Speaking of the stock market, how would you like to have dinner for two as guests of Mr. and Mrs. Ticker at your favorite Maryland restaurant? If you would, try to win our 1994 Dow Jones forecasting contest.
And if you're the runner-up, you will have lunch with us as our guests. The next 10 closest crystal ball gazers will receive best-seller financial books, average price $25.
To enter, send your prediction on a postcard (no letters accepted) for the 1994 year-end Dow Jones closing average. Mail the card to Julius Westheimer, Ticker Contest, Business News Department, 5th floor, The Baltimore Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore 21278.
Print your whole number (no decimals), name, address and home phone number. Give reasons if you wish, but they are not required. Only one prediction per person, and a coin flip breaks ties. Your postcard must be postmarked by midnight Jan. 30.
Don't be afraid to try. Several years ago a man who never heard of the Dow Jones average mailed in the winning forecast.
To guide you, here are 1994 year-end predictions, ranked by optimism, by local bankers, brokers, investment advisers, civic leaders, corporate chief executive officers, media stars, etc.:
Bob Lopez, 98 Rock .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ....4,549
Ron Smith, WBAL talk host .. .. .. .. .. ...4,457
Keith Girard, Warfield's ed. .. .. .. .. .. 4,400
G. Collins, CEO T.R. Price .. .. .. .. .. ..4,333
Craig Lewis, Inv. Couns. Md .. .. .. .. .. .4,314
Gail Dudack, closest in '93 .. .. .. .. .. .4,250
Eddie Brown, inv. adviser .. .. .. .. .. .. 4,230
Morry Zolet, Certif. Fin. Pl .. .. .. .. .. 4,224
Nate Chapman, Chapman Co .. .. .. .. .. .. .4,200
Larry Adam, Dean Witter .. .. .. .. .. .. ..4,170
Ed Hale, CEO, Bank of Balto .. .. .. .. .. .4,100
Rhoda Dorsey, pres., Goucher .. .. .. .. .. 4,100
David Clogg, Chapin, Davis .. .. .. .. .. ..4,092
John Saxton, CEO, Noxell, P/G .. .. .. .. ..4,080
Chris Poindexter, CEO, BG&E .. .. .. .. .. .4,050
James Hardesty, Merc. Safe .. .. .. .. .. ..4,049
Tom Marr, WCBM talk host .. .. .. .. .. .. .4,044
Jos. Sterne, Sun edit. chief .. .. .. .. .. 4,021
"Pete" Colhoun, inv. couns .. .. .. .. .. ..4,015
Allan Prell, WBAL talk host .. .. .. .. .. .4,001
B. Thomas, CEO McCormick .. .. .. .. .. .. .3,995
Carter Randall, Wall St. Week .. .. .. .. ..3,995
Mark Dyer, Ferris Baker Watts .. .. .. .. ..3,980
Bruce Elliott, WBAL talk host .. .. .. .. ..3,950
Manuele Wasserman, P-Bache .. .. .. .. .. ..3,950
Mike Meredith, Merrill Lynch .. .. .. .. .. 3,939
R. Barbarita, PaineWebber .. .. .. .. .. .. 3,920
Frank Cappiello, fund CEO .. .. .. .. .. .. 3,920
Rich Palmer, Alex Brown .. .. .. .. .. .. ..3,912
Robert G. Wood, inv. couns .. .. .. .. .. ..3,900
Louis Goldstein, Md. Comptr .. .. .. .. .. .3,900
Dorrit Westheimer, Mrs. Ticker .. .. .. .. .3,870
M. Oppenheimer, Sec. Trust .. .. .. .. .. ..3,842
Fortune Teller, Pulaski Hwy .. .. .. .. .. .3,777
Mr. Ticker, (too low in '93) .. .. .. .. .. 3,750
Liz O'Neill, WBAL-TV anchor .. .. .. .. .. .3,721
Dr. Jeffrey Schein, my dentist .. .. .. .. .3,650
Martin Zweig, newsletter ed. .. .. .. .. .. 3,625
Barry Salzman, Gruntal mgr .. .. .. .. .. ..3,620
Mary Junck, Sun publisher .. .. .. .. .. .. 3,600
Mathias DeVito, CEO Rouse .. .. .. .. .. .. 3,600
Jack Wasserman, RE exec .. .. .. .. .. .. ..3,581
Gerald Merrell, Sun bus. ed. .. .. .. .. .. 3,580
George Pinsch, my barber .. .. .. ... .. .. 3,500
Carolyn Walpert, my sec'y .. .. .. .. .. .. 3,450
Rich Dubroff, Wall St. Week .. .. ... .. .. 3,413
Andy Barth, WMAR-TV .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 3,333
M. Shattuck, CEO A. Brown .. .. .. .. .. .. 3,300
Robert Fisher, Legg Mason .. .. .. .. .. .. 3,300
Denise Koch, WJZ-TV anchor .. .. .. . .. .. 3,250
Rob Brown, inv. analyst .. .. .. .. . .. .. 2,907
TO HELP YOU: The closest "expert" forecasters last year were, in order, Gail Dudack, Barry Salzman, Frank Cappiello, Carter Randall and Allan Prell. Their '94 predictions are included in the list above. . . . For more guidance, watch "Wall Street Week With Louis Rukeyser" and Lou Dobbs' "Moneyline." Also, read Barron's, Money, Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine and Forbes . . . Several excellent books are "The Intelligent Investor" by Benjamin Graham, "A Fool and His Money" by Jon Rothchild and "One Up on Wall Street" and "Beating The Street" by Peter Lynch . . . Reminder: Your fourth-quarter estimated 1993 income tax returns and payments must be postmarked by midnight Tuesday, Jan 18. In view of higher 1993 rates, you may wish to amend your estimate; see your accountant or tax preparer.
