Just a month ago, Goldman's commodity analysts predicted crude oil would average $148 a barrel next year. On Sept. 16, they trimmed that forecast to $123. On Monday, they slashed it to $86 a barrel.

That's right: analysts are being paid millions of dollars and receiving tax deductions on pinstripe suits to raise estimates as prices rise and then slash them when they fall. Such analysis is truly priceless -- almost as valuable as a solar-powered flashlight or a Wiimote-powered Roomba. And keep in mind that Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) is actually probably the best firm on Wall Street.

The point is this: most of the analysts you see on networks like CNBC are just expressing their mood on that particular day.

If you're in it for the long-term, the best thing you can do is nothing -- live within your means, invest regularly, and don't pay too much attention to the news.

One way to go broke is to buy oil when the analysts says it's going to $148 and then sell it after the downgrade.

Goldman Sachs analyst estimates chase down falling oil prices originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is part of our Hottest Products of 2007 feature. Also check out our other Hottest Products of 2007 posts and let us know which product you think is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Nintendo (OTC: NTDOY)'s Wii gaming console was a non-contender -- an underdog -- this time last year. The gaming console with the funny name was set to launch with little fanfare compared to the Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE) PlayStation 3 or Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT)'s Xbox 360, launched a year earlier, but the Wii caught eyes because it was priced at only $250, compared to $600 for the PlayStation 3 and $400 for the Xbox 360. But then again, it had inferior graphics and other downgrades. My, my -- how customers didn't care about its competitors' touted features and other fluff.

Why not, you ask? The Nintendo Wii featured the most innovative and immersive gameplay, regardless of the hi-def video or audio output and inferior graphics. Nintendo figured out that consumers wanted a newer kind of gameplay -- not photo-realistic blood and guts. As an aside, they designed the initial games and many others to get game players off those duffs and onto their feet, wildly slinging those Wii-motes through the air -- swatting tennis balls, slaying dragons and driving cars. The mass, mainstream consumer loved it, and so the age of Wii was born.

Continue reading Hottest Products of 2007: Nintendo Wii sweeps gamers ON their feet

Hottest Products of 2007: Nintendo Wii sweeps gamers ON their feet originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Nov 2007 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Nintendo (NTDOY) hands out free rubber jackets for 'Wii-motes' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.