The Year of the Rooster
2005-02-09 10:27
Hong Kong - British Prime Minister Tony Blair consults a feng shui expert to pick the date for the General Election, scrapes home with a narrow majority and makes a pact with finance minister Gordon Brown to step down halfway through his third term.
His marriage to Cherie comes under strain and she is not seen with him for a large part of the year. Despite his domestic turmoil, Blair makes some progress towards forging peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
George W Bush will see more trouble bogging down his troops in Iraq and will watch the US dollar slide to new lows, while he struggles to cope with turmoil in his own administration.
In the Far East, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il kidnaps a film director and hires The King and I star Chow Yun Fat to star as an Asian James Bond, using real tanks and nuclear weapons in the filming of the movie.
The movie bankrupts him but US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice encourages him to rebuild North Korea's economy by opening to tourists, offering special package holidays for visitors who want to see how nuclear weapons are made.
Meanwhile, China's Olympic gold medalist diver Guo Jing Jing sets up a hugely successful matchmaking agency with her ex-boyfriend and fellow Athens Olympics medalist Tian Liang.
Athletes from across China sign up for the match-making agency which attracts more than 100 000 members in its first year and expands to the US, where Guo finds a partner in Chinese basketball star Yao Ming.
The Year of the Rooster
These are just some of the predictions for the Year of the Rooster contained in an light-hearted annual "Feng Shui Index" produced by Hong Kong-based brokerage house CLSA in consultation with the territory's top Feng Shui masters.
For the Year of the Monkey, which began last January and ended Tuesday, the annual index correctly predicted George W Bush's election victory and a cooling of China's overheating economy at the edict of its leaders.
In the first half of the Year of the Rooster, the index predicts Bush will replace at least one top-level official, will see the US's ability to call on allies weaken and will face more setbacks in Iraq that undermine the credibility of leaders in both Washington and London.
In Russia, the report says, Vladimir Putin's grip on power will tighten but his relationship with the West and particularly with the US will improve because of common ground in the war against terrorism.
Terrorism looms
Terrorism will be a feature of the Year of the Rooster, with the report warning of major accidents and attacks and cautioning: "People will have to remain wary of attempts by terrorists to strike again."
Economically, Japan's recovery will gain strength while countries and territories with exposure to the West, such as Singapore, Korea and Taiwan, will see slower growth. India and Indonesia will see higher growth but will be troubled by sectarian and religious tensions.
China will continue to grow at "a robust pace and amaze the skeptics" but in the political area, reshuffling of the leadership is likely, either at the central level or in the provinces.
Overall, though, Chinas lucky run will continue, the report predicts, in stark contrast to the West which it says is in the throes of a 20-year decline.
While the US dollar continues to slide to as low as 1.5 to the euro, the report says, China's booming economy will "continue to sail smoothly from the Rooster Year to at least 2008 when China will host the Olympic Games in Beijing".
Global stock markets will be volatile in the first six months of the year but will soar to multi-year highs in most markets in the second half of the year, the report says.
Investors are advised to keep their money in Asian equities "even the ride is somewhat choppy in the early part of the year".
CLSA research analyst Chris Zee said: "Fire, gold and earth are the key elements for the Year of the Rooster, posing a roller-coaster ride in the first six months as fire will dominate during this period.
"Fire will be positive for telecoms, technologies and utilities sectors during a volatile first half but gold and earth will lead the second half of 2005 to bloom."
Zee added that the Year of the Rooster would bring "special fortune to the property, finance, manufacturing and textiles and garment sectors".
CLSA has produced its annual Feng Shui Index for the past 14 years and claims to have achieved a "considerable degree of accuracy" with its sometimes tongue-in-cheek predictions. - Sapa-dpa
- SAPA