Armstrong didn't disagree, predicting that in October he would set a record on the 112-mile bike course in Kona.

WSJ: Lance Armstrong Tour de France Punishment: Triathlon's Loss

Sources are also predicting a tightening of the qualifications required to set up as a child minder.

BBC: Ministers 'plan childcare change'

And over the course of four hours, my advisors presented an analysis of where the economy at that time stood, accompanied by a chilling set of charts and graphs, predicting where we might end up.

WHITEHOUSE: Job Creation and Economic Growth

To help spot factory or commercial goods sellers, which Etsy calls "resellers, " it uses a software program called SCRAM, which can identify problem sellers by predicting the rate and sequence by which they set up their shops.

WSJ: Busted by the Crafts Cops

Analyst Meredith Whitney is predicting 80, 000 people in the financial services sector are set to lose their jobs.

FORBES: Three Weeks That Will Rock Wall Street

Oil exports, which now produce 70% of state revenue, are set to decline as reserves dwindle, with some experts predicting they may run out as soon as 2012.

ECONOMIST: The big surprise is that this was a real live election

For example, if someone is known to be good at predicting outcomes, then investors ought to be able to use those predictions to set odds and bet accordingly.

FORBES: Is 'Uncertainty' Over? Will Business Invest?

"At the moment predicting monthly house price figures is a little like predicting the weather and it would be foolhardy to talk about a recovery based on one set of data, " said Ashley Brown, director of mortgage broker Moneysprite.

BBC: UK house prices 'up 2.6% in May'