2019-2020 Feng Shui and its implications on the Covid-19 Global Pandemic (Part 2)

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In my last post, I blogged about 2019 Feng Shui and the significant events which took place in 2019. The novel coronavirus first surfaced in human circulation in Feng Shui year 2019 in Wuhan, China. So, we shall start looking at 2019 Feng Shui and move on to 2020 Feng Shui. As mentioned in my previous post, the key stars in analyzing  the Feng Shui of any year are the Ruling Stars, Tai Sui Star (太岁) and Sui Po Star (岁破). Readers who are not familiar with the Tai Sui or Sui Po Stars should refer my last post.

	Period Ruling Star	Annual Ruling Star	Annual Star No 2	Annual Star No 7	Tai Sui	Sui Po
2019	8 (centre)	8 (centre)	North-east	South-east	North-west	South-east
2020	8 (centre)	7 (centre)	South	Centre (Ruling)	North	South

As we can see from the table above, in 2019, both the Period and Annual Ruling Stars are Star No 8 (i.e. both stars resided in the centre). It follows that both the Annual Star No 2 and Period Star No 2 (not shown in the table) also resided in the same location (in this case, North-east). 

As Star No 2 represents sickness and loneliness among other things, the coronavirus first emerged in a prominent Northeastern country like China. This is the powerful effect of a double Star No 2 converging on Northeast! 

In 2019, the Tai Sui Star resided in North-west and as Feng Shui Year 2019 neared its end and Feng Shui Year 2020 beckoned, the Star approached the North and the corresponding Sui Po Star moved to the South. Meanwhile, the Annual Star No 2 moved from North-east to South (see table above). Thus, in 2020, the South is where Annual Star No 2 and Sui Po Star both reside. In any given year, the Sui Po location is considered highly inauspicious and in 2020, the inauspicious effects of Star No 2 will be magnified by the presence of the Sui Po Star. 

The novel coronavirus first surfaced in Feng Shui year 2019 and as we enter into 2020, the coronavirus started to spread to other parts of the world.  This is the result of the strength of inauspicious Star No 2 being magnified by the Sui Po Star. Star No 2 represents sickness and loneliness among other things. Hence apart from causing a health epidemic, social distancing and quarantine measures implemented in most countries also resulted in more people becoming lonely. Marriages are also being postponed in the current global pandemic. 

As the South is an inauspicious location in 2020 and the corresponding Element for South is "Fire", most industries represented by the "Fire" Element are likely to suffer bad fortunes. The energy, petrochemical, food & beverage and cinema theatres industries, all belonging to the "Fire" Element, are among the worst hit industries in this economic climate.

In our body, the eyes and heart belong to the "Fire" Element. It is now widely accepted that the novel coronavirus transmits through the eyes quite readily and any viral entry via the eyes usually result in a more severe form of disease. Many coronavirus patients also die of heart failure either directly or indirectly caused by the disease.

In the opposite North Sector resides the Tai Sui Star. The Tai Sui Star is a powerful star in Feng Shui. The Element of the North Sector is "Water" any industries belonging to the "Water" Element will experience a significant change in fortunes - for good or for bad. Industries belonging to the "Water" Element includes the transportation, cruise ships, beverages, insurance, entertainment (bars, discos, casinos, etc), among others.  Most of these industries have suffered a big downturn in fortunes, in particular the airline industry. On the flip side, food delivery service industry have witnessed a big upturn in fortunes, proving that the effect of the Tai Sui Star can be positive. The only certain aspect of this Star is that it will greatly magnify any Feng Shui effects.  It is worth mentioning that cruiseships seem to be constantly associated with coronavirus infection cases in the early months of Feng Shui Year 2020. Cruiseships travelling along the North-South direction this year are likely to face big adversities. In Feng Shui,  it is considered highly inauspicious to face or travel towards the Sector where the Tai Sui Star resides (太岁可坐，不可向)。If any cruiseship is plying along the North-South route, it is likely that the ship will be travelling towards the Tai Sui Star in its departure or return journey.

In 2020, Star No 7 made its way to the centre, i.e. it is the Annual Ruling Star this year. Hence, the effect of Star No 7 will also  be felt quite strongly this year. Star No 7 represents violence, mouth, politics, robbery, telecommunication, military and police force, among other things.

The political mongering between U.S. and China has continued into this year, with each country blaming the other for igniting the coronavirus health epidemic. More noticeably, the prevalence of mask-wearing (口罩) is a clear manifestation of Star No 7. The mask-wearing started during the last Feng Shui Year in Wuhan and this year, it has become widespread in most parts of the world. Even the U.S. which previously shunned the use of masks have started to enforce the wearing of masks in certain states.

The orthodox view on the transmission mode for the novel coronavirus has been challenged. When the coronavirus first emerged in China, health authorities around the world, particularly the World Health Organization (WHO) posited the traditional view that the coronavirus is only spread through respiratory droplets from coughing and sneezing. Now that we are several months into this global coronavirus pandemic, several authorities have taken a wider viewpoint on the possible coronavirus transmission modes. Of note, it is now acknowledged that the coronavirus can be transmitted through droplets released when a person talks. In our human body, Star No 7 also represents the lungs (besides the mouth) and it is no wonder that many  Covid-19 patients experience shortness of breath or even suffer lung damage.

The coronavirus health epidemic has also been a boon to the telecommunication industries. In particular, online classes and video conferencing are becoming the norms. Data centre investments are also becoming attractive to investors.

On the flip side, the alleged abusive use of force by the U.S. police personnel on the Blacks has triggered much anger throughout the black community. Again, this is a manifestation of the Star No 7. The negative aspect of this Star is apparent here, showing why this Star is regarded as inauspicious in Feng Shui.

Having analyzed the Feng Shui of 2020 and its implications on the coronavirus health epidemic so far this year, I will take a look at the Feng Shui for the remaining months of Year 2020 in my next post based on the monthly Feng Shui Stars. 

2019-2020 Feng Shui and its implication on the Covid-19 Global Pandemic (Part1)

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The Covid-19 disease first broke out in Wuhan, China in late 2019 and continued to cause mayhem throughout the world in 2020. The high infection and death rates of the coronavirus have caused huge concern for authorities throughout the world. On hindsight, a feng shui enthusiast like me could (and should) have seen it coming. Can flying star feng shui explain its sudden emergence in late 2019?

	Annual Ruling Star	Star No 2	Star No 7	Tai Sui	Sui Po
2019	8	North-east	South-east	North-west	South-east
2020	7	South	Centre-Ruling	North	South

For the year 2019, apart from the emergence of the novel coronavirus, China also suffered one of the worst swine flu in its modern history. As for the novel coronavirus, some scientists suggested that it might have surfaced as early as November 2019 and became widespread in January 2020. From the Feng Shui point of view, this is also not a surprise. In Feng Shui, any new year always begins in February. Thus, late 2019 and January 2020 marks the transition from Feng Shui year 2019 to Feng Shui Year 2020. During the transition period, the annual flying stars of 2019 still rules but the effects of  the flying stars of 2020 are gradually being felt.


Before I discuss the implications of this transition on the coronavirus spread in 2020 (in my next blog post), I will like to digress here in this blog post to talk about another Feng Shui aspect of 2019. In 2019, the Tai Sui Star resided in the North-west Sector and the corresponding opposite sector is the South-east Sector. Therefore, in 2019, the Sui Po is in the South-east Sector. The Annual Ruling Star of 2019 is Star No 8.

In Flying Star Feng Shui, the Annual Ruling Star as well as the Tai Sui and Sui Po positions are the most important considerations. Thus, in 2019, the North-west and South-east Sectors are important sectors. Star No 7 resided in South-east Sector while Star No 9 resided in North-west Sector. Star No 7 symbolizes politics,  police and army officials, war and violence among other things and Star No 9 symbolizes fire among other things.  The Annual Ruling Star of 2019 is Star No 8 which symbolizes matters relating to earth and north-east. Thus, in 2019, matters relating to war, violence, fire and earth are expected to be very prominent.

Looking back on 2019, several significant events took place to validate these Feng Shui expectations. First, the trade war between U.S. and China (the most prominent country in the northeastern world as symbolized by Star No 8). was at its most intense. At the heart of the trade war lies in the agricultural trade purchases  from China (also symbolized by "Earth" Star No 8) as well as the intellectual property rights (as symbolized by the Fire element in Star No 9) dispute between the two countries. In the most intense weeks of the trade war, the Chinese government even talked up threats of curbing rare earth exports to U.S. (also symbolized by Star No 8) as one of the retaliatory measures in its arsenal.

Violence also reared its ugly head in 2019. The suicide killing of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi who blew himself and his children up with a bomb is one of these  violent events. Hong Kong, normally one of the safest cities in the world, witnessed its longest and most violent political clashes between the pro-democracy groups and the city-state police. There were calls for independent inquiry into the use of violence by the police forces. For a Feng Shui enthusiast, it is no coicidence Hong Kong (a Chinese city) is involved since the Ruling Annual Star is Star No 8 which represents the North-east Sector. 

Indonesia, a Southeast Asia country, also witnessed a violent political situation in the aftermath of a presidential election. It is the most violent presidential election ever in its history.  In particular, the province of Papua witnessed the most violence. Like in Hong Kong, there were outcries against the abusive use of force by the police. As explained above, in Flying Star Feng Shui, the Southeast Sector is where Star No 7 is located in 2019. Thus, it is no surprise to see violent events taking place in a southeast country like Indonesia last year.  

In late 2019, U.S. President Donald Trump also has to overcome an impeachment charges pressed against by him by the Democrats. Before he can successfully overcome the impeachment charge, he ordered a drone strike which killed General Qasem Soleimani of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, among other victims. From Feng Shui point of view, these events are manifestations of Star No 7. 

It is noticeable that 2019 was not an auspicious year for uniformed personnels like the police or army generals. From Feng Shui point of view, these groups of people are symbolized by Star No 7 and in 2019, this star resided in Southeast Sector where Sui Po is. Any sector where Sui Po is located is considered inauspicious.

In 2019, the "Fire" element is also quite prominent as the Star No 9, which symbolizes fire, resided in the Northwest Sector where Tai Sui was located. The strike on the Saudi Arabia's refinery plants was one of the most significant events in 2019 which is clearly of the "Fire" element. The killings of the ISIS leader and the Iranian General also involved the use of bombs - another object of "Fire" element. Likewise, the crash of Ethiopian Airlines plane in March and of a Russian Aerofot plane in May after an emergency landing also involves an explosion or outburst of fire. In retaliation for the killing of its army general, Iran also mistakenly shot down an Ukrainian plane.

For several months in the first half of 2019, haze caused by forest fires engulfed much of Southeast Asia countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. In the second half of 2019 till early 2020,  Australia has its worst forest fires in its history in 2019. Australia is another country located in South-eastern part of the world. 

Finally, late 2019 also witnessed the emergence of the novel coronavirus "SARS-CoV-2" in China. Why did the novel coronavirus, surface in China in 2019? Why did the coronavirus have high infection and death rates? As always, as I will discuss in my next post, Feng Shui has all the answers - on hindsight. 

Feng Shui and Stock Market 2015

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Feng Shui and Stock Market 2015 is a sequel to Feng Shui and Stock Market 2014 but unlike the latter, discussion will be limited to the Feng Shui impact on stock markets. With regard to other asset classes, please refer to Feng Shui Investing 2015.

Stock markets started the year 2015 on a bright note. European and Japanese stock markets were buoyed by the quantitative easing by their respective central banks. US stock market continued to make new highs despite concerns of a Fed rate hike in September. Meanwhile, the China stock market was the star performer with Shanghai Index climbing above 5000. Investors can refer to Feng Shui and China Stock Market 2015 for a detailed discussion.

From Feng Shui point of view, this should be an average year for stocks. This year is characterized by the Wood element with 2015 being a Wood Goat year and the annual flying star being Star No 3 which is of wood element. Thus, industries belonging to this element (publishing, education, music, timber, etc) should outperform. Nevertheless, the Goat is of the Earth element and therefore, industries belonging to the Earth element (property, cement, etc)  should also perform well. The Metal and Fire elements are subdued this year and therefore industries such as mining, auto, finance, etc (Metal) and energy, petrochemical, F&B, solar, etc (Fire) will have average prospects. The Water element is diminished by the strong Wood and destroyed by Earth, thus industries such as shipping, shipyard, water treatment, etc.

Relative Performance of Major Stock Markets in 2015

 

In 1H 2015, the U.S. markets continued to register new highs, while the Japanese and Indian stock markets continued its strong performance. Most European stock markets performed well too, until the Greek crisis came along, bringing down these markets. Meanwhile, China stock market was the star performer with the Shanghai Composite Index achieving more than 100% return prior to the recent correction.  A full discussion on the China stock market can be found in my blog. Here, the discussion is on the other major stock markets.

At the beginning of the year, most investors were bullish on Europe on the basis on Quantitative Easing (QE) by the European Central Bank (ECB).  However, the buoyant sentiment in these stock markets have since been dampened significantly. First, the  re-emergence of the Ukraine-Russia conflict since the ceasefire agreement put in place in February has investors worried about the potential spillover from the conflict.  Second, the Greek crisis has taken a turn for the worse, with a bailout deal looking increasingly more difficult.  My view on the Greek crisis is that a Greece exit from the Eurozone (Grexit) is unlikely even if Greece fails to agree on the bailout terms with the creditors. The stock markets' fallout on Monday following the announcement of a referendum by the Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, is an indication that investors will not take kindly on any possibility of a Grexit.

The Greek Crisis 2015

In my Feng Shui and Stock Market Forecast 2014, I mentioned that any break-up of the European blog is highly unlikely as the 2014 flying stars in the Northern Europe symbolizes "temporary union".  In 2015, the flyig star combination has turned into an inauspicious 4-8 combination. This combination has the Wood element of Star No 4 destroying the Earth element of Star No 8 and a conflict is inevitable. Interestingly, Star No 4 represents "Eldest daughter" (or Older Woman) while Star No 8 represents "Youngest Son" (or Younger Man) among other symbolism.  The heart of the Greek is a dominant Merkel (Older Woman) imposing austerity measures on Alexis Tsipras (Younger Man), justifying the presence of a 4-8 star combination from Feng Shui point of view.

In 2015, the Southern Europe and Middle East regions are influenced the 3-8 star combination. This combination also has Wood destroying Earth characteristics but this combination has a resulting Wood element, further weakening the Earth element in this region. Annual Star No 3 is also a "quarrelsome" star - no wonder the dispute Greece and its creditors are hard to resolve amicably. Its noteworthy that the dispute worsened during the months of May and June when the monthly flying stars are Star No 2 and Star No 1.  Both stars form an inauspicious combination with the Annual Star No 3 which symbolizes quarrels and dispute.

Greece is geographically located within the Southern and Southeastern part of European blog. The flying stars in these directions also contain the inauspicious Star No 7 which represents political turmoil among other symbolism.  Peace and union is unlikely under these conditions. That leaves the monthly flying stars as possible saviour.

 

Monthly Stock Market Forecast -2H 2015

The influence of the monthly flying stars on the major stock markets are as follows:

July

The U.S. stock market will be positively influenced by the monthly Star No 1. Star No 1 interacts positively with the annual Star No 4.  Moreover, Period Star No 9 interacts with Annual Star No 4 to form Metal. This Metal element also reacts well with the Water element of Star No 1. Overall, this should be a good month for U.S. stocks though the star combination does not symbolize wealth.

It is also important to consider the impact from the Greek crisis on U.S.  There are also some favourable star combinations here.  In the central region, the monthly flying star is No 9. The Fire element of this star helps to diminish the Wood element of the "quarrelsome" Star No 3.  So the Greek crisis will take some relief here.

In the Northern region, the monthly flying star is the inauspicious Star No 5. However, the Earth element of this star will enhance the effects of the auspicious annual Star No 8.  There will be some wealth effect but it will also be accompanied by obstacles and misfortune.  Overall, the Greek crisis will improve in this month. It is possible that this crisis will be resolved this month albeit temporarily.

If the Greek crisis is resolved, this should be a good month for the U.S. and European stock markets.

The China stock market is, however, likely to underperform this month due to the presence of inauspicious flying Star No 3, which symbolizes loss of wealth.  The Japanese stock market is likely to experience underperformance as well.

August

This month should augur well for the U.S. stock market as well.  The monthly Star No 9 form an auspicious Metal combination with the annual Star No 4. However, the positive effects are reduced by Fire element of the Period Star No 9. The destruction of Metal by Fire is detrimental to financial wealth.

In Europe, the flying star combination influencing its fortunes are 3-8 and 8-4. Both combinations involve a Wood destroying Earth scenario. If the Greek crisis is not resolved or only temporarily pushed nack in July, this month could see a re-emergence of the same problem.

Elsewhere, China, Japan and possibly South Korea stock markets could have a strong rally/rebound. Star No 2 is an illness star but its Earth element should enhance the Metal element of the annual Star No 6. Some financial wealth will be created. The MERs crisis in South Korea could worsen if this is not contained in July.

September

September is likely to be a better month for the U.S. stock market than August due to the presence of the auspicious Star No 8. This star will clash with the annual Star No 4 and strengthen the Metal element of original Star No 6.  Overall, it is slightly positive for U.S. stocks. However, this could be overshadowed by the sinister stars visiting Europe.

In Europe, the Greek crisis, if not resolved in July, could take a turn for the worse as this month sees the inauspicious Star No 7 interacting with annual Star No 3 as well a Star No 3 interacting with annual Star No 8. Both are "troublesome" stars and the combination usually signals loss of wealth, political turmoil, robbery, etc. Perhaps the pending elections in Spain and Portugal in the coming months could cause some nasty media headlines to surface which potentially cause concern for investors.

In China, the 6-1 star combination is favourable and provided global stock markets do not see a massive sell down, the stock market is likely to benefit from the auspicious Feng Shui but its performance might not match that in August.

October

October is month notorious for steep market declines. This year, inauspicious Star No 7 will visit U.S. and interact negatively with the annual Star No 4.  This is likely to the most difficult month for the U.S. stock market in 2H2015.

European stock markets are likely to be dragged down by the U.S. stock markets. However, the monthly stars visiting Europe this month are more auspicious - Star No 6 (which clash with annual Star No 3) and Star No 2 (which will enhance annual Star No 8).

The China stock market will underperform this month as the Fire element of visiting monthly Star No 9 destroys the metal element of annual star.

November

This month should be a better month for the U.S. stock markets.  Star No 6 will visit U.S. and U.S. stock markets tend to perform well in the presence of this auspicious star.

European stocks are likely to underperform the other stock markets as the visiting stars are Star No 1 interacting with annual Star No 8 and Star No 5 interacting with Star No 3.

China stock markets are likely to attract more investors' interest and enjoy another up leg due to the auspicious Star No 8 enhancing the metal element of annual Star No 6.

December

The final month is inauspicious for the U.S. stock markets as the monthly visiting star is Star No 5. This will clash with the annual Star No 4. As such, U.S. stocks are unlikely to enjoy an uplift.

The fortunes of the European stock markets are mixed. Star No 4 enhances the the adverse effects of  of annual Star No 3 but Star No 9 will also enhance the positive effects of annual Star No 8.

Feng Shui and China Stock Market 2015

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Good Feng Shui year for Chinese Stocks in 2015

2015 has proven to be a good Feng Shui year for China stock market so far.  Despite the recent sharp correction, the Shanghai Composite Index has registered more than 100% return so far in 2015.  Why has Chinese equities performed so well this year?  Ever since the steep slow down in the economy a few years ago, the Chinese government has been trying to revive the sentiment in the stock market to steer investment away from the overheated property market  as a mean to provide a much needed wealth effect to boost consumption as well as giving over-leveraged corporates to issue stock to deleverage their balance sheets.  These efforts have been in vain till the recent run up in stocks which began in late 2014.  It seems that the timing of this hugely impressive run-up in the stock market coincides with the auspicious flying stars which visit China in 2015!

Based on Flying Star Feng Shui, the annual flying star which visits the Northeast (where China is located on World Map) in 2015 is the metal star No 6. This star is a wealth star and the metallic element symbolizes wealth in the financial sector. This is in sharp contrast to the year 2014 when the flying star which visited China is the inauspicious Star No 7 which symbolizes political dispute, robbery, violence, and legal entanglement.  Please see my post on Feng Shui and Stock Market Forecast 2014.

Based on the Bagua (Pa kua), the original residing star in Northeast is Star No 8 of the Earth element which is the most auspicious star in this Period. Moreover, the period flying star in Northeast is Star No 2, also of the Earth element.

Based on the Five Element Interaction theory, Earth produces or enhances Metal. The Earth elements of Star No 2 and No 8 will enhance the auspicious metallic element of Star No 6, boosting the financial wealth effect brought on by this star in 2015.  No wonder China stock markets performed so well early this year!

Feng Shui on Reminbi's inclusion into SDR, MSCI Index, and AIIB

Three financial events related to China this year are worth mentioning here. First, the Chinese government has been lobbying hard to get China stocks included in the MSCI indices (so far they have only been  included in FTSE indices). Second, they are also trying to get into their Renminbi currency to be included into the IMF's Special Drawing Rights (SDR) basket. Both efforts have so far been in vain. The third push is to propose the launch of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Fund (AIIB). Their success in luring several western countries to join the programme has boosted its international standing in the financial and economic arena.

The strong push by the Chinese government to boost its status in the financial (investment) arena should not surprise any investors who are familiar with the Flying Star School of Feng Shui. The annual flying star No 6 symbolizes financial wealth and status. In 2015, this star visits the Northeast.

The follow up question now is: will China succeed in having its currency included into SDR and will their stocks be included into MSCI indices? Both are difficult questions to answer and there are so many factors influencing its outcome. But suffice to say, China is enjoying the Feng Shui tailwind on their back. If they are going to be successful, then the months of August , September and November will be crucial from the Feng Shui point of view.

In August, the monthly flying star that will come into play is Star No 2. This star is of the Earth element which will enhance the metallic element of the financial Star No 6.

In September, Star No 1 comes into play and the combination of Star No 1 and No 6   is an auspicious combination symbolizes financial achievement or status. Thus, September is probably the best month for China's twin push for its currency and stocks.

In November,Star No 8 comes into play and the Earth element of highly auspicious star will further enhance Star No 6.

Nothing will happen in July, and October and December are unlikely as well.  But January 2016 is also a possibility as the monthly flying star is also Star No 6, forming 6-6 combination, highly auspicious for financial pursuits.

Investors should await exciting events to unfold in 2H 2015!

CLSA Feng Shui Stock Market 2014 Review

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The 2014 CLSA Feng Shui report is finally out.  The report has a few sections but two sections are of particular interest to me and other investors alike - the monthly Feng Shui forecast on the stock market (Hang Seng Index) and the Feng Shui influence on each of the sectors in 2014.

The CLSA Feng Shui report makes a bullish forecast for 2014 in general.  The Year of Horse is likely to kick off with a strong showing in February.  In March and April, markets are likely to remain range-bound before enjoying another strong uptrend in May.  According to the report, the month of May is where the bull is likely to be as strong as February, if not stronger.

I am not surprised that the report was bullish on the Hong Kong stock market for the months of February and May.  February is not only the start of new Lunar Year but is also marked by a combination of Flying Stars in the Northeast which embodies wealth creation.  In my earlier post on Feng Shui and Stock Market Forecast 2014 - Timing Stock Market Correction in 2014, I mentioned that the most auspicious months for the U.S. stock market in 1H2014 are March and May.  April is average at best while February and June are vulnerable months where US stock market might experience a correction.

The CLSA Feng Shui forecast is slightly different from mine, which is not surprising since the methods on which our forecast are based are different.  Moreover, while my forecast (and focus) is on the US stock market, the CLSA Feng Shui forecast is made on the Hong Kong stock market.

Personally, I am more bullish on global stock markets for the month of March than CLSA Feng Shui forecast suggests.  As regard to February, while the flying star combination residing in Northeast (where Hong Kong is located) symbolises wealth-creation, the flying star combination in Northwest (where U.S. is located) is not auspicious. Therefore, I remain guarded on on the prospects in February.  A correction on the US stock markets will not be good for the Hong Kong stock market - thus my caution for the month of February.  Having said that, I am not downright bearish for the month of February because it is after all the start of a new lunar year - a year which is marked by more auspicious than inauspicious stars.

 May - Strongest month for global markets?

One forecast which we both seem to agree on is for the month of May.  From Feng Shui point of view, it is not difficult to be bullish for the month.  Virtually all the stars in the different sectors form an auspicious combination.  In particular, the Northwest sector will see Star No 4 visiting which forms a Metal combination with Period Star No 9.  The resulting Metal will reduce the negative effect of Annual Earth Star No 5 and further strengthen the inherent Metal element of Northwest sector.   As for the Northeast sector, the month of May will also have wealth Star No 6 visiting.  The only negative aspect is that the monthly Star No 6 will clash with Annual Star No 7.  However, this combination, inauspicious as it is, will only strengthen the Metal element in that sector and when combined with the Earth elements present in the Northeast will produce more wealth.  May is likely to see some heightened political conflict involving the two Korean nations or China and Japan. Despite the negative news flows on the geopolitical front, stock markets are likely to ride a wall of worry on a firm and strong uptrend.

Fed to pause tapering in April's FOMC meeting?

       

May is typically a tricky month for stock markets in general.  The "Sell in May and go away" mantra is not without historical evidence. Nonetheless, for 2014, May is likely to be a good month (best in 1H2014).  What might cause the strong rally in May is anybody's guess.  If I were to make a guess, it is likely to be a pause in the tapering of bond purchases by the Fed in their FOMC meeting on 29-30April.  This should provide a positive uplift to the global stock markets.  Another possibility is an interest rate cut by the China Central Bank or a stimulus measure undertaken by the chinese government in response to the economic slow down.  Typically, January and April tend to be tricky months for the China stock market in the past as investors anticipate a rate hike just days prior to the Lunar New Year or before the long summer holiday in China begins in May.  (Central bankers like to hike rates before a long holiday or weekend to soften the impact of the rate hike on financial markets).  If global economy slows down in tandem or stock markets undergo a nasty correction in April, it is possible that the governments or central banks "get together" to stimulate the global economy again.

Bullish on Plantation, Soft Commodities and Technology

The CLSA Feng Shui team is bullish on sectors such as plantation, soft commodities, techonology, transport and retail and bearish on sectors such as resources and property.  I agreed with most of their bullish views and their bearish view on property.  As for resources, I am more bullish because of the confluence of the auspicious flying stars in the metal mining regions such as South Africa, Mexico and Peru. I understand where their bearishness on the sector comes though - this is a strong Fire year and Fire destroys Metal.  But I will be happy to stick with my view because I also believe that the recovery in the global economy will spur more demand for the industrial metals.

I personally think that plantation and soft commodities will perform well this year but I am not sure about retail or technology. Though I agreed that this year favours sectors which are associated with Wood and Fire, these two sectors have performed rather strongly in the last two years. I would rather choose energy sector particularly, natural gas-related， renewable energy-related and LED sectors. In my opinion, they offer better value and more upside to investors in 2014.


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Feng Shui and Stock Market Forecast 2014 - Timing Stock Market Correction in 2014

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In my post on Feng Shui and Stock Market Forecast 2014, I have made my forecast on the asset class and stock market which will likely to be the outperformers in 2014 and in my post on Feng Shui and Stock Market Forecast 2014 - Part II, I made my forecast on the various industries/sectors which are likely to be outperformers in 2014.  In this post, I focused on the timing of a market correction in the US stock market in 2014.

At the time of writing, almost all investors are wondering when the big correction in the US stock market will arrive.  It has been more than a year since the Dow or S&P 500 has seen a correction of 10% or more.  Here, I shall use the monthly Flying Stars in an attempt to assess the likelihood of the US market having a correction in the first half of this year. 

January looks like a safe month for the market. The monthly Star No 1 forms an auspicious combination with annual Flying Star No 6 in Northwest.  In February, the annual 2014 Flying Star starts to kick in, and Northwest sees annual Flying Star No 5 combining with monthly Flying Star No 9.  As this is an inauspicious combination, there is a good chance of a stock market correction during this month.

March, April and May look like safe months for the US stock market and a major correction in either of these months is unlikely.  The star combinations of 5-8 and 5-6 in March and May respectively signify that the stock market is likely to do really well during these two months.  In April, the Metal Element of Monthly Star No 7 will also reduce the negative Earth influence of Annual Star No 5.  April is not a good month but a major correction during the month is not probable too.

In June, the double 5-5 star combination comes into play.  This combination is rather inauspicious and it is likely that a major correction will take place this month.  In July, the star combination is 5-4 which is also an inauspicious combination.  But monthly Star No 4 combines with Period Star No 9 to form a Metal combination which reduces the negative influence of Annual Star No 5 and enhances the Metal Element of the Northwest sector.  Thus, any correction in June is unlikely to last into July.

To summarize, February and June look like bad months for the US stock market. March and May are probably the best months.  A major correction in US stock market is unlikely to last long as the negative months are followed immediately by auspicious months.

Looking from the lens of a financial investor, the appointment of the dovish Janet Yellen is bullish for the global stock markets. The new Fed Chairwoman will chair the first Fed meeting in March. Should there be a meaningful correction in the US stock market in the February, it is likely that the new Fed Chairwoman would put a pause in the tapering of bond purchases or give a positive forward guidance to pause the tapering in the coming months.  If markets do not correct in February, non-farm payrolls might disappoint again after coming in way below consensus in December. Either way, the period from March-May looks like a good one for the US markets.  

Conclusion: 2014 promises to be another good year for global stock markets in general.  Though the US market is likely to underperform other stock markets, the probability of a major crash is unlikely, especially in the first half of the year!

Update: Compare my monthly stock market forecast with CLSA Feng Shui Stock Market 2014 Review.

PS: If you like my article, I will greatly appreciate if you could FB like, G+1 or share it.  Thanks. :)

SMRT's Feng Shui Woes

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In recent years, the two major transport companies in Singapore, Comfort Delgro and SMRT, experienced a series of trains and buses' breakdown which provoke the ire of many Singaporean commuters.  They could not understand why despite the constant fare increase which are purportedly meant to improve the train and bus services, the breakdowns keep on happening.

What most Singaporeans don't realize is that of the two companies, SMRT has much more train breakdowns than Comfort Delgro.  Granted, their networks (North-South line and East-West line)  are much older and thus more susceptible to break downs caused by wear and tear.  However, problems also plagued their Circle Line which come into operation only two years ago.

Besides frequent train breakdowns, SMRT also has to contend with a strike by its Chinese workers and a fatal bus accident along Dairy Farm Road, among other highly-publicized woes.  The company came under a lot of pressure from the public and in early 2012, its CEO, Ms Saw Phaik Hwa, resigned from the company.

 

Feng Shui of SMRT's Headquarters' address

 

To understand its problems from Feng Shui perspective, one has to study the Feng Shui of its office headquarters. I have no information on that since I do not work in SMRT or have friends who work there.  However, going by the address of its office headquarters, we can do a simple analysis of the Feng Shui of its office headquarters. In Feng Shui, every number has a Feng Shui effect and can be associated with a Star number (or Gua number).  From my experience, these effects are usually secondary to the Feng Shui of the unit itself.  Nonetheless, the influence is still there and since this is the only information I have with regard to the Feng Shui of SMRT's headquarters, I shall base my entire analysis on these numbers.
 

The address of SMRT's office headquarters is 251 North Bridge Road, S179102.  A simple analysis of this address does not spell good for the Feng Shui of SMRT.  First of all, the unit number 251 is not a particularly auspicious number for a transport company.  Numbers 2 and 5 are the most inauspicious numbers in Flying Star Feng Shui and Number 1 stands for transport. Numbers 2 and 5 are also associated with the Earth Element which destroys the Water Element of Number 1.  Moreover, the direction North is also symbolised by Star No 1.  Therefore, one would interpret that the transport company is being destroyed by notorious numbers 2 and 5 which represent mishap, illness, death, accidents, obstacles, etc.

 

Period and Annual Stars

 

A more thorough application of Flying Star Feng Shui also has to take into account the effects of the Period and Annual stars. And here, we can see that these stars (particularly the Annual stars) are also highly inauspicious. To apply the Period and Annual Star analysis, we need to first convert the numbers in the address into Feng Shui Gua Numbers.

 

In Period 8, Gua number 8 is represented by Number 1, Gua number 9 represented by Number 2, and so on (please see table below).  Zero is irrelevant and thus ignored.

 

Gua No	8	9	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	…	1	…	6	…	6
Number	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	…	102	…	179	….	251

   

We can see from the above table that number 251 belongs to Gua number 6 in the current period. If we break down the postal code 179102 into 179 and 102, the corresponding Gua numbers are 6 and 1.

So the Period Gua numbers derived from the address are 6-6-1. These are auspicious numbers especially fitting for transport companies. No surprise that SMRT, a major transport company will have an address which has these Gua numbers.

 

Inauspicious Annual Stars

 

So if the Gua numbers are auspicious, why does SMRT experience such difficult times from 2011-2013? The answer to this lies in the annual flying stars that reside in the numbers from the address.

 

In 2011, the Annual Ruling Star is No 7 which means that 6-6-1 will be transformed into 5-5-9.  Gua number 5 is a highly inauspicious number and when combined with the Fire Element of Gua Number 9, its negative influence is enhanced.

 

In 2012, the associated numbers are 4-4-8 which, though not highly inauspicious, are not a particularly auspicious combination as well.

 

In 2013, the associated numbers are 3-3-7, a combination which often brings political dispute, strike, demonstration, stress, etc.

 

It is noteworthy that the strikes by SMRT's Chinese drivers took place in Nov 2012 but the news continued to steal the headlines well into mid-2013 when the star numbers 3-3-7 dominated.

 

Fatal bus accident by Bus 700A

 

In July 2013, an accident involving SMRT bus no 700A took place along Dairy Farm road.  A 19-year old male passenger was killed in the accident.  Why did the accident take place and why did it involves bus number 700A?

Let's take the first digit from the bus number 7 and ignore the zeros.  In 2013, the Gua number associated with it is number 2 while the Gua number associated with the letter A is number 5.  For those familiar with Flying Star Feng Shui, this combination of 2-5 is probably the most inauspicious and deadly of all combinations, often symbolises death by accident or illness.  Notice that the accident involves Bus no 700A and not Bus no 700 because the former has a Gua number 5 associated with it, forming the deadly combination of 2-5.   

As I mentioned above, the above Feng Shui analysis only took into account the Feng Shui implications of SMRT's office headquarters' address.  I believe that a thorough review of the Feng Shui of its office premises will shed even more light on the reasons for its recent problems.  If anyone has information on the details of SMRT's office premises (facing direction of main entrance, location of main entrance, age of building, etc), I will like to hear from you.
 

 PS: If you like my article, I will greatly appreciate if you could FB like, G+1 or share it.  Thanks. :)