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Comments for the week beginning January 29, 2007
Written by Raymond Merriman   

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This was a most interesting week, as the first of three Jupiter-Uranus squares for the year unfolded on Monday, January 22. Several of the world’s equity markets made new multi-year or all-time highs, but under weaker technical signs than at previous highs. Most closed weakly by Friday, setting up a tug-of-war for the next week, and maybe the weeks following. As readers of this column know (and are probably getting tired of reading), the U.S. stock market is in the very late stages of its 4-year cycle, when normally a 20+% decline happens (85.7% probability since 1893). Technically, last week looks like another optimal set up for this decline to begin. But fundamentally, this is not the expected season for a major decline to begin, because so much new money typically comes into funds now in the form of retirement accounts. For tax purposes these funds are received in the first quarter of every year, and it one of the best tax deferments available to Americans. So those monies tend to end up in equities, driving stock prices higher around this time every year now. But then, with Jupiter square Uranus, the usual rules may not work, for with Uranus, anything goes. And when it goes, it usually goes hard, in dramatic fashion, and completely by surprise… sort of like what happened on Wednesday, January 22, when the Dow Jones Industrial Average soared to a new all-time high. But then the very next day, it gave it all back. As the DJIA made a new high, the NASDAQ Composite failed to even exceed its 2508 high of January 16, which still stands as the reversal date right in the center of our prior critical reversal zone.

In Europe, the Swiss Stock index soared to yet another new all-time, reaching 9200 on Thursday. By Friday it had fallen to 9041. Both the Netherlands AEX and German DAX indices also made new multi-year highs last week, with the DAX hitting 6771 on January 25 and the AEX up to 509 on January 22. Even the London FTSE popped up to a new multi-year high with its mark of 6335 on Thursday. But by Friday, all these indices were down considerably, flashing string technical sell signals.

In the Pacific Rim, the All Ordinaries Index of Australia soared to another new all-time on Friday, reaching 5782. The Japanese Nikkei also soared to its highest level since July 2000 on Thursday at 17,617. As stated last week, “This is important resistance, because of a long-term monthly trend line that shows much resistance at 17,300-17,600. If it can close above that trend line area, it could commence a very explosive upside breakout.” But it didn’t. It closed at 17,422, still within striking range, but no cigar just yet. The Hang Seng of Hong Kong also made a new all-time high last Wednesday at 20,972. But then it fell hard, even forming what is known as a “bearish island reversal” pattern, closing the week at 20,281.

In other markets, Crude Oil rebounded smartly as cold weather finally arrived for the Winter. Plus, it appears OPEC nations may be serious about cutting back supplies, which could start that move to 100.00/barrel we still forecast. But we have to get above 60.00 first, which is major resistance. Both Gold and Silver reached critical plateaus last week, with Gold getting a little above 650 and Silver up to 1360. But then both pulled back. If they close above those marks next week, it may be off to races. The same is true if the Nikkei can close above last week’s high.

Short-Term Geocosmics

The Sun is now in Aquarius (January 20-February 20). This is typically a period when financial markets are given to sudden surprises. After all, Uranus is the ruler of Aquarius (modern astrology). It is not unusual, for instance, to wake up one or two days during this one-month passage and find Silver down 50 cents, or Gold off $15.00, with very little warning the day before. It is also not unusual to find the stock market up sharply one day, then down sharply the next, or vice-versa. If Uranus and Aquarius are anything, it is not smooth and orderly. To the contrary, their principles are volatile, unexpected, and full of surprises. But knowing this, we should not be so surprised when the market acts so chaotic. Also we should realize that it is hard to keep the stock market down at this time of year because so much money flows into retirement accounts, to defer tax liabilities until future years.

The only interesting geocosmic currently unfolding are ingresses of Geocentric Venus moves into Pisces, while heliocentric (as seen from Sun) Venus and Mercury both move into Aries between January 26-28. As discussed last week, “This combination usually has relevance to reversals in some currency prices, like the Yen to the Dollar or Euro.” They have been declining. Mars continues through Capricorn until February 26, which coincides with big price swings in Crude Oil and greater problems for Israel, as forecasted a couple of weeks ago. This country is very much in the news as of late with the allegations of rape and sexual harassment against their President, and demands for his removal. The next big set up in the heavens occurs February 7-13.

Long-Term Thoughts

“The Iraqi Conflict is nothing like Viet Nam.”

How often have we heard this assessment in the past three years? To an astrologer, the similarities of celestial patterns today are remarkably similar to those present during the days of the Viet Nam War. To anyone who lived in the United States during that time, there are many parallels too – especially the increasing public and political dismay for the Commander in Chief. The more Mr. Bush tries to do, the more vocal his detractors become, and the more empowered the protest movement becomes. A Cox News Service story this week headlines, “Protestors to Rally Saturday.” The news report begins, “Activists planning an antiwar protest rally on Saturday said Wednesday it’s aimed at convincing Congress to get the troops out of Iraq.” If you substituted Viet Nam for Iraq, that same story line could pertain to a time 40 years ago. “Antiwar protest rally?” “Trying to convince the government to get the troops out of….”? This is becoming 1967-68 all over again, with real fears of the same results against a guerilla–like military opponent to which conventional rules of warfare don’t apply.

In the mid-1960’s, Saturn was in opposition to Uranus and Pluto, and the later transited over the USA Neptune (22 Virgo), forming a T-square to the USA Mars (20 Gemini). In 2001-2003, Pluto again transited in hard aspect to the USA Mars (opposition) and Neptune (square), and both the 9-11 attack and the commencement of the War against Terrorism took place. And in 2008-2009, Saturn and Uranus will once again be in opposition, and form a T-square to the natal USA Mars-Neptune square. Does that sound like the War against Terrorism is going to wind down? Does that sound like a period where the actions of the Commander in Chief are going to suddenly elicit greater support from both politicians and the general populace? Does it sound like a successful result – a victory with dignity – for the United States and its Commander in Chief? No. With Neptune involved, the possibility of increasing chaos and an expansion of the war onto surrounding areas by 2008 seems more likely than a satisfying resolution to this quagmire. And with Uranus and Neptune in mutual reception, it seems more likely that the antiwar protestors will be growing in numbers, and thus become even more emboldened as we head into the 2008 elections (which might erupt with outrage and violence like the Democratic Convention did in Chicago in 1968).

It’s the same ingredients that led to the dynamic intellectual, cultural, and social activism of the 1960’s. This climate isn’t any different than the Viet Nam War days. The only difference is that the result doesn’t have to be the same. But for that to happen, the leadership has to learn from the past, and act in a different manner than “LBJ all the Way” did in the mid-1960’s. But you know, those politicians from Texas who become Presidents… they’ve got big cajoles, and they tend to become deaf (or stubborn) when the volume gets too loud. And Saturn moving into opposition to Uranus, at the same time as Pluto moves into Capricorn (2008), is likely to turn both the “volume” and the “heat” up on the President. Let’s see… in 1966 the Dow Jones Industrial Average touched 1000 for the first time ever. It lasted three weeks, not to see those levels again for 7 years.

 

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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