The forecasts vary only in their degree of optimism.

It is in part this mushrooming of on-line retailers that has prompted experts to predict strong Internet sales growth, though the forecasts vary wildly.

And though analysts' forecasts vary, many say Morgan Grenfell's pretax earnings for this year may reach $170 million, compared with $137 million in 1986.

But in the market for oil, where forecasts for prices now vary by a factor of four, that kind of range may soon become a reality.

But because society and the economy greatly influence the progress of science, forecasts can vary widely in scope and accuracy.

There is also little possibility for error in a one-hour forecast, meaning that the RUC's one-hour forecast would not usually vary greatly from the actual state of the atmosphere at that particular point in time.

As a result, Mr. Fine said, economists' forecasts for the increase in nonfarm payrolls have varied far more widely than usual, from 115,000 to 400,000.

Next year's forecasts vary from 1.4 to 3.4 per cent.

However, forecasts vary widely.

Although the forecasts vary widely, the main research firms that track Internet retail sales are predicting double-digit percentage growth this season.