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Comments for the Week Beginning August 17, 2009

Note: Please note that there will be no column next week, August 21, due to my duties at the ISAR conference in Chicago. Secondly, we would like to announce that these weekly comments can now be read in Russian at www.urania.ru, Japanese (http://merriman.jp), Serbian (www.mma-balkan.com), Spanish (www.mmacycles-spanish.com), German (www.mma-europe.ch), French www.lecochonsideral.info, and Dutch at(www.markettiming.nl).

Review and Preview

 Last week began one of the most intense time bands of geocosmic signatures for this year. Last week also witnessed many world equity markets making new highs for this year. In many cases, these indices are now up over 50% from their lows of last March. Being up over 50% and lasting at least 5 months is our criteria for a bull market within the context of the 4-year cycle. That has now been satisfied, strongly suggesting that last March was the 4-year cycle trough. However, not all indices made new highs last week. Some fell short of their highs formed the prior week, and thus we may be seeing the development of an intermarket bearish divergence pattern, if most indices closed in the lower third of next week’s range.

 In Europe, the Netherlands AEX, British FTSE, and Swiss SMI indices all made new highs for this year on Thursday or Friday. However the German DAX index fell slightly short of its yearly high formed the previous week on Friday, August 10, giving a potential intermarket bearish divergence alert for European indices.

 In Asia and the Pacific Rim, new yearly highs were attained on Friday in both the Japanese Nikkei and Australian All Ords indices. That was not the case, though, with the Hang Seng of Hong Kong or the NIFTY index of India, which made their yearly highs back on August 4, thus creating a potential case of intermarket  bearish divergence in this region too.

 In the Americas, only Brazil’s Bovespa made a new yearly high last week (Thursday). The Dow Jones and NASDAQ came close, forming double tops on Wednesday to their yearly highs of the prior week. The Merval came close on Friday too, but then sold off into the close. Thus we have the potential for intermarket bearish divergence patterns in each of our three major world regions. If these markets close in the lower third of their range this coming week, it will be considered a valid sell signal.

 Gold and Silver also exhibited a possible intermarket bearish sell signal, as Silver made a new cycle high on Friday at 1518, while Gold could not exceed its high of the previous week. The same was true with Crude Oil.

Short-Term Geocosmics:

 As stated last week, “We are about to enter one of the most potentially explosive geocosmic time bands of the year. Starting this Monday, August 10, and lasting through August 26, there will be nine important geocosmic signatures occurring…But it goes even beyond that, because these Level One signatures involve the explosive planets Mars, Jupiter and Uranus. You may remember from previous columns that any time there is a cluster of signatures involving these three planets in any combination, the possibility of very large price swings is great… The significance of these signatures is apt to show up in mundane matters too. Although we never know what types of events to expect from Uranus (it rules surprises), we do know that earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, high winds and storms, as well as terrorist strikes, airplane disasters, and electrical outages have happened before under similar configurations.” Last week witnessed a typhoon that killed over 100 in Taiwan, two earthquakes in Asia, the first hurricane of the season, and wildfires in California. The midpoint of this geocosmic cluster doesn’t even hit until August 18, which is also the date that Mars will square Uranus, perhaps the most dangerous of all the signatures in this time band.

 In addition to these numerous geocosmic signatures, we also find heliocentric Mercury starting its transit through Sagittarius, August 14-26. This is a period when large price swings are also in evidence, especially in precious metals and currencies. Usually precious metals are bullish for 3-9 days in this interval. If you are a short-term trader who likes volatility and large price swings in short amounts of time, then this coming week may be ideal for you. If you like things calm and under control, it may be better to stand aside and not trade this week.


Longer-Term Thoughts

 “We’ve got to make it cool to be in business again. We really have to repolish the value of what business brings to Mankind.”
- Ford CEO and President Alan Mulally, in a speech last week.

Last week’s column discussed the potentially negative implications upon the sustainability of economic growth that would be caused by raising taxes on small businesses, especially as the U.S. is just starting to come out of its worst recession since the “Great Depression” of the 1930’s. The idea was to reverse the historical themes of the 16-20 year Saturn-Pluto waning phase, currently in effect 2001-2020. This is the phase where, historically, capitalistic economies go from budget surplus to government deficits, accompanied by increased government spending, increased taxes, increased interest rates. Predictably, when those policies take effect, recessions become more numerous and longer lasting, and so do bear markets in stocks. This 16-20 year alternating cycle between “good and bad economic times” is not just an astrological theory, but a consistent cycle that has also been observed by none other than Warren Buffet. In an interview in the December 2001 issue of Fortune magazine, Buffet described a similar 17-year alternating period, with these very policy shifts, using examples going back to 1964. Last week’s column concluded that if the government wants to reverse that history, then they will have to reverse the policies that accompany this history. And one of the keys is to deliver policies that help put people back to work so they add to the government’s tax receipts, instead of take from it.

Another means that would aid this goal involves corporate responsibility and sensitivity to the well-being of the greater whole. It has – or should – have nothing to do with government. Presently we are in a 30-year transit of Saturn through the signs of Virgo and Libra – the middle of the zodiac, and a sector in which financial disparities can give rise to class warfare. In today’s world of high unemployment, there is resentment against corporate executives who receive compensation, bonuses, or “golden parachutes” (for retiring), exceeding $10 million, and in many cases, over $100 million. These compensation packages have been given even in spite of a dismal performance by the corporate executive. The fact is that for every $100 million bonus or annual income that is given out to one person, 1666 new people could have been hired at $60,000/year. Instead of collecting unemployment benefits, these additional workers would be paying income and all their withholding taxes (corporate executives do not pay “all their withholding taxes” after a certain amount is earned). Additionally, that is 1666 consumers who will purchase more goods, thus providing a “real” stimulus to the economy.

Yet it is not the role of a healthy government to legislate how a company pays its employees. Rather it is the responsibility of business leaders to the community in which it exists and by which it thrives, to take a more sensitive - and ethical – view of its compensation policies if it wants the support of that community, and if it truly cares about the well-being of that community.

It is not Mulally and Ford Motor Company who were so bad in shirking their responsibilities to society and the community in which they exist over the past decade. In fact, they have been quite generous to their workers by most standards. But you can look to the Banking and Financial sectors who encouraged home buyers to take out mortgages they could not afford… or those multinational corporations that encourage the US government to loan money to lesser developed nations to build their infrastructure, with the caveat that they must use these same corporations and pay them with this very money they just borrowed from the U.S. government (taxpayer’s monies). And then those banks and corporations pay their top executives these huge sums of salary and bonuses, with the aid of that very same government “loan” (taxpayer’s monies), as described in “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man,” by John Perkins (Plume Printing, January 2006). The issue here is one of ethics, an awareness that the type of business one conducts should not be based on simple greed that potentially harms communities, families, and nations, but rather a model that seeks to build lasting value in both that business and the people within the community in which it functions.

Yet here is the thing that few corporate and banking heads understand: Pluto is now in Capricorn, 2008 through 2023. The whole unethical business-banking-political relationship that has taken advantage of societies throughout the world and given rise to resentment and rage over the income disparity between the “haves” and “have nots,” is now due to come crashing down – unless business leaders develop an awareness of their ethical responsibility to the world in which they function. And until that happens too (along with stable government fiscal and taxing policies), this economic recovery is not likely to produce the number of new jobs – and new taxpayers - needed to sustain growth for very long. It is not just government that needs to understand the historical consequences of its spending and taxing policies in the waning phase of the Saturn-Pluto cycle. Business leaders also have to understand the historical consequences of their inequitable compensation and hiring practices during the transit of Saturn through the middle of the zodiac, and how it undermines their relationship to the community in which they operate, and contributes to the social ills that come with high unemployment.

 

Announcements

We are now accepting orders for the Forecast 2011 book now via phone (1-248-626-3034), fax (1-248-538-5296), email (ordersmma@msn.com), or through our shopping cart online (www.mmacycles.com). We are pleased to announce the price will remain the same as last year. That is $55.00 if ordered after October 31, and $45.00 if ordered before (plus postage). We will also be offering special 10% discount rate for our subscription services to those who also pre-order Forecast 2011. This is a great deal, for in the words of one of our daily subscribers recently, “I don't know whether you want to hear/take any comments at all but I wanted to say that, so far, I am a very happy camper and the only thing which I think that I did wrong with subscribing to your service that I did it TOO LATE! What was I thinking....? :-)" – R. Rood, Lugano, Switzerland, futures trader and technical analyst, former cash grain trader.

For a review of the forecasts from the Forecast 2010 book, please go to www.mmacycles.com, and scroll down to about the third or fourth article on the opening screen. Or go directly to http://www.mmacycles.com/the-news/about-mma/scorecard-for-forecasts-2010/.

If you are an active short-term trader, you may be interested in our Weekly or even Daily Market reports with short-term trading recommendations. It is the only way I keep in touch with traders on a daily or even weekly basis. These reports give in-depth analysis of the DJIA, S&P and NASDAQ futures, Euro currency (cash and futures), Swiss Franc, Dollar/Yen cash and Yen futures, T-Notes, Soybeans, Crude Oil, Gold and Silver. The daily reports cover all stock indices listed above, as well as futures in Euro, T-Notes, Soybeans, Gold and Silver. Subscription to the daily report also includes the weekly report. For more information, call our offices at 1-248-626-3034, or go to http://www.mmacycles.com/services. In the words of one of our subscribers: “I recently subscribed to your weekly report and am finding it to be excellent and a very useful companion to the MMA Cycles Report.  I can't imagine now managing my investments without them.” Order now with the Forecast 2011 Book and receive a special 10% rate reduction on these services through October.

The monthly MMA Cycles Report and its companions – the MMA Japan Cycles Report and MMA European Cycles Report – went out last week. If you are a subscriber and did not receive it, contact us at once. This report covers our longer-term analysis of the U.S. stock market, precious metals, crude oil, currencies, Treasury Notes, and grain markets. The MMA Japan Cycles report covers the Nikkei, JGB Bonds, and the Dollar-Yen. The new MMA European Cycles Report covers the German DAX, Swiss SMI, and Netherlands AEX, each in English only. These reports are included in the Japanese, German, and Dutch translated MMA Cycles Report respectively. New yearly (or renewing) subscribers to these reports will receive a free copy of the Forecast 2010 book while supplies last (see below). You also qualify for a special discount on a yearly subscription if at the same time you pre-order Forecast 2011. For subscription information, please go to SERVICES at www.mmacycles.com.

CD’s DVD’s, and MP3’s of the July 11 webcast are now available!!! Each of these various ways to see the event can now be ordered via our website at www.mmacycles.com (just click the opening banner), or by calling 1-248-3034 or email operations at ordersmma@msn.com. The cost of each is $45.00, plus postage if necessary. This webcast covered our outlook for stocks, precious metals, interest rates and Treasuries, foreign currencies vis-à-vis the U.S. Dollar, and Grains. We pick this time because it was right before the astrological midpoint of the Cardinal Climax, which is taking place now. It may be the peak of the huge trend reversals expected in many of these markets, aided and abetted by major changes of trend in geopolitical matters. It is interesting to see how the stocks, grains and currencies moved right up into this time band, as outlined in this presentation. You won’t want to miss this. Order now, because most of the trading opportunities presented are in effect mainly from July 21 through October 8, 2010!!!

ForumOnAstrology.com is holding a three-day video conference on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, October 1st, 2nd, and 3, 2010. This pioneering Internet astrological conference features dozens of internationally known speakers.  Very economically priced, all participants have access to all live broadcasts with the ability to replay them from the archives for up to three months. Call (212) 929-4507 or email Inquiries@ForumOnAstrology.com.

I am oftentimes asked for recommendations of a money manager who uses my methods, since I won’t manage other people’s money. That is especially true now with the uncertainty in the market place as of late. The thing is, almost all money managers I know use their own systems. But many subscribe to my services and share my thoughts about the future of the economy, various financial markets, and how to position one’s portfolio along these lines. One money manager who subscribes to our services that I would suggest for those looking to structure a longer-term portfolio, such as a retirement account, is Duke O’Neill of Capstone Capital Wealth Management, Boulder, Colorado. He can be reached at dukeoneil1@gmail.com, or 1-(303) 247-0600. For those looking for a professional trader of commodity and futures contract might consider Ted Lee Fisher at ted.fisher@comcast.net. Ted is a legend in financial futures and has a seat on the CME. Both are very knowledgeable of the tools I use, of the way I am looking at markets, and yet each makes their own decisions as exactly when to enter and exit any market. I would also like to recommend long-term MMA subscriber Erwin Brunner of Zurich, Switzerland. Mr. Brunner is the founder of BrunnerInvest AG. One of his five funds was awarded the “Best in-house fund of funds” in the world recently. Mr. Brunner is a former director of the Swiss Banking Corporation (today it is known as UBS), and a general director of Rothschild Bank in Zurich. As an independent wealth manager for high net worth individuals and institutional clients only, he places his clients into the funds of the best performing fund managers in the world, via his own research and experience. For high net worth readers interested in Mr. Brunner’s funds, please contact him through www.brunnerinvest.ch.

 

OK. You’ve asked about classes in Financial Astrology, and I am giving two of them in great South American cities in late September and early October. Since these constitute “investment education,” many of you will be able to write the expenses of this trip off (travel, some meals, and cost of conferences). Here are some more details of each – and I hope to see many subscribers at each:

September 23-26, 2010: Buenos Aires! Seminar on Financial and Mundane Astrology with Raymond Merriman and others, with special emphasis on Argentina’s Merval Index and precious metals and whatever else is of interest to participants, for each Financial Astrology workshop is different. For more information, contact Claudia Rizzi at astrologycr@gmail.com, or visit our web site at www.mmacycles-spanish.com. If you only speak Spanish, go to www.astrologiamundana2010.blogspot.com. We will host a special gathering of MMA Subscribers at the end of the seminar, depending on interest expressed. 

October 1-2, 2010: Rio de Janeiro! Workshop on Financial Astrology with Raymond Merriman, plus a Mundane Astrology panel with Merriman and others. The workshop will have with special emphasis on Brazil’s Bovespa Index and precious metals, and whatever else is of interest to participants. For more information, contact Renato Chebar at astrologiafinanceira@gmail.com. We may host a special gathering for MMA Subscribers on Sunday, October 3, the day of Brazil’s elections, if enough subscribers request such a meeting.

January 14-16, 2011, Zurich, Switzerland. “Forecasts 2011” symposia featuring top mundane and financial astrologers, plus one day workshop on Financial Market Timing with Ray Merriman, to be followed by a special meeting with MMA Subscribers (at no cost). For more details, go to www.astrodata.ch.

March 10-12, 2011: Mexico City, Mexico. Speech on Forecasts 2011, and workshop on “Evolutionary Astrology: The Journey of the Soul Through States of Consciousness.” For information, please contact acuario888@gmail.com.

April 28 and 30, 2011: Kansas City, Mo. “Forecasts for 2011” and “Financial Astrology Workshop” with Raymond Merriman. Sponsored by AOA. Details soon. This will be the next Financial Astrology workshop in the United States.

September 1-8, 2011: Bali! "Financial Astrology" Intensive workshop with Raymond Merriman, and "Mundane Astrology" with Claude Weiss. For more information on this unique week-long intensive and incredible South Pacific paradise adventure, please go to http://www.heavenandearthworkshops.com/financial.html.

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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