Joining the game
Just for fun, I thought I'd join the 2006 prognostication game. My financial sector predictions:
-Interest rates will take the punch-bowl away from the real estate party. The markets that went up the fastest will also go down the fastest.
-The dollar's trade-weighted exchange rate will end 2006 lower against other major currencies than it starts.
-If Google does not address the click-fraud issue, the stock will end 2006 lower than it starts.
My technology predictions:
-Somebody will come to their senses and buy Opera.
-Oracle will struggle to integrate their aquisitions and lose ground to SAP.
-VOIP will see continued rapid consumer adoption as the prices fall through the floor. You just can't ignore cutting your phone bill by 80% (I'm paying about 20% of my Verizon bill to ViaVoice and haven't had any QOS problems in the first 8 weeks with them). However, VOIP profits will remain elusive due to the tough competition.
Since I'm not putting any money on these developments, neither should you ;-)