FORGET A RECESSION,

rising gas prices or

. Every year on earth and every day we play the game are blessings. As has become an annual

here at Tradecraft, I've culled through my records and receipts to compile the authoritative list of what made 2007 great.

Year of the Pig

According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2007 was the Year of the Pig, my firm's proud namesake and whose culinary contributions to global cuisine, namely bacon, sausage and pork rinds, simply cannot be underemphasized. Indeed, although I grew up keeping kosher, I've since discovered how to observe a religious tradition without keeping it religiously.

One affordable way to honor the splendid swine is with a position in silver pigs as minted by Australia's Perth Mint. Legal tender under the Australian Currency Act of 1965, these sharp-looking coins are available through most bullion dealers, including Richard Smith's Only Gold, at premium to the ever-changing spot price of silver. Only 500,000 of the half-ounce and 300,000 of the one-ounce coins were produced, giving them a numismatic worth beyond their silver content.

Half-Ounce Silver Pig

And while silver prices have outpaced the S&P 500 in 2007, these coins, like all physical bullion holdings, should be seen as long-term investments and not short-term trades.

Thinking in Principles

This year saw the presidential race get underway, once again with no clear advocates for capitalism and individual rights. When the supposed "Libertarian"

is staunchly pro-life you know the pickings are slim.

The fact that you're reading SmartMoney.com now and not Socialist Party USA would lead one to believe you have interest in money. Millions of successful businesspeople, including names like Mark Cuban and Monroe Trout, have been inspired by the work of Ayn Rand, whose philosophy of Objectivism explains the morality of capitalism.

So at a time in which bankers such as Countrywide'sAngelo Mozilo or investment firms like Goldman Sachs are increasingly vilified for creating wealth, you'll certainly enjoy picking up a copy of The Objective Standard, a quarterly journal that relates Rand's philosophy to current events. Although technically launched a year earlier, TOS's lively and thought-provoking content was the best I read in 2007 as well.

On My Screen

As traders, we spend our time analyzing information, much of it presented on a computer screen tailored to our precise specifications. Yet it's easy to forget that until the introduction of the

Apple

Type Casting

The best movie of 2007 was "Helvetica", a feature-length documentary film about typography and visual culture that celebrates the now ubiquitous font that's literally everywhere. American Airlines, American Apparel, Toyota, Microsoft and Panasonic are among the well-known companies that use Helvetica as their signature cue. Now available on DVD, this is a lively and well-scored treat for any child of the computer age.

A Yen for Yen

I highlighted the

iPath Dow Jones-AIG Livestock Total Return Sub-Index

CurrencyShares Japanese Yen Trust

GE

Big in Japan

People hate to own FXY because it doesn't pay a dividend, but as I pointed out in October, the yen continues to show an almost perfect negative correlation with equities and is generally seen as the new "safe haven" trade when volatility spikes. Moreover, it has also provided absolute return, beating the S&P 500 in an otherwise difficult year. In 2008, this will likely continue to be the one hedge that works when nothing else does.

Crash Pad

Despite the well-publicized bonuses of some investment heavyweights, this was generally a difficult year for many speculators. Goldman Sachs's Global Alpha and Bear Stearns's High-Grade Structured Credit funds, along with funds from Sowood Capital Management and Pirate Capital, are a few of the big investment vehicles that ran into trouble in 2007.

Given that there's some belt-tightening going on even among those on Wall Street this year, the frugal financier can still weekend in style at Hotel QT, a surprisingly affordable boutique budget hotel located just steps from New York's Times Square.

Boutique on a Budget

Created by Andre Balazs, the hip hotelier behind L.A.'s Chateau Marmont and The Raleigh in Miami, this party spot features a 24-hour pool and sauna, along with the requisite lounge, DJ and velvet rope. Guests enjoy free wireless, flat-screen TVs and comfy sheets at prices starting under $250 a night. It's an attainable getaway to help you savor the year's trades you want to remember or move on from those you'd like to forget.

Jonathan Hoenig is managing member at Capitalistpig Hedge Fund LLC. At the time of writing, Hoenig's fund held positions in many of the securities mentioned.