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As one year ends and another begins, the experts on Wall Street are falling all over themselves to predict the year ahead.

But are those experts really any smarter than the average person on the street? For years now we've conducted an annual experiment by getting predictions from a high-profile Wall Street economist and people like you.

Let's start with the stock market…what's going to happen in 2011?

The stock market should have another decent year in 2011. We're seeing a continuing recovery in earnings. And we're looking for about a 10 percent bump in the stock market.

I think it will be down this time next year about 8 percent.

So Wall Street says up 10%, Main Street says down 8%. Now a toughie... what's going to happen to oil?

Oil has probably gone up a little too high - we're running about 88-89 dollars right now. But I think 80-90 is where oil will hang in for the year as a whole. So basically flat or a little down from where we are now.

I think the price of oil is going to be about a hundred dollars a barrel.

And one final prediction: housing.

We're looking for home prices to dip through the Spring, but then to start moving up on a more sustained basis in the summer and fall. Still, by the end of 2011, prices are going to be about the same as they are right now.

The price of housing this year is going to go down about 4 to 5 percent.

Well, now we've got our predictions down: meet me back here next year at this time and we'll see who was smarter: Wall Street or Main Street. In the meantime, for more predictions and information, check me out right here at MoneyTalksNews.com. I'm Stacy Johnson.