A solid workhorse of a year - one for the horse poets who told us, ‘The earth’s heart hears hooves… and the thunder of horses.’ And our Earth Rooster responded in kind. Finally, the horse of no regrets arrived, never looking back as the index slowly climbed throughout the year. A summer peak gave way to an autumnal rest, but a final push through the winter - horses are just so good at finding sustenance under the snow - saw the index finish modestly higher for the year.
As usual, the beginning of the horse year was spent foaling around before a modest rise through the spring. Sad to say much of the remainder of the year was spent on horseback, with all horses mostly going backward. A Parthian shot in their own hoof. The quarter-horse was drawn and quartered; you just can’t make sumpter out of numnah. The index bottomed out early in the winter before the sore-horse picked itself up, changing into a horse of a different colour and helping the index rise a little.
At the start of the year, the horse moved with its usual amble, as if it would rather be grazing on grass, wandering aimlessly, and standing unnoticed. Perhaps bridling at an unseen capitalist whip, the metallic mustang high-stepped to a summer peak before vaulting into the void and plunging in a riderless fall. A late-year recovery saw the index finish significantly above the beginning of the year - but only for those steadfast stallions who stayed the course.
The Hang Seng burst out of the gates like… wait, no, it didn’t. Perhaps it thought a gentle trot while snuggled under a blanket was the best way to see off the last of winter. But it stayed out on the track, and once the weather turned, it became the horse for the bourse. A one-horse race, the index leapt up through the finest spring in memory and by mid-summer appeared ready to transform into Pegasus and secure a position as Helios’ steed. The first stumble came in the autumn, followed by an Icarus-like dive, before stabilising at year end with a tidy profit for those in the race.
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