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Comments for the Week Beginning December 7, 2009
Written by Raymond Merriman   

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 It was a week of unexpected surprises. It was a week of events consistent with a Uranus station, which pertains to activities and market behavior that are far from consistent.

 The week began with investors highly nervous about the consequences of World Dubai’s prior week’s announcement that it wanted to suspend interest payments on $60 billion of debt for up to six months. Would the Uranus station of December 1 coincide with a breakout and sudden panic, which is not unusual for Uranus signatures? Or would it coincide with a bottom from which prices would reverse right back up again, which was also possible under a strong Level One Uranus aspect? With Uranus, you never know what to expect – even as a Financial Astrologer. After bottoming late the prior week, U.S. equity markets did reverse and rallied to new yearly highs by last Wednesday, December 2. Then they sold off into Thursday. Then on Friday, the employment report came out and it was far better than anyone estimated. Stock prices rallied again to another new yearly high in the first 30 minutes of trading. Then they sold off over 200 points the following two hours. Welcome to the world of Uranus, where stability and predictability are concepts waiting to be violated at every opportunity. As a frame of reference, just consider what it has been like since late 2008 when Saturn began its nearly two-year opposition to Uranus that will last into summer 2010. Has anyone been consistently correct about anything? No. It’s been a portal of the unexpected and unplanned for, and that fits extremely well with the principles of Saturn in opposition to Uranus.

 In other markets, Gold soared to a new all-time high of 1227.50 on Thursday, only to fall off the cliff and close down nearly $50.00/ounce on Friday. Silver was no better, reaching a new cycle high of 1950 on Thursday and closing almost 100 points lower than that on Friday. The favorable jobs report on Friday gave a much needed boost to the Dollar against most other currencies, but it caused many dollar denominated commodities to fall.

Short-Term Geocosmics

 The year is probably going to end with a bang. By that, I mean there are a wealth of important geocosmic signatures in force December 10-29. To be precise, there are 11 aspects and stationary turns taking place during this time band. Two of the most important ones will occur December 20 and 21, just as the Winter Solstice gets underway. Those would include Mars turning retrograde and Jupiter making its third and final conjunction with Neptune in this 2009 series. I will discuss those signatures in the Longer-Term Thoughts section.

 For this coming week, the only aspect taking place is the Sun trine Mars on December 10. The majority of the influences that will describe this particular cluster will take place the following two weeks. What may be more significant for this coming week is Venus now in Sagittarius (December 1-25), along with the Sun (November 21-December 21), and both are applying to a favorable trine aspect with Mars in Leo (December 10-17). Leo and Sagittarius are fire signs, while both the Sun and Mars rule fire signs. Generally speaking, equity markets like fire signs, and especially Sagittarius. They represent enthusiasm, and Sagittarius is particularly optimistic. This would portend an upward bias in equity prices. But there are mine fields in this time band, because along their way through Sagittarius, both the Sun and Venus will form a T-square to the Saturn-Uranus opposition. Not only that, but both will also touch off the Saturn-Pluto square as they enter Capricorn (December 21-29).

 In short, we are now in an astrological climate where equity prices would normally be rising, but could still be subject to sudden and unexpected events that cause brief but sharp declines. The concern for Financial Astrologers is what happens after December 21 – after the Sun and Venus move into Capricorn, along with Mercury and Pluto, and the last conjunction between Jupiter and Neptune ends… not to mention Mars turns retrograde for the following ten weeks. It’s a picture that reminds me of the old 60’s song called “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” Except now the title might be “Where Has All the Money Gone?” The answer is: to the banks.

Longer-Term Thoughts

 Every so often it seems necessary to remind readers that the purpose of this column is not to forecast market behavior, but rather to educate on the principles of astrology as it applies to financial markets and to the mundane-political world. Yes, it is true that I will occasionally make a market forecast in this column. But forecasting markets for purposes of ongoing trading strategies is the purpose of subscription reports.

 So, in the spirit of education, let’s look at the forthcoming Mars retrograde and Jupiter-Neptune conjunction period of December 20-21. These are contradictory dynamics, for Mars stationary is usually a time of aggression and the potential threat of war, whereas Jupiter-Neptune combinations correspond to the quest for peace. It is more passive. So, in short, we are likely to see signs of passive-aggressive behavior in our world leaders for the next few days.

We see these conflicting dynamics at work today in regards to Iran and its violation of international agreements on the matter of nuclear development. We see it in regards to President Obama’s decision to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, in the face of opposition within his own party to instead withdraw troops and end the war. In principle, Mars retrograde is not considered a favorable time to initiate a troop surge and increase aggression towards war. It is time when the aggressor may be confident of his powers, especially with Mars in Leo. In fact, Mars in Leo can be overconfident, and given that Mr. Obama is a Leo himself, he needs to be especially careful in his role as Commander in Chief these next three months, lest he makes an impulsive military decision that backfires. That’s Mars retrograde.

Mars turns retrograde in the skies, as seen from Earth, approximately every 25-26 months. If we look for times in the recent past when Mars turned retrograde around 19 degrees of Leo, all we will see is December 12, 1977 (11 degrees of Leo) and December 26, 1962 (24 degrees of Leo). The 1962 instance found stock prices making a modest trough, followed by a continuation of the bull market into mid-February. This would fit a pattern seen every three years so far in this decade. That is, the markets did not have the usual October surprise in 2000, 2003, and 2006, but instead just continued higher into January-March of the next year before falling hard to a low in February-April. In the 1977 case, it was just the opposite. The market made a low around the time of the retrograde, but only rallied 5 days, and then sold off through the remainder of the Mars retrograde. However, Gold prices made a low at that time, around $160.00/ounce. Gold has not been that low since. You will find many cases in the past where Gold prices made a low or a high within a few days of Mars changing directions, and that low or high held for several months.

 The Jupiter-Neptune conjunction will be the third and final one in this series that began May 27, 2009. The second passage was July 10. In the two prior instances, equities first made a major cycle trough and then a primary cycle trough. In both cases, equity prices soared afterwards. In the first case, prices soared sharply for the next two weeks to a primary cycle crest. This is the usual pattern of stock prices under Jupiter and Neptune, as reported in “The Ultimate Book on Stock Market Timing, Volume 3: Geocosmic Correlations to Trading Cycles.” But politically, the end of the Jupiter-Neptune series of conjunctions may also indicate the end of the period of hope and idealism regarding some world leaders and their inspirational visions of the future. Idealism and inspiration may give way now to the reality that actions, not just words, are what really matters. It’s time to focus on getting people back to work and getting the economy back on sound footing, which ironically was Obama’s very message to business leaders this week too. Let’s see if this initiative can move from the domain of words to the platform of action and results.

 

Announcements




The “Forecast 2012” webcast will take place on Sunday, February 19, starting at 1:00 PM EST (that’s 6:00 PM GMT or 10:00 AM PST). Via the modern technology of our webinar host, you can log onto this presentation on current markets (both long-term and short-term outlooks) and the political-psychological climate for 2012, in the comfort of your home or office. All you need is a computer with speakers. You can hear the speech and see the live presentation and slide show, complete with the charts as they are being discussed, on your computer screen. The cost for this special event is $45.00. If you are interested in being part of this unique live webcast, just register at the MMA Website (www.mmacycles.com) and scroll down the opening screen for the announcement. Or drop us an email (ordersmma@msn.com) or fax (248-538-5296), or call us at 1-248-626-3034. Instructions to log into this event will be sent upon making reservations. Reserve early (before February 17), for space will be limited.

Many of you have asked about DVD’s or CD’s on the “Forecast 2012 Mini-Congress on January 21 in Amsterdam that I participated in. On the program were also three other excellent speakers on the subject: Irma Schogt of Schogt Market Timing in Amsterdam, plus world renowned astrologer Katen Hammaker-Zondag (specialist in the future of the Euro zone and Euro currency) and Antonia Langsdorf, of Cologne, Germany, who wrote “The Eye of the Storm,” a best-selling rendition about the year 2012 from the point of view of Mayan schools and astrologers. These recording will soon be available through Irma Schogt. We will announce when they will be available, probably within the week. You check in with us next week, or contact Irma directly at www.markettiming.nl.

 

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 $712,000 (now $850,000).  Thanks for your excellent publications.” - Bryden C., Small Business Owner, Illinois.


Copies of the printed version of Forecast 2012 are still available. There will be no additional printings, so when they are gone, they are gone. This year’s book is 200 pages – our largest ever – and packed full of information about the economy, USA Presidential election, social and economic trends, and of course, financial markets with their all-important three-star critical reversal dates (the one and two-star reversal dates are covered in the MMA Cycles Report, as well as weekly reports). For further information, please go to the front page of our web site at www.mmacycles.com, Or call us at 1-248-626-3034.

The E-Book version of the Forecast 2012 Book is now out as well in two different formats. The first is our own version, which contains both the text and the calendar-ephemeris for 2012. The cost for this is $55.00, or $35.00, depending on whether you also ordered the printed version too.  The second is through Apple iTunes, which covers iPhone 4 and 4S, and the iPad, and also Amazon.com Kindle. The cost is $39.99. It does not contain the advertisements or the planetary calendar and ephemeris in the back. You can now order it if you have an email address registered via one of these 9 countries (USA, UK, Australia, France, Canada, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain). Just go to iTunes, and then “Library,” then “Store,” then in the field titled “Search,” type in “Forecast 2012” or “Raymond Merriman” (without quotation marks). Or, go to http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/raymond-merriman/id408289861?mt=11.

“After reading the annual Forecasts and subscribing to MMA Cycles for the past ten years, I can say that Ray Merriman's forecasts are uncannily accurate and indispensable for the preservation of wealth. Nothing else I've seen compares. It is without a doubt the best perspective on the big picture, not just bits and pieces of the picture.”
W.W., Investor and Teacher, Indiana.


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:

February 19, 2012: “Forecast 2012 Worldwide Webcast!!!” This is our annual speech to viewers the world over. It will be the latest update on Raymond Merriman’s annual Forecast Book. Utilizing the study of cycles and geocosmic factors, this speech will focus on the current state of the economy, political situation in Washington, DC, and in particular, the financial markets, including: the U.S. stock market, interest rates, the U.S. Dollar, Gold, and Silver. This will be a telecast of the live presentation taking place at the Michigan Education Conference Center in Troy, Michigan on Square Lake Road. The webcast and speech will start at 1:00 PM, EST and last two hours. Cost to participate in the webcast, or to attend in person in Troy, is $45.00. Go to http://www.mmacycles.com/catalogue/multimedia/forecast-2012-live-webcast-february-19,-2012!!!/ for more information.

March 1 and 3, 2012: Hong Kong. “Forecast 2012” on Thursday, March 1, and a full day intensive on “Financial Market Timing” on Saturday, March 3, with emphasis on Gold, Silver, Currencies, and Equity Markets for 2012. Organized by Earlthorn.Com at the Excelsior Hotel, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Contact Teresa Wong at 852-2529 1211 (phone), or by e-mail at earlthorn@hknet.com. A special 90-minute private meeting with MMA Subscribers will follow the workshop on March 3. You must reserve your space for this meeting with MMA.

March 9-11, 2012: The 12th Annual Balkan International Conference, Belgrade, Serbia. Featuring a pre-seminar workshop with Raymond Merriman. For further information on this fantastic gathering, contact www.keplerunited.org. +381-11-267-31-92 or email info@keplerunited.org.

April 19 and 21, Boulder, Colorado. “Forecast 2012” with Raymond Merriman, plus a workshop on “Financial Market Timing,” focusing on equities and precious metals. Sponsored by ROMA. For more information and registration, contact dralagifts@msn.com. Once again, a private meeting for MMA subscribers will follow the workshop.

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 or Sunday evening on the top floor of the Marriott.

June 23: Amsterdam. A special 5-hour workshop on “The Gold Market: Forecasting the Price of Gold” Details to be announced shortly, but mark your calendars 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!

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 14-15, 2012: San Diego: Lecture on world economy and national election, and then a workshop on Financial Market Timing. More details shortly.
details soon.

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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