U.S. News: Why Fund Investors Are Dumping Junk Debt

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Junk bonds took a little tumble recently. Should investors be worried?

There's no immediate cause for concern, but longer term a lot rests on how the oil market performs.

Here's the skinny:

TheStreet: Cuba Fund Surges 17% on Castro's Death

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Cuba's longstanding dictator Fidel Castro barely got one foot in the grave and already investors are getting excited.

The Herzfeld Caribbean Basin Fund  (CUBA), a closed-end fund known as the "Cuba Fund" because of its ticker, surged as much as 17% intraday on Monday following the Cuban dictator's death on Friday. More than 1.8 million shares of the fund had changed hands by Monday afternoon compared with normal daily volume of about 22,000. Read more here.

Photo by Mr. Söbau on Unsplash

RealMoney: Cuba Fund Surges as Fidel Castro's Death Spurs Speculation

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Cuba's longstanding dictator Fidel Castro barely got one foot in the grave and already investors are getting excited.

The Herzfeld Caribbean Basin Fund Inc., a closed-end fund known as  (CUBA) that holds stocks poised to benefit from a normalization of U.S. relations with the island nation, surged 11% Monday, the most in almost two years. Less than an hour into the session 1.4 million shares of the fund had changed hands, compared with normal daily volume of about 22,000. 

The news of Castro's death broke Friday, fueling speculation that relations between the former Soviet ally and the U.S. might continue to thaw under his brother, Raul Castro. President Barack Obama announced plans in December 2014 to chart a new course of policy toward Cuba, and he visited Havana in March of this year. The country has suffered under one-party socialist rule and a brutal economic embargo by the U.S. Read more here.

Forbes Video: Has Twitter Jumped The Shark?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Socialfly co-founder & co-CEO Courtney Spritzer gives her insights on the short form blogging platform in this video.

U.S. News: Wall Street Predictions for 2017

By SIMON CONSTABLE

What happens to the markets in 2017?

The outlook for stocks is positive, but which sectors of the market do better or worse partially depends how what policies the President-elect Donald Trump implements.

First, the economy looks set to speed up next year, to 2.3 percent growth versus 1.5 percent this year, according to estimates from PNC Financial Services Group. Faster growth is very important because it should lead to better company earnings. Read more here.

Barron's: Corn Prices Look Ready to Pop

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The prolonged bear market in corn could soon end. the grain’s price has been mired in a multiyear slump, trading as low as $3.16 a bushel in August, down from more than $8 in the middle of 2012. 

The bullish case is pretty straightforward: Supply may be reaching a peak while demand is still growing.

Traders wishing to benefit from a run-up may want to consider buying active-month corn futures on the CME and rolling them forward to later-dated ones as each contract nears expiration. Alternatively, it might be worth considering the Teucrium Corn exchange-traded fund (ticker: CORN), which holds corn futures. 

Increases in supply have been dramatic in the last decade, but there are no obvious ways for that to continue with prices so low. Global production hit 1.03 billion metric tons in the current growing season, up from 716 million tons a decade ago, according to estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Read more here.

Photo by Katherine Volkovski on Unsplash

Forbes Video: The Election's Craziest Social Media Moments

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Yes, the election was crazy, but maybe social media was more so. Socialfly co-founder & co-CEO, Courtney Spritzer shares her thoughts in this video.

U.S. News: Inflation Is Going to Rise; Here's How to Protect Yourself

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Something ugly is set to make a comeback: inflation.

It won't be like that seen in the 1970s when lava lamps and polyester suits only added to the hideous economic malaise.

This time it will be subdued in comparison, but still higher than it has been in recent years. Read more here.

Constable Confidential: 2016 NYFWA Annual Follies Address

By SIMON CONSTABLE



2016 Follies Address from Constable Confidential on Vimeo.

John Batchelor Show: Trump As “Brexit Plus, Plus, Plus” + Retraining American Workers.

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Forbes Video: No, A Global Recession Isn't Imminent

By SIMON CONSTABLE
Many were shocked by Donald Trump beating Hillary Clinton in the race for the White House. Still, there is no need for hysteria. Unfortunately, some people couldn’t contain themselves.
Notably, there have been claims that the result of the vote will be instant economic disaster, not just for the U.S., but for the entire world.

Fortunately, things are rarely so simple. When assertions seem extreme, it is often best to ask a level-headed expert. I picked one of the best in the business: Lakshman Achuthan, co-founder of the Economic Cycle Research Institute.Read more here.

U.S. News: Why Knowledge is More Important Than the Name of Your College

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Does it make sense to pay big money to attend a fancy college? Maybe not. But as with so many things, the devil is in the details.

First, here's a reminder of how much a top name college can cost. Tuition for an undergraduate degree at Harvard University is $43,280 for the current school year. Plus, there are some hefty fees and the cost of housing, eating, books and other things. The total comes to as much as $72,100, according to Harvard's website.

Of course, the degree program will take four years, and tuition costs will likely increase if history is anything to go by. So figure on around $300,000 when all is said and done; in other words, the price of a nice house. Read more here.

Photo by Pickawood on Unsplash

WSJ: ETFs That Hold Commodities Could Cause Trouble

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Could exchange-traded funds that hold physical commodities exacerbate price spikes or drops?

The potential is there, some experts say, and in fact may have happened already.

Unlike other investments that track the price of materials, physically backed ETFs are structured in a way that could change the underlying supply-and-demand dynamics in what are often thin markets. Read more here.

Photo by Peter F on Unsplash

WSJ: What Is ‘Illiquidity Premium’?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Even with an expected Federal Reserve interest-rate increase, more bond-market investors may be coming around to the idea that rates will stay around historic lows longer than they thought. That raises a question about what to do now: Where can investors find better yields for their portfolios, without sacrificing quality? Read more here.

TheStreet: Higher Hiring: How Weed Can Lure Retirees Back to the Workforce

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Could more use of medical marijuana help increase the supply of older workers?

Maybe so. But that matter is clouded by more than a haze of blue smoke.

Here's what you need to know. Read more here.

Forbes: What Trump And Clinton Both Get Wrong On Trade

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have at least one thing in common.

Neither have addressed the real issue with free trade: The deplorable treatment of displaced workers. Read more here.

Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, 

CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikime

Forbes Video: Do You Take Enough Risks? Probably Not

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Should you play in the traffic? Probably not. That’s not risky, it’s stupid. Likewise, going mountaineering without being physically fit, or without the right equipment/training is idiotic.

But not all risks are created equal. Some are worth taking. In fact, if you aren’t taking some risks then you aren’t likely to realize your true potential. While that may be obvious to many people on an intellectual level, fewer and fewer people seem willing to take risks.

Jon Levy, author of ‘The 2 AM Principal‘ explains his thoughts on what constitutes good risks to take and what are bad risks. He discusses the matter in this video.

Forbes: Paper, The Technology That Refuses To Die

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Technology has become synonymous with the latest devices from Apple Inc. and the radical changes brought about by social media companies such as Facebook. But it doesn't have to be restricted to the inventions of the digital age.

That's something author Mark Kurlansky takes on in his recently published book Paper: Paging Through History. In short, it's a book about an invention that is ancient and one that refuses to die. Just because it dates back far into human history doesn't make it irrelevant. Read more here.

U.S. News: What Rising Government Bond Rates Mean for Your Money

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The cost of borrowing money is going up and sooner or later, it's likely to filter through to more expensive home loans.

Here's what you need to know to navigate the changes coming soon – and perhaps even profit. Read more here.