Inequality for All

No matter your political affiliation, please check out Mr. Robert Reich's movie "Inequality for All." I recently watched the movie on Netflix and many of the points are well presented using layman terminology. No matter what your beliefs, in my humble opinion we must take control of our spending.

Myriad Genetics Closed Out

I closed out my full position on Myriad Genetics (MYGN) earlier this week on November 3rd @ $39.46 prior to their earnings announcements, in which they missed street expectations. I'm sitting mostly in cash and looking for new stock opportunities.

FATCA...Good, Bad, Indifferent?

I've been reading some articles for the past few weeks regarding the upcoming implementation of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). For those who have never heard of FATCA, I suggest you read up and become a bit more familiar with ongoing changes. I'm not trying to be a fearmonger, just trying to bring about a discussion on a topic that is not getting much attention. So, I recommend people all over the world do their due diligence and research FATCA. I'd love to hear thoughts from across the board.

Myriad Genetics

I recently purchased some shares of Myriad Genetics, INC (MYGN). Went upwards of $42.00, but looking for it to establish a better base and grow from there.

Silver Rebound

Correction....manipulation, call it what you will. I've gotten long silver via iShares Silver Trust (SLV). I bought January 2014 calls in anticipation of the stabilization and eventual rise in silver prices. I understand that metal commodities have taken a hit over the last few months due to U.S. strength and dollar pricing, however we must not forget that metal commodities are a finite source and short of newly discovered deposits we can't just plant silver, gold, or platinum trees. Good luck to all!!!

Palladium...Metal of Choice for 2013?

I've been reading many articles and they all seem to hint that Palladium may be the metal of choice based on supply/demand. Attached is an article talking about the supply side of this overlooked metal. Charts courtesy of Kitco.com

Annaly Capital Management Dividends

Annaly Capital Management, INC (NLY) will be coming out with their earnings announcement on 4 February 2013. For those current holders of the stock we will be receiving dividends on 28 January 2013. I've been a consistent shareholer since 2011 and it's always a good feeling to see those dividend payments come in.

Positions Going into 2013

Going into 2013 I have two major positions...and those stocks would be U.S. Steel (X) and Annaly Capital Management (NLY). To be honest, I was and remain a bit leary on the NLY holding with all the fiscal cliff talks and potential impacts of tax increases and how future decisions may or may not impact high dividend stocks such as Annaly. That being said, I will continue to hold my position and hopefully still reap the rewards of this high-dividend paying stock.

Trading Futures

I've ventured into the world of futures. In November, I started trading the e-mini's indexes, gold, and crude. I've been learning alot, but some of my lessons have come with a hefty price tag. I've focused mainly on trading the afterhours market and pre-market hype (I have a typical 9 to 5 job) to see if there is any advantage. Things learned so far.....slippage and over-trading have cut into profits and if not kept in check can easily cut into capital. I need to be less hyper aggressive (a.k.a. focused) and look for larger movements rather than just scalping a few ticks here and there. I've tried a few scalping methods, but I just end up bank rolling my broker with execution and trade fees and little profit on my end. Good trading to all in 2013....Regards Justin

Black Gold Texas Tea

I've recently taken up a long position in United States Oil (USO) at $39.06 and have even purchased some out of the money calls for July 2012. I'm basically betting on the higher cost of oil as we bump up into the summer and trying to leverage the world-wide uncertainty and instability of the Middle East. The USO recently jumped up into the $41.00 range and I could have cashed for a small profit, but I'm looking for bigger gains. Maybe this will come back and bite me....time will tell.