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Press releases
Press Release
Wednesday 1 November 2006
Bets and the City
Harriman House
Winter Babies Are Better Betters
- Birthday in October, November, December or January? You're already ahead of the pack when it comes to successful spread betting!
Move over party poker and other online casino games...financial spread betting is the new kid on the block! Over 400,000 people in the UK have an account already, and a new report from market leaders Finspreads predicts the number could rise to one million in the next five years.
Should you rush to follow the trend? If your birthday is in October, November, December or January, then statistically, you're in with a chance of winning big.
Before you take the plunge, though, it's worth investing in a new book published by Harriman House. Bets and the City tells the hilarious story of one woman's attempt to get rich quick. Author Sally Nicoll, says: "My birthday's in August, so now I understand where I've gone wrong. Obviously it's my parents' fault; I blame them for organising my birthday at the wrong time of the year."
Sally's book has been described as Bridget Jones meets Wall Street...surely a recipe for disaster. But in the digital era, anyone with a broadband connection and a few hundred pounds can gatecrash the elite world of City traders - even if, like Sally herself, they turn out to be numerically challenged.
"I was looking for a source of easy money to fund a sabattical while I wrote a novel," Sally explains. "Finspreads seemed like my best bet, because their website had the best colour scheme." However, it's a bumpy ride from day one; Sally discovers she's been credit blacklisted. Instead of being thankful for divine intervention, she protests her innocence and gets herself hired to write a blog for Finspreads.
Bets and the City takes you inside the dealing room, as Sally Nicoll begins her transformation from naive beginner to hardened pessimist. Her spread betting diary is frank, factual (these are all real trades) and fun - especially when she unwittingly finds herself inadvertently elevated to the status of a trading Agony Aunt: “The best advice I can give is that you should do exactly the opposite of what I do. That way, you’re much more likely to win,” she tells one fellow trader.
Sally continues, "When I started trading, I read about the importance of charts, and I thought they meant horoscopes. I now know better, but just for fun, I asked Finspreads if there was any link between star signs and success. They number crunched their top 100 winners – traders who've had huge success – and the results were astonishing. Thirty seven per cent have birthdays in October, November, December and January."
Is there a sign to avoid? "If you're a Gemini, then proceed with caution," Sally warns. "I think the problem might be that Geminis are changeable – so they can never decide whether to buy or sell. Of course, it's all a lot easier when you understand what you're doing." She adds: "In Bets and the City, I make every mistake in the book – so you won't have to. It's a light-hearted read, but it's also educational. And I'm particularly fond of the chapter that describes how – finally – I started to get it right, and turned my computer into a cash machine."
Bets and the City also includes a £50 reader offer.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Before squandering her fortune on financial trading and novel writing, Sally Nicoll worked in journalism, broadcasting and advertising. She and her dog, Dow Jones, are the least famous people to live in London’s Primrose Hill.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
More details can be found online at: www.harriman-house.com/betsandthecity and www.sallynicoll.com
For further information on this book or its author, please contact Tom Orchard, or Helen McCusker in the PR department at Harriman House:
Tel: +44 (0)1730 269809
Email: pr@harriman-house.com
Harriman House Ltd, 43 Chapel Street, Petersfield, Hampshire, GU32 3DY
