Welcome to the action-packed Year of the Fire Horse! Following tradition, we temporarily step away from investment research to present our annual tongue-in-cheek Feng Shui guide for your entertainment. Gracing this year’s cover is the thrilling spectacle of Olympic showjumping, a sport of split-second changes in speed, direction and strategy that mirrors the fiery energy of the Horse year. The phrase shì rú bēn mă 勢如奔馬 - charging forward like a galloping horse - captures the essence of 2026 beautifully. Bold moves, rapid momentum and sharp turns define the energetic waves we expect to ride in the year ahead.
In the 7th Century BC, the most famous horse evaluator of his time, Bole, was ageing, and Duke Mu of Qin asked him for guidance in naming a worthy successor. Bole recommended his disciple, Jiufang Gao, who was entrusted with the task of identifying the best horse in the land. After three months, Gao returned, reporting that he had found the finest horse - a yellow mare. But when the Duke summoned the horse, it turned out to be a black stallion. Displeased, the Duke turned to Bole for answers. Bole, however, marvelled at Gao’s talent and explained that his ability to see a horse’s true nature had developed to the point where external features no longer held significance.
With the Fire Horse being predictably unpredictable, we have locked ourselves into a safe, fireproof and soundproof room with all of our prognostic tools to divine the relative movements of our favourite Earth Rooster, the Hang Seng Index.
The 2014 Wood Horse trotted forward steadily. The Hang Seng rooster mirrored its rhythm, guiding the market upward. Summer brought a spike in momentum, autumn a pause, and winter resilience ensured a modest close for the year.
In Feng Shui, the four pillars of destiny (the year, month, day and hour) comprise eight characters, hence the name bazi. Each of the pillars is described by the two cycles that have characterised Chinese ways of telling time for the past three millennia. They are the 10 heavenly stems and the 12 earthly branches. When you place those two cycles side by side, they repeat at intervals of 60, which then return you to the beginning of the sequence.
For Feng Shui purposes, the new year begins on 4 February. This is different from Chinese New Year, which strictly follows the phases of the moon. Each stem and branch is associated with one of the five elements (water, fire, metal, wood and earth) and also with either yin or yang, giving us the chart for the year. We compare this annual destiny chart against our Hang Seng Rooster's natal chart for 24 November 1969.
In Chinese philosophy, the five elements provide a basic framework to understand relationships between everything. Each year, wood, fire, earth, metal and water dance around each other, some ruling throughout, others bursting out for a month or so. We apply Feng Shui theory to the markets by assigning certain industries to each element to determine their general trajectory.
What sign are you?
How will you fare in the Year of the Fire Horse?
According to Feng Shui, four afflictions bring their menacing influences to different compass directions each year. We introduce the usual cast of characters - Tai Sui, Tsui Po, San Sha and Wu Wang - and offer advice on how you can counter these negative energies. After all, forewarned is forearmed.
The great 20th Century master of medicine and divination Yuan Shushan once wrote: ‘These days those who talk about fate only speak of yin and yang and the five elements. They do not know to also include sectors in their discussions’. This oversight is one we avoid in our Feng Shui guide by including this section, focused on property. Here we note which sectors or directions may be beneficial or harmful for specific uses and explain how best to approach them.
Sorcerer: Dr James Greenbaum
Sorcerer's apprentice: Susan Zhang
Wand bearer: Orlando Hong
Director/Editor: Yukti Vidyarthi
Translation editor: Melanie Ng
Design/Art: Lizzie Lau; Anna Lai; Elva Lau; Patrina Leung; Jon Berkeley
Web development: Paul Ngan; Timothy Wang
Video production: Luna Deng
Thanks to: Priscilla Man; Ellen Lo; Qi Qi
Producer: Liz Patterson