I think people here are seriously underestimating how prevalent superstititous beliefs are amongst business and political leaders. I suspect this is the tip of the iceberg in terms of important people making crazy decisions based on dumb shit.
Not only that but people are looking at this with a Western centric viewpoint. Fortune tellers are still very common and surprisingly trusted in a lot of East Asian counties - eg: Japan and Korea. Especially with regards to property, business and marriage. It is not really common to adhere to these traditional beliefs and superstitions still.
As an example, a friend I know changed her name because a fortune teller told her that her birth name was unlucky and would bring bad fortune to her marriage with her fiancée.
And a fortune teller in Japan is not a crazy lady with a crystal ball.