Feng shui and economics in the Year of the Dragon

This is the year of Jia Chen, with Jia referring to the element Wood and Chen (dragon) to the element Earth.

The dragon zodiac sign. Photo by Pixabya

Among the five elements, Wood overcomes Earth, and so there may be many conflicts this year.

On Business Today, Ken Koh, a Singaporean feng shui master, warned tensions in the Middle East could escalate in the Year of the Dragon.

But the situation would later calm down and optimism would return, and the world would have brighter prospects starting from the third quarter.

Raymond Lo, a feng shui expert in Hong Kong, said Fire, an element symbolizing happiness and optimism, dominated in the years from 2013 to 2017.

Then Water, which symbolizes negative energy and fear, appeared, posing challenges such as the US-China trade war and the global Covid-19 pandemic.

The Year of the Tiger, 2022, brought Wood. Wood generates Fire, which helped the tourism and entertainment industries recover somewhat in many countries after the two gloomy years.

But 2022 was not peaceful due to the aggressive nature of the Water Tiger, and sparked off the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

In 2023 Fire was still completely absent.

In the Year of the Dragon, because the Dragon is considered a symbol of art, industries such as entertainment and beauty and culture-related businesses will flourish.

But economic recovery will only truly occur when the element of Fire returns in 2025, the Year of the Snake.

This year, since Metal overcomes Wood, will bring prosperity to related industries such as banking, technology, auto, machinery, and cosmetics.

The next beneficiaries will be industries related to Wood, like media, fashion, environment, herbs, and some others.

Industries related to Fire, such as restaurants, entertainment, finance, and energy will do reasonably well without becoming too prosperous.

Industries related to Water, like transportation, and to Earth, such as real estate, mining and insurance, will also face challenges.

On South China Morning Post, feng shui experts said the year of the Dragon always attracts attention, because it is the only animal among the dozen in the zodiac not existing in reality.

The Year of the Dragon is often associated with activities and reactions.

So experts have advised everyone to always be ready for an unpredictable and volatile year.

Since Wood symbolizes intelligence, the year could be beneficial to science and technology.

Breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and robotics are expected this year.

On ABS-CBN, Marites Allen, a Philippine feng shui expert, said 2024 would be "a very interesting year" because it kicks off a new 20-year feng shui cycle.

She said this year’s lucky color is green and to pass the Year of the Dragon smoothly, everyone should maintain positive thinking every day.

Besides, this year would see many big changes globally as countries hold elections, she said.

She advised people to be cautious with personal finances, adding cash always has value and investment decisions should be considered carefully.