The Year of the Horse is here, and if zodiac signs were asset classes, this one would trade like a high-beta growth stock.

The Horse stands for speed, confidence and stamina. Add the Fire element, and those traits grow stronger. More ambition, deeper conviction and a sharper competitive edge. In folklore, the Fire Horse shines brightly, but it does not like being held back.

Asian markets can relate.

This is a region that moves quickly, competes hard and rarely stays still for long. When momentum builds, it builds fast. But like the Fire Horse, it can also overshoot, especially when sentiment runs hot.

The travel numbers during China’s Spring Festival tell a similar story. Authorities expect around 9.5 billion passenger trips during the 40-day travel period, up from 9.02 billion last year. Domestic flight bookings were reportedly 21% higher year-on-year heading into the holiday.

What does this mean for markets? 

Stronger travel points to healthy domestic demand and continued momentum in China’s economy. Holiday spending acts as a real-time signal of consumer confidence, with positive spillovers across Asia.

Market watchers say domestic consumption is rebounding unevenly, with luxury goods and services, such as healthcare, leisure and wellness, leading growth. They expect China’s equity markets to continue rising in 2026, though more gradually, as valuations remain reasonable and cheaper than developed markets.

Meanwhile, the AI sector is moving quickly, showing strong growth but also sudden swings, just like its zodiac counterpart.

Foreign investors pulled US$9.79 billion from Asian equities in early February amid volatility in AI-linked tech names. Yet Taiwan simultaneously revised its 2026 GDP growth forecast up to 7.7%, citing AI-driven export strength. 

China’s AI sector is also booming, with new tools and apps launching rapidly. In early 2026, Alibaba, Tencent, and ByteDance even handed out digital red packets to get users to try their AI apps, a reminder that red packets remain a powerful way to engage people.

Which brings us, naturally, to red packets themselves.

What started as modest envelopes of goodwill has grown into limited-edition designs that sometimes rival small art installations in creativity and quality. Asian Private Banker’s best red packet poll, which opened earlier this month, shows just how much this tradition has escalated. 

As in previous years, the APB newsroom saw an overwhelming response, with submissions showcasing a wide range of eye-catching designs. This year, we also received many submissions from asset managers, highlighting that even red packets can be a touchpoint for client engagement and differentiation in today’s wealth management landscape.

Many thanks to everyone who sent their red packets. We were amazed by the creativity and craftsmanship on display.

But the winner will be picked by you, our readers, so it will be exciting to see the results, which will be published this week.

Good luck!