Hubdub’s Hot Predictions this week, as decided by Hubdub users and staff, are selected based on their newsworthiness for the week. These stories are bound to be big news this week - and we have forecasts on how they’re likely to turn out.

Politics
Tim Geithner has been getting  a unfair rap for his desperate attempts to fix our ailing economy. I mean he is kind of running a one man show at the Treasury department. Undoubtedly this week he’ll be used again as a political punching bag, but will the complaints and criticisms lead to anything? Hubdubbers doubt it giving Geithner only a 20% chance of leaving his post by 2010.

Will Tim Geithner depart as Secretary of the Treasury before midnight on 31 Dec 2009?

President Obama has a primetime press conference this week to reiterate his plans for the federal budget this year. It won’t all be numbers and graphs though, with Hubdub forecasting President Obama will talk about his NCAA Basketball picks during the press conference.

President Obama Primetime Press Conf. 3/24/09: Will he be asked about his NCAA Basketball picks?

Business
The Dow’s been having some pretty good days these past few weeks. So much so that before March 31st Hubdubbers predict there’s a 56% chance that the Dow closes above 7500.

Dow - Up or down ? Which comes first, 6500 or 7500?

Sports
The NCAAB tournament continues this week, and one of the major games to watch will be when Oklahoma state goes against Syracuse on Friday. The game is bound to be close but right now Oklahoma has edged up against Syracuse, with a 52% chance of winning on Friday.

NCAAB Tournament - #2 Oklahoma vs #3 Syracuse. Who will win?

Entertainment

This week American Idol heads to Detroit where contestants will compete in the category of Motown music. Who’s likely to get the least support? Hubdub forecasts Michael Sarver has the highest chance of getting the fewest votes this week.

Who will have the fewest votes on American Idol this week?

Trading percentages given are at time of posting and may not match up with markets after the fact due to Hubdub users forecasting on said markets.

Hubdub Top 5 american idol, barack obama, basketball, djia, dow, dow jones industrial average, economy, financial crisis, hubdub, March Madness, michael sarver, ncaa, NCAAB, Oklahoma, president obama, primetime press conference, secretary of the treasury, Syracuse, Tim Geithner, tournament, treasury department

Hubdub’s Hot Predictions this week, as decided by Hubdub users and staff, are selected based on their newsworthiness for the week. These stories are bound to be big news this week - and we have forecasts on how they’re likely to turn out.

Sports

March Madness is upon us my friends and life is good! So far Hubdub isn’t forecasting any of the known teams will be crowned winner in two weeks time. Although so far it seems North Carolina is the second likeliest front runner. If you haven’t done so already check out Hubdub’s March Madness Predict-A-Thon for more NCAA forecasts.

Which Team will Win the NCAA Championship?

Politics
Some of our esteemed Supreme Court Justices are getting a bit old, and with Barack Obama now in the White House it’s likely a more liberal leaning justice will be appointed soon. The question though is which justice will step down first? Hubdub forecasts the most likely candidate for resignation is David Souter with a 55% chance of stepping down.

Who will be the first Supreme Court Justice replaced?

World News
With wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it’s easy to forget sometimes that those countries aren’t the only possible threats to American security. A fact made clear this March when Chinese ships harassed an American naval ship in the South China Sea. Both sides don’t want an escalation of tensions, and thankfully Hubdubbers agree giving only a 29% chance of similar tensions within the next two weeks.

Will China further harass any US Navy ships operating in international waters?

Business
It seems our ailing economy is getting better number these days. Out of the woods? No, better than before? Yes. For now Hubdub forecasts there’s a 51% probability the Dow Jones Industrial Averages in 2009 will be within the 6000 to 6999.99 range.

What will be the lowest close for the DJIA in 2009?

Entertainment
American Idol Season 8 is heating up and with a final listing of 10 possible winners, we can finally start predicting who’s gonna grab first place this year. In the lead this week, Adam Lambert (43%) and in second place Danny Gokey (27%). We’ve got 7 more weeks though, so don’t put your eggs all in one basket just yet.

Who will win American Idol Season 8?

Trading percentages given are at time of posting and may not match up with markets after the fact due to Hubdub users forecasting on said markets.

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Hubdub’s Hot Predictions this week, as decided by Hubdub users and staff, are selected based on their newsworthiness for the week. These stories are bound to be big news this week - and we have forecasts on how they’re likely to turn out.

Business
Hubdub’s holding to its forecast that by April 1st the DJIA will have passed below the 7,000 mark, giving it 97% certainty. May the Dow rest in peace…

Dow - Up or down before April 1? Which comes first, 7000 or 8000?

Gasoline prices have been fluctuating all month and in a economy where every penny counts, higher or lower prices can make or break individuals. By next Sunday Hubdub is forecasting the nationwide average for regular unleaded will be $1.950 - 1.974.

What will be the AAA average price for regular unleaded gasoline in the US on Sunday, March 8th?

Politics
The Republican party still has allot of soul searching to do these days. Bobby ‘leave it beaver’ Jindal didn’t have the best opening performance on the national stage last week. Probably one of the reasons why Hubdub forecasts Mitt Romney as the GOP front runner for 2012 with a 52% chance of winning the next Republican Presidential straw poll.

Who will win the next Republican Presidential straw poll?

Entertainment
American Idol is bound to be a treat this week. So far 2 out of 6 women have been chosen as finalists, with the semi-finals this week though how many women altogether will get the nod? Hubdub forecasts there’s a 49% chance that of the 12 finalists, 5 will be women. For all the American Idol markets we have make sure to go to our tags page here.

American Idol: How many women in the top 12?

Sport

Sad news in the world of sports this week. Detroit Lions defensive end Corey Smith, and Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper are both feared lost at sea with others off the Florida coast. The coast guard is searching the 750 square-mile area but hasn’t yet turned up anything. Unfortunately Hubdub forecasts there’s a 60% chance the two won’t be found by this Saturday.

When will the NFL players lost at sea be found?

Trading percentages given are at time of posting and may not match up with markets after the fact due to Hubdub users forecasting on said markets.

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Hubdub’s Hot Predictions this week, as decided by Hubdub users and staff, are selected based on their newsworthiness for the week. These stories are bound to be big news this week - and we have forecasts on how they’re likely to turn out.

Politics
The last weeks for the Obama administration haven’t been a honeymoon. The DJIA collapse last week, mismatched nominations and a severe lack of bipartisanship have brought Obama’s job approval to just over 60%. Obame rode to the White House on flames of glory, but in the last weeks those flames have certainly dimmed. On a bright note though Hubdub forecasts Obama has a 68% chance of ending his first 100 days with a 60-69%  approval rating.

What will President Obama’s approval rating be after his first 100 days in office?

Who would’ve guessed Roland Burris would be back in the news again so quickly? His last inklings of support are diminishing by the hour as politicians and some at the White House turn the other cheek. Sadly though, Hubdub predicts this old dog won’t be put down just yet. Giving him a 51% chance of survival till July 31st.

Will Roland Burris keep his Senate seat until July 31?

Business
If you’d like good news on the finance markets stay away from the Hubdub market regarding what will be the lowest close for the DJIA in 2009. For now the DJIA is still trading above 7000, but Hubdub forecasts there’s a combined 86% chance that the DJIA drops below 7000 in 2009.

What will be the lowest close for the DJIA in 2009?

It’s funny how even small remarks can drive the markets in different directions. Last week when speculation from Senator Dodd and others hinted towards bank nationalization, the markets dropped significantly. Will Citigroup or Bank of America actually be nationalized? Hard to say, Hubdub gives bank nationalization a 48% chance.

Will the U.S. government nationalize either Citigroup or Bank of America?

Sports
Tiger Woods just had a baby, and is also coming back from a major injury. Fortunately Woods is the kind of guy who can do anything, or at least mostly anything… At Hubdub we forecast he probably won’t get first place in his first tournament, but second to fifth place isn’t half bad!

PGA - In what position will Tiger Woods finish in his first tournament of 2009?

Trading percentages given are at time of posting and may not match up with markets after the fact due to Hubdub users forecasting on said markets.

Hubdub Top 5 bank, bank of america, barack obama, citigroup, djia, dow jones industrial average, financial crisis, gallup, golf, illinois, job approval, nationalization, pga, roland burris, senate, tiger woods, white house

Hubdub’s Hot Predictions this week, as decided by Hubdub users and staff, are selected based on their newsworthiness for the week. These stories are bound to be big news this week - and we have forecasts on how they’re likely to turn out.

Business
Although optimism still surrounds the new President, that optimism hasn’t reached the financial markets. In fact it seems the opposite is happening. Within the first 100 days Hubdub forecasts there’s a above 50% chance that the DJIA will have a one-day drop of 6%. Which at current measures would be a drop of 480 points in a day!

Will the DJIA have a one-day drop of 6% or more during Obama’s first 100 days as president?

Politics
This week with the new Stimulus package hitting the Senate floor, and the markets still in disarray, the Presidents path is fraught with danger. Despite the danger though Hubdub forecasts Obama has a 43% chance of retaining a 66% - 67% approval rating next Monday.

What will President Obama’s approval rating be on Monday February 9, 2009?

Entertainment
The 51st Grammy Awards will be on Feb. 8 in Los Angeles. The biggest award of the night is certain to be song of the year. Coldplay with Viva La Vida are trading as the main favorites with a 63% chance, trading second is American Boy from Estelle Feat and Kanye West trading at 17%.

Grammy Awards ‘09: Song of the Year

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards or simply the BAFTA’s are also being announced on February 8th. With the Oscars coming up the BAFTA’s should be a sign of things to come. Sean Penn is in the lead for Best Actor in both the Oscar’s and the BAFTA’s with an above 65% chance.

BAFTA: Who Will Win Best Actor?

World
The new Pope has had a tough time convincing critics he’s all for religious equality. First he caused outrage with Muslims and now the pardoning of a Holocaust denying bishop has got the Jewish community in a uproar. How does Hubdub forecast the Pope will deal with the situation? Silence is golden…

The Pope pardoned a Holocaust denial bishop - How will he respond to critics?

Trading percentages given are at time of posting and may not match up with markets after the fact due to Hubdub users forecasting on said markets.

Hubdub Top 5 approval rating, BAFTA, barack obama, best actor, coldplay, djia, dow jones industrial average, entertainment, financial crisis, first 100 days, gallup, grammy awards, holocaust, hubdub, jewish, Oscars, sean penn, song of the year, the pope, viva la vida

Hubdub’s Hot Predictions this week, as decided by Hubdub users and staff, are selected based on their newsworthiness for the week. These stories are bound to be big news this week - and we have forecasts on how they’re likely to turn out.

Business

The DJIA closed on Jan. 16th at 8281.22. Not a good sign for the incoming Obama administration. Although with the inauguration on Tuesday and “hope” on everyone’s minds will the DJIA bounce back up this week? Seems Hubdubbers have hope on their minds too, giving the DJIA closing up this week a 65% chance.

Will the DJIA close up this week?

Politics

Despite the inaugration of Barack Obama this week there are other politics stories out there! For example Barack Obama’s old steel-blue 2005 Chrysler 300C is up for auction on Ebay. For the next President’s old car you’d expect it to sell for something in the millions. In actuality Hubdub forecasts it goes for $300,000 or less. Celebrity isn’t what it used to be….

How much will Barack Obama’s old car sell for?

Sports

The NHL All-Star game is on January 25th in Montreal.  It will be played East vs. West, or simply Penguins & Canadians vs the Ducks & Blackhawks. For now the Easterners are edging out the west, but the odds have been switching up and down all week.

Who will win the NHL All-Star game?

Entertainment

We’ve had this market on the list on and off for the last two months, it keeps on showing up though because it’s just a great market. The movie had seemed a shoe in for Best Picture,  but as the Oscars arrive it’s chances are dwindling day by day. Currently being given a 49% chance.

Oscar Buzz: Will ‘Dark Knight’ be nominated for Best Picture?

Tech

Our wallets aren’t doing so well this year, but in the developing world the size of your wallets isn’t really that important. People are much more concerned with just getting some food on the table. This is where www.freerice.com comes in, just got to the site and answer questions to donate some rice. They’ve already collected over 57,000,000,000 grains of rice can they get to 62,000,000,000 grains by March?

Will FreeRice.com surpass 62,000,000,000 in grains of rice donated by March 1, 2009?

Trading percentages given are at time of posting and may not match up with markets after the fact due to Hubdub users forecasting on said markets.

Hubdub Top 5 all-star game, auction, barack obama, car, Chrysler 300c, djia, dow jones industrial average, ebay, entertainment, free rice, Heath Ledger, markets, national hockey league, politics, rice, The Dark Knight