Global Economics

Correlations
Gross National Happiness
The World Happiness Report, published by the United Nations
Sustainable Development Solutions Network, ranks 156 nations based
on their citizens' sense of well-being, taking into aocount perceptions
of wealth, freedom, corruption, and other metrics. Denmark took the
top spot, with Nordic countries as a group scoring well. Having a strong
network of friends and loved ones affects quality of life just as much as
a big pile of money, the survey showed. Evan Applegate

Percent change in happiness score for large nations, 2007-12

Money matters more to

people in poor nations,
and mining revenue
certainly lightened the
mood in Peru. Growing
incomes and higher life
expectancies boosted
Peru's rank to 49th in
the world from 77th.

-Sadder Happier ^
Peru
South Korea
Ethiopia
Nigeria
Thaiiand
Mexico
Bangladesh
Russia
Indonesia
Brazii
China
Turi<ey
Venezueia
Philippines
Germany
Poland

Denmark defended
its title as the happiest
nation on earth.

5v

Civil unrest and an

economic collapse
contributed to Egypt's
decline to 108th place
from 55th.

Europe's depressed
economy stressed
out its citizens: Spain's
happiness reading
fell the second most
on the continent.

Sanctions hurt more

than just Iranians'
wallets, as perceptions
of social isolation and
corruption increased.
-20%

-10%

10%

20%

The components of
happiness

What matters most?

A nation's happiness score is
influenced most by social support
networks and income, but
intangibles such as freedom and
the pervasiveness of corruption
matter, too.

22% Heaithy iife

expectancy
29% Social
support

11% Personal freedom

7% Generosity
3% Perception of corruption
29% Income

M country's biggest astro-consultancy,

tripled to 90 per day on average. "People
were swearing and yelling as they lost
money," says Akshay Maradia, head of
sales and marketing. The company, set
up in 2003 by entrepreneur Hemang
Arunbhai Pandit and celebrity astrologer
Bejan Daruwalla, was named after Lord
Ganesha, the elephant-headed Hindu
god of wisdom who, Daruwalla claims,
has inspired his forecasts.
Dharmesh Girishchandra Joshi, lead
financial astrologer for GaneshaSpeaks,
uses the earth's position in relation
to the sun in calling gold prices and
Saturn's movements to predict steel
stocks. Maheshwari links the moon to
moods that can sway investor decisions.
Jupiter has power over banks, and
Mercury and Venus affect the rupee,
according to price and planetary data
he's crunched. Maheshwari expects oil
to hit $150 a barrel by August next year,
up from between $100 and $110 now.
"Fund managers used to laugh at me,
saying if crude goes to those levels, we'll
all have to go back to our villages. After
so much volatility, nobody laughs it off
anymore," he says.
GaneshaSpeaks co-founder Pandit
was a code writer at what's now
Vodafone India before venturing into
astrology. Pandit found himself well
equipped to create financial astrology
software, as he and his team adapted
astrological doctrines in old Hindu
scriptures to modern financial markets.
The company has 1,200 subscribers to
its forecasts: A three-month package
costs 5,000 rupees ($80.15).
Archit Maheshwari (no relation), a
portfolio manager for wealthy investors
at Far Asia Ventures, has consulted
withfinancialastrologers for almost
two years. "It is complementary to traditional market and technical analysis
and a component in the [trading] decision," he says. Initially a skeptic, he says
he received "spot-on" advice from his
astrologer about gold and the rupee.
Such trust keeps the astrologers
busy. "I'm constantly crunching
market and planetary data," Atul
Maheshwari says. "As planets move,
they tinker with levels of greed and
fear among investors." Bhuma
Shrivastava and Jeanette Rodrigues
The bottom line The gyrating rupee
is keeping India's sought-after financial
astrologers busy.
I Edited by Christopher Power
Businessweek.com/global-economics

GRAPHIC By BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK, DATA: UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT SOLUTIONS NETWORK

October 3, 2013