The fantastic Mr Fox is on course for another famous victory. FT Money has a tradition of holding a year-end competition to forecast some key financial indicator, and easily the most distinctive competitor is a fox in the garden of the columnist Kevin Goldstein-Jackson, who gives his forecasts by consuming one of a variety of appropriately labelled pieces of chicken. (I refer not to Mr Goldstein-Jackson but to the fox.)

If the method is quirky, there’s no arguing with the results: the fox was the most accurate forecaster in 2008 and 2009 and, barring a year-end rally, the fox will win again in 2011. Such repeated success is an outstanding achievement against fields of about a dozen rivals.

Since the fox is a taciturn competitor, we cannot directly ask it for forecasting tips. A few lessons do, however, suggest themselves. The first is that extreme forecasts have an excellent chance of winning such contests because professional forecasters will huddle together for protection and the eventual outcome is rarely close to the cosy consensus.