I Predict that:

By March/April the world economy will be looking resoundingly shaky!

Here in Australia the Festive Season Bonus spending spree will be well and truly over and Mortgage Defaults will be increasing rapidly!

Retail Traders and Businesses will be looking for a "hand-out" as many go to the wall, and many more shut up shop!

The full extent of the Credit Card indebtedness will now have become apparent and the Credit organisations will be calling-in outstanding debts and cutting off credit to most borrowers!

Gold will be spiralling toward a new world record!

The Motor Vehicle Industry will be feeling the downturn as expected sales plummet to an all time low. Consumers will be expecting a massive reduction in New Car prices that does not eventuate!

Fuel prices will be spiralling upwards again towards a new world record as OPEC tightens their production levels and demand a larger share of the barrel price!

Millions more across the globe will become redundant and unemployed as Governments battle to provide dwindling welfare from rapidly decreasing taxation bases. (New Taxation measures will target everyone whether employed or not)!

The war in Afghanistan ( and military presence in Iraq ) will continue as the war machine continues it`s unethical and immoral expansionism, solving some looming unemployment problems and creating enormous wealth for companies like Halliburton and Global Resources!

The US will continue to "turn a blind eye" as Israel continues it`s State-sanctioned system of genocide against the Palestinians!

The US and Israel will implement a pre-emptive strike against "suspected nuclear munitions plants" in Iran!

Barack Obama turns out to be another "wolf in sheep`s clothing" and fails the millions across the globe who have hoped that he would implement wide-ranging changes to world stability and the proliferation of human rights!

This then is my prediction of events that COULD take place in 2009.
You will note that I have NOT mentioned "Global Warming" as that subject is just too complex an issue!

Happy New Year to ALL! ( Eat, Drink and Be Merry for tomorrow....?)

“By March/April the world economy will be looking resoundingly shaky!”

Um, I thought that happened last October

Mortgage default increase… yes and an opportunity for some

Disagree, no handouts for retailers despite some certain to flatline

Credit card debt will remain as is, some will drop, some increase but CC issuers don’t make money by refusing credit…

Gold is the traditional safe-haven, what will happen is the US dollar will fall and thus make it look like gold is increasing… that will help Australia, as a gold exporter

Motor car industry down turn happened 6 months ago. Likely GM and Chrysler will go into chapter 11, GM will close a number of plants likely Canadian ones first, get rid of some badges, like they did with Oldsmobil and develop better four cylinder cars.

Fuel prices will stabilize around $50/barrel OPEC members know they cannot sustain $100 /barrel and need to let the market settle or watch its own economies wither.

Taxes will be hiked, Australia with Carbon tax disaster. The arrogance of the socialists will ensure they ignore the failure of their past market meddling.

I am unsure how you tax someone without an income… maybe Cuphandle can explain that.

Job opportunities will change… capitalist countries will adapt faster than the moribund socialist states and will thus reap any benefit going from innovation (as usual).

Following the success of the surge in Iraq, a similar strategy will be deployed to bring winning in Afghanistan closer.
Israel will prevail over the indiscriminate and murderous atrocities of Hamas and Hezbalar rockets.

One of these days the Camp David peace accords, signed between USA (Carter), Israel and Palestine will be honoured by the Palestinians just as it was implemented by Israel.

US will not do anything about Iran.

Barack Obama will be seen as a stooge.

Global warming will be disclosed as a complete fraud but Krudd & Co will still push ahead with a carbon tax.

All in all not a bad prognosis, personally I will be pursuing my plans of the past few years, financially secure and looking for bargains

For Australia at least the crisis will not be as bad, superannuation returns for the year will be negative again.
Not as bad as the last and again positive by Christmas.
Obama will be tested by the usual suspects but be even more popular this time next year.
One day, surely we know? North Korea or Iran, some country playing poker with its peoples lives, will see cuphandle scenario take place, maybe this year.
India will not be the only country in south east Asia to suffer terrorist attacks.
So we must face the fact we are not safe even here, I hope this is not the year mindless hate and bigotry harms Australia.

The wars and earthquakes and famines and diseases Written about in Luke chapter 21 and Matthew chapter 24 will continue in 2009.

Society will continue to slide backwards into decay and immorality.

People will worry and become more fearful...BUT some...some will hear the Call of God and be Drawn by The Holy Ghost to lively christian churches and there they will give their lives to Jesus Christ the Saviour and become born again and finally set free from the fear of lifes troubles and of death.

Aint it marvellous:)

Will you become one, who called on the Name of the Lord to save them?

Good grief! What are you guys going to drink at midnight? Hemlock?

My predictions for 2009 are:

The sun will continue to rise in the East and set in the West,

Whether genetically modified, raised on human sewerage or fertilized with chemicals, flowers will continue to bloom even in places no human eye ever looks,

Couples will continue to believe that no-one else in the world has ever loved the way they do, and think that love conquers all,

Breezes will continue to blow on moonlit beaches after hot, sticky days,

Little kids will still present their parents with crayoned drawings and pasta necklaces and wilting wildflowers in sticky hands,

Parents will continue to tape crayoned drawings on the fridge, wear pasta necklaces and fill vases with wilting dandylions,

On each of the 365 days of 2009 somewhere a baby will smile at someone and make their life meaningful,

Mango juice will continue to run down peoples chins, dragon-flies will contnie to have iridescent wings and willows will continue to gaze in awed contemplation of themselves in rivers,

and people will still get zits on their noses the size of a second head the day before they go on a date, make their first appearance on tv, or run unexpectedly into their ex.

Best wishes for the year ahead. c

Gibo Gibo, rest assured man is in control ,has always been will always be.
Your moral decay has existed along with us and will continue to.
Your fears are others pleasures.
All the good things Romany tells us about will live shoulder to shoulder with our troubles, we will survive.
I have re read the thread, cuphandle has it by passed you that interest rates fell over the cliff last year?
While credit card debt will continue to haunt us, one day harm us, house loan failures will even out.
Australia will see less unemployment than most of the world but we will be better of by years end.