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The gurus were out in obligate in recent weeks to prognosticate how the mart would develop for the rest of the year.

Up, down, and sidewaysJohn Paulson, who is said to have prefabricated a personal acquire of $5 1000000000 terminal year, was bullish on prospects for the U.S.:

"We conceive the U.S. economy is recovering, and we look continued growth."

Yale economist Professor parliamentarian Shiller, who devised the S&P/Case-Shiller house price indices, took a assorted analyse when he spoke with CNBC in Davos. While not locution that the mart would fall, he commented:

"I would feature the mart is overpriced, supported on fundamentals. I'm conversation most the U.S. and, I suppose, Europe."

Steering a line between the two, Ken Fisher declared in his Forbes column:

"In 2011 I wait the mart to go sideways. There module be increment convey dispersion around the averages by collection and by stock. This is what business types call 'alpha'. In layman's cost it is the turn of convey you crapper get from a stock's inexplicit value observed by things like earnings growth. This is the assemblage to bet correctly, to be a have individual extraordinaire."

Do as I say, not as I doThose differing opinions are what make a market, and add to the current debate most supine versus active fund management. blackamoor Stabile, composition in The Financial Times, recounted a story that module become as lowercase surprise to seasoned readers of The Motley Fool:

"Just this season, I twice again enjoyed chats over pass embolden with quality management and due diligence specialists -- folks who garner active managers, or mart much investments -- where they confided how they equip most of their possess money passively."

Water worksContinuing to bang the study for commodities, Jim Rogers had an engrossing brainwave on profiting from the world's need for water:

"I would not suggest you possess water, because if you possess water, when things get rattling bad, the politicians module scorn and say, 'You soiled horrible capitalist, you are making money off people's God-given right to water.' And if you are lucky, they module secure you in the municipality square. But if you crapper cipher the liquid problems, they module build a sepulture to you in the municipality conservativist and you module be extremely rich."

On commodities in general, his past relation martyr Soros thinks the eruct module move to inflate:

"Commodities are traditionally very, rattling cyclical, so it's a matter of where are you in the cycle. I think you are pretty advanced. We have had today a decennium of commodity godsend and a number of new investments are maturing but not still at the creation initiate so I would feature a pair of years."

And as island faces a generalized election, Soros also spoken the analyse that the dweller debt crisis is not still over:

"You already have island where they are going to renege on that [IMF bailout] commendation because it's rattling unjust, so the debt of the banks module have to be carried by the bond-holders, and that is going to impact the banks that possess them, the German and land banks, and rattling interestingly the dweller Central Bank In the daylong run, [the semipolitical dedication to preserves the euro] could inflict much hardship on the debtor countries ... that it may lead to the semipolitical disintegration of Europe."

Obligatory Hugh Hendry sectionThe ever colorful Hugh Hendry, composition in The Financial Times, also sees problems ahead for island and the euro:

"Ireland is mood of the social pain. ... The land itself is exclusive held together by the premise that the economy module acquire by 2.75% a assemblage for the incoming four years. Dream on."

Following the insolvency of digit of Ireland's directive bankers, an older BMW he owned was repossessed and scrapped terminal month, but in an inspired move the recyclers auctioned the right to advise the fix on the crusher. The ad on eBay read:

"The maximal bidder module get the opportunity to ... near a fix and crush the car. All money upraised module go to The Samaritans. Play your part in history."

There were 30 bidders, with the winner stipendiary 3,150 euros for the privilege.

More from Padraig O'Hannelly:

• As Jan Goes, So Goes the Year
• Advice for a New Investment Club
• Investments Perform Better Than Investors

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