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Comments for the Week Beginning January 14, 2008

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Welcome to the Saturn-Uranus opposition preview.

Starting on Election Day, November 4, 2008, Saturn will make five passages of its 45-year opposition cycle to Uranus, lasting through July 26, 2010. Those who study Financial Astrology know that this is one of the most significant geocosmic correlations to long-term stock market cycles, per the studies done in “The Ultimate Book on Stock market Timing Volume 2: Geocosmic Correlations to Investment Cycles.” But this past week, we had a preview of what this longer-term planetary pair cycle might be like, as transiting Venus translated the midpoint of the developing opposition between Saturn and Uranus.

For most of the world’s stock indices, the declines of the prior week continued this past week. However, these declines were not straight down. In fact there were sudden and sharp rallies. There were wide price swings. For instance, the Dow Jones Industrial Average made a new 9 month low on Wednesday, falling top 12,501. That was below the low of last August 16, which represented the steepest decline so far of the expanded 4-year cycle. Wednesday’s low exceeded that, suggesting that this expanded cycle is still unfolding, as suspected. But by the next day the DJIA soared over 400 points, up to 12,931 during the day. Yet that rally quickly fizzled as the DJIA gave back 400+ points into Friday’s low of 12,543. Wide prices swings lime these in such very short periods of time, is the nature of Saturn (depressed prices or news) and Uranus (sharp price swings). Last week’s Venus translation, as a T-square to that forthcoming Saturn-Uranus opposition, just gave us a preview what world stock indices may be like from November 2008 through July 2010.

The price behavior was also similar in the NASDAQ Composite, which fell to a low of 2407.39 on Wednesday, just a little above its 2386 low of August 16, for a potential case of intermarket bullish divergence if those lows hold. By the next day, it was back above 2500, but only briefly, as it sold off to as low as 2428 during the day on Friday.

There were no such rallies in Australia or Japan, where stock indices just fell the entire week. In fact the Japanese Nikkei is now testing the 14,000 mark, it lowest level since June 2006. The ASX All Ords index of Australia is now testing the 6000 mark, far off its all-time highs of 6873 posted on November 1. Even India’s NIFTY index fell a bit after posting a new all-time of 6357 on January 8. It closed the week at 6200. The Hang Seng of Hong Kong was relatively quiet all week, not making any new monthly highs or lows.

Europe on the other hand was down all week too, but not too new multi-month lows in all indexes. The AEX of Netherlands is currently testing the 479 lows of last August. But the German DAX and London FTSE are holding well above the lows of not only last August, but November too. The Swiss Index took out those lows on Monday, falling all the way to 8070. But, after a strong rally to 8385 the next day, the Swiss index also started a decline that lasted well into Friday, taking prices back down to 8156. Most of the indices of the world thus closed the week rather to their lows, giving a sense of more troubles ahead for stocks.

Gold and Silver, on the other hand, soared sharply last week, with Gold poking above the 900 mark for the first time ever. March Silver closed right near its high of the week at 1637, a level not seen since 1980. Crude Oil did not fare so well, closing the week at 92.31, well off its all-time high of just over 1200 posted on January 3. Interestingly enough, Crude Oil made cycle lows within a week of the prior two passages of Jupiter trine Saturn in March and May 2007. It is coming up again January 21. Jupiter is a co-ruler of Crude Oil.

Short-Term Geocosmics

The Venus-Uranus square ends on Saturday, January 12. With Venus in Sagittarius and Uranus in Pisces – both mutable signs – it should not be surprising that the stocks markets of the world experienced such wild swings last week. Mutable signs are known for their “changeable” qualities. That may be even more understandable given that the Moon was in Aquarius, the sign ruled  by Uranus, Wednesday through Friday, when the steepest price swings were in force.

From here, the markets will head towards the third of five passages of the Jupiter-Saturn trine on January 21. 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).

It will also be interesting to observe the movement of Venus into Capricorn on January 24. For the following 8 days, it will cross the Jupiter-Pluto conjunction. You may remember that Jupiter and Pluto conjoined exactly on December 11, the day from which the current sell-off began. If the influence of that conjunction is still in force, we might see a significant rally into January 24-February 1, the time band in which Venus translates the Jupiter-Pluto conjunction. But we must keep in mind that in December, the two planets were in late Sagittarius., This time they will be in early Capricorn. We will have to wait and see if the results are the same, or perhaps opposite, what we saw in December.

Longer-Term Thoughts

The Venus translation to the Saturn-Uranus opposition was not only noticeable for its surprises and sudden changes in the stock markets of the world. It was also evident in last Tuesday’s primary election in New Hampshire. Going into that election, all the polls showed Barack Obama well ahead of Hillary Clinton, by 9-14%. Following his surprisingly large win in Iowa the prior week, Obama seemed to have a momentum that could not be stopped. Mike Huckabee also had great momentum following his victory in Iowa too. But both Huckabee and Obama fell far short of what they had hoped for, and what the polls had suggested, as Clinton (for the Democrats) and McCain (for the Republicans) executed remarkable comebacks to win. As last week’s column stated, “This coming week will also feature a new moon at 17 degrees of Capricorn on Tuesday. 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). Consequently we are getting a preview of what this election holds in the next two weeks, during the waxing phase (new moon through the full moon), in effect January 8 through 22. 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 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.”

As a Mundane Astrologer, it is tempting to predict that one of those two winners (Clinton or McCain) will be the next president of the United States, simply on the basis of the new moon position on last Tuesday’s primary being at the same degree as the Jupiter position on the national Election Day. Historically, New Hampshire has an 85% historical rate of accuracy for choosing the presidential candidates of each party in its primary. It is shaping up to be one of the most exciting elections in the United States in a very long time. Previously this column had also pointed to the importance of Saturn and Uranus in opposition as being a period when one must follow “the youth” in order to spot new trends emerging. That 45-year cyclical aspect makes its first of five passages right on Election Day. The turnout of the youth may very well decide who the next president of the Untied States is. They turned out in unexpectedly large numbers the previous week to deliver Obama the victory in Iowa. Will they do it again in November, thus kicking off this longer-term planetary cycle’s past history? Or will the geocosmic similarities between last Tuesday’s new moon and the position of the Moon-Jupiter on Election Day be the dominating astrological correlate? Or something else entirely? Any time Uranus is involved, there is bound to be “unexpected” developments that alter the most sophisticated forecasting tools – like polls, which were dead wrong for New Hampshire. Financial Astrology methods, on the other, were more accurate in this case. But which do you think the general public will follow most closely as this election unfolds? Astrology would suggest that the polls could be wrong again going into the voting on Election Day itself, based on both the New Moon in to Jupiter correlation, and the Saturn-Uranus opposition. It might be a good wager to task at the last minute.

 

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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