Biz Dev in NYC by Rob Tsai

Here’s a fun quiz from Barron’s in this week’s issue.  The winner gets a free subscription and lunch with editor Andrew Bary in New York:

1. Which U.S. equity index will fare best in 2008?
A. Dow Jones Industrials
B. S&P 500
C. Nasdaq
D. Russell 2000

I’m going with the Nasdaq (C).    

2. Which market will perform best?
A. U.S. (S&P 500)
B. Japan (Nikkei)
C. U.K. (FTSE)
D. Germany (DAX)

Germany (D)

3. Which S&P 500 sector will be No. 1?
A. Health Care
B.Consumer Staples
C. Energy
D. Technology
E. Financials
F. Basic Materials

Technology (D)

4. 2008’s biggest financial surprise:
A. S&P 500 drops over 10%
B. Emerging stock mkts rise another 20%
C. Gold ends above $1,000 an ounce
D. Dollar up 10% vs. Euro
E. None of the above

I wouldn’t be surprised if all of these things happened, but I’ll go with (D)

5. Which laggard industry group will do best in 2008?
A. Brokerage stocks (BSC, MER. MS)
B. Cable TV (CMCSA, TWC, CVC)
C. Homebuilders (KBH, CTX, TOL)
D. Retailers (M, TGT, JCP)
E. Airlines (AMR, CAL, UAUA)

Retailers (D)

6. Which CEO will no longer be at the helm at the end of 2008?
A. GM’s Rick Wagoner
B. Apple’s Steve Jobs
C. Morgan Stanley’s John Mack
D. Lehman Brothers’ Dick Fuld
E. Pfizer’s Jeff Kindler
F. All will still be on their jobs

GM’s Wagoner (A)

7. Which top stock from 2007 will do worst in 2008?
A. Google
B. Apple
C. Potash Corp.
D. Amazon.com
E. Monsanto

Amazon (D)

8. Which of these companies will agree to be taken over in 2008?
A. Echostar
B. Yahoo
C. U.S. Steel
D. Suntrust Banks
E. Sprint
F. Bear Stearns
G. None of the above

US Steel (C)

9. Which winning industry group from 2007 will fare best in 2008?
A. Mining (BHP, FCX, AA)
B. Offshore Drillers (RIG, DO, NE)
C. Beverages (KO, PEP, TAP)
D. Household Products (CL, PG, UN)

Offshore Drillers (B)

10. Name the top-performing stock in the Dow Industrials in 2008. (Including dividends)
Worth 2 points

Microsoft

11. Name the worst-performing Dow stock for 2008 (Including dividends).
Worth 2 points

General Motors

12. Who will be the Democratic presidential candidate?
A. Hillary Clinton
B. Barack Obama
C. John Edwards
D. Someone else

Hillary Clinton (A)

13. Who will be the Republican presidential candidate?
A. Rudy Giuliani
B. Mitt Romney
C. Mike Huckabee
D. Someone else

Rudy Giuliani (A)

14. Who will be the next U.S. president?
Worth 2 points

Hillary Clinton (A)

15. What will be the top-performing commodity?
A. Gold
B. Oil
C. Wheat
D. Corn
E. Sugar

Wheat

16. Where will the key federal funds rate end 2008?
A. 3% or lower
B. 3.25% to 4%
C. 4.25% (current level)
D. 4.50% or higher

3.25% to 4%  (B)

17. Tie-breaker. At what level will the Dow Industrials end 2008?

14,379

Barron’s will name a winner at the start of 2009. All entries must be postmarked by Jan. 2 or received by e-mail by then. E-mail entries to editors@barrons.com.

Mail entries to:

Barron’s Editors
200 Liberty Street
New York, N.Y. 10281

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