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Comments for the Week Beginning April 16, 2007
Weekly Preview - MMA Comments for the Week
Written by Raymond Merriman   

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Last week’s column stated, “We are now leaving the time band of the harmonious Jupiter transits, in effect April 4-9…. the final Jupiter transit (Sun trine Jupiter) unfolds Monday, thus completing the classically benefic “grand trine” pattern with Saturn in fire signs (Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius).” Many stock markets of the world did indeed top out on Monday, April 9. The column also stated, “On Wednesday, Venus (planet of love and money) will leave its ruling sign of Taurus for the more unpredictable sign of Gemini, where it will remain until May 8. One might consider that Venus in Taurus was very bullish for stocks (Venus rules stocks). Gemini is much more erratic in its correlation to things of financial value, so perhaps the stock markets act a little more volatile now.” Indeed stock prices were more volatile last week, with the U.S. stock market selling off sharply into Thursday morning, but then recovering almost all it lost by the next day.

The erratic quality of Venus in Gemini is showing up in many stock indices around the world. After rallying into the Jupiter transits of April 4-9, most indices sold off into early Thursday morning, and then started another rally. Some in dices made new all-time or multi-year highs on Friday, like The German DAX, London FTSE, Australian All Ordinaries, and Bovespa of Brazil. But others in the same region failed to confirm. Not only that, but Japanese Nikkei Index actually continues to fall from Monday into Friday’s close. All indices are registering bearish oscillator divergence too as we end the week, which is a technical sign of a decline to begin soon. But how soon? With the powerful Jupiter-Uranus square not up until May 10, it is possible that equity prices defy these bearish technical signs until then. Or they could surprise everyone and succumb immediately, falling hard into that aspect yet. It is something we have to monitor every day now, for the geocosmic signatures of April 19-May 13 are amongst the most unpredictable of all, capable of sudden whipsaws and very large price swings.

Once again, Gold and Silver also rallied smartly last week. Both continued posting their highest level since March 1. Crude Oil declined to 61.35 on Tuesday, but then recovered over $3.00/barrel by Friday. But the bigger story was the Euro currency which soared above 1.3500. It is nearing its all-time high of 1.3667 of December 31, 2004.

Short-Term Geocosmics

The strongest signature in effect this week will be Saturn turning stationary direct on April 19, thus ending four months of its retrograde motion. This is a Level 1 (strongest) signature with a 70% historical correlation to primary or greater cycles within 9 trading days (and usually only 2-7 trading days). But more importantly, this begins a time frame extending through May 13 that contains several powerful geocosmic signatures (Level 1 aspects), culminating with the extremely important Jupiter-Uranus waning square of May 10. In my opinion (and not a “humble opinion”), Jupiter-Uranus signatures are the strongest of all geocosmic pairings to sharp reversals in U.S. stocks. This is the second of three passages of this aspect this year (the first was on January 22). You may remember last year when these two planets formed the second of their three waning trines on May 5. Within one week the DJIA, Euro, and precious metals all made spectacular crests - and then fell hard in just as spectacular a fashion into mid-May. This time the price swings could even more spectacular because 1) the square is a stronger aspect than the trine, and 2) the square occurs in mutable signs, which are considered more volatile than the water signs they were in during 2006.

We will get a glimpse of this powerful dynamic between April 23-30, when both Mars and Venus will transit in hard aspect to the Jupiter-Uranus square. You may recall that nearby to the first passage (January 22), crude oil made its probable 4-year cycle trough, T-Notes made their low of the year, and currencies made a half-primary cycle trough. All these markets rallied smartly right afterwards. The message? Fasten your seat belts. To borrow a phrase from the Disney World theme park, we are about to begin “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.” I would anticipate a few triple digit days in the DJIA during the next 4 weeks, with a possibility of a record (or near-record) loss or gain in one of those days.

Long-Term Thoughts

The religious holidays are now over, so we will get back to our critical analysis of mundane events within the context of long-term geocosmic signatures.

As stated before, the most dominant of the long-term planetary cycle in effect this year is the Saturn-Neptune opposition. This is the halfway point of the 36-year orbital cycle of these two planets, whose historical theme has to do with ethical lapses by leaders in the all facets of life. We saw it last week in the firestorm that erupted over comments by popular radio and TV talk show host Don Imus, for his demeaning comments about the Rutgers girls’ basketball team. And in typical Saturn-Neptune fashion, a witch hunt immediately erupted, and Imus was quickly fired (well, not quickly enough for some people).

But other Saturn-Neptune themes of distrust and “you can’t believe what you read or hear” were once again very much in evidence last week for the beleaguered White House staff and President George W. Bush.  Friday’s Wall Street Journal reported that “(Karl) Rove emails are lost and can’t be recovered in the U.S. attorney case, the White House says.” Does anyone believe this? That followed Wednesday’s WSJ report that “Congress subpoenaed Gonzalez documents a week before the attorney general is to testify, worsening a showdown with the White House.” On the same day, WSJ reported “House hearings will examine if the administration was deliberately misleading about the Lynch and Tillman cases to boost war support.” The White House’s credibility is again on the line, and again they appear to be not forthcoming with information that would boost their credibility as trustworthy leaders. And that is the major issue with Saturn-Neptune: trustworthiness. If not achieved, then the public will want that person (those persons) removed completely from any position of trust (i.e. Imus). Remember the last time these two planets were in opposition was 1971-72, during the Watergate burglaries that led to the shameful resignation of then President Richard Nixon, who like this administration, continues to deny and avoid accountability on sensitive issues with Congress. And until that changes, investigations will continue to mount thus further alienating the public’s trust in this administration, and weaken its ability to govern, leading to more blame and finger-pointing for failure to get anything done.


It doesn’t end with these investigations. There are other issues of importance that are harming this President and his administration’s image in the eyes of the public. Several weeks ago (early in the year) when the President announced he was going to expand the troops in Iraq (the “troop surge”) as a temporary measure to gain control over the War against Terrorism, this column forecasted that it would not be temporary at all. Instead, a look at Mr. Bush’s chart showed progressed Mars conjunct his natal Moon, and coming to a conjunction to his natal Jupiter over the next two years. Mars is war, and Jupiter is expansion – not reduction. This column forecasted that the war would expand right into the end of his presidency, perhaps even expanding into other areas by the end of 2008 (like Iran and/or Syria), despite claims to the contrary by the administration. On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported: “The Pentagon extended Iraq and Afghan tours of duty for all troops… all active-duty soldiers will now spend 15 instead of 12 months at a time in the war zone… re-enlistment bonuses rose to $1.03 billion last year from $174 million in 2003.”

Previously I had stated that the Democrats would probably not seek impeachment against George Bush, because with all the investigations, it serves their political fortunes better to leave him in office and continually remind the public of the alleged transgressions. But that could change if the Democrats cannot contain his ‘war expansion” drives. The only way to stop him (in their opinion) may be to commence impeachment proceedings. My guess is that if this is to happen, it could begin by the end of June.

The disappointment is not just limited to Democratic members of Congress. Former Ford executive and Chrysler chairman Lee Iacocca came out with a new book this week, titled Where Have All, the Leaders Gone? The words of the book are right out the Saturn-Neptune classical reference library. On the very first page he writes: “We’ve got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we’ve got corporate gangsters stealing us blind and we can’t even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car.” Later on, according to excerpts published by Detroit Free Press Washington Bureau reporter Justin Hyde, Iacocca states, “George Bush doesn’t have common sense. He just has a lot of sound bites.” In the book Iacocca admits that he campaigned for George Bush in 2000 because he was a friend of his father.

Bottom line: this Saturn-Neptune continues to have a dominant affect in the dynamics of world politics today, especially in the U.S.A. The degree of intensity related to these themes is not lessening at all, in fact they are increasing. As they do so, they spell ever greater problems for this administration. The solution? Act and be trustworthy, and avoid behavior that arouses suspicion of “covering things up.” That only adds to the furor of a public that wants to see a hanging. Once again, this president appears to be heading in a direction of not just a “lame duck” (president serving his last two years in office), but perhaps becoming a “dead duck.” In situations like this, dramatic events can happen, and they can lead to sharp reversals in equity prices around the world. How this affects the stock market may not be seen until the very end of this process. In past cases, equity prices rose despite the continued unpopularity of the President and allegations of ethical lapses by the leadership.
 

Announcements

The monthly MMA Cycles Report and its companions – the MMA Japan Cycles Report and MMA European Cycles Report – will come out this week, Monday and Tuesday, via posting on our web site, and attachment via direct emails, for subscribers. This report covers our longer-term analysis of the U.S. stock market, precious metals, crude oil, currencies, Treasury Notes, grain markets, and now GLD and SLV – the ETF’s of Gold and Silver. The MMA Japan Cycles report covers the Nikkei, JGB Bonds, and the Dollar-Yen. The MMA European Cycles Report covers the German DAX, Swiss SMI, and Netherlands AEX, each in English only, and will be available on Wednesday. Go to http://www.mmacycles.com/catalogue/subscription-services/mma-cycles-report/, for further information and subscription.

The DVD of the Denver Workshop on Financial Market Timing is now available!!! This financial markets workshop offers a completely unique and original perspective, integrating 1) Market Timing studies, 2) Price Objective calculations, 3) Technical Analysis, 4) Pattern Recognition studies, and 5) Trend Analysis. The primary focus of this workshop is on Market Timing Studies, particularly Cycles Analysis and Geocosmic Studies, as leading indicators that identify when to anticipate a reversal in all financial markets. Gold and the U.S. stock market are studied in great detail, especially regarding their current status. There is a wealth of timely and valuable information in this DVD, especially pertaining the forthcoming Venus retrograde period (May 15-June 27), the forthcoming Uranus-Pluto square of June 24, 2012, lasting through March 2015, and the important Jupiter correlation to stock market cycles coming up August-November 2012 and March-May 2013. The cost for this 4-hour DVD workshop is $180.00 plus postage. To order, please go to http://www.mmacycles.com/catalogue/multimedia/dvd-of-boulder-workshop-on-financial-market-timing!!!/. Or call Amber at 1-248-626-3034. If you are a trader or investor who appreciates the value of market timing – especially in the next few months – this is a presentation you will not want to miss!

 

June 23: A special 5-hour workshop on “The Gold Market: Forecasting the Future Price of Gold and Silver.” 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM, Hotel Park Plaza Victoria. Amsterdam, Damrak 1-5, Amsterdam 1012 LG, Netherlands. Sponsored by Schogt Market Timing. This is a special workshop on precious metals you will not want to miss!!! Cost is €345 ex VAT. Subscribers of any MMA reports (trials excluded) receive a 15% discount. For further information, please go to http://www.markettiming.nl/en/producten/workshop-gold-silver, or call 31 (02) 294 415 917, or by fax at 31 (02) 294-415-918 to register for an exciting event in one of the world’s most exciting cities at the most exciting time of the year: the first Uranus-Pluto square will be taking place then, right near the summer solstice! This will be special, and a great opportunity to meet some very impressive market timers who will be present. Register now as seating is limited!

Raymond Merriman’s “On-Line Market Timing Academy” (OLMTA) will offer a pre-training course on “Beginning Principles of Geocosmic Studies for Financial Market Timing,” September 15-16, in Troy, Michigan, at the Management Education Center of Michigan State University. This 10-12 hour course may be attended live, in person, or via webcast televised to your computer. A DVD will be available afterwards as well. This workshop will basically train non-astrologers in the use of reading an ephemeris, the table of planetary positions for any given day. This is essential to anyone who wishes to understand how to find a geocosmic critical reversal date for financial markets. This course (or audit of it) is a pre-requisite for anyone entering the OLMTA market training course, as developed and instructed by Raymond Merriman. The OLMTA two-year training course will begin in March 2013, and will involve 8 weekends of study – 4 weekends each in 2013 and 2014. For more information and registration, please go to www.mmacycles.com (front page, near bottom). We will make announcements as this training program unfolds. The cost for the September 15-16 pre-training workshop is $395.00 ($300 for MMA subscribers). This cost will be deducted from the fee of the two-year training course to those who apply and are accepted into OLMTA by late October 2012.

 

If you are an active short-term trader, or even if you are an investor who likes to keep up with our current thoughts on financial markets, you may be interested in our Weekly or even Daily Market reports with position trading and aggressive trading recommendations. It is the only way I keep in touch with traders on a daily or even weekly basis, as I no longer offer personal consultations. These reports give in-depth analysis of the DJIA, S&P and NASDAQ futures, Euro currency (cash and futures), Dollar/Yen cash and Yen futures, Euro-Yen cash, T-Notes, Crude Oil, Gold and Silver. The daily reports cover all stock indices listed above, as well as futures in Euro, T-Notes, Gold and Silver. Both reports provide trading strategies and recommendations for position traders as well as for shorter-term aggressive traders. Subscription to the daily report also includes the weekly report. For more information, go to http://www.mmacycles.com/services, or call our offices at 1-248-626-3034. These reports are extremely valuable to those who trade ETF’s (Exchange Traded Funds). In the words of one of our subscribers: “I am really pleased with your recommendations through the Daily and Weekly Trade Recommendations.  I have used them to trade gold and silver stocks in my IRA.  In the last eight years I increased my account from $60,000 to $850,000.  Thanks for your excellent publications.” - Bryden C., Small Business Owner, Illinois.

NEW! Now available Mini-Congress ‘Outlook for 2012’ on CD!!! Recordings of the congress “Outlook for 2012,” held January 21, 2012 in Amsterdam, are now available on CD, with audio and PDFs of PowerPoint slides. All lectures are spoken in English. The following presentations are included on this CD:  “2012 End Time of Dawning” by Irma Schogt (20 minutes);“Happy New Year” by Drs. Karen Hamaker-Zondag (20 minutes , regarding ECB and Federal Reserve Board); “2012: The Center of the Storm” by Antonia Langsdorf (20 minutes, regarding Mayan calendar and astrology); “Forecast for 2012” by Raymond Merriman (1 hour). Total length 2 hours, with PowerPoint slides sent online in a PDF document.  Cost is $55.00 plus postage. Please go to http://www.mmacycles.com/the-news/about-mma/cd%27s-now-available-on-the-forecast-2012-mini%11congress-in-amsterdam,-january-21,-2012/, or www.mmacycles.com for ordering info.

Our new 2012 MMA Catalogue is now out!! You can download this catalogue directly at http://www.mmacycles.com/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=41&Itemid=63.

EVENTS:

May 24-29, 2012: UAC!!! The world’s largest astrological conference. Taking place at the New Orleans Marriott Hotel. Go to www.uacastrology.com. There will be an awesome Financial Track, featuring some of the top Financial Astrologers and researchers in the world. There will be private meeting for MMA on Friday evening on the top floor of the Marriott. If you are interested in attending, please contact us and reserve your space! No cost to subscribers! Otherwise $95.00 to participate.

June 23: Amsterdam. A special 5-hour workshop on “The Gold Market: Forecasting the Future Price of Gold and Silver.” 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM, Hotel Park Plaza Victoria. Amsterdam, Damrak 1-5, Amsterdam 1012 LG, Netherlands. Sponsored by Schogt Market Timing. This is a special workshop on precious metals you will not want to miss!!! Cost is € 345 ex VAT. Subscribers of any MMA reports (trials excluded) receive a 15% discount. For further information, please go to http://www.markettiming.nl/en/producten/workshop-gold-silver for an exciting event in one of the world’s most exciting cities at the most exciting time of the year: the first Uranus-Pluto square will be taking place then, right near the summer solstice! This will be special. You may also register by calling 31 (02) 294 415 917, or by fax at 31 (02) 294-415-918. Register now as seating is limited!

August 2-6, 2012: Midwest Astrology Conference, in Ann Arbor, MI, Holiday Inn. Pre-seminar workshop on Financial Astrology, Thursday, August 2, with Raymond Merriman. More details soon.

 

September 15-16, 2012: Troy, Michigan. OLMTA – the On-Line Market Timing Academy – will conduct it pre-curriculum introductory workshop on “Basic Principles of Geocosmic Studies for Financial Market Timing.” This will be an introductory course on how to read an ephemeris and how to calculate a critical reversal date. It is open to anyone, but understanding this material is mandatory for anyone entering the MMA mentor-apprenticeship program that will officially start in March 2013. This introductory workshop will be available as a live webinar too. The cost is $300 to subscribers of any MMA subscription report, or $395 to others. For further information, please contact mmacustomerservice@gmail.com or ordersmmma@msn.com.Or go to www.mmacycles.com, and scroll down to the bottom of the first page.

 


Disclaimer and statement of purpose:

The purpose of this column is not to predict the future movement of various financial markets. However, that is the purpose of the MMA (Merriman Market Analyst) subscription services. This column is not a subscription service. It is a free service, except in those cases where a fee may be assessed to cover the cost of translating this column from English into a non-English language.

This weekly report is written with the intent to educate the reader on the relationship between astrological factors and collective human activities as they are happening. In this regard, this report will oftentimes report what happened in various stock and financial markets throughout the world in the past week, and discuss that movement in light of the geocosmic signatures that were in effect. It will then identify the geocosmic factors that will be in effect in the next week, or even month, or even years, and the author’s understanding of how these signatures will likely affect human activity in the times to come. The author (Merriman) will do this from a perspective of a cycle’s analyst looking at the military, political, economic, and even financial markets of the world.

It is possible that some forecasts will be made based on these factors. However, the primary goal is to both educate and alert the reader as to the psychological climate we are in, from an astrological perspective. The hope is that it will help the reader understand these psychological dynamics that underlie (or coincide with) the news events and hence financial markets of the day.

No guarantee as to the accuracy of this report is being made here. Any decisions in financial markets are solely the responsibility of the reader, and neither the author nor the publishers assume any responsibility at all for those individual decisions. Reader should understand that futures and options trading are considered high risk.

Copyright MMACycles 2007; you may link to this site or page, but you may not distribute these texts in any way (by email or otherwise).

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