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Feng shui masters see calmer
markets in Year of the Ox
By Susan Fenton (Wed Jan 21, 2009)
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Stock investors reeling from last year's
market mayhem may take some solace from practitioners of the ancient
Chinese art of feng shui, who predict a calmer, if subdued,
performance in the coming Chinese Year of the Ox.
"This year of the Ox is an 'earth' year, when people will take a
breather and reflect on what they should do after a turbulent 2008,"
said Hong Kong feng shui master Raymond Lo.
Practitioners of feng shui maintain the universe is made up of five
elements -- earth, water, fire, wood and metal -- that define the
collective mood in our environment.
Earth is the calmest of the elements and this year is a "yin earth"
year as well as an Ox year, symbolizing a more feminine energy, says
Lo.
The Year of the Ox, which starts on January 26, will be the most
peaceful year globally since 2000, he says, but stock investors
don't need to rush into the market yet.
"2009 will be a 'pure earth' year, which means fire will be missing
so there will not be a lot of drive to push up the stock market,"
said Lo. The economic climate will still be tough and though stock
markets might rise in the first half of this year, gains could peter
out in the second half, Lo said.
"The market should still be quite low in the second half and that
would be a good time to get in ahead of a recovery in 2010 (the Year
of the Tiger)," he said.
The global outlook will be helped by the fact that incoming U.S.
President Barack Obama was born in a "yin earth" year, like
President Abraham Lincoln. French President Nicolas Sarkozy and
Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou are also "yin earth" people.
"This is a new generation of leaders. They are more calm, humane and
charismatic," Lo said.
Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Charles Darwin, Tchaikovsky and
Sigmund Freud, were all born in "yin earth" years which symbolize
harmony and a move to a new order.
The last "yin earth" year of the Ox, in 1949, saw the birth of NATO
and the People's Republic of China.
MIXED RECORD
Vincent Koh of the Singapore Feng Shui Centre agrees that financial
markets will be subdued.
"Don't pick high-risk assets this year, be patient and don't expect
high returns," Koh said.
The global economy could start to pick up in the second half of
2009, says Koh, who sees busy merger and acquisition activity, but
adds that banks will continue to be reluctant to lend.
A report this month by Japanese research company Daiwa Institute,
however, warned that Ox years are usually disastrous for stocks and
Japan's Nikkei stock index has fallen by an average 11.4 percent in
each of the past five Years of the Ox.
Feng shui masters have a mixed record when it comes to market
predictions. Lo forecast a stock market correction a year ago but
also advised investors to put their money into property.
Prof. Charlie Chao, a leading feng shui expert in the Philippines,
was quoted in a CLSA research note a year ago as warning of a
possible global economic crisis in 2008.
But he also forecast a better performance for the Philippine stock
market. That didn't happen. Manila stocks slumped 48 percent last
year, reversing a 21 percent gain in 2007.
Chinese emperors put great faith in advice from feng shui masters as
do many business tycoons and politicians in Chinese societies today.
Apartment blocks and office buildings as well as furniture are often
positioned according to feng shui principles to generate "wealth."
Banking giant HSBC's Hong Kong headquarters was built in accordance
with feng shui guidelines and Hong Kong Disneyland changed the angle
of its main entrance after consulting a feng shui expert.
As fewer people buy property or start businesses during the economic
downturn, Michael Teo, a feng shui master at I-Ching Fengshui in
recession-hit Singapore, is seeing a drop in business.
However, sales of auspicious feng shui jade carvings, which cost
$2,000-$3,000 and are believed to bring wealth, are being snapped up
every day, he says.
Koh compares feng shui with a reliable weather forecast, saying it
can help us anticipate changes in our environment.
"We cannot stop the rain, but knowing it is going to fall we can
prevent ourselves from getting drenched," he says.
But getting wet may be a minor concern in the Year of the Ox. While
financial markets should be calmer, Koh foresees the spread of
disease and a spate of natural disasters, particularly in the
northern hemisphere, with landslides, floods and earthquakes in
store.
(Additional reporting by Kash Cheong in Singapore and Elaine Lies in
Tokyo)
(Editing by Megan Goldin)
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