Nicknamed "Billionaire's Beach," the Carbon Beach section of Malibu is home to Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, entertainment mogul David Geffen, former Dodgers CEO Jamie McCourt, and other business tycoons.

Ellison loves Carbon Beach so much that he owns 10 properties there, including one he bought just this week.

What makes Carbon Beach so great — and expensive?

The AP's Jeanne Cooper answered the question in 2006, shortly after Geffen lost a court battle against the construction of a public-access walkway near his home. She wrote:

Locals talk about the breadth and dryness of the sand driving up prices to a minimum of $15 million for a small beachfront lot.

And unlike Malibu Colony homes, the houses tend to be built right on the sand, with no seawall blocking the view of the beach from the patio. For visitors (or paparazzi), that means being able to see the lifestyles of the rich and famous without a telescope while strolling the sand. But really, Carbon Beach's relative exclusivity - in terms of price and public access - is its main selling point.

We decided to see what all the fuss was about.

Welcome to Billionaire's Beach. Malibu has 21 miles of shoreline, but Carbon Beach extends for just one mile along the coast.

"Billionaire's Beach" has its own boutique hotel, called the Malibu Beach Inn. The hotel has 47 rooms.

Source: Malibu Beach Inn

The inn, which was renovated in 2007, is right on the water. So even if you can't afford a multimillion-dollar home there, you can spend a night living like a Billionaire's Beach resident.

Source: Malibu Beach Inn

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Remember when "The Decision" ruined the LeBron James brand? Well, if you have forgotten, you are not alone. Since winning his first NBA title and third MVP award, James has jumped back up to the top of the NBA in jersey sales. He was fourth on the list last season.

Of the top ten in jersey sales this season...

• The Heat, Lakers, and Clippers each have two player on the list
• Both the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference have five players on the list
• The average player on the list is 27 years old and has 8.5 years of experience. Of course, if we remove Kobe Bryant, the averages go down to 26 years old and 7.5 years of experience.

#10 Chris Paul

#9 Dwight Howard

#8 Blake Griffin

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In advertising, everyone always looks perfect. And when they don't, well, that's what Photoshop is for.

But whenever Photoshop is used, there's a chance an art director can make a mistake.

In 2012, publishers and advertisers kept the population plied with a steady stream of atrocious Photoshop fails.

From extra fingers to missing limbs, these are the most epic Photoshop disasters from 2012.

Find out if you can spot the flub, or if you would have approved the photos for publication.

What's wrong with this SimplyBe catalog item?

The hands! The hands! (Fun fact: SimplyBe changed the photo, and wrote "non mutant" in the jpeg name.)

Source: Daily Mail

What's wrong with the February cover of In Style?

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Canadian home prices mirrored U.S. home prices surging from 2001 to 2008 when they suddenly plunged during the global financial crisis.  Since 2009, however, they have once again been on a tear again as U.S. home price have remained subdued.

The person most responsible for the movement in Canadian home prices is probably Mark Carney, the now former head of the Bank Of Canada who was recently poached by the Bank of England.

Click here to see the Canadian housing market >

Carney has been praised for embarking on aggressive easy monetary policy in his effort to keep Canada from sinking with the rest of the global economy.

However, some are now concerned that his policies are reinflating a massive housing bubble.  Capital Economics warned that Canadian home prices will fall 25 percent from here, and Robert Shiller warned that Canada looked like the slow-motion version of the U.S.housing bust.

Recent home price data shows that recent regulations have cooled the housing market a bit, causing some to argue that Canada's housing market is nothing like America's.

What follows is a review of how the Canadian housing market has evolved since 2001.  It should be noted that Carney took over the Bank of Canada in 2007.

2001: After years of moving sideways, home prices took off

Source: Canadian Center For Policy Alternatives

2001: 2016 Nita Lane in Whistler, B.C. sells for a cool $10 million -- setting a Canadian record for the highest price ever paid for a residential home.

Source: Great Estates

JUNE 2005: 3552 Falcon Crescent sold for a record $11.2 million

Source: Great Estates

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Powerball talk has reached febrile levels.

With the jackpot north of half a billion dollars, the entire country is playing the numbers  (including Business Insider).

But here's the real question we know is everyone's mind: can the contest be gamed?

Not without extreme difficulty.

Earlier this year, the Massachusetts Office of Inspector General released a report on a group of individuals who had successfully — and legally — outmanuevered the state's lottery to win millions of dollars.

That appears to be the only successful example in modern lotto history, according to Chuck Strutt, the director of the Multi-State Lottery Association which oversees cross-state lottery games. 

But Strutt told us that there have been several notorious instances of illicit lottery rigging over the years, which we reproduce for you here.

Italy's blindfolded tots scandal, 1999

A nationwide scandal erupted after lottery officials were found to have rigged drawings by bribing the blindfolded children who picked numbers.

"Blindfolds were loosened and certain balls covered with a shiny varnish that could be seen beneath the blindfolds. Balls were also heated or frozen so that the children could pick them out by touch. In one case, investigators say, a ball was so hot that a child's hand was burned,"CNN reported.

The Pennsylvania 6-6-6 scandal, 1980

Nick Perry, the host of the state's televised lottery drawing, and Edward Plevel, a lottery supervisor, were indicted on fraud charges after it was discovered they were weighing lottery balls so that only 4s and 6s would turn up. One of the major jackpot numbers turned out to be "6-6-6."

Source: New York Times

The Virginia lotto's Australian invasion, 1992

A group of Australian investors bought tickets for 5 million of a possible 7 million combinations, at $1 each, in a lottery with a $27 million jackpot. Virginia officials ultimately ended up paying out the winning ticket.

Source: WDBJ7

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SocGen's top cross-asset strategist Alain Bokobza and his team just put out their global investment outlook for 2013.

The title of the presentation – 2013: European Assets Strike Back – just about says it all. While Bokobza warns of turbulence ahead in U.S. markets as the "fiscal cliff" investors face remains unresolved, he also highlights a few developments that may make investing in Europe become more attractive in 2013.

However, Bokobza says Germany's status as a safe haven may be at risk, and France, the other major "core" nation in the eurozone, has some serious challenges ahead.

The SocGen team says it is upping its exposure to equities and decreasing its exposure to credit and alternative investments as we approach the new year.

The presentation also touches on several hot topics in markets right now, including potential sovereign credit rating downgrades in the pipeline, the yen trade, Apple stock, the Brent-WTI spread, and gold.

In other words, it's thorough.

Note: Thanks to Société Générale for giving us permission to feature this presentation.

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The San Francisco-based robotics startup, Momentum Machines, is trying to revolutionize the fast food industry with an automated burger-making machine. 

The company plans to launch the first ever "smart restaurant" where all of the cooking is done by robots.

“Our alpha machine replaces all of the hamburger line cooks in a restaurant," Momentum Machines' website explains. "It does everything employees can do except better.”

And at a fraction of the cost.

The company promises that the machine pays for itself within a year and eradicates the need for a cooking staff.  The labor savings allows restaurants to spend more money on high quality ingredients, ultimately boosting the status of fast food burgers up to gourmet quality.

Aside from shaping and cooking the meat patties, the machine slices toppings, assembles the burger, and even bags up orders for waiting customers.

As an added bonus, the robot can also customize orders, whether than means grinding meat to one's specifications or piling on extra toppings. 

Capable of producing approximately 360 burgers an hour, the machine takes up only 24 square feet, allowing for more spacious seating areas and more time spent improving the overall dining experience.

"Fast food doesn’t have to have a negative connotation anymore. With our technology, a restaurant can offer gourmet quality burgers at fast food prices," Momentum Machines says.

Here's a diagram:

SEE ALSO: 8 'Better Burger' Chains That Are Spreading Across America >

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Join the conversation about this story »

From top universities to major retailers, most big-name organizations go through major shifts in their identities and, more noticeably, their logos.

Recent trends include shortening words to letters (like JCP, nee JCPenney), making the font lowercase (like arby's), or dropping the name altogether (like Starbucks). But what does the future hold?

Stock Logos, an online identity design community, drew up what the world's most famous logo's will look like in the next 10, 50, and 100 years.

The awesome part is, the timelines include a breakdown of how the logos have morphed since the company's inception.

Stock Logo predicts that some logos will stay the same (we're talking about you, Coca-Cola), others will evolve with the times (Shell's shell will become a sun for solar energy), and others will simply disappear (sorry Nokia).

Apple

Nokia

KFC

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So the bookworm in your life has read everything on The New York Times' best sellers list already.

What do you get her now?

We're here to help with some creative options for book lovers.

Decorate your phone with the cover of your favorite book.

Out Of Print makes canvas and plastic hard shell covers for the iPhone 4 and 4s that depict the cover of classic novels, like "The Great Gatsby,""Moby Dick,""Animal Farm,""Fahrenheit 451," and more.

Price: $35

The invisible book shelf is a sleek way to display your books.

Save space and display your books in a unique and stylish way with the Invisible Floating Bookshelf. The invisible unit grips the cover of one book and turns that book into the base of the bookshelf; you can stack up to 20 pounds on top of each shelf.

Price:$12.95

This book lamp is great for late-night reading.

The "Flex Neck" reading lamp has LED lights and clips on to your book.

Price:$6.47

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While men should avoid shopping for suits and attire online, the web is a great place to shop for accessories and one-size-fits-all gear.

We've found some of the coolest accessories for men this holiday season. From a weekend watch to leather touchscreen gloves, here are all of the accessories you didn't know you needed but can't live without.

A weekend watch.

Sure, you have a professional-looking watch that you wear throughout the work week, but what do you wear on your wrist on the weekends?

The weekend calls for different attire, and that's when you need a durable, rugged, sporty-looking watch that you can pair with jeans, loafers, and more casual clothes. It also needs to be water- and shock-resistant if you plan to wear it for a long time.

The Citizen Men's AT2095-07E Eco-Drive Chronograph Watch has a 42-millimeter-wide stainless steel face, black rubber band, and is water-resistant up to 330 feet deep.

Price: $210 on Amazon

A pair of grown-up leather gloves.

Every man needs a pair of nice leather gloves. They're chic, masculine, and warm.

The Men's Touchscreen Casual Leather Gloves from L.L. Bean allow you to use your iPhone while still wearing the gloves. They're also attractive-looking and warm (they're lined with fleece).

Price: $59.95 on L.L. Bean

A pair of killer cufflinks.

Nothing will make you look tougher than cufflinks made from actual bullets.

The .45 Colt Nickel Bullet Cufflinks are made from recycled (fired) bullets from a .45 Colt.

Price: $19.95 from BulletDesigns.com

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Tablets!

Any tech hound has one or two if not more.

As we head into the Holiday season, we took a look at the most important tablets that launched in 2012.

Google's Nexus 7 is our favorite tiny tablet

The only real drawback with the Nexus 7 is in its app selection. Most of them are simply blown-up smartphone apps. Other than that consideration,Google's first tablet is awesome. the 7-inch form factor means you'll be taking it around with you more than an iPad.

And don't be fooled by the low price tag–it's extremely well-built.

Price: starting at $199

Check out our review here >

Amazon's Kindle Fire HD is good if you're on a budget

If you're a media consumption hound, Amazon has your back. Take your pick from music, movies, TV shows, and books (not to mention plenty of your favorite apps), and its new 8.9-inch tablet is good to go.

Price:starting at $199

Nook HD

If you're a serious bookworm, you'll be hard-pressed to do better than the Nook HD. When we reviewed it earlier this year, it came across as one of the finest e-readers we'd ever used.

Price: starting at $199

Check out our review here >

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For a lot of employees, corporate retreats are dreaded events. And for good reason: At a bad corporate retreat, you might end up singing Kumbaya in the woods with your boss or falling backwards into the arms of a coworker to “build trust.”

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

At Oyster.com, we’ve covered some resorts that provide truly awesome settings for company getaways. The daily schedule may still be in your boss’s hands, but at least the resorts will make the probability of being able to squeeze in some fun much higher.

Best For An AIG-Style Luxury Bash

If you’re in the mood to party like it’s 2008, look no further than the St. Regis Monarch Beach in Orange County. This is the high-end hotel where AIG reportedly spent over $400,000 on an executive retreat — less than a week after the government’s $85 billion bailout of the company. (The bill included over $23,000 in spa treatments; we guess the executives had a lot of de-stressing to do after their company nearly went down the toilet.)

But hey, the times are a changin’ and 2012 has seen the return of luxury corporate retreats. So go on, celebrate the fact that your company is no longer facing imminent disaster (we hope). With a gorgeous 18-hole, ocean-view golf course, eight tennis courts, a renowned spa, an excellent business center with videoconferencing technology, and a high-tech boardroom, it’s the ideal setting for a decadent company getaway.

Best For Team Building (On a Ropes Course, of Course)

You may not be able to avoid team building exercises altogether, but if you’re going to do them, you might as well do them right. Hope Lake Lodge in the Finger Lakes region of New York is located across the road from Greek Peak adventure center, which features a team challenge ropes course specifically geared towards team building. We don’t know about you, but we think zip-lining and bungee jumping sound like more fun than falling backwards into someone’s arms.

Plus, Hope Lake Lodge has two on-site meeting rooms and operates the nearby Acropolis Conference Center, which can fit nearly 1,000 people — so holding meetings will be extremely convenient after the outdoor fun is done.

Best For Health and Wellness

Does your office have weight loss competitions and a kitchen full of Kashi? Or perhaps your company is actually in the health industry (which means your office probably has a kitchen full of Kashi, too). Well if that’s the case, the Canyon Ranch Hotel & Spa in Miami Beach is a natural choice for your corporate event. (Though we think just about any stressed-out employee can appreciate the resort’s world-renowned spa.)

Corporate retreat packages include the choice of a team building and fitness session or a private wellness workshop, as well as a healthy gourmet breakfast, lunch, and refreshments for the group. This posh, serene spot is best suited for small company events of 30 or fewer.

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This post was originally published on MoneyNing.

You look out the window of your home each night after dinner, staring across the street at your neighbors.

You long for the cars they drive, their weekly manicured lawns, and even the vacations they seem to take several times a year.

You’re not alone.

I often look out my window, too, staring at the gorgeous homes and cars wondering how they manage to pay for them.

After all, we live in the same neighborhood, our kids go to the same schools, and their salaries aren’t that much more than ours.

There are several reasons our neighbors can afford so many of the things we would love to have, but could never fathom splurging on. 

You just think they are

Your perception may be skewed. You see fancy cars in the driveway, and the trim lawns you can almost feel between your toes.

You watch work crews going in and out of the awesome remodeling projects happening inside. Yet, none of that means your neighbors are wealthier than you are.

Just because you see them as more affluent, doesn’t mean they are.

You are only able to see above the surface of their spending, meaning you have no idea what’s happening down below.

They're using excess funds for the fun stuff

While you choose to consistently save money for your kids’ education, and retirement later in life, they are spending what they believe are excess funds on their cars and homes.

They might be making the shallow choice to spend their money on what people can see, while you are spending your money on the life you want to live, both today and tomorrow.

You choose to pay for peace of mind.

It’s how your neighbors allocate their income that makes them seem richer than they are.

Their jobs come with nice perks

While your neighbors’ salaries might be slightly more than yours, it isn’t enough to justify the massive leap in spending.

However, fringe benefits can greatly widen the gap.

Perks such as cars, phones, laptops, and more can give the recipient an amazing leg up when it comes to freeing money for other pleasures.

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It's no secret that caffeine is the lifeblood of America, and companies have been quick to capitalize on the "keeping you awake" trend by infusing a host of unlikely products with the perky, if sometimes controversial, stimulant.

(See: Monster Energy, 5-Hour Energy.) From Cracker Jacks to soap to unsuspecting pairs of trousers, here is a brief list of caffeine collaborations you might not have known existed.

1. Cracker Jacks

The ballpark favorite made headlines last week when manufacturer Frito-Lay unveiled a new caffeine-infused version of the sticky-sweet snack: Cracker Jack'd.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) immediately slammed the product as a potential danger to kids, saying it exemplifies "a new craze in which manufacturers add caffeine itself or coffee to more and more varieties of food and beverages."

A company spokesman responded, saying that Cracker Jack'd won't be marketed to children and will be packaged distinctively to avoid confusion. 

2. Oatmeal

Why slurp oatmeal and coffee separately when you can get the buzz in a single product?

With such efficiency in mind, the creators of Spark instant oatmeal cram 50 mg of caffeine into every packet.

Taste critics weren't impressed: "[Its] medicinal taste seems to be concentrated in the desiccated cranberries and slimy apple slivers,"says Mason Currey at Slate. "I have to fight back the gag reflex with every spoonful."

3. Jelly beans

Caffeinated jelly beans are designed to give long-distance runners and other endurance athletes the extra jolt they need when their energy sags.

Yet the super-charged beans are still a favorite target of the CSPI, which argues that they put children, unsuspecting women, and others at risk. 

Says CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson: "How soon before we have caffeinated burgers, burritos, or breakfast cereals?"

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The areas around San Francisco and Silicon Alley is by far the most expensive place in the country to buy a home, according to Coldwell Banker's new report on home listing prices around the country.

Of the 19 most expensive markets in the U.S., 11 were in California, and four of the top five were in the San Francisco Bay Area. Los Altos took the top spot with an average listing price of $1.706 million.

For context, the average 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom home in the United States is listed at $292,152.

To come up with the list, Coldwell Banker looked at 72,000 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom properties for sale in 2,500 U.S. markets.

#20 DARIEN, CONN: The average listing price of a home is $1.056 million.

This home is on sale for $1.49 million in Darien, Conn.

Note: To compile its list of the most expensive real estate markets, Coldwell Banker looked at 72,000 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom properties for sale in 2,500 U.S. markets.

#18 MERCER ISLAND, WASH: The average listing price of a home is $1.059 million.

This home is on sale for $998,000 in Mercer Island, Wash.

Note: To compile its list of the most expensive real estate markets, Coldwell Banker looked at 72,000 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom properties for sale in 2,500 U.S. markets.

#17 ORONO, MINN: The average listing price of a home is $1.07 million.

This home is on sale for $1.07 million in Orono, Minn.

Note: To compile its list of the most expensive real estate markets, Coldwell Banker looked at 72,000 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom properties for sale in 2,500 U.S. markets.

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A beautiful home on the beach in Malibu is on sale for $11.75 million.

The house has five bedrooms and five bathrooms, and spans nearly 12,000 square feet.

The home has an impressive 81 feet of beach frontage.

Welcome to Malibu Road.

The house was built in 1990.

The view from the dining room is priceless.

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Actors’ relationships with TV jingles are sort of like that old riddle: What walks on four legs in the morning, two at noon and three at dawn? (Or maybe more like how we start in Pampers and end up in Depends.)

Lots of well-known actors wind up paying the rent at the end of their careers doing commercials (think: Orson Welles “We will sell no wine before it’s time”), but just as many, if not more, get their first big breaks doing them, too.

The good news for us is, whether it’s hawking dish soap or expounding on the wonders of Castrol motor oil, these slightly embarrassing moments are never more than a click away.

Lindsay Lohan

Her career may have fizzled in recent years, but there was a time when Lindsay Lohan appeared in just about every commercial calling for a preteen girl with freckles.

Although she initially had little success landing roles, when it came time for an audition for a Duncan Hines commercial, Lohan told her mother that she would quit acting all together if she did not get the job. Her can-do attitude proved effective, and she was hired. She eventually went on to appear in over 60 commercials, including this Jell-O spot with Bill Cosby.

John Travolta

For a brief period in the early seventies, John Travolta seemingly made a living out of singing with men in the shower.

He starred in a pair of athletic-themed commercials, one for Safeguard and the other for Band Aids, which feature his grinning self enjoying a well-deserved rinse with his teammates. BTW: the famous Band Aid tune was penned by none other than Barry Manilow.

Farrah Fawcett

Like countless other starlets, the late Farrah Fawcett was discovered when a Hollywood publicist saw her photo in a magazine and urged her to move to Los Angeles.

It would be many years before she would receive a similar call from Aaron Spelling, producer of Charlie’s Angels. In the meantime, the only work the Texas native could find was in commercials.

And boy did she do plenty, from Ultra Brite Toothpaste to this now classic Noxzema shaving cream spot with Joe Namath.

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Miami is known for its hot nights, sexy beaches, and steamy nightclubs — and now it's also known for having the most attractive people in the U.S.

Travel + Leisure recently released its list of the most and least attractive people in America as part of its annual survey of America’s Favorite Cities.

The magazine's readers voted and determined the 36 U.S. cities with the most attractive people. Most of the top cities are large metropolitan areas where residents prize fashion and culture, and many of the cities have great beaches. Miami took the number one spot with San Diego trailing right behind. 

10. The Twin Cities — Minneapolis and St. Paul — have active and intelligent residents who love to spend time outdoors, despite the cold weather.

Source: Travel + Leisure

9. Honolulu, Hawaii, has gorgeous beaches, fresh seafood, and a diverse mix of residents who relish the outdoors.

Source: Travel + Leisure

8. Savannah, Georgia, has a rich history (it was a key port during the Revolutionary War), stunning beaches, and warm, hospitable residents.

Source: Travel + Leisure

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Anthony von Mandl is the inventor of Mike’s Hard Lemonade, which has made him rich. But ask him why he created the company, and his answer is, “The winery.” More than 20 years ago, von Mandl, who grew up in Vancouver, decided to turn a hilltop in central British Columbia — part of a wine-growing region known as the Okanagan Valley — into a winery meant to last generations.

See the 7 best high-design wineries >

He named it the Mission Hill Family Estate and began looking for an architect to design buildings that would stand the test of time. Teaming up with Tom Kundig, von Mandl transformed a working winery inside a bland, factory-like structure into a destination for oenophiles and architecture-lovers alike. A massive bell tower in the center of its six large buildings (pictured above) can be seen from much of the surrounding area.

Von Mandl isn’t the only winemaker to use architecture, as much as viticulture, to give his products an edge. All over the world — from Rioja in Spain to New Zealand’s Gibbston Valley — striking design is attracting visitors to wineries that would otherwise get lost amid gorgeous wine-country scenery.

The world’s most celebrated architects have gotten into the act. Norman Foster gave Bodegas Portia in Burgos, Spain, a futuristic look; Juan Carlos Fernandez designed Cade Winery in Angwin, California, to be grand and green; and Santiago Calatrava, known for bridges and train stations, gave Bodegas Ysios in Rioja, Spain, its animated exterior. These buildings are as distinguished as their wineries’ best vintages and all well worth a visit.

More articles from Departures:

• World's Best Wine Resorts
• World's Most Bikeable Wine Regions
• A Wine Tour of Chile
• Best Starchitect-Built Theaters
• Great Golf Courses In California Wine Country

Mission Hill Family Estate, West Kelowna, British Columbia

Founder Anthony von Mandl says it took a lot of earth moving, but he got just the view he wanted from Mission Hill’s Terrace restaurant. Rows of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines seem to extend to the shores of Lake Okanagan, and the view of the restaurant, with a colonnade by architect Tom Kundig, is almost as appealing. Kundig’s buildings tend to be made of rough materials, including poured concrete, but they have the perfect proportions of Greek temples —and have won his firm, Seattle-based Olsen Kundig, countless architectural awards.

1730 Mission Hill Rd.

250-768-6448

missionhillwinery.com

Bodegas Portia, Burgos, Spain

Foster + Partners, designers of some of the sleekest buildings in the world, including Hong Kong’s Chek Lap Kok Airport and Berlin’s renovated Reichstag, gave its first winery (part of the Faustino Group) a memorable form: three leaf-like wings, dedicated to the three stages of the winemaking process, that extend from an “operations core.” A raised public gallery reaches deep into each wing, giving visitors unobstructed views of the production process. (Portia’s capacity is one million bottles a year.) The concrete and glass interior is futuristic, but the exterior surfaces of Cor-Ten (pre-rusted) steel give the building an earthy demeanor. A road leads onto the roof, where harvested grapes are delivered directly into a hopper. Daily tours include tastings.

Antigua Carretera N1

34/947-102700

bodegasportia.com

Dominus Estate, Yountville, California

The architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron are known for the Bird’s Nest stadium in Beijing, the condo building at 40 Bond Street in Manhattan and a half dozen of the world’s most beautiful museums, including the de Young in San Francisco and the Tate Modern in London. Their Dominus Estate winery, located an hour north of the Golden Gate Bridge, is a much-admired, much-photographed structure made of gabion (chunks of local basalt in steel cages), which the architects employed to exploit the randomness of nature within a well-ordered environment. It also creates stunning effects when light shines through the gaps between the hunks of stone. Dominus isn’t generally open to the public, but occasional architectural tours on weekday mornings offer hardcore buffs a chance to see the structure up close.

2570 Napa Nook Rd.

707-944-8954

dominusestate.com

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With 2012 wrapping up, investors are beginning to prepare themselves for 2013.

David Kostin, Goldman's Chief U.S. Equity Strategist, has already called for the S&P 500 to end 2013 at 1,575.

Goldman Sachs' Economics Research team led by Dominic Wilson just published their 18-page report on Top Ten Market Themes For 2013, the big stories that will dominate the markets.

Overall, the team expects global growth to pick up in the second half of the year aided by the U.S. energy boom.  Developed market economies have lots of room to grow. Emerging markets also have room to grow, but will have less flexibility as inflation risks intensify.

We distilled the report and pulled the key points and quotes.

1. "Global growth: A ‘hump’ to get over, then a clear road ahead"

Growth will be weak in early 2013 with increased fiscal restraint.  Spanish economic risks and Italian political risks will ease in the second half of the year.  And there will be "room to grow" thanks to output gaps.  Looser energy supplies will also help.

"The biggest challenge from a markets perspective is that we see risks to growth concentrated early in the year, with Q1 likely to show a step-down in growth globally."

Source: Goldman Sachs

2. "More unconventional easing in the G4"

Interest rates will stay ultra-low in the world's largest economies.  "Fed to move towards macro-based criteria; ECB to conduct private asset purchases."

"However, the most hotly debated shift currently is whether the BoJ will make a more convincing attempt at easing. ... And while we do expect incremental progress, our central case is not for a quantum leap in BoJ policy, particularly in the near term."

Source: Goldman Sachs

3. "Termites eat away at the foundations of the ‘search for yield’"

US Treasury yields will rise modestly. But investors will be driven toward corporate bonds as they look for yield.

"Increased risk that easy credit will lead to corporate re-leveraging ... [E]xcluding peripheral Europe, corporate credit quality (as measured by debt-to-earnings measures) remains good in most markets, and this should continue to support the fundamental risk profile of most credit portfolios."

Source: Goldman Sachs

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