• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
LeadershipFortune 2017 Crystal Ball

Fortune’s Year-End Predictions: What We Got Right (and Wrong) in 2016

Matthew Heimer
By
Matthew Heimer
Matthew Heimer
Executive Editor, Features
Down Arrow Button Icon
Matthew Heimer
By
Matthew Heimer
Matthew Heimer
Executive Editor, Features
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 17, 2016, 12:00 PM ET
President-elect Donald Trump listens as President Barack Obama talks to the media in the Oval Office Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016.
Photograph by Jabin Botsford—The Washington Post via Getty Images

The staff of Fortune recently assembled its predictions for 2017. Here’s one of our forecasts.

On target: We predicted correctly that slow growth and caution about the political climate would mean the Fed would raise rates only once in the past 12 months. We called an ongoing real estate boom (some would say bubble) in China. We predicted that new en­dorse­ment deals would put Serena Williams atop the female athlete earnings list. And we read the political tea leaves to predict that Sen. Tim Kaine would become Hillary Clinton’s running mate.

In the ballpark: We warned that an email hack linked to foreign intelligence agencies would make news. (Hello, John Podesta.) And we predicted that hoverboards would be a hot item—roughly 3 million have been sold in the U.S.—but we missed that many would be so hot they’d catch fire.

Off the mark: Ask us about the “Rubio/Haley 2016” T-shirts gathering dust in our garage. Like most of the media, we didn’t see Trumpism coming. We were also overoptimistic about tech, predicting a 22% surge for Apple shares (instead they fell) and a breakthrough in nuclear fusion. (Still a Star Wars–only technology, alas.) 

About the Author
Matthew Heimer
By Matthew HeimerExecutive Editor, Features
Instagram iconTwitter icon

Matt Heimer oversees Fortune's longform storytelling in digital and print and is the editorial coordinator of Fortune magazine. He is also a co-chair of the Fortune Global Forum and the lead editor of Fortune's annual Change the World list.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.