TD Waterhouse customers take advantage of eventful 48 hours

Following the frenzied activity in the global markets at the beginning of the week, which saw the FTSE 100 fall by 5.5% on Monday only to bounce back again on Tuesday, TD Waterhouse looks at how traders reacted during an eventful 48 hour period.

TD Waterhouse Top 10 Retail Investor Buys and Sells for Monday, 21st and Tuesday, 22nd January 2008

Top retailer buys
1 Royal Bank of Scotland
2 Barclays
3 Lloyds TSB Group
4 Northern Rock
5 BT Group
6 BP
7 Vodafone Group
8 BHP Billiton Plc
9 iShares
10 Marks & Spencer Group

Top retailer sells
1 Northern Rock
2 Barclays
3 Royal Bank Scotland Group
4 Lloyds TSB Group
5 Meldex International
6 Marks & Spencer Group
7 Vodafone Group
8 Bradford & Bingley
9 Partygaming
10 Xstrata Plc

Angus Rigby, Chief Executive, TD Waterhouse, comments: “The stockmarket rollercoaster highs and lows of Monday and Tuesday resulted in a surge in trading activity from TD Waterhouse customers, with trades doubling in those two days alone.

“Most activity centred on banking stocks, which accounted for over two thirds (70%) of the stocks bought and sold as intraday trading gained pace during the 48 hour period. Royal Bank of Scotland in particular was the stock of choice for TD Waterhouse customers, accounting for almost a quarter (23%) of shares bought and just less than a fifth (17%) of shares sold.

“Northern Rock was still a controversial call for our customers, with most choosing to get out while the future of the bank still looks uncertain. The Rock accounted for nearly a fifth (18.5%) of our top ten sells, with only one in 10 (10%) of customers opting to buy.

“The appearance of iShares FTSE 100 in our top10 buys may have been a sign that some investors were taking a more cautious approach. These stocks track the entire FTSE 100 and are generally seen as a lower risk investment that would normally appeal to novice investors.

“Yet it looks like traders who bought iShares FTSE 100 on Monday and Tuesday have already seen a return on their investment, but these stocks are not normally actively traded and are usually held for longer periods. This will account for the fact that they do not regularly feature in the top sells, and do not appear in the top 10 when analysing trading over the full week from 16 - 23 January. Interesting times!”