Seeking Alpha by Adding Beta

Bye-bye/Alvida 2011. It was a gut-wrenching year with so many Geo-political events all across the board and associated stock market moves. What started as a promising year with DOW reaching yearly high by late Apr turned out to be whimper by end of year with S&P barely moving at all. Someone who had gone into hibernation may not even notice the dramatic stock market movements (like 250 points moves on so many days). Personally my stock market returns were dismal (basically all 2010 gains were wiped out in 2011). Unfortunately my weekly/bi-weekly picks also did not do very well. So with that dismal track-record, I ought to change my stock picking/investing strategy. Let's start with some macro predictions. 2012 being election year, first some election predictions: Mitt Romney will wrap up Republication nomination by Mar 2012. Democrats would lose control of senate by margin of about 2-4. Republicans would lose seats in house reducing their majority to single-digits/teens. M

Year 2011 is coming to an end. What started as promising year both on economic front as well as Geo-political front with Arab Spring is ending with recession clouds and European "Fall". What a mess our elected politicians have made in managing affairs of their countries. Everywhere you look, politicians are failing in delivering what they were supposed to deliver. Enough said about European circus - every few weeks they meet, make lot of promises after long meetings and then go their own ways without implementing these promises. Already 4 countries have changed their Prime Minister(s) (Ireland, Spain, Italy and Greece). Next round could be France US is in gridlock which is likely going to be intensified in election year 2012. So nothing would happen on economic front other than political posturing. Obama started as great promise but coming up way short than what his Presidency could have been. India is stuck in non-stop corruption/Lokpal/Anna's fast. This has started