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MMA COMMENTS FOR WEEK BEGINNING April 14, 2008
Raymond A. Merriman ©

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Last week’s report stated, “This week could be a little bit wild, especially since Jupiter alone represents the principle of exaggeration. A quick 200-400 point down day in the DJIA is within the realm of possibility sometime this week.” On Friday, just one day after the important Sun-Jupiter square, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 256 points. Count that as another score for Financial Astrology, based on the studies reported in “The Ultimate Book on Stock Market Timing, Volume 3: Geocosmic Correlations top Trading Cycles.”

For the week, many of the world’s stock indices posted their high of the week last Monday, and then spent the rest of the week selling off. The sell-off was slow at first, but then gathered momentum as the week came to an end. Most indices were down for the week, with exceptions in some Asian markers, like the Hang Sang and India’s NIFTY.

In the study of Financial Astrology Neptune and Jupiter have rulership over Crude Oil. On Wednesday, one day before the Sun-Jupiter square, Crude Oil posted yet another new all-time high, reaching 112.21/barrel. It didn’t sell off much, though, from there. But I continue to look for this market to top out no later than May 2008, followed by a 50-90% decline over the next 1-3 years. Is that a given? No, of course not. It’s based on the projection of a single astrological principle, namely the 7-year transit of Uranus entering the last one-third of the zodiac sign known as Pisces. My observation has been that when Uranus transits through the middle third of a sign, the sectors ruling that sign end of “bubble,” and are followed by 50-90% declines before Uranus leaves that sign. The last instance was Uranus in Aquarius, 1995-2003. Both Uranus (the planet) and Aquarius (the sign) rule technology. The NASDAQ Composite, which is comprised of many technology companies, soared to its all-time high of over 5000 in March 2000. By October 2002, this index was testing the 1000 mark, a loss of nearly 80%.

In other financial and commodity markets, the Euro currency made yet another new all-time high against the U.S. Dollar on Thursday’s Sun-Jupiter square. And the price of Corn also surged to another new all-time one day earlier.

Short-Term Geocosmics

There are no major geocosmic signatures in effect this coming week that have a high correlation to reversals in financial markets. But there are slew of such signatures arising the following week. This means one of two things: either the move down that started last week will continue into the following week, or the move down ended Friday and the market will start another rally immediately this week, and continue rising into the following week.

Of interest to Financial Astrologers will be the Full Moon of April 20 as the Sun enters Taurus. At the same time, heliocentric Venus enters the first sign of Aries. Each of these ingresses heralds a change of trend in many financial markets, probably starting the following week. Thus this week is nevertheless important, because it will give us a clue as to what to expect the following week. Of importance then will be the T-square between Venus, Mars, and Jupiter. Remember: whenever there are aspects involving a combination of Mars, Jupiter and/or Uranus, the potential for big range days is higher than usual. In this case, two of those three planets will be in a powerful T-square formation in cardinal signs. Maybe that is the time when the U.S. Treasury starts sending out those $600 and $1200 tax rebate checks, and the American public goes on the “impulse spending” spree that officials hope will stimulate the economy. These kinds of quick fixes may be beneficial to an ailing economy in the short-run, but with a disciplined savings approach, recipients of the government’s largess are likely to spend not only that money, but more, because they will feel falsely empowered. Once the benefits wear off, don’t be surprised if the individual debt condition is worsened, not bettered. The effect of such a stimulus spending package is likely akin to giving free drinks to alcoholics. They won’t stop spending once they start. Right now, people are worried about their future and the economy, and they are pulling in their over-spending habits. This stimulus package will likely change all that for many people, and for all the wrong reasons. I am basing this assessment on the future transits coming up, involving the powerful T-square of Saturn-Uranus-Pluto, starting in November 2008—just about the time it will take to spend all this fresh infusion of cash, plus more.

Longer-Term Thoughts

Your know current economic conditions are worrisome when the former heads of the Federal Reserve Board start criticizing what the current Federal Reserve Board is doing. On April 9, the Wall Street Journal posted two articles of interest, both of which can be related to Financial Astrology. On the editorial page, the headline was titled “Volcker’s Demarche.” In this editorial, former FRB Chair Paul Volcker “notes that when ‘concerns about recession are rife,’ the central bank will be tempted to ‘subordinate the fundamental need to maintain a reliable currency’ to the impulse to shore up a flagging economy. The danger is that you lose both battles, as the U.S. did in the 1970’s, and wind up with stagflation.” The article goes on to relate what happened in the early 1970’s. Commodity prices were rising rapidly, in such markets as soybeans and crude oil. “Then, as now too, these were explained away as speculative price run ups and not as a harbinger of a broader inflationary trend.” To that, I would point out that then, as now, Pluto was ingressing into a cardinal sign (Libra) and about to form a hard square with Saturn. You can see the correlation of Pluto entering cardinal signs on a special article I have posted on the front page of my web site at http://www.mmacycles.com/, titled, “Pluto in Capricorn: The Good, the Bad, Even Worse, and Redemption.”

The second Wall Street Journal article of note that same day is titled, “Greenspan Defends Tenure as Chief.” Although much of the article is about the prior FRB Chair Alan Greenspan stating that the nation is already “in the throes of a recession,” and it is basically not his fault or policies that are responsible for today’s conditions, the most intriguing part of the article has once again to do with Paul Volcker. The article states Mr. Volcker “criticized the central bank’s response to the turmoil that has gripped financial markets since last summer.” The article goes on to say that Volcker said, “… the markets… have become so complicated and unbalanced that they have lost the ability to function fairly and effectively. The Fed judged it necessary to take actions that extended to the very edge of its lawful and implied power, transcending certain long embedded central banking principles and practices.” The article goes on to state that “Actions taken by the Fed ‘will surely be interpreted as an implied promise of similar action in times of future turmoil.’ Mr. Volcker argued that the Fed has also compromised its relatively stringent emergency-lending standards.”

Two weeks ago Treasury Secretary Paulsen released a sweeping proposal to overhaul the banking system and give the Federal Reserve Board increased powers. One week later this proposal was considered “dead in the water.” I commented that the transit of Pluto to the natal Sun-Pluto opposition of the FRB chart implied just the opposite: instead of increasing the powers of the Federal Reserve Board, the powers that be are more likely to strip it of its powers in the next two years. The economy is on thin ice, and politicians will always look for a scapegoat. It was a fine gesture by Paulsen (Aries) to try to protect his fire sign buddy Ben Bernanke (Sagittarius) before the debris hits the fan. But it didn’t work, and once again the storm clouds of Pluto entering Capricorn are gathering. Oh sure, there will likely be bounce in the economy and stock markets before the election. But once this unnecessary stimulus package runs out of steam and the reports show the country and its individual’s in greater debt—and not less debt—the storm is due to strike. And that’s just about the time that Saturn will before its waning square to Pluto in 2009, which part of a T-square also involving Uranus. We haven’t seen that celestial pattern since 1930-1931.

So what can you do? Think green—as in anything that will take this country and this world off its addiction to crude oil as the primary source of fuel. It’s killing us, both economically and in terms of military engagement. With Uranus in Pisces, and Neptune in Aquarius, a revolution in energy is not only possible, but probably necessary from an economical need. Despite the trends towards economic chaos and hardship, this is one of those times in humankind’s history where altruism and economics can converge in a win-win situation to protect itself from this storm, whose clouds otherwise continue to gather just over the horizon.

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MMA COMMENTS FOR WEEK BEGINNING April 7, 2008
Raymond A. Merriman ©

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After ending a corrective decline last Monday, March 31, many of the world stock indices commenced one of their strongest rallies in a long time over the next two days. In some indices, the rally continued right into the end of the week. This behavior fits with well our Financial Astrology bias stated in last week’s column as follows: “One key may lie in the important Venus-Uranus conjunction of this past Friday, March 28. If that indeed acts as a reversal signature, it could lead to a rally, as the U.S. stock market has declined into it.” Later on, this same report ended with, “Another reason why stocks may reverse right here is because Jupiter is making its first of three sextiles to Uranus on March 28, the same day that Venus forms a conjunction to Uranus.” Bingo! After bottoming at 12,177 on Monday, the DJIA soared to close the week at 12,608, a gain of 391 points from the prior week’s close. On Tuesday alone, the DJIA was up 391 points, before heading sideways the remaining days. The NASDAQ Composite had its low the prior Friday as Venus formed its conjunction to Uranus. That is noteworthy in the study of Financial Astrology because aspects to Uranus are relevant to technology companies. The NASDAQ is heavily weighted in tech stocks. In this case, the rally continued right into Friday when the Composite made its weekly high at 2391. For the week, this index was up 109 points.

In Europe, the pattern was similar. Al, the markets ended their corrective decline on Monday, and all soared sharply higher the next two days, with the London FTSE and Netherlands AEX continuing their rallies right into the close on Friday, just like the NASDAQ Composite. But the German DAX and Swiss SMI indices topped out on Wednesday and then went sideways, just like the DJIA.

In the Pacific Rim and Far East, it was mostly similar to Europe and the U.S.A. Both the Australian All ordinaries and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index were up all week, with huge gap up days in the middle of the week. Japan’s Nikkei ended a modest corrective decline on Monday at 12,430, and then soared nearly 1000 points to its weekly high on Thursday. But in India, the NIFTY index was a little different. It topped out under the Venus-Uranus conjunction of the prior week, and then spent most of this past week trending down.

Precious metals and grains ended their sharp declines on Tuesday, and then promptly started new and impressive rallies right into the end of the week. During this rally, Corn prices soared to an all-time high. Of interest here is the fact that farmers announced they were increasing their plantings of Soybeans by 18% and Wheat by 6%, while decreasing their planting intentions of Corn. This is exactly in line with our forecasts made in this year’s Forecast Book as well as our past few issues of the “MMA Cycles Report.” And, as anticipated, the report caused Soybeans to fall sharply, down to $11.35/bushel in the July contract. Just a month ago it was trading above 15.80. Wheat also fell, but Corn soared. As state din Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal, “Stocks of Corn before the new harvest could fall to a decades-long low of 636 million bushels, compared with 1.4 billion bushels currently. If corn usage remains unchanged and if yields are the same as last year, he (Terry Roggensack of the Hightower Report) says ‘we’ll run out of corn.’” This possibility is no surprise to readers of our annual Forecast Books the past two years. When Corn was trading below 2.20/bu in the summer of 2006, our forecast was for Corn to hit double digits by the end of this decade. It looks like we are on track if these reports of plantings are actualized.

Short-Term Geocosmics

There are three signatures of importance this week. On April 6, Venus will ingress into Aries and form a waxing square to Pluto. On April 10, the Sun will form a waxing square to Jupiter. The Venus transit through Aries will last the entire month (April 30), and suggests new proposals (Aries) that could affect the value of currencies and treasuries (Venus and Pluto). We saw some of that last week when Treasury Secretary Paulsen introdcue3d his idea of sweeping changes in the banking world, including increased powers for the Federal Reserve Board. This idea of increasing the powers of the FRB is in direct contradiction with my understanding of Pluto moving into Capricorn, and its relationship to the Sun-Pluto opposition in the FRB chart. For an astrological view of this transit over the next three years to the Federal Reserve Board, and its implications concerning lessening of powers (not increase), please check the article that appears on our website at http://www.mmacycles.com/articles/articles/pluto-in-capricorn/. Not surprisingly, the investment community reacted as if Paulsen’s plan was “dead in the water” already. But with Venus in Aries now, and Paulsen himself an Aries, maybe this plan gets modified and floated or promoted again in the coming days. Or, since Venus passing from Pisces to Aries signifies a downgrade in n\it’s dignity from “exalted” to “fall,” perhaps it is buried altogether.

The two aspects – Venus square Pluto and Sun square Jupiter - are rather powerful signatures. Both have a nearly 80% correlation to 4% or greater reversals within four trading days, according to our studies reported in “The Ultimate Book on Stock Market Timing, Volume 3: Geocosmic Correlations to Trading Cycles.” This week could be a little bit wild, especially since Jupiter alone represents the principle of exaggeration. A quick 200-400 point down day in the DJIA is within the realm of possibility sometime this week. However, that does not negate the possibility that a new 4-year cycle is in force. That won’t be negated until the DJIA falls back below the 11,634 low of January 22.

Longer-Term Thoughts

The Labor Department’s employment report of Friday, April 4, showed a decrease of 80,000 jobs last month, the biggest monthly decline in several years. Of course this immediately prompted more proclamations that the U.S. economy is already in the midst of recession, a claim that spurred the dramatic sell off in world wide equities just two weeks ago. Our column of the past two weeks alluded to this reminder, as it stated, “With Pluto turning retrograde April 2, followed by Venus in a square aspect to Pluto on April 8 (should be April 6-7), we have to be aware that the forecasts of a great and miraculous recovery may also be pre-mature.”

But what about a recession? Are we in a full-fledged recession? Will it be a deep one, or is this just mild and temporary? For this year, and especially the next two months, the long-term geocosmic signatures are quite favorable, if we apply principles of modern-day astrology. That is, there are important trine (120 degree) relationships in effect between Jupiter and Saturn, as well as Saturn and Pluto, for most of this year. And, as mentioned last week, Jupiter has also now begin its first of three favorable sextile (60 degree) aspects that will last into November. Modern-day astrology, applied to the field of market timing, hypothesizes that such favorable aspects are ultimately favorable for the economy and equity markets. However, we also discussed the idea that traditional astrology might have another viewpoint. Here, it is not planets in aspect that are so important, but rather planets in signs are more important. In this regard we note that both Jupiter and Saturn are in earth signs (Capricorn and Virgo respectively), and earth signs have more a contracting quality. Thus the economy and stock markets might not perform so well with these placements. In my opinion, I think it is a combination of these principles at work. The planet-sign relationships may coincide with the constriction we have been experiencing in regards to economic growth and stock market behavior so far. But the favorable aspects have also limited the amount of downside activity too.

The economy and stock markets may not be so bullish bright now, but they aren’t really falling hard either. For the amount of fear we saw just two-three weeks ago in the world investment community, these economies ansd equity markets have held up pretty well. The fear was great, but the fear has yet to materialize anyway near the degree to which many analysts predicted. Yet it is interesting to note the similarity between the last instance of the 29-year cycle of Saturn in Virgo, to this current time. The last time Saturn was in Virgo occurred from November 1977 through September 1980. You may remember in the , that was a time of sharply rising prices (inflation), when precious metals soared to historic highs. But it led to an economic recession and sluggish stock prices. They called it “stagflation.” And here we are again, with Saturn in Virgo, September 2007 through October 2009. Commodity prices are soaring, Gold recently passed $1000/oz for the first time ever. Yet the economy and stock markets are struggling, and the ‘R’ word is being bandied about loosely. Back then, President Jimmy Carter forbid the use of the ‘R’ word, preferring instead to refer to the economy as “bananas.” I wonder what words today’s administration will use to address the state of the economy. Maybe peanuts?

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MMA COMMENTS FOR WEEK BEGINNING MARCH 31, 2008
Raymond A. Merriman ©

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After posting important lows the previous week on March 17, stocks markets around the world were all over the place last week. In the U.S.A., the Dow Jones Industrial Average and NASDAQ Composite topped out on Monday-Tuesday’s lunar reversal date, and then sold off considerably throughout the rest of the week, closing near their weekly lows on Friday. But in the Far East and Pacific Rim, the Japanese Nikkei, India NIFTY, and Hang Seng of Hong Kong all closed at their highest levels on Friday. The All ordinaries topped out on Wednesday. In Europe, London’s FTSE and Germany’s DAX all made their highest marks since March 17 on Friday, whereas the Swiss SMI and Netherlands AEX topped out a day earlier. It was most definitely a week of uncertainty and hesitation, but not at all out of character with the astrological and cyclical indicators that were in effect.

Precious metals, currencies, crude oil and grains all attempted comebacks last week, but failed once we reached the Sagittarius Factor zone of last Wednesday-Friday. When the Moon is in Sagittarius, all of these markets frequently end sharp rallies, and then give back a good portion of the gains just made.

Short-Term Geocosmics

We are in a rather strange transition period right now. On the one hand we are just ending the time band when Venus is translating the forthcoming Saturn-Uranus opposition, March 15-28. As suggested during the past two weeks, this period might correspond, more to a rally than a further decline in stock indices throughout the world, since Venus was in its exalted sign of Pisces this time. For the most part, that was true. Two weeks ago, everyone on the planet was convinced the world economy was on the verge of collapse and depression, and the stock markets were in a mini-panic. Most pundits expected that to continue. But instead, on March 17, the first trading day after this time band began, stocks around the world started a surprising rally (not to financial astrologers, but to the rest of the world). Now, instead of predicting depression, a global stock market collapse, and the end of the financial world as we know it, many market analysts are suddenly forecasting a recovery and the idea that the worst is over. What a difference a fortnight makes! What a difference a transit to the Saturn-Uranus opposition makes. If I didn’t understand astrology, I would say the world is crazy. But because I do understand it, I am certain the world and its top economic advisors are only fickle when it comes to firmness in their beliefs.

During this period when the Venus translation is taking placed, we also note that a translation of the Sun to a Mars-Pluto opposition is unfolding (March 21-30). With Pluto turning retrograde April 2, followed by Venus in a square aspect to Pluto on April 8, we have to be aware that the forecasts of a great and miraculous recovery may also be pre-mature. Pluto after all, rules debt, and debt has been the big problem since last August. These aspects of the next two weeks indicate that the debt problem is not yet over. There is still more fall out happening. But is it enough to send stock values to new yearly lows? That remains to be seen, and the answer determines whether or not the 4-year cycle trough is behind us or still ahead.

One key may lie in the important Venus-Uranus conjunction of this Friday, March 28. If that indeed acts as a reversal signature, it could lead to a rally, the U.S. stock market declined into it. If it does not act like a reversal signature, it may instead unfold as a breakout breakdown) signature, where once again the floor of the market gives way to an elevator ride down. With Uranus, you never know if it is a reversal or a breakout of important support and/or resistance.

Longer-Term Thoughts

Another reason why stocks may reverse right here is because Jupiter is making its first of three sextiles to Uranus now. Any time aspects form between Jupiter and planets outside of its orbit, it is considered a long-term planetary signature. And the rule is: the longer the planetary cycle that is unfolding, the longer the stock market cycle that correlates nearby. Jupiter-Uranus has a periodicity of 14 years, and is considered an intermediate-term signature.

In terms of Financial Astrology, Jupiter is favorable, a dynamic of growth and gains when in a positive aspect, or hysteria and large losses when in adverse relationships. The sextile is considered a favorable aspect. Uranus is the principle of surprises and the unexpected. When markets fall in price around this signature, we look for sudden and powerful rallies to follow shortly afterwards.

Of course any single signature has to be tempered with other planetary signatures that are happening at the same time. In this case, as Jupiter forms its favorable sextile to Uranus, other significant Pluto transits are taking place. The latter are more worrisome. So it will be interesting to see how the drama plays out in the next two weeks between the favorable Jupiter-Uranus aspect and the heavy transits involving Pluto.

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MMA COMMENTS FOR WEEK BEGINNING MARCH 24, 2008
Raymond A. Merriman ©

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Last week was another classic example of how Financial Astrology works so well in tandem with classic technical studies and basic chart formations. On March 15, Venus made its opposition to Saturn, the first leg of its “translation phase” to the Saturn-Uranus opposition, March 15-28. As stated in last week’s column, “On the positive side, Financial Astrologers can point to the idea that Venus is at least now in Pisces, a sign in which it is exalted. They can also point to the fact that the first passage will be the opposition of Venus to Saturn, which takes place this weekend, March 15. Oftentimes when a market is falling into this aspect, it will bottom, and then stage a sudden recovery just as soon as it is over.”

The collapse of stock markets around the world the prior week spilled over into Monday, March 17. The “mini-panic” plunge represented new yearly lows in many of these stock indices, while others held smartly above their lows of January 22. This is a chart pattern known as Intermarket Bullish Divergence,” and when it happens as close to an important geocosmic signature as Venus in opposition to Saturn, it can be followed by a healthy rally.

We saw this phenomenon in effect in the Far East. The Japanese Nikkei, for example, had a fee-fall all the way down to 11,691 last Monday, its lowest price since July 2005. In the next three trading days, it rallied over 800 points and closed near its weekly high. The Australian All Ordinaries also feel to a new yearly low, down to 5130 on March 17. But new yearly lows were not made in Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index, or in India’s Nifty Index. Both took out the lows of January 2008, but not the lows of last summer.

In Europe, the Intermarket Bullish Divergence signature was in even more evidence last Monday. Germany’s DAX and Switzerland’s SMI indices fell to 6167 and 6769 respectively, their lowest levels since October 2006 and October 2005 respectively. But both the Netherlands AEX and London FTSE held well above their January 22 lows. Furthermore, each of these indices appears technically poised to rally more this coming week.

The same divergence was present in the United States. Last Monday’s low in the Dow Jones Industrial Average was 11,756. This was even higher than the 11,731 low of the prior week, March 10, and well above the 11,634 low of January 22. But the NASDAQ Composite fell to 2155 last Monday, below its 2202 low of January 23, and in fact to its lowest level since September 2006.

Although the action in the stock indices of the world continued to be erratic and surprising, they were rather tame compared to that in the commodities. Gold, for instance, made a new all-time at 1017.50 on Monday, march 17. But by Thursday, just three days later, the yellow metal was already back down to 914.50. And Silver was hit even harder. After posting a new 28-year high of 2094 just the previous Friday, March 14, it collapsed over 400 points by Thursday of this past week. This was right in line with what our weekly subscription reports had forecasted – a decline of at least 300-500 points after the CCI (Commodity Channel Index) reached one of its rare overbought levels discussed therein. A similar fate awaited the Crude Oil market. After posting another new all-time of 111.80 on this critical March 17^th date, black gold fell all the way down to 98.95 intraday on Thursday, just three days later. The pattern it formed on this decline contains the possibility of more to come, suggesting that perhaps the all-time high is in. This would be consistent also with our call for a 50-90% drop to begin in crude oil from an all-time high achieved by the first half of 2008, per our Forecast for 2008 publication. And finally we are seeing similar breakdowns in the grain prices, especially Soybeans, which staged three limit down days in last week’s shortened 4-day trading week. This too is consistent with our analysis given in the Forecasts form 2008 book, in which we postulated that this would be an almost ideal growing season due to the Jupiter-Saturn trine, combined with overplanting of Soybeans by farmers, thus likely to yield a huge crop this year.

Short-Term Geocosmics

The translation of transiting Venus to the forthcoming Saturn-Uranus opposition will end on this Friday, March 28. When the Sun made this translation February 27-March 10, we speculated that stock prices around the world might fall hard, much like what happened in January. But we suspected the pattern might reverse this time, because Venus was in Pisces, where it is exalted and thus much stronger. Sand typical of Uranus time bands, the market has a way of doing just the opposite as what one might expect. As we ended last week, everyone on the planet seemed to think that the financial fabric of the world was about to totally break down. I don’t ever remember the “D” word (Depression) being bandied about so much as I saw in the European financial press last week. To say that the financial community was in a panic last Monday would be an understatement. The mod was utter despair and hopelessness, sort of like one might expect with planets in Pisces, with Venus in opposition to Saturn.

But Financial Astrology teaches us that when the investment community’s mood is bleak, and markets are declining in to these planetary periods, it is time to buy. Once aspects to Saturn leave in a declining market, prices tend to rise immediately afterwards.

Still, we cannot say the market has confirmed that the worst is over. More bad news probably lies ahead in the next two weeks, as Pluto will turn retrograde on April 2, and the full moon of March 21 formed a T-square with Mars and Pluto. Whether stock markets fall again to new yearly lows remains to be seen. But with Pluto being highlighted so remarkably in the next two weeks, the problems with debts, defaults, and more financial write downs by major world financial institutions, is probably not over.

Longer-Term Thoughts

The big news in Europe last week is the hysteria about a coming financial collapse. It seems that the financial media is not just focused on a recession anymore, but a full blown depression. The European market analysts seem convinced that nothing can save the USA banking system now. No matter how much money the FRB pours into the system or how low they lower the interest rates, the future of the USA – and hence world - economy is doomed. We are in for a serious washout unlike anything we have seen since the 1930’s. Upon returning back to the states on Wednesday night, it appears that pessimism in the USA is almost as serious. But not quite.

If we look at long-term planetary signatures and their correlation to economic history, we can a case for both a positive and negative viewpoint. First of all, I would suggest that Jupiter in Capricorn exaggerates (Jupiter) the fear (Capricorn). The Federal Reserve board is a Capricorn entity, and Jupiter in its Sun sign and Jupiter sign leads me to believe they can still pull a rabbit out of the hat and prevent an immediate collapse. I believe they are acting quickly and boldly in exactly the way they have to act. Sure, it may seem like it is too late, and the hysteria can create a feeding frenzy leading to a collective self-fulfilling prophecy. If enough people lose confidence, then of course the markets and economies of the world will crumble, regardless of the planetary signatures. And we saw some of that last week. But with interest rates coming down quickly and with the U.S. Government about to send out $150+ billion dollars in tax rebates, and with a lot of money now in the hands of mutual funds as a result of retirement savings accounts contributions, it won’t take much to suddenly uplift this economy and the stock market. Once the market starts to rise, it won’t take much for these money managers to yank all that cash and buy stocks in huge quantities. And once that happens, the headlines of the major financial publications around the world will be dumbfounded, and will probably proclaim something of a miracle just happened. Why not? Uranus is in Pisces all year, and about to be sextiled by Jupiter in its first of three passages this year, on March 28. The danger may not be that market is about to collapse, but rather that it is about to launch to a new round of some serious buying by the funds who are sitting on large cash positions.

If this happens, the financial pundits will declare the problems are behind us. But they are not. Well, they may be temporarily behind us for a few months, for these geocosmic signatures may have an effect lasting a few months, and these stimulus packages perhaps about the same, like just enough to get us close to the election. Once they wear off, the possibility is strong that these same problems resurrect once more when Saturn begins its square with Pluto (2009-2010). How appropriate to see all this unfolding on Easter weekend, a symbolic time of death and resurrection. Enjoy the respite while it lasts (if it lasts), and try to construct your future financial plans while you have this opportunity.

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MMA COMMENTS FOR WEEK BEGINNING MARCH 17, 2008
Raymond A. Merriman ©

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What a wild week it was. It was the kind you might have expected following the New Moon conjunct Uranus the prior week, March 10. In fact, the New Moon oftentimes sets the tone of the following two weeks, in a lunar cycle known as the “waxing” phase of the Moon. The Moon “waxes,” or increases in light, for two weeks every month between the New and Full Moon. In astrology, it is believed that the ideas or actions which commence on a New Moon continue to develop until the Full Moon. The New Moon is the conjunction between the Moon and the Sun, and the Full Moon is the opposition. At the Full Moon, the cycle reaches a climax, and those efforts started at the New Moon can be manifested, or ended. In this case, the New Moon of March 10 was heavily influenced by the planet Uranus, because all three (Sun, Moon, and Uranus) were in the same part of the zodiac, creating what is known as a conjunction. The nature of Uranus deals with the unexpected. When Uranus is highlighted, nothing is stable, and plans and expectations get changed abruptly. In terms of markets, it often represents a period of great volatility and large price swings in a short amount of time. We certainly witnessed that last week in stock indices around the world. Uranus can also represent breaking out to new all-time highs, or falling to multi-year lows. We also saw that last week with the rallies in Gold, Crude Oil and many foreign currencies to new all time highs, and the fall of the U.S. Dollar to new all-time lows.

The price activity in world stock indices was anything but stable or consistent last week. Some indices made their weekly lows on Monday and others fell into Friday. And on those lows, some indices made new yearly lows and others held well above their lows of January 22-23. In the Pacific Rim and Asian markets, the Australian All Ordinaries and Japanese Nikkei indexes fell to new yearly lows on Tuesday and Friday respectively. But India’s NIFTY index and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index did not. The latter two came close and if the trend continues, they could exceed their January lows next week. If not, it will be a case of bullish intermarket divergence for this region.

In Europe, all the major indices held above their January lows. But the German DAX and Swiss SMI came very close. The DAX fell to 6399 on Friday, which was barely above the 6384 low of January 22. The Swiss Stock Market Index fell to 7021 last Monday, which is slightly higher than the 6950 low of January 22. But England’s FTSE only fell to 5595 last week, well above the 5338 mark of January 22. And the Netherlands AEX performed similarly, falling to 425 last Monday, which is still well above its 401.45 low of January 22.

In the USA, the NASDAQ Composite fell below its low of January 23, but the Dow Jones Industrial Average held it. Last Monday, the DJIA fell to 11,731, well above the panic low of 11,634 of January 22. By Wednesday, it was nearly 600 points higher. But on Thursday and Friday, the DJIA sold off sharply again, falling below 12,000. This type of erratic behavior is typical Uranus, and this type of intermarket divergence has bullish implications if it continues to be present in the next week or so.

But as these gyrations continue, market participants tend to feel other characteristics of Uranus: instability, insecurity, nervousness and on the verge of hysteria and panic. With Uranus, it can either suddenly reverse, or it can completely fall apart. You just never know for sure, and if you think you do, you are apt to be seriously humbled.

Short-Term Geocosmics

The erratic market experiences of the first two weeks of this month are not likely to end. Just as the market fell when the Sun translated the forthcoming Saturn-Uranus opposition from February 24 through March 10, Venus will do the same from March 15 through March 28. On the positive side, Financial Astrologers can point to the idea that Venus is at least now in Pisces, a sign in which it is exalted. They can also point to the fact that the first passage will be the opposition of Venus to Saturn, which takes place this weekend, March 15. Oftentimes when a market is falling into this aspect, it will bottom, and then stage a sudden recovery just as soon as it is over. Could the stock market have bottomed last week? According to this Financial Astrology principle, the answer is yes. But according to the concept of planetary translation, there is also a possibility the market could continue making these wild price swings right into the time that Venus finishes its conjunction to Uranus on March 28.

And it may not even end of March 28, for during that period, we see another type of translation: the Sun will translate over the recent Mars-Pluto opposition between March 21 and March 30 followed by Pluto turning retrograde on April 2. Pluto rules both debt and threat to human lives or crops. Even though news reports stated that the worst may now behind us with the sub-prime mess and the subsequent write-downs by financial institutions, there may still some more reports of losses coming up during that time.

So hold onto your seats. This wild ride may not be over yet.

Longer-Term Thoughts

Due to speaking commitments here in Belgrade this weekend, there will not be time to give my long-term thoughts on the markets and politic situation. This part of the column will resume when I return to the states next week.

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MMA COMMENTS FOR WEEK BEGINNING MARCH 10, 2008
Raymond A. Merriman ©

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It was ugly last week for many stock indices around the world. And it was not unexpected on the basis of our studies in Financial Astrology. First of all, the entire period of February 25 through March 7 witnessed the Sun translating the Saturn-Uranus opposition, a period that we previously described would, “… offer a glimpse of what to expect from November 2008 through July 2010 when that Saturn-Uranus opposition is in effect.” It was similar to what happened in January of this year when Venus also made a translation to this forthcoming Saturn-Uranus opposition. And as in January, stock markets around the world sold off again. In fact, these indices are right back around those same multi-month lows of January 22-23, and the sense of panic that was present then, has returned. And what is the cause? According to the front page of Friday’s Wall Street Journal, “Housing, Bank Troubles Deepen.” It is the same story line that was sounded during the sharp declines of last August and January.

Secondly, this decline into Friday’s new monthly low coincided with the new moon conjunct Uranus. This is potentially a geocosmic critical reversal signature. Not only that, but Uranus signatures such as these can coincide with a sense of panic or hysteria, as if there is no hope left for the economy or stock markets. But as financial astrologers, we have to keep in mind that this is happening in Pisces, the sign of faith versus hopelessness. Pisces rules the imagination, the dream state. It is not considered practical or realistic. It is illusion and confusion. If the market falls during a Pisces influence, it may be based on fear of the worst. Based on the fact that commodities say there is a real threat of inflation, and Treasuries say there is not, we have a case of confusion. Based on the fact that stock markets appear headed downwards with no bottom in sight, and consumer confidence numbers are falling just as hard, there is also a growing lack of faith. And this is reflected in the increasing number of economic leaders who are proclaiming we are in a recession, when the data has yet to confirmed that. It is very much typical of a new moon in Pisces (confusion), conjunct Uranus (hysteria), and in opposition to Saturn (fear of loss).

But commodities and currency prices are still roaring to record levels, and this too is typical of a new moon with Uranus. That is particularly true of crude oil, which is ruled by Pisces. Crude oil prices surged to another record high on Friday. They traded as high as 105.97. As stated in this column over the past several years, Uranus in Pisces is a signature that suggests crude oil would make an all-time high while transiting between 10 and 20 degrees. This condition is in effect right now, through May 2008. For this market to make its all time with the new moon also conjunct Uranus is almost a perfect astrological set up. Once the high is in, the possibility of a 50-90% decline before Uranus leaves Pisces is also very possible, based on the history of Uranus transiting signs and the sectors they correspond to in the past. Remember 1995-2003, when Uranus was in Aquarius? Aquarius rules technology stocks. They too had an explosive bubble to new all-time highs that suddenly ended in March 2000. Within two years, the NASDAQ Composite (of tech stocks) dropped 80%. The same could happen to crude oil by the time Uranus leaves Pisces in 2011. No one believed it two years ago when this column forecasted 100.00 crude oil by 2008. And today no one believes crude oil could possibly fall back to 50.00 or lower within the next three years. No one believes. Such is the nature of Pisces. Such is the work of Financial Astrologers, whose tools are always leading indicators, not lagging ones.

Short-Term Geocosmics

Last week’s column correctly forecasted, “This could be a very dangerous week for many markets. In addition to the Sun translating the opposition to Saturn and conjunction with Uranus there are other powerful forces at work that should be of interest to all Financial Astrologers… Mars will also cross the 0 degree Cancer point on March 4. Historically that is a period when central banks make critical changes or announcements in their interest rate policies, which in turn affect Treasuries and currency prices, and by association, also precious metals and stock markets… And (O)n March 4, heliocentric Mercury will also enter Sagittarius through March 17. This is a period that has a very high correlation to sharp price swings in many markets, especially precious metals and currencies. With heliocentric Mercury in Sagittarius at the same time as the new moon in Pisces conjunct Uranus around March 7, it could be a very dramatic time coming up…. Fasten your seat belts again. It could get very turbulent into next Friday.”

In typical Uranus fashion, the Payroll and Unemployment reports were worse than expected. Treasuries rose and stocks fell.

For this week, Venus will enter Pisces March 12, followed by Mercury doing the same March 14. More Pisces. More confusion and uncertainty. This is followed by Venus starting its translation to the Saturn-Uranus opposition, starting with its opposition to Saturn on March 15, and culminating with its conjunction to Uranus on March 28. The roller coaster may pause this week, but more steep slopes could be ahead March 15-28. Of course with the new moon conjunct Uranus this past Friday, a sudden and sharp rally is also possible, for it can be counted on for one thing: it does what most people do not expect.

Longer-Term Thoughts

Despite all the negativity and fear as we ended last week, there are still signs of hope for the world, according to the study of Mundane and Financial Astrology. The major planets of Jupiter and beyond are still in favorable aspect until November of this year. The transit of faster moving planets to the forthcoming Saturn-Uranus opposition has shown us that there will be periods of utter depression and even panic. But these longer-term harmonious aspect also suggests that equity markets will find support, and these declines will be followed by healthy rallies. The declines will likely not be straight down, just as we witnessed after the falls of mid-August, late November, and late January. Very strong rallies followed each plunge, and that pattern is likely to happen all year.

So, consistent with the theme of this new moon in altruistic and romantic sign of Pisces, it is appropriate to remind ourselves to “keep the faith.” The world is not ending. At least it isn’t ending before the November elections. It may feel at times like the world is losing control and its collective mind. But be patient. It is only temporary insanity, symbolized this past week with the new moon in Pisces conjunct Uranus. And let us also remember that our fire sign leaders of the U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve Board aren’t done yet with their rescue saving heroics. We have our heroes. They won’t abandon us. They don’t want the economy or the stock market to crash on their watch. And soon the Sun and the other planets will leave the fog of Pisces and enter the fire sign of Aries (March 21). That’s when Bernanke and Paulsen will be back in their element, another rescue mission will be conducted, and the world will look rosy once again soon after. And we will all live happily ever after – until the next time. Isn’t it a perfect setup of a new moon-in-Pisces fairy tale? The knights and their white horses are coming, maybe even this week as Venus enters Pisces, and makes a favorable sextile-trine to the Federal Reserve Board’s Sun-Pluto. They did it in January. And both the aspects and the market patterns look a lot alike.

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MMA COMMENTS FOR WEEK BEGINNING MARCH 3, 2008
Raymond A. Merriman ©

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Most stock indices around the world continued their previous week's rally into Wednesday of this past week. And then the “Sagittarius Factor” hit Thursday and Friday, and prices begin a substantial decline to end the week on dangerous ground as we head into next week's important geocosmic signatures. As stated previously, “But an important geocosmic period commences… February 25 through March 7, when the Sun will form an opposition to Saturn and end with a conjunction to Uranus. In essence, this is yet another period of a faster moving body translating the more important slower moving aspect. The Sun is translating the Saturn-Uranus opposition of later this year, and hence February 25-March 7 may offer a glimpse of what to expect from November 2008 through July 2010 when that Saturn-Uranus opposition is in effect.” In typical Uranian fashion, these financial markets either made a sudden and unexpected reversal, or in the case of currencies and commodities, they continued to skyrocket to new all-time highs.

Many stock indices soared to their highest levels in six weeks by Wednesday of last week, following the Sun-Saturn opposition of February 24-25. This was the case with the Netherlands AEX and London FTSE in Europe. But it was not matched with new monthly highs in either the German DAX or Swiss Stock Index, for a case of regional intermarket bearish divergence. New 6-week highs were noted in the Nikkei of Japan, but not in the other stock indices of Asia and the Pacific Rim (Australia's All Ordinaries, India's Nifty Index or Hang Seng of Hong Kong) for yet another case of intermarket bearish divergence. In the U.S., last Wednesday's high was a double top to the high in early February, but in the case of the NASDAQ Composite, it was far off, for yet a third case of this bearish divergent pattern. Thus it sets up a dangerous chart pattern for next week, especially as we move fully into this translation of the Sun to the forthcoming Saturn-Uranus opposition.

But the big stories were again in commodities. Crude Oil made another slightly higher new all-time high at 103.05 on Friday. Gold soared to another a new all-time high of 977 on Friday. Silver soared close to 2000 ($20.00/ounce) for the first time in 27 years. Many currencies made new all-time against the U.S. Dollar, with the Euro well above 1.5000 for the first time, and the Swiss Franc almost at par with the U.S. Dollar now. Soybeans and Wheat both soared to new all-time highs last week, topping out at $15.24/bushel and $13.00/bushel respectively. Who says prices aren't rising? Yes, it is true in regard to home prices, and wages are staying fairly stable. But the cost of raw goods is soaring, and has been since 2001, when the Saturn-Pluto cycle topped out (opposition). As stated so many times before in this column, the opposition to the conjunction (2001-2020) is the time when commodities do well, and stocks go all over the place, but mostly down. The stocks haven't really stayed down for long yet, because we still have the Saturn-Uranus opposition to go through, November 2008 through July 2010. But we are getting the picture of what to expect then with the transiting faster moving bodies when they translate by hard aspect to the Saturn-Uranus opposition, as we are seeing now, and as we saw in January when Venus did the same thing. As stated last week, “Of course there will be mini-bear and bull markets within this long-term 32-37 year cycle. But basically the cycles goes like this: economic prosperity and favorable investment environment from the conjunction to opposition (1982-2001), versus commodity inflation and economic struggles from opposition to conjunction (2001-2020).”

Short-Term Geocosmics

This could be a very dangerous week for many markets. In addition to the Sun translating the opposition to Saturn and conjunction with Uranus there are other powerful forces at work that should be of interest to all Financial Astrologers. As stated last week, “Mars will also cross the 0 degree Cancer point on March 4. Historically that is a period when central banks make critical changes or announcements in their interest rate policies, which in turn affect Treasuries and currency prices, and by association, also precious metals and stock markets.” And then also, “On March 4, heliocentric Mercury will also enter Sagittarius through March 17. This is a period that has a very high correlation to sharp price swings in many markets, especially precious metals and currencies. With heliocentric Mercury in Sagittarius at the same time as the New Moon in Pisces conjunct Uranus around March 7, it could be a very dramatic time coming up.”

So here we are. Fasten your seat belts again. It could get very turbulent into next Friday, And that is also the day that the Federal Reserve will release its very important Unemployment and Payroll Reports.

Longer-Term Thoughts

The Saturn-Uranus opposition takes place for the first of five passages right on Election Day, November 4, 2008, in the United States. It is certainly shaping up into a classical representation of these two planets. On the Uranian side, you have the Democrats, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, who each represent a “first”— either the first African-American or first female potential president. That's Uranian. On the other side, you have John McCain, who would be the oldest person to assume presidency if elected. That's Saturn, which represents age and experience - and also the Establishment (but Hillary could be viewed as The Establishment too… she could be Saturn and Uranus).

This election is particularly challenging to me—and I suspect most astrologers. The candidates to be selected fit just fine with the principles of Mundane Astrology. In fact, they fit exceeding well. It is easy to define who is who by planetary symbolism. But it is not so easy to choose who will win, for with Uranus, anything can happen, and surprises are more than likely the order of the day. As an extreme, under this signature, there can be no certainty that the candidates selected to represent their parties even make it to election or inauguration day. Something disruptive is always a possibility, especially with Saturn and Uranus in hard aspect, complemented by Pluto about to move back into Capricorn at that time (November 26, which is between Election Day and inauguration). I am not predicting assassination, for these symbols can mean many things. But the last time Saturn and Uranus were in opposition, and Pluto was involved, was in the mid-1960's. Both political and racially-motivated assassinations stung the USA deeply during that time. At the very least, we must at least hope that these candidates have adequate protection, and are not harmed. And that is why I state this possibility in this column. It is not with the wish to “be right,” but instead to diffuse the energy of this possibility, for in metaphysics, we know that if you want something to have power and grow, you keep it within yourself. If you want to diffuse the energy, you bring it out into the open. We have a very exciting and highly energized process taking place in the United States at this time. The youth—and representatives of several demographic groups—are more involved in this election than ever before. That too is consistent with Saturn in opposition to Uranus. And when you have such “new” involvement involving such “first-time” things, it can disrupt the status quo, and this become a very dangerous situation. But as we also learn in metaphysics, danger and opportunity go together. Let's hope safety is not forsaken in this amazing time we are living, and circumstances (people) allow these cycles to unfold in a natural manner.

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MMA COMMENTS FOR WEEK BEGINNING February 25, 2008
Raymond A. Merriman ©

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Stock markets around the world traded in a rather narrow range last week, consistent with the principle of Mercury slowing down as it changed from retrograde to direct motion. On Wednesday evening, Thursday morning, there was a lunar eclipse conjunct Saturn. Many stock markets were making a modest rally into that time, and then sold off a bit to end the week. But the big stories were in commodities. Crude Oil made a slightly higher new all-time high at 101.32 on Wednesday. Prices then retreated back to 97.16 intraday on Friday before closing the week at 98.81. Gold also made a new all-time high last week, on Thursday, at 957.10. Silver soared above 1800 for the first time in 27 years. The currencies were also very strong against the U.S. Dollar, with Euro back up above 1.4800, and challenging its all-time high of 1.4966 recorded back in November. In the food sector, Soybeans also soared to a new all-time under the lunar eclipse factor, topping out last week at $14.22/bushel. Despite the data of economic reports, it is apparent that raw goods prices are in a state of inflation, and with the Dollar falling again, this trend is continuing. And as we know from previous discussions, this trend could continue until the Saturn-Pluto cycle ends and begins anew, which is not until January 2020 +/- 18 months. Of course there will be mini-bear and bull markets within this long-term 32-37 year cycle. But basically the cycles gores like this: economic prosperity and favorable investment environment from the conjunction to opposition (1982-2001), versus commodity inflation and economic struggles from opposition to conjunction (2001-2020).

Short-Term Geocosmics

We are now coming into a potentially very interesting geocosmic period. As stated in last week’s report, “But an important geocosmic period commences the following week, February 25 through March 7, when the Sun will form an opposition to Saturn and end with a conjunction to Uranus. In essence, this is yet another period of a faster moving body translating the more important slower moving aspect. The Sun is translating the Saturn-Uranus opposition of later this year, and hence February 25-March 7 may offer a glimpse of what to expect from November 2008 through July 2010 when that Saturn-Uranus opposition is in effect. One might expect a very sudden turn of markets during that period, especially near the end, for Mars will also cross the 0 degree Cancer point on March 4. Historically that is a period when central banks make critical changes or announcements in their interest rate policies, which in turn affect Treasuries and currency prices, and by association, also precious metals and stock markets.”

Within this highly charged geocosmic period, we may see the greatest level of volatility right near the end. On March 4, heliocentric Mercury will also enter Sagittarius through March 17. This is a period that has a very high correlation to sharp price swings in many markets, especially precious metals and currencies. With heliocentric Mercury in Sagittarius at the same time as the New Moon in Pisces conjunct Uranus around March 7, it could be a very dramatic time coming up. Last week may have been relatively quiet in world stock indices, but I would expect that to change in the next two weeks. The question of course is whether that means a powerful rally starts at once and continues into that time, or if instead a powerful decline commences that ends around that time. With Uranus, you never know for sure. Oh, some pundits may think they know ahead of time, for under Uranus aspects, nearly everyone thinks they are psychic and/or knowledgeable. But Uranus has a way of defying logic and making dogmatic types look foolish. It also has a way of causing large losses to those who are grossly mistaken in their conviction as to how the market must behave. So the best way to handle this is to be flexible and nimble.

Longer-Term Thoughts

In lieu of our recent comments about how the U.S.A. election results will depend greatly on the turnout of the youth, a report out of the Detroit Free Press on Wednesday was most interesting. It stated, “The youth vote tripled and even quadrupled in some states on Super Tuesday. U.S. Senator Barack Obama, with his inspirational words about unity and new approaches to our nation’s challenges has struck a chord on college campuses around the country.”

So it seems clear that Barack Obama represents the Uranus part of the Saturn-Uranus opposition that starts this year, in terms of the U.S. election. And it seems clear that John McCain will represent the Saturn part of this signature, since Saturn is conservative, and also pertains to age (McCain, if elected, would be the oldest president to assume office). So where does this put Hillary Clinton? Well, she too is Uranus, for if elected, she would be the first female president, and the 45-year Saturn-Uranus opposition does have in common historical theme related to women’s rights.

Right now Obama has the momentum and is in the lead. Can he pull it off? It is possible, of course, because of Uranus. But also because of Uranus, there are many unexpected things that can and probably will still happen that no one anticipates. My view remains that the geocosmic signatures on Election Day will point to the themes that will sway the votes of the population. And on Election Day, the Moon will be in Capricorn conjunct Jupiter, just as it was on the day of the New Hampshire primary and Super Tuesday. I don’t think you can count any of these three leading candidates out at this time. But on Election Day itself, it still appears that the American electorate will go for experience, tradition, and the candidate who makes them feel the safest. Fear still sells. And as result, I am not so sure that Americans will change their stance that this country is headed in the wrong direction, a belief that appears to be shared by over 75% of the U.S. population.

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There are few areas of study that are more fascinating than the movement of planets through the zodiac and their correspondence to events affecting human activity. This, of course, is the study of Mundane Astrology. Of particular interest in this regard is the forthcoming election for the office of President of the United States. As indicated in prior columns, this year’s election will take place on November 4, 2008, the same date that the first of five passages of Saturn in opposition to Uranus will take place. In the study of Astrology, Uranus represents the unexpected, the new, and something unconventional that defies tradition or history. Saturn, on the other hand, represents tradition or history, the Establishment, the expected, or that which is planned. The cycle of Saturn and Uranus is a 45-year periodicity. The last time the opposition occurred was in 1965-66, a time when the youth revolted against the values and laws of the Establishment throughout the world. The youth and minority groups found their power, and affected elections and governments in many countries, including the United States. Prior to that, this same aspect unfolded in a five-phase passage from 1918 through 1920, and a similar movement of the youth against the Establishment erupted, as did a society that was not about to obey the new laws of prohibition, let alone accept the lack of rights or opportunities to women any longer.

As we approach the election of 2008, many Mundane and Financial Astrologers have been wondering how this rare planetary phenomenon is going to play out this time. Would the first woman ever be elected as President of the United States? It seemed quite possible over the past year. But what didn’t seem possible was that a young African American could be elected to this post—not in the United States, not yet. But folks, this is Uranus. And out of nowhere just a few months ago, Barack Obama has now soared to become the leading candidate of the Democratic Party with eight consecutive stunning primary victories in a row—many by double digit margins. Youth, minority group leader, charismatic…. he fits all the characteristics of Uranus. And who is Saturn? John McCain, potentially the oldest man ever to assume the role of President, and a candidate who wants to continue the mantle of the United States as the world’s sole military leader, even if it means remaining in Iraq for another 10,000 years according to post on YouTube (see this website). YouTube is one of the phenomenal social networking internet sites of today’s youth, referred to previously as an important social phenomenon in this column.

Can Barack Obama continue this surge right into the White House? Or are his recent victories a product of Mercury retrograde, a time when few trends makes it out alive, and he is about to encounter the realities of “reversals in life” as Mercury now resumes its direct motion this week? It is interesting to observe all this, especially in light of last week’s comments, which ended with, “As this two-year (Saturn-Uranus) aspect takes place, I think you will see the youth becoming more and more involved, just like they did 45 years ago when this aspect last occurred. But on Election Day itself, I think the Saturn part of this aspect holds reign… unless somehow the youth become active agents for change in the next couple of weeks, and show up to vote at the primaries and get someone in who is not recognized as part of the Establishmt.”

Right now, it looks like the youth are indeed getting involved. Let’s see what happens now that Mercury turns direct. Will Uranus represent the first minority race, or the first female ever to run as its party’s presidential nominee? Or will Uranus continue to cause the favorite of this election to change over and over again? Or both? Or maybe some other unexpected event will take place that will cause yet an entirely different dynamic that no one (or very few) has dared to think about. After all, Pluto is also now in Capricorn. There may be some forces lurking in the shadows that will do whatever it takes to maintain the traditions of the Establishment. They may see it as their calling. Whenever there is a new force of light that enters the awareness of the collective, you can almost anticipate that there will be an equal force of darkness to oppose it. That’s Uranus and Saturn too, with a bit of Pluto mixed in. After all, these three planets are moving towards a Cardinal T-Square as well. The “Empire Builders” are not about to give up their power easily. But they will eventually make colossal errors in judgment and lose their power as a result, as they have at similar junctures in history under similar signatures, especially when Pluto has transited through Cancer or Capricorn.

Last week’s stock market behavior was again in alignment with principles of Financial Astrology. As stated in last week’s column, “The stock market behavior so far is consistent with a crest under the Venus-Jupiter conjunction (Feb 1), followed by a corrective decline (so far) into the next major signature, which is the Sun-Neptune conjunction of this weekend, February 10.” Indeed, most of the world’s stock indices ended a corrective decline early last week, and then rallied. Some, like the Japanese Nikkei, closed Friday nearby to their weekly highs. That was also true with Crude Oil, which was back above 96.00 during the day on Friday. Gold, however, was noticeably weak, even though the Dollar was also weak against the European currencies.

Short-Term Geocosmics

For this week, the most important signature is Mercury turning direct on Monday-Tuesday. But an important geocosmic period commences the following week, February 25 through March 7, when the Sun will form an opposition to Saturn and end with a conjunction to Uranus. In essence, this is yet another period of a faster moving body translating the more important slower moving aspect. The Sun is translating the Saturn-Uranus opposition of later this year, and hence February 25-March 7 may offer a glimpse of what to expect from November 2008 through July 2010 when that Saturn-Uranus opposition is in effect. One might expect a very sudden turn of markets during that period, especially near the end, for Mars will also cross the 0 degree Cancer point on March 4. Historically that is a period when central banks make critical changes or announcements in their interest rate policies, which in turn affect Treasuries and currency prices, and by association, also precious metals and stock markets.

Longer-Term Thoughts

Is the United States in a recession? And if so, is this “the big one,” the one that will be as severe as the “Great Depression of 1929-1938? Over half of Americans believe that a recession has already started, or is on the verge of unfolding in 2008. But what does Mundane or Financial Astrology say about this?

There are at least two schools of astrological thought on this subject. One school, which we shall call the “Modern-Day Astrology” thought, postulates that aspects between planets is the most important consideration in determining mundane conditions such as the state of the economy. In this view, soft aspects like trines and sextiles are considered harmonious or favorable. The other school of thought, which we shall refer to as “Traditionalist Astrology,” postulates that planets-in-signs are the most important considerations in forecasting such mundane conditions. In this view, the slower moving planets in earth and water signs are considered more restrictive to economic growth, whereas positioned in fire or air signs would be more supportive to economic growth. Still other minor schools of astrological thought would postulate that slow-moving planets over certain degrees of the zodiac have correspondence over mundane matters like the economy, especially in terms of such events as stock market crashes or political crisis.

If we examine the positions of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto for most of 2008, we will note that the majority of aspects between them are in favorable aspects. That is, Jupiter and Saturn form three trines this year, while Jupiter and Uranus form three sextiles. Saturn and Pluto move within one degree of a favorable trine too in April and May. There are no hard or discordant aspects between these planets in 2008 until November, when Saturn and Uranus begin the first of their five oppositions, lasting through July 2010. Modern-Day Astrology would thus suggest no recession or serious downturn in the economy for most of 2008.

However, if we examine the sign positions of these planets, we would see a different story according to Traditionalist Astrological thought. Here we find Jupiter, planet of expansion, in the restriction-oriented earth sign of Capricorn. Saturn, planet of contraction, is also in an earth sign, Virgo. Pluto is also in the restrictive sign of Capricorn. Uranus is late in the water sign of Pisces, a location that in the past has corresponded to sharp declines in U.S. and British stock prices. Only Neptune is in an air sign. This branch of astrological study could support a forecast for an economic contraction, even a severe recession.

Thus the two major schools of thought in astrology today have differing outlooks on the general economy. It will be interesting to see which prevails. Perhaps we have a slow-down from the rapid pace of the prior several years, as suggested by Traditional Astrology, but not so much as to be considered a recession, as suggested by the Modern Day Astrology.

And then there is the matter of Pluto crossing the Galactic Center (26-27 degrees of Sagittarius) the prior two years. Financial Astrologer Manfred Zimmel from Austria, http://www.amanita.at/, has done some impressive studies of major planets crossing the Galactic Center in the past. Since Pluto rules such matters as debt, Zimmel suggests that this geocosmic passage has correlated with the current sub-prime debt fiasco, and by itself could correspond to rather severe economic consequences. And there is yet another viewpoint espoused by one of the legends in Financial Astrology, Louise McWhirter in her classic book titled “Astrology and Stock Market Forecasting” (1938). Her theory was that when the Moon’s North Node travels through the Saturn-ruled signs of Aquarius and Capricorn, the economies of the world are more prone to slow downs and even recessions – or worse. This tends to correspond to the real estate cycle, when both home sales and home prices may decline. The Moon’s North Node has just moved into Aquarius, and will transit through both Aquarius and Capricorn from December 2007 through March 2011. My own view is that the economy may slow down, but will find support in 2008, per the views mostly of Modern Day Astrology. But sometime after late 2008, the economy could suffer a more severe blow than we just experienced. It is possible the economy is sustained even as late as the summer of 2010, for the Saturn-Uranus opposition doesn’t end until then, In the past, the Saturn-Uranus opposition has coincided with long-term cycle crests or troughs. The challenge for Financial Astrologers is to determine whether this instance will be a long-term cycle crest, or the end of a very severe 2-3 year decline.

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A lot has happened since our last report two weeks ago. Stock markets around the world went into a free fall as the U.S. markets were closed on thee Martin Luther King holiday of January 21. The crash continued when the U.S. markets opened up the next day, forcing the Federal Reserve Board to make a surprise three-quarters percent interest rate cut in the Fed Funds rate. This was followed by another half-point when they met this past Wednesday. It was exactly what the market needed, supporting our position that our “Fire Sign” heroes Bernanke and Paulsen would do whatever is necessary to prevent a recession on their watch. Fed Chair Ben Bernanke is a Sagittarian, and Treasury Secretary Hank Paulsen is a Sagittarian, both fire signs. And if there is one thing we know about fire signs, it is that they don’t like to wait. They are men of action, and they seek the glory that comes from acting quickly and decisively. But of course, sometimes they fall into troubles for acting too quickly, and not having the patience to see prior actions unfold in their “proper” time. For fire signs, the “proper” time may take too long for their comfort. They can get easily restless. This tendency to act hastily and with exaggeration may become a problem after this year’s election. Right now, it was welcomed, and the markets rewarded their decisiveness with strong rallies, thereby abruptly halting the panic that was starting to build.

Most stock markets made a spike low the prior week, on January 22 and 23. For many of the world indices, that trough represented a greater than 20% decline from the highs that preceded it, making it the steepest decline since the 4-year bottoms of October 2002 or March-April 2003, depending on which part of the world you look at. Many financial astrologers were puzzled as to why a market would bottom as Jupiter formed a favorable trine to Saturn at the time of the low. But as stated many times before in this column, the market doesn’t always judge trines to be crests or squares to be troughs. Trines are favorable, so if the news was mostly negative going into a trine, it would coincide with a bottom or trough, and then the news would be favorable, leading to rally off that low. In this case, the news was favorable. The FRB lowered interest rates, not once, but twice.

Still the market struggled. It wasn’t straight up. Most markets made an initial top last Friday, January 25, and then sold off quickly into Monday. They then rallied again, only to fall somewhat sharply again into Thursday, back to the lows of Monday (more than 2.5% each time). Then they took off again late Thursday through Friday, February 1, as the Venus-Jupiter conjunction unfolded. Why all the whip saws, and swinging back and forth? Financial astrology would suggest it was due to Mercury turning retrograde on Monday, January 28, and Mars turning direct on January 30. Mercury and Mars highlighted together correlates with volatility. Mercury retrograde coincides with periods when there is a tendency towards many conflicting messages, from politicians as well as economic data and pundits. We can expect these swings to continue until Mercury turns direct on February 18-19. However, the further we get into Mercury retrograde, the less amplitude in the daily price swings, unless Uranus or Mars-Jupiter signatures are unfolding too.

In other markets, Gold and Silver were the stellar performers until late Friday. Gold, made another new all-time high early Friday, approaching 950.00. Silver soared to its highest level since 1980, trading above $17.00. However both sold off pretty hard by Friday’s close, with Gold making its weekly low that quickly. This is typical Moon in Sagittarius stuff, which was in effect on Friday. The Euro also tested its all-time on Friday, and the Swiss Franc made an all-time high then. But by the close, both were off sharply. Crude Oil continues to languor below 90.00, after passing out critical 100.00 mark earlier in January. For two years we had forecasted Crude would hit 100.00 by spring 2008, and now we’ve done it. But is that the top? If so, look for 20.00-50.00 oil within 1-3 years. This forecast is based on the history of Uranus transiting Pisces. Stock sectors ruled by the sign Uranus is in tend to “blow-off” to new all-time highs while in the middle degrees of that sign, Then they lose 50-90% of their value by the time it reaches the end of that same sign.

Short-Term Geocosmics

The major geocosmic signature this week is the partial solar eclipse on Wednesday, February 6. By itself I am doubtful that this will do that much to the markets. Eclipses seem only important as significant cycle lows or highs when they make aspects to other major planets at the same time, in my experience.

Our next major cluster of geocosmic signatures doesn’t come up until the following week, starting with the Sun-Neptune conjunction of February 10. That’s a big one, much more important than Financial Astrologers would think. It has a 75% correlation to primary or greater cycles within 9 trading days.

Longer-Term Thoughts

Our previous suggestion that one of the winners of the New Hampshire presidential primary would probably be the next president of the United States appears to be coming true. John McCain won the Republican side of that primary, and Hillary Clinton the Democratic. Both are now favored to win “Super Tuesday’s” primaries. Whoever is ahead after Super Tuesday will probably their party’s nominee. As stated back at the time of the Iowa primary, and just before the New Hampshire one on January 8, “This coming week will also feature a new moon at 17 degrees of Capricorn on Tuesday (January 8). This is where transiting Jupiter will be on Election Day, November 4, 2008. In fact, the Moon will also return to this position at the start of Election Day too (a lunar return to this new moon). Any candidate who gains momentum during this period has a good chance of being on the ballot in November. Based on this principle, it would seem that New Hampshire (and other primaries taking place prior to January 22) may be more reflective of what to expect in November than Iowa was this past week – unless of course, these primaries mirror the Iowa results. But I wouldn’t rest on those results if I were Obama or Huckabee.”

The Moon on Super Tuesday, February 5, will again be in Capricorn as the voting starts, same as it will on Election Day. So once again, it seems to mirror what we might expect on Election Day itself. I was asked in Zurich last week, who I thought might be the next president. I replied that it would probably be McCain or Clinton. But if Rudy Giuliani could make it through, he would have the best chance of beating Hillary. But after listening to McCain the past few days, I am not so sure that Hillary will beat him. As mentioned in the Forecast Book, the winner will likely be the candidate with who represents law and order the strongest, for that is what the Moon in Capricorn is about on a collective emotional “need” level. I thought Hillary might be stronger here than McCain (Scorpio versus Virgo). But the Capricorn Moon also represents “age” and “experience,” and for that McCain gets the edge. And where is Obama in all of this? His support is the youth. If the youth turn out, he still has a chance, for on Election Day, Saturn (age and establishment) is opposite Uranus (youth). And where is Mitt Romney in all of this? He has Mars in Pisces, and there has never been a U.S. President with Mars in Pisces. Most have had Mars in Leo, which is the case with both Hillary and McCain, per the studies of Michael O’Reilly in his book called “Political Astrology.” Obama has Mars in Virgo, like current President George W. Bush. However, Mars in Pisces is a psychological dynamic very much like Mars in aspect to Neptune. Several USA Presidents have had Mars-Neptune aspects (like Bill Clinton), as does the U.S.A. chart itself. So we can’t count Romney out just yet.

Geez… I sound like Mercury retrograde with all these conflicting signatures. Don’t worry. We will know soon enough, and the principles of astrology are working just fine in terms of this election, and the financial markets.

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Stock markets around the world continued their plunge all last week. Many fell to new yearly lows, and many others are now testing their lows of last August. In the United States, both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and NASDAQ Composite have now fallen well below their lows of August 16. In fact, these indices are now immersed in their steepest declines since the 4-year cycle of late 2002, early 2003. The DJIA, for instance, has now fallen over 2000 points and over15% from the crest of the 4-year cycle back on October 11. This supports our views that this 4-year cycle has stretched out to six years for the first time since the 1932-1938 instance.

In Europe, both the Swiss stock index and the Netherlands AEX have now made new yearly lows. But in England and Germany, the FTSE and DAX respectively are still holding those lows of August, but not by much. The DAX, for instance, fell to 7287 intraday on Friday, still above the 7190 low of August 17. The FTSE fell to 5856, just barely above the 5821 low of the same day.

In Asia and the Pacific Rim, we find the Japanese Nikkei falling below its 14,045 low of June 2006. The Australian All Ordinaries plunged to 5799 on Friday, which is still above its lows of August. The Hang Seng fell to 23,957 last Thursday, still well above its lows of August 17. And in India, the NIFTY index fell to 5677, which is back to the levels of only last December 19.

In other markets, Crude Oil continued its decline from the 100.00/barrel mark, falling below 90.00 last week. Gold and Silver both made new all-time or multi-decade highs early last week, then fell sharply into Wednesday before recovering somewhat into Friday. The European currencies however, continued to fall into Friday after posting secondary highs last Tuesday.

Short-Term Geocosmics

Monday, January 21, will mark the third of five passages of the Jupiter-Saturn trine. As stated in last week’s column, “The first two passes were in fire signs, back on March 16 and May 6. The March 16 date was just two days after the end of a very sharp 2-3 week stock market sell-off. May 6 was one day before a crest in the NASDAQ Composite, followed by a modest sell-off into May 16. But now we begin a series of three more of these passages, but in earth signs. From our studies reported in our Stock Market Timing series books, it is not unusual to see a 4-year cycle in U.S. stocks form within one month of one of these middle passes. That means any low forming now—or with the next passage, which is September 8—could be the 4-year cycle trough (which is now stretched out to 6 years for the first time since 1932-38).”

Venus will also begin its ingress of Capricorn on January 24, lasting through February 17. For the first 8 days of this ingress, it will cross the Jupiter-Pluto conjunction in early Capricorn. When these two planets (Jupiter and Pluto) conjoined on December 11, the stock markets of the world made a peak, and the current sell-off began for many of them. Thus we now watch to see if they can post a significant rally into January 24-February 1, the time band in which Venus translates the Jupiter-Pluto conjunction, much like they did into December 11.

There is a lot of fear in the market place today, consistent with Jupiter in Capricorn. But if history serves as an accurate guide again, one would expect the market to find support within 10 trading days of the trine between Jupiter and Saturn. And it is interesting to note that we are fast approaching our 20% minimum decline level that defines 85% of the declines from the crest to the trough of the 4-year cycle.

Longer-Term Thoughts

Fellow market timer and colleague Garrett Jones (garrett111@comcast.net) asked me the following question for a CD he is producing: 'If someone gave you $5 million to invest over the next couple of years and you had to break it down and then not touch it over that time, how would you do it?' I asked his permission to share my answer on this column, because I thought it might be of interest to readers.

Where would I put 5 million? If a Republican wins the Presidential election, I would put this money into Gold and foreign currency backed income funds, diversi