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Comments for the Week Beginning August 18, 2008
Written by Raymond Merriman   

Review and Preview

It was a wild week astrologically, and financial markets reflected this.

In the geopolitical world, Russia shocked the world by sending troops into Georgia under the premise that it was protecting the lives and interests of Russians. Consistent with the misinformation or intentionally deceptive principles of Neptune, which is part of the lunar eclipse taking place, many cease fire agreements were violated. The “overkill” and assault itself is consistent with the principles of Mars in square aspect to Pluto, which is also happening at this time, and represents a “Have no mercy” tact when dealing ruthlessly with one’s opponents.

Yet in spite of new hostilities hoisted upon the world community, crude oil and precious metals continued to plunge all week. Crude Oil fell as low as 111.34 on Friday, down nearly $36.00/barrel from its high of just one month ago. Gold fell below $800 and Silver down to $12.20 on Friday. These represent multi-month lows after peaking above $1000 and $20.00 respectively just a couple months ago. Yet both the precious metals and energy sectors are entering time bands when their 18- and 26-month cycle lows will soon be due.

Most of the stock markets of the world achieved their highest levels of this new primary cycle early last week, and then pulled back into Thursday-Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, for example, touched 11,867 on Monday, a 1200+ increase form the 10,827 low of July 15. Similar peaks were completed in the European indices as well early last week, where the picture was more mixed in the Far East and Pacific Rim countries. Australia’s All Ordinaries index, for example, made a new yearly low on August 5, and did not rally that strongly last week. The same was true with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index, which tested its July 16 low again on Friday. Yet the Nifty index of India rallied smartly in August 12 before pulling back into Friday.

Short-Term Geocosmics

 As wild as last week was, the study of Financial Astrology suggests more fireworks through the end of September. For this coming week, we note that mars will enter the cardinal sign of Libra on Tuesday, August 19. Since the Federal Reserve Board was “born” at the start of another cardinal sign (Capricorn, December 23, 1913), we can anticipate a change in trend in interest rate related markets, like Treasuries (which have been rising) and foreign currencies (which have been falling against the US Dollar).

 However, all of this is leading into the first two weeks of September, which some of the most powerful geocosmic signatures of the year will unfold. As stated in last week’s column, “That is when Jupiter will make its second earth-sign trine to Saturn of this year. The first was on January 21, one day prior to the previous yearly low on of 11,634 in the DJIA on January 22. But within 1-2 days of this important geocosmic signature in early September, both Jupiter and Pluto will change their motion from retrograde to direct. These represent powerful correlates to changes in investor psychology. Perhaps the “good times” that started this week will end around then.”

Longer-Term Thoughts

Welcome back to the future. This past week the United States was rudely awakened from a massive self-delusion, wherein existed a sense of peace and world dominion. The Cold War was supposed to have ended when Uranus and Neptune formed a long-term cyclical conjunction with Saturn in 1988-1989. But now, 20 years later and approaching the opposition of Saturn to Uranus (following last year’s opposition of Saturn and Neptune), the Cold War is back on as Russia marched into Georgia under questionable reasoning, and then ignored warnings from Western governments and violated several agreements to a cease-fire.

What is it about Saturn-Uranus conjunctions and oppositions that operate like a well-timed theatrical drama between the United States and Russia? You can go back in time and look at this 45-year cycle and its half-cycle of 22.5-years each, and see these patterns of change from “friend to foe” with such regularity that it nearly defies coincidence. It was approximately 90 years ago when the Russian Revolution took place as these two planets came into opposition. Czar Nicholas was forcefully removed in favor of the Communist Bolsheviks, paving the way for the repressive Stalin era that led to major fractures between the United States and Russia. Then as these two planets came together in 1942, so did these two superpowers in the mutual effort to put down the Nazi empire-building of Adolph Hitler in World War II. But over the course of the next 22 years, the Cold War resumed and reached its peak as Saturn and Uranus once again came into opposition in the mid-1960’s. Then on their conjunction in 1988-89, Russia freed its communist satellites, paving the way for a new era of partnering between the Big Bear and the USA.

And here we are today, 45 years after the peak of the Cold War and under yet another Saturn-Uranus opposition, and Friday’s Wall Street Journal headlines blare out: “U.S.-Russia Relations Turn Cold Over Fate of Georgia, Provinces.” Even Secretary of Defense Robert Gates stated in an article by the Associated Press on Friday, “The United States spent 45 years working very hard to avoid a military confrontation with Russia. I see no reason to change that approach today.” Really? Don’t be surprised if this new era of coldness escalates, because in the past week, Mars has opposed Uranus and squared Pluto. This is a “translation” of the very serious Uranus-Pluto square that will take place 2012-2015. This is a preview of what might lie ahead for the next seven years. It doesn’t have to be “Cold War.” It can very hot and tense during this period.

This new threat – and realization that the U.S. has been in a state of delusion – is outlined in quite startling fashion by former Russian Chess Champion Garry Kasparov in an editorial piece in Friday’s Wall Street Journal, titled, “ How the West Fueled Putin’s Sense of Impunity.” In it, he states, “Russia’s invasion (of Georgia) was the direct result of nearly a decade of Western helplessness and delusion.” He backs up this statement with specific incidents.

How do these events – and reactions - show up in the field of Mundane Astrology? A look at the birth chart of the United States will reveal Neptune – planet of delusion, confusion, and illusion - is posited at 22 Virgo. Guess where transiting Uranus, planet of awakening and sudden events, is right now? In opposition at 22 Pisces. And guess where transiting Saturn, planet of reality and serious decisions to be made - will be shortly? You got it – at 22 Virgo, right on that Neptune. But that’s not the most worrisome concern. The USA Mars – planet of war and conflict - is at 20 Gemini. This not only forms a square (hard aspect) to the natal Neptune, but will be part of massive T-square with the 45-year Saturn-Uranus opposition over the next year.

The war drums are beating once again between Russia and the USA, just as they seem to do every 45 years. Except this time it could be even more complicated because the USA is spread so thin militarily. Where do the resources and personnel come from to balance or contain this new aggression on the part of Russia? Do you think it comes from the announcement that Poland will now accept 10 American missile-defense interceptors? Will that back Russia down? Which begs the question once again to both of the Presidential candidates, especially with Pluto moving into Capricorn for the next 15 years: What are your views on returning the USA to a military draft?

 

Announcements

Announcements

Forecast for 2009 is on schedule to be released December 15. You can pre-order now and thus make sure you don’t miss out on it. Last year, all copies (three printings!) were sold out by the end of January, and there was no additional printing after that. The price remains $45.00, the same as last year. For more information on this book, go to our website at www.mmacycles.com, and click on the opening banner.

You can now order Forecast for 2009 in four languages! It is available in Japanese at http://www.toushinippou.co.jp/, in German at www.mma-europe.ch and www.mma-europe.de, and in Spanish via www.mmacycles-spanish.com. In English, you can order directly from us, via our web site, or you can order from www.markettiming.nl in Netherlands, www.astrodata.com in Zurich, and Earlthorn Ltd in Hong Kong at www.earlthorn.com or by email at earlthorn2000@yahoo.com. In Melbourne, Australia, you may order the Forecast 2009 book at www.educatedinvestor.com.au, or by email at investorbooks@iprimus.com

For those who wish to be part of a “Live Broadcast” on “Forecast for 2009,” this presentation will take place on Saturday, December 13 in a special webcast we are hosting. You can hear the presentation in the comfort of your own home or office. All you need is computer with speakers and screen. Sign up will be limited to 100 people. Please visit www.mmacycles.com for registration details, or call 1-248-626-3034 to sign up. Log in instructions will be provided after registration. If you can’t make it for the live broadcast, you can see a repeat of it anytime during that week via our special log-in instructions.

The “SOS Global Market Cycles Report” came out last week. If you are a subscriber and did not receive this report, please let us know at once by email to ordersmma@msn.com. This SOS monthly report addresses the long- and intermediate-term cycles that affect all world markets, but specifically through the history of the U.S. stock market, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average. It is the “big picture” ahead, like where we are now in terms of the 18- and 4-year cycles. It also discusses the shorter cycles (primary and its phases) of the German DAX, Netherlands AEX, the Australian All Ordinaries, Hang Seng of Hong Kong, the NASDAQ Composite Index, and the XAU Gold and Silver Mining index. The German edition also covers the Swiss Market Index (SMI). For information, go to http://www.mmacycles.com/catalogue/services/the-sos-stock-market-cycles/.

On December 20, 2008, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, the first public appearance of “Forecast For 2009” will take place. For more information, please contact Irma Schogt at info@marketttiming.nl, or go to their website at www.marketttiming.nl. We will have a special reception afterwards for all MMA subscribers. The second public presentation of Forecast For 2009 will take place in Lansing, Michigan on January 4, 2009. Please see our web site for further information on this event.

 Our next Forecast 2009 presentation and Financial Market Timing Workshop will take place January 16 and 17, 2009, in Zurich, Switzerland. There is also a possibility we will have a special Sunday question and answer gathering for all MMA subscribers who are present. We will keep you posted on this development via our websites at www.mmacycles.com and www.mma-europe.ch.  On January 22, 2009, Forecast for 2009 will be presented in Belgrade, Serbia. Plans are being made for a Saturday workshop to follow on “Techniques of Financial Market Timing.” For information on the Zurich gathering, please contact AstroData at 044-700-1012. For more information on the Belgrade event, please contact info@kepler.edu.yu or vesna-m@hotmail.com. Plans are also being considered for a Forecast 2009 speech and workshop on Financial Market Timing in Buenos Aires, Argentina in March 2009. We will keep you posted with this via our web site in USA, and also our new website in Spanish at www.mma-spanish.com. That web site may not be functional for another week or two, but it is coming. We are now developing a presence in the second most-spoken language on the planet.

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, Corn, Soybeans, Wheat, 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, go to http://www.mmacycles.com/services, or call our offices at 1-248-626-3034. 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.”

The German version of “Merriman on Market Cycles: The Basics” is now in print. It is also a revision of the earlier work in English. For more information on this book, please go to our German web site at www.mma-europe.ch.

We have added a valuable new feature to our web site. Now, on the very front page, you can get a daily update on the weighted values of the Solar-Lunar cycles for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Silver market, via the studies conducted in “The Ultimate Book on Sock Market Timing Vol 4: Solar-Lunar Correlations to Trading Cycles,” and “The Sun, Moon and Silver Market: Secrets of a Silver Trader.” These are the studies I use personally for short-term trading of stock index futures, ETFs (like DIA and Silver fund), and Silver futures. Anything over 100 means it has an above-average correlation to reversing from an isolated high or low if it forms that day. The higher the value, the more probable the reversal. To see these daily values, please go to www.mmacycles.com, and just check it out on the top of the 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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