stock predictions

Investing is a jungle, and most of the so-called experts who get quoted in the media are on the prowl with a simple purpose -- to give you a reason to trade. But they don't know much more than you do, and all their arguments ignore a basic reality: The market is now controlled by short-term traders.

If two new reports are accurate, investors have something to cheer about heading into 2010. Goldman Sachs strategists predict the Standards and Poors index will rise by another 13 percent. Meanwhile, some analysts predict that dividend payouts will rise by as much as 8.9 percent.