>Heard on street(Bulls & Bears)

A recent family function of the Old Fox, who was one of the highest advance taxpayers among brokers last quarter, was attended by some of the top

guns — past, present and even aspiring ones — of the stock market. Though informal get-togethers of various groups of brokers are common, it is rare that players from various camps come together and share their views about the market.

At the function, every big name in the business was asked about his Sensex forecast for December 31, 2009 and one stock or more, which would move 50%, along with its direction. As per the list available with ET, the broader consensus is that the Sensex could end at 10,000-12,000 in the said period.

The 'Rare'ing bull is believed to have assigned a target of 12,000 for the index, while one of the most successful bear traders in recent times, who shares the first name with the agricultural minister, set a target of 5,000. A flamboyant equity fund manager at a top private mutual fund, projected the Sensex at 10,000, while a co-promoter of a leading broking firm that went public in 2007 sees the index at 9,700 in December 31.

The 'silent operator', known for his huge bets in Hindalco and cement shares, forecast the index at 11,000, while the Old Fox set a target of 8,000. The more interesting part of the poll was the 'darkhorses' that were identified. The 'silent operator' named Maruti and Ranbaxy, the 'Rare'ing bull — HOEC and Lupin, the fund manager — Ranbaxy and HPCL as the stocks that could see a 50% upside. The bear trader is bullish on Bayer Crop Science, and pessimistic on real estate companies (even at these levels!!!). The Old Fox indicated his preference for gold and HPCL, and is negative on DLF.

Old Fox is RK (Radhakishan ) Damani ............ . n he is also knwn as "white n white" & was busy in the family function his daughter's marriage.... .......

'Rare'ing bull-RJ

'silent operator',-Nemish

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