2012 Predictions

Following a recap of my predictions for 2011, here are my 8 predictions for 2012:

1) Obama wins re-election in a decisive manner over Mitt Romney. Although the polls are predicting a toss up or an Obama loss, I believe that the president runs a solid campaign and an improving economy are backdrops to his re-election.

2) A third party candidate will add an additional wrinkle to the 2012 campaign season, maybe Ron Paul?? Democrats on the whole regain some ground lost in 2010 election as the Tea Party comes under increased scrutiny.

3) Economic inequality will continue to dominate headlines in 2012. Tax reform momentum will gain steam as an avenue to remedy inequality that has returned to the levels last seen during the Great Depression.


4) Apple will have a blowout earnings report in late January and rumors will begin to swirl regarding the third version of the iPad, the next iPhone, and a new device that will re-invent the consumption of television content.

5) Cloud service will continue to dominate technology headlines and subscription services will grow in availability as consumers embrace the ability to choose between subscribing to content along with the option to purchase content a-la-crate.

6) The Android system will be negatively impacted by two forces. First, companies like Amazon will continue to tweak and modify the system due to security concerns and the need to provide a product more in line with Apple's offerings. Second, software virus concerns will continue to haunt the Android brand and it will amplify the inability for Android to break into the educational, corporate, and medical arenas with the same success Apple has enjoyed.

7) The value proposition for colleges will continue to come into question as the job market stays weak and the cost of secondary education continues to rise. Online and technical colleges will continue to grow in popularity as they offer marketable skills without the price tag of 4 year universities.

8) The great bond market bull market will slowly end and equities will return to favor. Although the stock market will remain volatile, large-cap, dividend paying US companies will outperform as money shifts from bonds to stocks.