ENTERING BARRON’S ANNUAL FORECASTING CHALLENGE

FINANCIAL LITERACY

ENTERING BARRON’S ANNUAL FORECASTING CHALLENGE – The deadline for submissions is Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022

by Powers Investments Management, LLC December 31, 2021 492 Views

Barron’s annual forecasting challenge: TAKE THE QUIZ ONLINE The 2022 forecasting challenge is now available at:

https://www.barrons.com/articles/take-barrons-annual-quiz-whats-ahead-for-2022-51640290263

The deadline for submissions is Sunday, Jan. 2. Entries need to be submitted electronically on Barron’s website. No mail entries are permitted this year.

THE 2021 YEAR-END FACTS

The S& P500 index surged 25% for its third big annual gain in a row.
Bitcoin rose 65%, to $48,000, and
crude oil was up 50%, to $72 a barrel.

BARRON’S ANNUAL FORECASTING CHALLENGE

The 2021 competition drew more than 5,000 entries, and results will be published in January.
The rules: There is only one answer per question, although some questions may have more than one correct answer.
The winner last year got a score of 15 (out of a possible 18). Nobody has ever had a perfect score.
The winner receives a two-year subscription to Barron’s and lunch in New York with Barron’s staff member of the winner’s choosing when the pandemic ends. Good luck!

2022 BARRON’S ANNUAL FORECASTING CHALLENGE QUESTIONS:

1. What will the S& P 500 index return in 2022, including dividends?

❏ A: Negative

❏ B: Zero to 10%

❏ C: 10.1% to 20%

❏ D: Above 20%

2. What will be the year’s biggest financial surprise?

❏ A: S& P 500 finishes in the red.

❏ B: Oil finishes above $90 a barrel.

❏ C: Bitcoin ends above $100,000.

❏ D: Inflation fears hit bond market. The 10-year Treasury yield ends above 2.5%. (It is now around 1.40%.)

❏ E: None of the above

3. Which S& P sector will fare best in 2022?

❏ A: Technology

❏ B: Energy

❏ C: Healthcare

❏ D: Financials

❏ E: Utilities

4. Where will Bitcoin end 2022?

❏ A: Under $25,000

❏ B: $25,000 to $50,000

❏ C: $50,001 to $75,000

❏ D: Above $75,000

5. Which mega-cap stock will generate the best return in 2022?

❏ A: Alphabet

❏ B: Amazon.com

❏ C: Apple

❏ D: Meta Platforms (Facebook)

❏ E: Microsoft

6. Which losing stock from 2021 will do the best in 2022?

❏ A: Las Vegas Sands

❏ B: Walt Disney

❏ C: AT& T

❏ D: Peloton Interactive

7. What will happen in Washington?

❏ A: Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.

❏ B: Justice Stephen Breyer retires from the Supreme Court.

❏ C: President Biden says he won’t seek re-election in 2024.

❏ D: Some form of the Build Back Better bill gets enacted

❏ E: None of the above

8. What will happen in the 2022 midterm elections?

❏ A: House and Senate flip to the GOP.

❏ B: House and Senate stay under Democratic control.

❏ C: House goes to the GOP, while theSenate remains with the Dems.

❏ D: Senate goes to GOP, and the House stays with the Dems.

9. Which country will win the most medals at the 2022 Winter Olympics? Norway was top in 2018.

❏ A: U.S.

❏ B: Canada

❏ C: Germany

❏ D: Norway

❏ E: Another country

10. Name the top stock in the Dow Jones Industrial Average in 2022, including dividends (worth two points).

11. Name the worst stock in the Dow Jones Industrial Average in 2022, including dividends (worth two points).

12. What will inflation be in 2022 as measured by the consumer price index? (We will use Nov. 2022

data and the latest 12-month figure is 6.8%.)

❏ A: 4% or lower

❏ B: 4.1% to 6%

❏ C: 6.1% to 8%

❏ D: Above 8%

12. What will inflation be in 2022 as measured by the consumer price index? (We will use Nov. 2022

data and the latest 12-month figure is 6.8%.)

❏ A: 4% or lower

❏ B: 4.1% to 6%

❏ C: 6.1% to 8%

❏ D: Above 8%

13. How many times will the Federal Reserve raise short-term interest rates in 2022?

❏ A: Two or fewer

❏ B: Three

❏ C: Four

❏ D: Five or more

14. Which asset class will fare best in 2022?

❏ A: U.S. stocks (S& P 500)

❏ B: International stocks (EAFE index)

❏ C: U.S. bonds (AGG exchange-traded fund)

❏ D: Commodities (DBC Commodity ETF)

❏ E: Cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin)

15. Which winning stock from 2021 will do the worst in 2022?

❏ A: Moderna

❏ B: Microsoft

❏ C: Home Depot

❏ D: Goldman Sachs Group

16. Which prominent CEO will be gone at the end of 2022?

❏ A: Mark Zuckerberg

❏ B: Elon Musk

❏ C: Warren Buffett

❏ D: Jamie Dimon

❏ E: Larry Fink

❏ F: All will still be on the job.

17. Tiebreaker: Where will the Dow industrials end 2022? (The index is now around 36,000.)

Barron’s will name a winner at the start of 2023. The deadline for submissions is Sunday, Jan. 2. No one from News Corp, the parent company, is eligible to win.