'Fast Money' Recap: 2011 Predictions

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- The markets closed the year on a mixed trading day.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 7.80, or 0.07%, to 11,577.51, while the S&P 500 lost 0.24, or 0.02%, to 1,257.64. The Nasdaq was down 10.11, or 0.38%, to 2,652.87.

Brian Kelly said on CNBC's "Fast Money" TV show that 2010 turned out to be a decent year after Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke's Jackson Hole speech.

But Steve Cortes said Bernanke may face headwinds from a hawkish Federal Reserve board in 2011 and pressures to remain independent from Congress.

JJ Kinahan said the tough economic times leads him to believe the markets will struggle for the first part of the year before picking it up towards the end of the year.

Stephen Weiss was optimistic about the markets because of the liquidity generated by what he called a "global equity giveaway" and China buying bonds. He said an improved unemployment picture could help lift the markets.

Peter Boockvar, Miller Tabak equity strategist, said a better economy doesn't lead to a better market. For instance, the market has risen 90% off its March 2009 lows despite a soft economy, he said.

Peter Schiff, head of Euro Pacific Capital, said a weak dollar will continue to put upward pressure on commodity prices and interest rates. In response, the Fed can either aggressively tighten or continue to print money and unleash a great economic disaster, he said.

Schiff said commodity users haven't passed on the higher commodity prices to consumers yet, adding interest rates are starting to rise. He said the 10-year bond could rise as high as 6% by the end of 2011.

Is there a bubble ahead for the commodity markets? Weiss sees the bubble bursting sometime after the first quarter. He said commodity investors aren't taking seriously enough the slowdown in China's economy. He also said commodity prices are driven so much by speculation.

Kelly, though, said there is a lot of room to run for the soft commodities because of serious supply constraints on corn, wheat and orange juice.