It's a bloody good guide!! Just not a guarantee.

Now is a bad time for a new person to start buying. Lot more difficult to pick the right ones than it was say 18 to 24 months ago.

Retail, banks, building... none likely to pick up soon.

Mining and commodities are already high.

I'd advise you look into spread betting as mentionned above. Try tradindex.com for a MEGA simple start, then try IGindex.

Betting small amounts on the FTSE going down would be a good trade to start with.

Let us know how you do, or if you want more discussion.

Ralph.