Prominent stock-market strategists, who often act as if they are paid to be bullish, actually forecast very tempered gains for next year.

Of nine analysts who already have offered their 2014 predictions, the average is an increase of 4.1 percent from Friday's close, according to Birinyi Associates, The Wall Street Journal reports.

That compares to a 29 percent jump for the Standard & Poor's 500 Index so far this year. And strategists' projections over the past 13 years have averaged a 10 percent gain.

Editor’s Note: 5 Reasons Stocks Will Collapse . . .

In some ways, the call for smaller gains next year is natural. The market has repeatedly hit record highs this year, with the S&P 500 closing at a record peak of 1,804.76 Friday. So some sort of correction seems to be in order.

In addition, future economic growth and earnings strength are question marks, and the Federal Reserve may well taper its quantitative easing within the next six months.

"It's very unlikely that next year will be a year like this," David Bianco, Deutsche Bank's chief U.S. equity strategist, told the Journal.

His target for the S&P 500 next year is 1,850, just 2.5 percent above Friday's close.

Many experts are voicing concern over the stock market's steep rise. "I am very cautious on equities today. This market could easily have a big drop," well-known investor Carl Icahn told a conference last week, Reuters reports.

"Very simplistically put, a lot of the earnings are a mirage. They are not coming because the companies are well run but because of low interest rates."

Editor’s Note: 5 Reasons Stocks Will Collapse . . .

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