Chinese fortunes for the Year of the Rabbit

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      Each year has different luck according to the I Ching, and the Year of the Rabbit is one in which obstacles come up frequently—certainly not a year for taking risks, as there are many who wish to sabotage you and a lack of those who will help.

      This is a year in which the yin (dark) dominates and the yang (light) is obscured. The approach this year is to be patient, assess the situation properly, and then take action. Facing the challenges this year can serve to sharpen and train your adaptability in managing difficult situations and better prepare you for future obstacles.

      Because this is a year of sabotage, there will be a lot of gossip, unrest, strikes, and conflicts. Fire hazards, explosions, and serious traffic accidents can also be anticipated. People will tend to be lazy and try to earn quick money. Love and sexual relations are a greater cause for losses. Competition tends to be fierce and profit margins low. There will be many who do not have jobs, while at the same time there will be jobs that aren’t filled, making for a very awkward year.

      In 2011, though Canada will be expected to have a better economy than the neighbouring United States, we will be directly affected. Don’t be too optimistic, since Canada relies heavily on primary resources exported to the U.S., so if its economy suffers, Canada will not do much better. Despite some experts forecasting a three- to four-percent growth in GDP, I personally feel that it will be 2.3 to 2.5 percent at best. Gold has risen to a very high value and will remain high but with large fluctuations, making the export of precious metals less favourable.

      Because Canada is more conservative in its financial and economic policies compared with the U.S., the effects of the recession are relatively less. The regional differences in economy and finance will tend to vary for Canada in 2011. Business and financial activity in B.C. will be less compared with the eastern provinces, and Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario will fare better in economic growth. Retail, export, and distribution will do well, particularly for metals such as copper and gold. In central Canada, commodities such as farmed products, crude oil, and natural gas will do well, leading to estimated growth of 3 to 3.2 percent. However, B.C. will only have an estimated economic growth of 2 to 2.3 percent.

      Inflation will tend to be low for Canada in 2011, estimated at two percent. The unemployment rate, on the other hand, will remain high at approximately 8.7 percent. Exports and manufacturing will start to recover, particularly in telecommunications, high tech, electronics, metals, crude oil, and mining. However, automobile manufacturing, insurance, robotics, and forestry will not see much change for the better. The domestic economy—particularly for retail, food, and banking—will be relatively stable. The Canadian dollar will continue to be strong and may even have a chance to reach US$1.10. Interest rates will remain low, but may experience an increase of 0.25 to 0.5 percent.

      As I have predicted since 2008, real-estate prices continued to increase through 2009 and 2010. However, at the beginning of 2011, there will be some correction of not more than 10 percent. After May, construction and real estate will slowly have healthy growth, particularly in Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, and Saskatchewan, estimated at seven to nine percent, less for B.C., at four to five percent. There will be fewer transactions, particularly for the west side of Vancouver, partly because there are high prices to begin with, but also due to sellers not decreasing prices; therefore, there will be a four-to-five-percent decline in sales. Conversely, Vancouver’s East Side, Surrey, and Richmond will have more activity, with a four-to-five-percent increase in sales. Realistically, the real-estate market in B.C. is beyond the economic capability of the average person, whose wages are unable to match up. Because of the immigration of affluent people to Greater Vancouver, there will always be people buying, maintaining the high real-estate values. As a result, a correction of even eight percent is significant.

      The TSX will have an eight-percent increase, but because the stock market is very unstable, with large fluctuations this year, it is not a good place to invest. This is particularly the case with copper and gold, where on one hand enormous sums of money can be made, and then overnight a person can suffer great financial loss. Rather, consider investing in bonds and the Canadian dollar.

      As for federal politics, if there is an election this summer, the Conservatives have a chance at being elected a majority government. In B.C., the New Democratic Party has a good chance at the provincial leadership if there is an election, but regardless of who is in power the HST is here to stay. Even though the GST has decreased two percent since Stephen Harper became prime minister in 2006, all other taxes have gone up, making life very difficult and burdened for Canadians.

      Though there will be natural disasters, the Year of the Rabbit will be better than previous years. However, it will continue to be cold, with record low temperatures, so winter preparation is a must. Avalanches, large-scale traffic accidents, forest fires, and fire hazards in the home are a greater concern this year. Safety will be worse this year, with organized crime and youth violence being more serious and prevalent. Fraud, home invasions, and drug-use will continue to increase.

      Overall, it won’t be a bad year, and life is what we make of it. If we accept the year as it is and continue to work hard, avoid greed, be ethical, and proceed with good, meticulous plans, this could even be a year of good alongside the bad and mediocre. Grasping the right opportunities in the changing Year of the Rabbit, we even have a chance to finish ahead.

       

      For extensive individual Chinese-zodiac predictions, visit Sherman’s website at www.shermantai.com. He can be reached at 604-278-8381 or sherman@shermantai.com. Straight Stars will return next week.

      Comments

      19 Comments

      mondayjane

      Feb 3, 2011 at 5:02am

      "Overall it won't be a bad year"? It certainly doesn't sound like a GOOD year according to this article. Could Mr. Tai not have explained the flipside to all this negative positing?

      Laurel

      Feb 3, 2011 at 8:55am

      Well that sucks

      4-tuned-out

      Feb 3, 2011 at 12:07pm

      I dread reading Mr Tai's 'fortune telling' each year. It's difficult to take it seriously (...and can't say it's entertainment after reading this year's column). Can't the Georgia Straight find someone else to do the Chinese New Year Fortune column?

      whatever!

      Feb 3, 2011 at 12:42pm

      Jeeez. That is not what I was looking for at all. What kind of prediction is that?? Not only does it sound completely miserable,but it has no personal edge for people. Just one long drawn out, and boring, statement for everyone? Ya, that sucks!

      Seriously...

      Feb 3, 2011 at 3:13pm

      So you want someone to write a fortune that'll tell you everything's going to be peachy.

      Mary

      Feb 3, 2011 at 4:42pm

      I agree it was pretty boring.

      I, Robocop

      Feb 3, 2011 at 7:17pm

      I looooove how the line "people will tend to be lazy and try to earn quick money" prefaces the 3/4 of the article that's a stock market and real estate prediction. If this was intentional irony, bravo. But also: not a fortune so much as a fact of life.

      To the author: writing a fortune doesn't give you carte blanche to reinvent the present - please leave your gut feelings about taxes and crime at home, or at least do some fact checking.

      All non-GST taxes have not gone up under Harper - here's the first counter-example I found, and I'm sure that there's others: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/01/27/budget2009-main.html

      Home invasions will not "continue to increase" because they have actually been declining for the last decade (see the residential B&E numbers in: http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/police_services/publications/#police_crime_stats). Fraud rates have been pretty steady.

      With these shining examples of your ability to interpret the present, i have absolutely no faith in your ability to predict the future.

      The real chinese fortune for the year of the rabbit is: this is gonna be the best year of our lives, man! Life is what you make of it. Turn lemons in to lemonade. Be excellent to each other.

      Dang Wabbit

      Feb 3, 2011 at 11:04pm

      Sounds more like reading a summary from a mutual fund agm meeting. He must have copied and pasted a report from this years copy and put a chinese new years label on it.

      Lily River

      Feb 4, 2011 at 7:07am

      Be present to the friendly modesty of Rabbit energy. Be kind to each other, socially ethical, sensual, loving. All the stuff in this prediction continues in our downward spiral as stupid humans...

      as i-robocop says "this is gonna be the best year of our lives, man! Life is what you make of it. Turn lemons in to lemonade. Be excellent to each other."

      Fiona

      Feb 4, 2011 at 9:08am

      I'd like to see Lasha's predictions for this week, as usual, ... please!