The Year of the Rat could mean trouble for investors

Chinese astrologer Tony Tan made money a healthy amount of money for his clients by predicting that Asian stock markets would rise last year – during the Year of the Pig.

But watch out for the Year of the Rat, Tan says, which starts this week.

“Just like a rat, investors will have to be nimble,” said Tan, an astrologer and founder of the Harmony Academy of Chinese Metaphysics. “It’s going to be a highly competitive year.”

Despite his unorthodox investment strategy, Tan could be on to something.

Markets are already falling. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index dropped 9 percent during January, its worst monthly performance since September 2001, after a 12-percent gain last year.