.
This was a time long before computers, and modern lifestyle as we know it.

Littlewoods was a name that many generations of Brits are familiar with. The younger generation will recall the department stores, and remember that it was once a major shopping catalog company, while those who were around in the 1950s will remember Littlewoods a little differently. It was originally a football gambling pool that had expanded to the legitimate world of department stores, and entertainment.

The country saw the last of Littlewoods in 2005 when over 100 of the remaining stores were closed due to the emergence of the internet. The gambling aspect of the company died long ago.
The social world of men and women in 1950s is reflected by the Littlewoods of yesteryear.


Littlewoods is a big company in Britain that may resemble something like SEARS in America. There were literally hundreds of them all over the U.K. in the 50’s. But besides being a chain of stores, it also was something like a lottery where locals would bet on the football (soccer) games. This aspect of Littlewoods was affectionately referred to as “the Pools.” It was that simple. You could have Just said you work in the "Pools" to anyone in Britain and they would know what you were referring to.



Just about every employed woman in the United Kingdom worked for Littlewoods, or had worked for Littlewoods at some time. It was simply a staple in the everyday lives of Brits for over 30 years.

With the complex task of checking the “lottery tickets” literally thousands of women were employed at the numerous offices throughout Britain. Each major town or city had approximately three large Littlewoods buildings, containing hundreds of employees.


It is difficult to related to these days, but there were absolutely no computers in use, and the women checked tickets manually, and it was a very slow process, as the tickets were not just single bets of this team or that, but rather 6-10 different and complex bets on a single ticket alone.
The women who did the clerical work had the opportunity to participate in the Littlwoods dance team. This meant that if they made the team, and there were shows to do, they did not have to check any tickets, or do any boring clerical work. Instead, they were dressing up in exotic costumes and performing dance routines, often recreations of recent musicals that were being released. Some of these women who were particularly talented, were invited to do minor tours, and shows across Britain, and participate in television commercials promoting Littlewoods products.
My mother was a Littlewoods dancer and I believe these were the very best times of her life.

Managing Risks With Futures & Options

Who Trades Futures and Options?

Futures, commodities and options. Just what are futures and options?
There are professional speculators and hedgers, but the majority of those trading futures and options are ordinary people who are interested in making money in the markets.
To be successful:
It certainly helps to know a few things about the financial markets to consider online trading.

To be successful:
It certainly helps to know a few things about the financial markets to consider online trading.
You should also have enough money to develop a trading plan that enables you to keep making trades in the markets long enough to make enough money do capitalize on your next big trade.

f you don't have enough money, you won't last. And if you don't have a good trading plan, your money will quickly disappear.
If you have never worked the stock market before, or you have not traded in years read this- Guide To Understanding Money and Investments.

Calls and Puts

If you are sick of the sight of your stagnant mutual funds and are interested in something much more aggressive Futures and Options may be just what the doctor ordered.
It must be pointed out right away that trading is not really investing; its speculating. Meaning that you are assuming a risk with the hope of profiting from market fluctuations. This requires great ability to analyze situations and predict outcomes. This is not your buy and hold strategy that most of us have been taught.
One of the cardinal rules to begin is money. Yes, if you don't have a lot of money you will not last long at all. You will also need nerves of steel, a plan, and knowledge. Who said it would be easy?

Calls
In the world of trading buying stock wit the hope or assumption that is will go up is called, "buying a call."


Puts
When a trader buys stock with the hope that it will go down is called "buying a put."Buying a "put" option is usually done as a pure speculative vehicle or as protection against the potential for stock prices to fall. When buying a put", you are accomplishing virtually the same concept as short selling without the additional complications. "Puts" also leverage investments because you don't have to spend as much money as you would trying to do a short-sell.
Basically, buying a "put" will limit risk and loss to the premium you paid for the "put".

Market Analysis

It is beneficial to understand the technical and fundamental aspects of the market.

• Monitor different markets to see which ones are moving or are likely to move. Assuming that you have an understanding of the environment and the variables of markets to trade.
• Becoming an expert in at least one or two markets, and then trading them exclusively. The advantage is that you can get a good feeling for these markets and your chances of success become greater.
• Some traders use the candle stick method of watching market patters, and other seasoned traders can actually use fibonacci grids.

Going Short

This is when you are trying to make money when prices fall. Literally you are borrowing an asset from someone so you can sell it at a high price, wait for prices to fall, buy it back at the lower price, return the asset to the lender, and pocket the difference between what you sold it for and what you had to pay for it.

Swing Trading

This type of trading enables one to profit on markets that are stuck in narrow trading ranges or prices that are moving sideways or withing trading channels, up or down between levels of support and resistance.
In order to profit with trades in markets with narrow ranges, a swing trader will rely on trend lines, Fibonacci levels, and moving averages to find areas of support and resistance that can be used to establish prices at which they will buy, sell, and short sell. A Swing trader will take action when the bottom of the trading range shows weakness.