Dato' Joey Yap

BEARISH oil prices, economic turbulence, ringgit depreciation and negative news from around the world have cast a shadow on 2016. However, Chinese metaphysics consultant Dato’ Joey Yap sees a silver lining behind the gloominess.

During an interview with TheEdgeProperty.com following the end of his presentation at his Feng Shui and Astrology Seminar 2016 in Kuala Lumpur last Sunday, Yap said the Year of the Fire Monkey will see the Fire element being dominant this year. Chinese astrology is divided into Wuxing or the five elements — metal, wood, water, fire and earth, with each element having its own strengths.

According to Yap, the overall outlook for Malaysia is optimistic as the country will continue to see positive growth. “Overall, I would give a B+ to 2016, as there are strong elements which support the country,” he said.

However, it will remain a challenging year for the country as there may be a crisis looming in the horizon. However, Yap said the crisis could be resolved with the unity of Malaysians.

He added that there are indications of some problems or accidents related to transportation which will make the headlines this year.

“The water element hidden underneath is strong, so it might be a tsunami alert while the strong fire element indicates strong winds, which could mean a typhoon or wind-related disaster,” he explained.

Malaysia has strong metal elements but the element will clash with the dominant fire element and wood element this year —  signalling conflict and disputes as well as a possible “explosion” incident.

A strong fire element also represents competition and people may have difficulty controlling their temper and there will be explosive behaviours, which trigger disputes.

The metal element clashing with the dominant fire element will affect industries related to the metal element including the financial and banking sectors, automotive and manufacturing segments, and legal as well as military professions.

Meanwhile, the earth element is the weakest this year. Industries related to the earth element will see slow growth in the year of the Fire Monkey, including the property, construction, insurance, mining and escrow services sectors.

Assets instead of cash

The first six months of this year may see the ringgit depreciate to RM5 against the US dollar, predicted Yap. Due to the ringgit’s depreciation, many developers have diversified their portfolio to the overseas market. Yap sees this as a smart move as this could help them cushion the currency volatility.

Yap, himself a property investor, also gave some pointers on property investing this year.

“In general, I would say north and south are the ‘most wanted’ directions as the places in these two directions — Penang and Johor — are booming. Although the Johor market has slowed, it’s still a good place to look at in the long-run,” he remarked.

Despite the slowdown in the property sector, Yap suggested that 2016 will be a good year for buying a house for one’s own stay or for long-term investment.

“In general, a lot of [property] players are slowing down their development pace. If you are a true investor, now is a good time to buy properties as people may be desperate to sell. But do keep in mind, it’s for long-term investment — it is not a good time for speculation,” he said.

Furthermore, from the Chinese astrology perspective, as the metal element clashes with the fire element, the ringgit’s (metal element) value will depreciate further. So, “instead of keeping the cash in the bank, it’s better to accumulate assets”, he added.

Fengshui & Astrology seminar

Klang Valley property market outlook

From the feng shui perspective, Kuala Lumpur’s Mont’Kiara and Bangsar, and Semenyih in Selangor are showing good signs of growth.

“There are some good stars in the Mont’Kiara area, I don’t think it’s running out of steam yet as an investment hotspot,” Yap explained.

He noted that for those looking to buy a property for their own stay, Bangsar is another good choice. “The mountain dragon is in good long lasting position, offering good Feng Shui to residents there. However, in terms of capital appreciation, it might be slower as there is no growth star in that area,” he said.

In feng shui, mountains and water are two important elements as they represent Yin and Yang — elements to consider when choosing properties. Feng Shui is a metaphysical science where one learns to recognise and tap the Qi (cosmic energies) of the living environment to benefit an individual’s life.

Semenyih is a good location, especially after the opening of a new highway, said Yap. “The highway has improved the accessibility to Semenyih. From the Feng Shui perspective, it has also opened a way for ‘water’ to pass by that area, linking wealth to Semenyih,” he said.

He also saw good feng shui in Kuala Lumpur’s Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI), Damansara Heights, Bukit Tunku, Seputeh and Kota Damansara in Selangor. But he noticed that the strength in the KLCC area and Damansara Perdana area in Petaling Jaya has weakened.

“TTDI has one of the oldest (mountain) dragons, however, its power has weakened as many roads have been built in the area — breaking the neck of the dragon — the growth momentum is still there but the pace is slowing. Overall, TTDI is still a good place,” he explained.

He added that popular places such as Kota Damansara, Damansara Heights, Bukit Tunku and Seputeh are still great as the mountain in these places are still intact, offering good feng shui to those residing in these areas.

Joey Yap

Signs of recovery in 2018

Despite the negative news and sentiments whirling around suggesting that Malaysia’s economy may dive this year owing to the weak ringgit and poor commodity prices, Yap is confident that the economy will remain intact. “Growth may be slower with a lot of challenges ahead but it definitely will not hit bottom,” he said.

“We will have some challenges economically and politically, but Malaysia is located in a good area. As long as people are united and the business community wants to continue to grow, things will improve in the long run,” he explained.

On the property market, he said signs of a rebound will only appear by end-2017 (Rooster year) as the earth element will dominate in 2018. He expects another property boom then.

“Currently, although the earth element is weak, the growth momentum did not disappear. Property prices might dip a little but it will not be a sharp decline,” he said.

Joey Yap

Seeking guidance from Chinese metaphysics

When times are bad, more people will become interested in Chinese metaphysics to provide them with better insights into their destiny, observed Yap.

Interestingly, during the Q&A session at the seminar, a number of questions were related to changing career paths or starting of businesses. Some of them came from those in the banking and oil and gas industries (metal and fire element). Yap said the weakening of the metal element would have some impact on its related industries. Employees in these industries may be affected, hence their concern and need to seek advice from Chinese metaphysics.

However, he clarified that Chinese metaphysics is not fortune telling. “We call it destiny analysis, providing options through a method of systematic analysis,” he explained.

“A better year starts with better decisions, but it’s not easy to make good decisions as they depend on available options or choices; the question is how to determine which is the best choice or option. What destiny analysis does is to give you an insight into those choices,” he explained.

A private person

STARTING his metaphysic consultation career as a 20-year old, Dato’ Joey Yap has gained international popularity over the years. He is famous for his “Joey Yap style” of modern feng shui interpretation, teaching the destiny analysis in a scientific and a relatively simple way.

Yap had never expected to become famous or be the icon for feng shui.

“I didn’t go out seeking fame. When I started the company, my main objective was to disseminate the information of destiny analysis and to offer people consultation services to solve their problems,” said the 39-year-old Chinese Metaphysics expert during an interview with TheEdgeProperty.com after his Feng Shui and Astrology seminar 2016 in Kuala Lumpur on Jan 10.

Fame and popularity came along following an opportunity to appear on TV shows in Australia and Malaysia to share his thoughts on feng shui and after being invited to hold his own feng shui seminars.

“I think I’m very much a private person, I enjoy writing and compiling technical information for my books, and I enjoy thinking. Normally, I will start work around 11pm to 1am, as I am most creative during ‘rat’ hours (11pm to 1am in Chinese metaphysics),” he remarked.

Joey Yap

Being a father of a pair of twin daughters, Yap is trying to squeeze in more family time despite his busy schedule. He will be flying to Singapore — the next stop in his global tour tomorrow (this Saturday). The Joey Yap’s Feng Shui and Astrology 2016 global tour covers 11 cities, including New York, Jakarta, Manila, Vancouver, Melbourne and Ho Chi Minh City.

In order to spend more time with his family, he plans to move his training platform online via live webcasts to provide training to his students all over the world.

“Webcast is something new that I am trying to implement so I can have more time with my family. As times change, we have to do things to follow the trend and not in conventional ways. Through online training, I can reach the whole world,” he explained.

Yap is the chief consultant of the Joey Yap Consulting Group and founder of the Mastery Academy of Chinese Metaphysics. Yap contributes a regular Feng Shui column in The Edge Property and provides Feng Shui advice on TheEdgeProperty.com. – By Tan Ai Leng

GO FOR THE LONG-TERM INVESTMENT

IF there is one piece of advice to follow in 2016, it is to take the long-term view when it comes to property investment.

Chinese Metaphysics consultant Dato’ Joey Yap said there will be many opportunities in the property market in 2016 but they should be long-term investments for better returns.

Yap told participants at Joey Yap's Feng Shui & Astrology 2016 seminar held in Kuala Lumpur over the weekend that the Malaysian ringgit is expected to depreciate further because this year belongs to the fire element, which would clash with industries of the metal element such as the currency market.

“The ringgit will depreciate further, and the value of the money you have in the bank will decrease,” he said, which means: “It is better to buy property now as it is a buyers’ market. However, do not buy for flipping.”

The Qi flow this year favours properties located in the East, South, Southeast and Southwest parts of Kuala Lumpur, he said.

“Also, investors should invest in properties with strong brand names and have flawless reputations.”

Meanwhile, the 2016 feng shui stars are located in the north west, west, east and south east.

The seminars in Kuala Lumpur were held over two days, with the one on Jan 9 in Cantonese followed by the seminar in English on Jan 10. Each seminar attracted more than 3,000 people. The Edge Property and TheEdgeProperty.com are the media partners for the seminar in Malaysia.

Yap shared his analysis of the economy and various industry outlooks for 2016 from the perspective of feng shui and astrology. During the Q&A sessions, most participants asked about property investments as well as the viability of starting new businesses in the new year.

An administration executive who only wants to be known as Joyce, had attended the annual seminar before. She said she wanted to get a brief outlook for 2016 based on her BaZi. “I get to know my strengths and weaknesses, and what I should focus and improve on. I will have higher self-awareness over things around me,” the 38-year-old said.

Meanwhile, 80-year-old property investor Allan Chu said feng shui helps him in his personal and family life. “I believe that feng shui has power, and I will check the feng shui aspects for many things so that I know what I can be aware of. feng shui also takes care of my health, and that’s why I live long,” he quipped.

According to the chinese Solar calendar, Feb 4 is the start of the transitional year of the Fire Monkey. Yap noted that the property and construction industries, which are represented by the earth element, may see robust earnings but slower growth in 2016.

This prediction is based on the weaker earth element this year. Industries belonging to this element may not perform as well as others. Other sectors under the earth element include insurance, mining and escrow industries which may face conflict and shortages.

“Sectors that consist of the earth industries have a strong wealth element, indicating that these sectors may have robust earnings but are not able to fully take advantage of their annual financial prospects. This could be due to the lack of the right products or opportunities,” Yap explained.

Industries of the fire element, such as energy, oil and gas, aviation, media, food & hospitality, pharmaceutical, electronics and telecommunications, will see greater competition, and cashflow problems. Wood industries such as agriculture, education, timber and commodities will be bearish and face conflict such as legal matters as well as excessive rainfall.

Metal industries, which include automobile and manufacturing, legal, military and financial and banking, will see competition and conflict although there will be collaboration and positive financial outcomes. Water industries, such as tourism, beverage, aquatics, service and logistics & transportation, will be competitive but with opportunities as well.

Other partners for the event included UEM Sunrise Bhd and Eco World International Bhd. – By Racheal Lee

THE Feng Shui and Astrology seminars in Kuala Lumpur are part of a global tour by Dato’ Joey Yap that kicked off in London in October. It will cover 11 cities, including New York, Singapore, Jakarta, Manila, Vancouver, Melbourne and Ho Chi Minh City. The next stop of its Malaysian leg is on Jan 24 at Penang Equatorial Hotel.

The Edge Property and TheEdgeProperty.com are giving its readers a chance to win free tickets to the Penang seminar. To participate, CLICK HERE.

Click here to check out our Q&A page with Dato' Joey Yap. Above is a screenshot of the page.

Interested in property investments in Old Klang Road after reading this article? Click here to check out the properties there.

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