I hope you all have a fulfilling New Year.
I got an email from my old unit trust (stock market) investment company early last month informing me that the fund I used to invest in (commercial property) had to be suspended because trading had nosedived alarmingly. They blamed it on the uncertainty caused by Brexit.

I had taken all my money out of there in August 2018 and put it in here (except for £1k in crypto currencies). The balance is £0.00. I still get the emails because I haven't closed the account. It's a good indicator of what is going on in the stock market.

The stock market is extremely volatile. I haven't regretted coming here and so will most people joining this platform. Happy trading!

IPDs: £480.85

Hard to tell my story in a few words, but will be as brief as possible using bullet points:
• DISCOVERY: Discovered FI in an advert on BT Sport website. The football stock market claim really appealed to me as I had at the time been investing in the real stock market with modest results. I knew much more about football than bonds, equity and commercial property. I did my research on the company (including Trustpilot reviews) and took up the £10 taster on Bank Holiday 27 August 2018.

• BEGINNING: Gradually started putting hundreds, then thousands in. Bought all the players that were good players in real life and had around 60 players in my port. Was a bit puzzled why Kane, Messi, Firmino, Mane, etc. were in the red, but was unconcerned as I viewed my investment as a long-term, 3 year hold, coming from said stock market background. Wasn’t interested in dividends at first and immediately reinvested as they came in nearly every day. Bought from the top 200 players “Biggest Increase” in players section I hadn’t heard of at the time: Vinicius, Lozano, Lo Celso, Piatek, Sancho, Thauvin, etc. I also fell into the trap like many new ones in being burnt a few times when buying the cheap Pump and Dump, “Biggest Risers”.

• JUMPING IN: The turning point for me was the London Meet in late September 2018 after I had been with FI for a month. That evening was an absolutely crazy bull market with all my holds in the green and rising. I saw a profit of £1.9k, withdrew £1.4k which paid for my rent, food, expenditure for the next month. Coming back from the Meet, I decided to take out all my money from the stock market (5-figure sum) except for £1k which I put into crypto currencies.

• BEAR MARKET: The day after the London Meet, the market dropped into a bear market, nose diving and falling flat. I heard a few left the platform. The value of my port fell by nearly £1k and I pulled nearly all my money out in October but left in about £2k to see what I could do with that and practiced other strategies. I put back in the rest of my 5-figure sum and trimmed my port to around a dozen players, Dividend Kings: Pogba, Ronaldo, Messi, etc. That kept income coming in and kept me interested. FI brought in a December deposit bonus to stimulate the market and I won £1k, which was more than I had lost. The deposit bonus temporarily revived the market up to mid-December until there was a rumour that there was going to be a share split (SS) and the market began flying for the rest of December 2018 and the whole of January 2019.

• FLAT FEBRUARY 2019: The market could not sustain a bull market forever so there was no real surprise that February was flat. Of course, the dividend kings kept the income flowing.

• SS ANNOUNCEMENT/SS: Absolutely crazy flying times. I did something new for the first time, and brought in a temporary 5-figure sum (that I couldn’t afford to lose) especially for the guaranteed bull market of the SS announcement and the SS itself. This was to maximise the profits (£3.5k). The temporary money also doubled the value of my port.

• DEPOSIT BONUS PT1: Won £1k using my temporary 5-figure sum, but did not get involved in part 2 or part 3 as I kept the temporary money in for Media Days and then the Media Madness period.

• MEDIA MADNESS: The market dropped considerably, predictably after the SS and my port wasn’t in profit (I ignore the profit/loss figure. That’s the profit of your players, minus the losses). I view real profit as any figure above what you invested into the platform. If you invest £3k, and the value of your port is £4k, then that’s £1k profit, minus 2% commission.
As my port was in loss, I tried something new, which was siphoning off individual player profits. I sold shares of the player in profit, equal to the profit, plus shares to cover the commission and kept the remaining shares. Any leftover money was reinvested. I did this for players that appeared to have reached their peak price. My average 30+ player port were filled with transfer buzz players.

BIG BOYS: I also was determined to win Media Days 1-3 (won only 4 times) and Media Madness 1-5 (won only once!). I was also stubbornly determined to stay with the big boys for the entire Media Madness period, despite the huge losses in keeping them! FOMO unfortunately also stopped me from exiting them as I feared if I did that, people would start pumping into them for the start of the season and I would lose out. Neymar, Pogba, Messi, Hazard and a smaller extent, Sancho, were massively in the red. I no longer hold these Big Boys accept Sancho. The MB that I won from them was not worth the losses. So during preseason 2019, my port dropped by circa £14k. This was due to:

£9.7k – Siphoning profits (safely in my bank)
£2k – Market fall
£2k – Loss holding on to Big Boys due to FOMO/Media Madness
Total: c £14k

I also banked £1k from Deposit Bonus Part 1. The £9.7k withdrawn profits consisted of:
£8.2k – Price/capital appreciation
£1.5k – Dividends (PB/MB/IPDs)
Total: £9.7k

ROI since 27 August 2018: With 5-figure investment (Much nearer £10k than £99k!):
C 30%
With temporary 5-figure sum: c 48%.
IPDs: £480.85
Total Profits Withdrawn: £18.9k (Divs: £4,114, Price Appreciation: £14,786)

FUTURE OF FI: At that London Meet last year, 2 new directors was introduced to the audience. Both had a hard core gambling company background. I knew immediately then, where FI were heading. From comments I’ve read on the forum from old timers (members that are over a year) they have worked it out too. FI want to grow the platform and make it more profitable by making it more volatile and appealing to short-term gamblers. That is why they introduced IPDs, which I hate (but don’t mind the income from them when I flip players!) Short-term flipping is not my style of trading, I’m more long-term.

I believe what prompted FI to make the platform more volatile was the Big Boy traders (£100k+) who took a massive risk when investing in FI at the start and made the platform what it is today. They have thousands of shares in the Dividend Kings and others who were really cheap at the launch of the platform in 2015. FI pay out thousands in dividends every week to these pioneer traders with very little coming back from them as they rarely flip their ports. They don’t have to. They deservingly just sit and watch the dividends rolling in. So in come the new FI directors from the betting houses with an unsentimental outsiders’ viewpoint who came up with the idea of IPDs to target and recruit short-term gamblers and force the Big Boy investors to flip some of their port. Not only them but everyone on the platform will have to flip some of their port in order not to lose individual player profits. Volatility: Lots of money for FI whether people IS or sell to the market. More profits for FI means that the company grows.

FI MISSED A TRICK: This platform is marketed as a Football Stock Market. “How much is your football knowledge worth”? They talk about portfolios, shares and trading, instead of “gambling”. IPOs (Initial Player Offering) similar to the stock market’s Initial Public Offering (IPO). They are now using NASDAQ technology, utilized by real stock market traders and finance companies. Yet, instead of being brave and targeting long-term investors as real stock market companies does, with a view to investing for up to 3 years, they’ve gone for the short-term, hardened gamblers. These are well served by multiple online and betting shop companies. FI cannot compete with these but are in danger of becoming a FI version of Bet365, squeezing out the long-term trader. In any case, it will be much harder for the long-term trader to make money. FI will grow and increase in profits, but the long-term trader will decrease. I hope I’m wrong.

Slightly disconcerting with FI is that all the bull/flying markets I’ve experienced in the past year has been because of announcements/promotions/SS/deposit bonuses. FI should be growing organically as have other gambling houses.

MY FUTURE: Due to the £14k drop in my port explained above, I’m now playing with a 4-figure port now instead of 5-figure. I have the temporary 5-figure sum which I cannot afford to lose in the platform now that I’m using to help grow my port. I’ll take it out at the end of the year, leaving the 4-figure sum. I never put in new money but try to grow the original investment as you would in the real stock market, except for said temporary investment to maximise guaranteed bull market days.

When the 4-figure sum is left in the New Year, I’ll flip my port from a very diversified 30 player port to about 5 top players. I like to have a minimum of 100 shares per player as less is meaningless if you win dividends. I have a massive task of attempting to grow my port back into a 5-figure value without new money being put in. Future deposit bonuses and promotions/announcements where I can put in the temporary 5-figure sum will help of course. The platform actually growing will also help too. FI has changed and I will have to change and adjust my long-term strategy with it.

I really hope it is onwards and upwards!

So in other words, they're saying if you buy crap players, you shouldn't complain, that's the risk. But it doesn't change the fact that FI did have IS to enable such a trade, and said when discussing OB, that IS will still be available. They've gone back on their word, and removed this riskier trading strategy and dumped it onto the traders via ME.

• I don't trade this way but feel for those who did.

We're all enjoying making money at the moment in this soaring market, myself included. We want this to continue, but most of us who've been trading for 5 months or more, know that a flat/bear market will arrive eventually.

This is a wonderful product with unrivalled returns compared to the risks. But how long can it last? Critics of FI believe this is a glorified pyramid or ponzi scheme, where those who join first, make the most money and there's a constant need to recruit more members to avoid collapse. I'm not sure FI is one of those.

However, there's a little red flag. They've chosen to register the company in Jersey, where financial transparency obligations and regulations are light. It's well known that many dodgy companies have chosen Jersey to register their business. That in itself, means nothing in regard to FI.

It is very difficult to obtain financial information about a company in Jersey. I've been researching in the past week on how to obtain the latest Annual Accounts for FI. I went to the Jersey Financial Services Commission (JFSC) https://www.jerseyfsc.org/
and all they had was an Annual Return, a C20 form giving the number of shares there is in the company , its address and members: Fame Ventures Ltd (who are hosting the coming London Meet). You can buy an original hand written version or computer printout of the form for a small fee. The registry of JFSC holds the computer version. That's it. No Annual Accounts/Annual Report and Accounts/Annual Statement of Accounts. No Credit Report.

The European Business Register (EBR) http://www.ebr.org/index.php/information-distributors/
is a database that holds the financial data and position/credit reports of companies based in 25 European companies. Only two companies are registered to have access to the EBR for the UK: KYCKR and kompany. A fee is payable for the documents they hold.
KYCKR: Only hold the C20 company registration form! No Annual Accounts/credit report.
kompany: Only hold a "Registry Check". The same useless information on the C20 form!

Conclusion: If the critics are correct, and this is a pyramid scheme, then if a time comes and the company is about to collapse, we have no warning of this because no one except the directors are privy to the financial position of FI. If a collapse occurs, IS will be suspended. Only the money in your account (balance) by law cannot be raided by FI. An Annual Accounts will give investors a true picture of the financial state of FI, its cash reserves, creditors, liabilities, debtors and the plan for the year ahead.

If FI want us and future investors to invest long-term with them, they have to provide us with a copy of their Annual Accounts, so that at least, we can make an informed decision.

I'll bring this up at the London Meet. That means the crap FI Beta site and GKs have to be shelved.

Reached £1000 dividend milestone this morning thanks to some MB from Pogba. I joined on 27 August 2018. Half of those dividend funds was reinvested into players. I used to have a diverse portfolio made up of MB/PB stars, mid-range players and promising youngsters, but after the market went on a free-fall after the London Meet in September 2018, I decided to rearrange my portfolio to only consist of MB/PB stars to maximise dividend profits and keep me on the index. I almost left after my portfolio value dropped to minus £1.4k during the 3 months of a flat Index.

I've withdrawn profits so far of £2.7k (dividends/player appreciation). Compare this to only £283 I made in the previous six months before joining FI on the real stock exchange. I'm so glad I discovered FI via an advert on the BT Sport website!

10/03/20

24/06/20

I don't normally reveal how much money I have in here since I joined nearly 2 years ago, usually only saying that it was a 5-figure lump sum. Now that it is a 4-figure port, it feels like a small amount compared to what it was before, so I'm less shy.

The port value of £2.3k on 10 March above was what it was at the start of the last deposit bonus (DD). The 5-figure temporary deposit I put in that day took almost 2 months to get it back out in bits and pieces starting from 24 April. I was given just over £1k in bonus and if you ignore that, my port has grown in value nearly 50%. This was achieved with a mixture of over £600 Bruno dividends, some dividends from other players and CA.

Yes, the port value is based on the buy price which realistically with the ME should be more like a figure in between the buy price and the IS price. I won't be putting in any more temporary deposits not even for a DD as they're now too risky to get out and seem to trigger EDDs. I'm convinced my EDD for April 2020 was triggered by the last 5-figure temporary deposit I dropped for the DD.

With a port of 20 players, I aim to grow it to a 5-figure sum. It's a big challenge but it'll be fun trying!

When the premier league was cancelled on 13 March 2020 due to the pandemic, many traders understandingly panicked and IS their ports. FI commendably acted quickly to stabilise the platform by widening spreads and removing IS. The market capitalisation (MC) then was £102m and since then the market has grown to a peak of around £133m in July with the help of promotions. MC is currently at £127m. Those that need to leave the platform or want to, have had their ports in the market sale queue since football was suspended.

After Offers (sell orders) arrive probably this week as FI has said it is “imminent”, then it will help those waiting months to get out to be able to sell their shares at a reasonable price quickly. Let them leave. It’s their money and their right.

However, don’t be surprised if FI introduce a deposit bonus if the MC falls below £120m, and expect blind panic from FI should MC fall below £100m. Don’t be surprised if we hear on the forum exiting traders complaining of FI using EDD to slow down cash withdrawals over a certain amount.

After the dust settles with the introduction of Offers, and FI’s marketing campaign kicks in, that will leave traders who want to be on the platform to be on hand to settle and help the flood of new traders to have fun in making money here and enjoy the fruits of FI’s growing future prosperity.

@Erased-Citizen said in An open letter to Adam Cole:

The whole thing is an absolute shambles. I just wish there was a crashing rocket emoji!

Here you go:

Well done to FI for achieving this. Understandingly, people have taken money out of here to pay bills and look after their families, but when football returns, this award shows that FI is one of the best places to have your money in.

I'm guessing that the PL tomorrow will follow Serie A and the EFL in calling for their seasons to be completed behind closed doors this year. The Turkish Super League (and other non-PB leagues) are doing this, which is why John Obi Mikel has terminated his contract in disagreement with this policy.

Hold firm, folks. https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1240268035426005000

@Timmy said in Football Index has lost it's enjoyment:

It’s one thing for it to be hard to shift bad buys – we all make mistakes and cant expect a forgiving market. But it’s another when seemingly underpriced players or reliable dividend earners are stalling.

You've settled in well in understanding the product! It's not just bad buys that are difficult to shift, though. Good players too are having a hard time. See below. Don't hold. We have to wait until the shackles are removed from the OB to be able to judge accurately where FI are heading.

@Kanzz said in WWHHHYYYY!!!!?????:

Fati having a blinder of a game, think he even got star man.
He was so close to wining today and he got subbed off with like 20 mins to go!!!!!

Lost out by like 20 points .............................AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry had to vent lol

This happened a lot to Bruno last season.

Messi to win. But I hold Ronny as well, so don't mind if he eclipses Messi.

@DillyDong said in "I'll buy during the next market crash":

I don't really know where to put this so I'll just ask here.

With this current promotion, what's to stop me selling up my entire port right now, then buying back in on the second round of net buy bonus and getting 8.25% on my entire port (up to £750)?

Am I missing something?

You are missing something: less bonus! It's buys takeaway sells, then multiply by 8.25. You won't get much of a bonus.

@Black-Wolf said in Time for pb structure:

Tiered PB sounds great on the surface but when you really think about it it would most likely kill half the market. There would be no reason to buy any player outside of the most consistent ones so we would see Neymar, KDB, TAA, Kimmich take the majority of traders attention and lead to long term holdings with a lot less trading. Tiered PB last season would probably of seen Kimmich returning the highest PB dividends of anyone last season.

I used to love the idea but the more I thought about it the more i realised it would just encourage all traders to just buy and hold a smaller proportion of the market

Tiered PB would invigorate the whole market. There are loads of players under £1/£2 who win PB. Everyone would not just buy the regular expensive performers when they know there are much cheaper PB guys on the platform. It always drips down to the lower end and traders with smaller ports would look there for better value.

@NewUser65276 said in Meet up?:

Count me in anywhere around the M25 there's one or two I want to have a chat with innit.

Can you change your username please before you meet up? Saying "I'm username XXXXXX" means nothing.

The nearest to meeting up was the Trader Meet organised by FI where they paid for the drinks and finger food. The last one was last year in London's West End. That was a cramped, narrow bar where you couldn't see the front. My 1st Meet was in 2018, at a very nice hotel near Carnaby Street, West End. The Meet was in a meeting room there, then free drinks, finger food in the bar/lounge.

FI has got too big to have these anymore!

@howsthebacon said in Adil Aouchiche:

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Cool. You better not sell him then! Ha ha.

@AndydfopT said in Re-evaluating Player Values Post IPD Promotion:

I really am struggling to think what FI can do to keep everyone happy. Before order books was a thing and before covid, the product was running just great, everyone seemed to make money, FI were in a good position financially and we at the dawn of something great. There was talk of going into other countries and advertising was at the next level...... All of a sudden its absolute shite. Its just negative thread after thread, I'm guilty of this as well. The amount of money people talk about winning on here is great and they still ain't happy. The dividends are amazing yet people aren't happy. It seems to me it doesn't matter what they say it won't be enough. Since removal of the original I S no one feels safe putting money in here anymore. Iv got my 6g still in but I don't feel half as comfortable as before. My winnings have been wiped. These last few weeks have seriously damaged this product. It's so sad to see. Do people think its best to have a cash balance now and just invest and pull as soon as there is a spike in a player? I think if FI doubled divs right now it wouldn't make a difference. What do they need to do to get people back on side?

Tiered PB. That has been the call in the 2 years I've been here. TOTM once a month is not enough. FI has consistently said no. A Team of the Week would be an acceptable compromise. It would invigorate all sections of the market and there would be no need for artificial stimulants such as deposit bonuses. A business cannot survive if it does not give its customers what they want.

@Advinculas-Index said in Gianluigi Donnarumma:

@Londoner said in Gianluigi Donnarumma:

@Advinculas-Index said in Gianluigi Donnarumma:

@Londoner
ATITH

I bet you had a laugh when I was clueless as to what those initials meant on this thread: https://forums.footballindex.co.uk/topic/19061/atith-meaning

Its not surprising really Tomer Hemed is not a player that readily springs to minds of many on here , so for me to request that trader put their trust in him may be asking for a leap of faith - only 19p though 8p if you want to try and get him on the cheap.

At least he has bids!!!