Good Trade in Bad Times
Virkven Sargu's phone has been ringing all afternoon as anxious Singaporeans ask him to forecast when the city state's recession will end.But with a vermilion caste mark on his forehead and head-to-toe robes in white, Sargu isn't an economist or a banker ―― and his predictions aren't limited to the markets.He's a fortune-teller or, as he likes to put it, an astropalmist.
Business has been booming in recent months, with more and more people seeking his words of wisdom as they struggle with an economic downturn that the government says will leave as many as 25,000 workers out of a job by the end of this year.
“Nowadays in Singapore, so many people are worried about the economy. It was like this when the economy became sick five or so years ago,”Sargu said at his office and home in the city's Little India district, stroking a long, white beard that belies his 44 years.“They're very confused these days and I just try to tell them what to expect,”he said.Bad times have been good to Sargu, even if he's a bit hazy on the numbers.“Sometimes three appointments in an afternoon，Sometimes 10 or more appointments.”Sargu is not the only fortune-teller in Singapore to see people queuing for more arcane ways of predicting their prospects after fund managers may have failed them.
Demand is stronger in other Asian countries as well.A recent report by Thai Farmers Research showed Bangkok residents lining up to consult fortune-tellers, with nearly 81 percent of those polled saying they have visited one. The average was two readings a year since the Asian financial crisis began in 1997.
薩古先生的電話整個下午都響個不停，焦慮的新加坡人請他預測經濟蕭條什么時候才會過去。他不是經濟學家，也不是銀行家，他的預測范圍還不僅限于市場，他是一個連打扮也相當專業的算命先生！
新加坡政府呼吁國民要勒緊褲腰帶過年，年前又將有2萬5千人失業。國家經濟的困境卻使薩古先生的生意相當紅火。大約5年前東南亞經濟開始持續低迷，新加坡人變得焦慮不安和不知所措，不少人向薩古先生尋求人生指引。他說，每一個下午有大約3至10位質詢者。對金經理的建議感到失望的新加坡人，紛紛求助于象薩古先生那樣的算命先生。
其它東南亞國家在這方面的需求也相當強勁。泰國曼谷的一個調查顯示，81%的受訪者承認，他們曾光顧算命先生。
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