Trading

The recent meltdown in equity and other asset markets recently has left me shell shocked. I have been bearish since before Alan Greenspan made that speech about 'irrational exuberance' and have the scars to show it.

Maybe now is the time to take some short positions. The most liquid and efficient way of doing this is through the futures market. I strongly recommend Options Xpress. Their customer service is astonishing. I contacted them today to complain that it was not possible to trade the Long Gilt future on their platform. Within a matter of minutes I had received an email which I reproduce below:

Hello Mr. Hemingway,

Thank you for taking the time to contact optionsXpress today. I have good news. We are able to add you to a small batch accounts that have access to international futures. The update will be made available later today.

If you have any other questions you are quite welcome to email me directly and I would be happy to help, or you can call us at (888) 280-8020 Mon-Fri, 9:00am-10:00pm ET or click the Live Help link found on the top right corner of our site for immediate assistance. Thank you again for contacting optionsXpress and have a great day.

Angela Ortiz

Customer Service Specialist

www.optionsXpress.com

I wonder how long a UK bank would take to add me to a small batch of accounts that have access to trade futures that trade on - lets say for example - the Italian futures exchange.