Trade Recap: JQC Has Followed The Script

I Love It When A Plan Comes Together

Back at the beginning of February, I highlighted what appeared to be an attractive medium risk trading opportunity stemming from the repositioning of a closed end fund with ticker JQC (see http://lifeinvestmentseverything.blogspot.com/2012/02/jqc-profiting-from-metamorphosis.html).  Aided by a scramble for yield all over the globe, my expectations for the trade have largely panned out over the past 6 months.  This post will detail what has happened with JQC and try to answer the eternal question that stems from successful trades: now what?

Mission: Refinance Completed - The Post Mortem

Relatively Painless Experience

As I mentioned in a prior post http://lifeinvestmentseverything.blogspot.com/2012/07/fun-with-housing-finance.html I have recently been going through a refinance on my home with www.boxhomeloans.com in order to swap an ARM for a 30 year fixed rate loan at what appear to be historically low interest rates.  The mortgage process is still time consuming and requires attention, but it is far less paper intensive than in years past.

Burning Up...

The Grains Markets May Offer A Speculative Opportunity

A brief google search or a perusal of the financial news will tell you that the extreme drought conditions currently experienced by much of the US are wreaking havoc on 2012 crops, especially corn.  More recently, some areas have received some rain, but it is likely too late to revive the scorched corn crop.  Other crops are suffering as well.  Other than potential increases in food, energy and other prices, what does this mean to the average investor?