Page-2 | More bold financial predictions for 2012: Part Two | Economy | NewJerseyNewsroom.com -- Your State. Your News.

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Q. Which particular stocks might do well? And why?

A. We’re bullish on Apple. The stock is cheap relative to its growth prospects.

Forward price-earnings ratio = 10.6 times vs. 13 times for the S&P 500
P/E to Growth (PEG) = 0.6 vs. 1.1 for Industry
Projected EPS Growth: 22.7% per annum for 5 years
$70 billion in cash & marketable securities on balance sheet
Superlative brand name – “Halo Effect” for new products
Most profitable retail stores in world (per unit). Strong growth ahead in U.S. and abroad (especially China)
App Store very scalable and increasing in margins
Steve Jobs has laid out a strategic plan that will last for many years.
Will eventually use its mountain of cash to acquire promising technology or companies.
Current growth areas in 2012: Rollout of iPhone 5, iPad 3
Possible future growth area: “full blown” Apple TV
Target Price = 13-15 times projected 2012 earnings of $32.53 = $425-$490 vs. $411 today

Q. Anything unexpected that might happen in 2012?

A. We think political gridlock will be a major theme in the U.S. and Europe for 2012.

Pan-European gridlock drives continued volatility
Financial markets performance will be dictated by the evolving European political scene, not by specific company performance.
Political gridlock at home digs the U.S. deeper into the Hole
Overindebtedness at both the governmental and household levels
Long-term structural problems -- Social Security entitlement programs, financially unstable Medicaid, a Rube Goldberg tax code, federal debt likely to exceed $16 trillion by Election Day – go unaddressed
Higher interest rates, increased taxes, and reduced entitlements lead to widespread social discontent

We also see social unrest continuing on a global basis. Indeed, Time named “The Protestor” as its “Person of the Year.”

Rather than die out, we believe these protests and ultimately social unrest will accelerate throughout the world as the further enactment of austerity programs and continued sluggish economic growth result in increasing economic despair for billions of individuals. The welfare state is in the process of being dismantled in Europe, with the stage being set for material reductions in entitlement programs in the U.S. after the 2012 elections. Asia will be beset with slowing growth, as its largest trading partners (Europe and the U.S.) struggle, and an increasing disparity between rich and poor that will ferment into social and political upheavals.

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