Walking Speed = Life Span?

Quite the study:

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/blog/dailydose/2011/01/slow_walkers_do.html?p1=Upbox_links

Quite the View

If you are in the market for a penthouse, and have a couple million to spare:

http://www.luxist.com/2010/12/30/eight-dreamy-penthouses-for-sale/

Free Diamond Rings

All for 6 inches of snow???

Find out how: http://money.cnn.com/2010/12/30/smallbusiness/snow_jewelry_full_refunds/

Holidays by the Numbers

Quite the graphic on the 2010 Holiday season:

http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/holidays_infographic.jpeg

Most Expensive Things Sold At Auction 2010

Get out your checkbook (and your friends, and your familes, and your whole town, and pool it all together):

http://www.luxist.com/2010/12/30/most-expensive-things-sold-at-auction-2010/

Blizzard of 2010: Social Networking

The potential to address mother nature with social networking:

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2010/12/use-social-media-to-escape-snowmageddon/68613/

2010 Quiz

How well did you pay attention to the news in 2010:

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2010/12/27/quiz-year-in-review.html

11 for 2011

Here are my 11 predictions for 2011.

Please use the comments section to let me know what you think of my predictions and most importantly add your own predictions for the coming year.

1) The global economic worry of 2010 was the shaky balance sheets of European countries. The global economic worry of 2011 will be the unstable balance sheets of US States.

2) Global tensions will stay in the headlines with Iran, North Korea,  and Pakistan continuing to dominate the news stories however cyber crimes will gain more press as people worry about a debilitating financial attack.

3) The Republicans ran and won in the mid-term elections on the principle of deficit reduction (then pushed for a tax cut that added $700 billion to the deficit???). In 2011 it will become extremely clear that campaign promises will go unfulfilled and they have no serious plan or intention to reduce the deficit.

4) The economic landscape will begin to show real signs of improvements in 2011. Unemployment will remain high but it will be mainly due to new people entering the workforce due to improved prospects. There will be meaningful private sector job creation.

5) The student loan business will be in focus for deceptive practices in the same way the mortgage lenders have been scrutinized recently. Additionally, for-profit colleges will be in the cross-hairs of Washington for increased legislation due to their sales practices.

6) Apple will continue to make major strides in the smartphone and tablet industries. A iPhone for Verizon and a second generation iPad will be the highlights of a stellar 2011. Multiple news stories will focus on corporations and educational institutions utilizing the iPad with great success. No other company will come close to the sales numbers of the iPad with their tablet attempts.

7) 2011 will continue what will be regarded in the future as the "Decade of the App". Buying software a-la-carte will replace the old method and iTunes will lead this category long into the future.

8) With gas prices rising the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf will be major news stories as the electric car becomes a reality in many homes across America.

9) The sports headlines will be dominated by the potential for lockouts in either the NFL or NBA. Sports teams will continue to have difficulty filling seats as the convenience of watching at home in surround sound HDTV trumps the experience of being at the game for many fans.

10) The best place to invest in 2011 will be large-cap, dividend paying, US equities. This group has underperformed recently and it will see a resurgence in 2011.

11) President Obama will see his approval rating rise sharply in 2011. The Republicans will spend the year attempting to find a unifying force to lead them in the 2012 presidential election. Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin's names along with many others will be tossed around but by the end of the year it will be clear that the Republicans have no viable candidate that can deny Obama re-election.

10 for 2010 Recap

At the beginning of 2010 I posted 10 predictions for the upcoming year. Here is my report card:

1) The 2010 mid-term elections will offer little change to the makeup of Congress. Although some believe that the Republicans will grab a massive number of seats, I think that when the dust settles, things will be little changed.

C+ 
The Republicans gained 63 house seats and picked up 6 senate seats. They now control the House but they did fail to gain control of the Senate.

2) The trade in gold is crowded and seems eerily familiar to the bullishness surrounding crude oil in late 2007 when it was trading at $147 a barrel. I believe that long term gold is a great trade, but in the precious metals space, silver, copper, platinum and other precious metals will outperform gold.

A- 
Funds that track Gold were up ~25% this year. In comparison silver was up 70% and other precious metals and commodity funds performed much better.

3) The unemployment rate will continue to hover around 10% in 2010. Although some economists are forecasting a significant improvement in the employment landscape, I don't see this occurring. Things won't get much worse, but I don't think things get much better.


A
The number has ranged between 9.60% and 9.90% all year.

4) Apple will release its tablet computer in early 2010 and it will truly revolutionize the landscape in technology. Before the end of the year multiple companies with release products with striking resemblance to the Apple tablet, resembling the smartphone trend following the release of the iPhone.

A+
The iPad has been a massive success and numerous companies have already attempted to copy it. Over 7,500,000 were sold in the first 6 months alone.

5) The potential legalization of Marijuana will become one of the most hotly debated issues of 2010. Fiscal budget deficits will require that state legislators consider all options to increase revenue. Multiple states will pass legislation that either legalizes small does or decriminalizes possession.

B+
In 2010, Proposition 19, titled the "Regulate, Control, and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010", qualified for the November California ballot. Other states have implemented or discussed additional medical marijuana or other laws due to pressure on the budget and pressure from citizens.

6) Amazon which is riding high with the success of the Kindle eReader will encounter a difficult 2010 as the consumer closes their wallets and the Kindle faces stiff competition from the Barnes and Noble Nook, the Sony eReader, and the Apple Tablet.

A-
The company has never released sales figures but the Kindle marketplace is now on the iPhone and iPad so my belief is that the sales of the device are slowing. Apple stock was up 50% this year versus Amazon which was up 30%.


7) Twitter was the social media darling of 2009. I do not believe 2010 will be as kind to the the site of the tweet. Whether from increased competition or from the lack of a sustainable revenue model, I do not believe the site will have a successful year and will spend much less time in the news.

B+
Facebook is putting more focus on the type of status updates that Twitter is based around. Twitter is still extremely relevant but the competition is growing.

8) The recent rally in the stock market has many thinking that the worst has passed and the good times are here to stay. I believe that we are in for trouble in 2010 in the form of a consumer who stays in savings mode, a commercial real estate market teetering on the edge, and a government support system that cannot continue indefinitely. I believe the market will fall 5% for the year with many violent swings. The best place to invest will be large cap companies who generate a good portion of their sales abroad (McDonald's, Coke, ect.).

B-
The major market averages were up 10-15% this year but the swings were violent. Down 7% in August and up 8% in September. Coke was up 23% and McDonald's was up 16%.

9) The United States will become soccer crazy during the summer. I'm envisioning Michael Phelps like hysteria towards our national soccer team during the World Cup in South Africa.

A
The US made a great run that ended in disappointment but the enthusiasm was off the charts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbn3rOPmR9w&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1

10) 2010 will be the year of 3D. More movies will be released in 3D and at-home-TV sets will begin to hit store shelves that are capable of handling 3D content. This will mark the start of a long term trend in media programming.

A
Most major Television companies are rolling out 3D capable sets and there are no signs that it will slow down.


I will be positing 11 predictions for 2011 right after the New Years.

Have a great holiday.

WordLens