Year 2006, also known as the “firedog” year according to Chinese astrology, has many goodies in store for fire-related businesses such as the oil and gas and technology industries and many “changes” for metal-related industries like banking, said Feng Shui master Joey Yap.

The year 2006 would generally be a good year for fire-related industries as they are coherent with the element that is assumed by the year, he said when launching his latest book entitled “Feng Shui and Astrology for 2006” in Kuala Lumpur last week.

He said fire-related oil and gas as well as technology industries would perform well when the fire element is strong at certain times of the year.

He cautioned that the fire would extinguish as the year entered autumn in July.

“When the fire is strong, it affects metal. Metal represents banking and financial sectors.
“Because fire is an external force that moulds and shapes metal, we would know that the rules, policy and working environment would change for a lot of financial companies,” he explained.

The “firedog” year would affect non-fire-related sectors, such as the newspaper and construction industries, differently, Yap said.

“Newspaper, which is water- and wood-related, is just as affected by the quality of fire. If the fire burns the wood, you'd find the intensity in rivalry and competition,” he said.

While many changes could be expected for the earth-related construction sector, these changes need not necessarily lead to improvement in the business, he said.

Yap said overseas expansion would favour businesses such as restaurants and the medical sector. He, however, would not comment on the stock market.

Yap is the founder and chief executive officer of the Mastery Academy of Chinese Metaphysics, a global institution for the study of classical Feng Shui and other Chinese metaphysic subjects.