Today is the first day of the Year of the Monkey (by China’s traditional calendar; it’s tomorrow if you follow the Tibetan one). It is a national holiday in China, so stockmarkets—prone of late to monkey-like capriciousness—are taking a rest for the week. In Beijing, sales of fireworks are reported to be sluggish, suggesting the capital’s citizens may get some rest too; ear-shattering pyrotechnics are falling a bit out of favour as concerns grow about smog and safety, as well as a slowing economy. In the 12-animal Chinese zodiac, monkeys are associated with quick-wittedness and courage. But they can also be unpredictable. Chinese astrologers note that the coming year is linked with the “element” of fire. The last fire-monkey year was 1956, the year of the Hungarian uprising and its brutal crushing by the Soviets. America has fonder memories of another: 1776, the year of its independence from Britain.