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Comments ForThe week Beginning February 4

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A lot has happened since our last report two weeks ago. Stock markets around the world went into a free fall as the U.S. markets were closed on the Martin Luther King holiday of January 21. The crash continued when the U.S. markets opened up the next day, forcing the Federal Reserve Board to make a surprise three-quarters percent interest rate cut in the Fed Funds rate. This was followed by another half-point when they met this past Wednesday. It was exactly what the market needed, supporting our position that our “Fire Sign” heroes Bernanke and Paulsen would do whatever is necessary to prevent a recession on their watch. Fed Chair Ben Bernanke is a Sagittarian, and Treasury Secretary Hank Paulsen is a Sagittarian, both fire signs. And if there is one thing we know about fire signs, it is that they don’t like to wait. They are men of action, and they seek the glory that comes from acting quickly and decisively. But of course, sometimes they fall into troubles for acting too quickly, and not having the patience to see prior actions unfold in their “proper” time. For fire signs, the “proper” time may take too long for their comfort. They can get easily restless. This tendency to act hastily and with exaggeration may become a problem after this year’s election. Right now, it was welcomed, and the markets rewarded their decisiveness with strong rallies, thereby abruptly halting the panic that was starting to build.

Most stock markets made a spike low the prior week, on January 22 and 23. For many of the world indices, that trough represented a greater than 20% decline from the highs that preceded it, making it the steepest decline since the 4-year bottoms of October 2002 or March-April 2003, depending on which part of the world you look at. Many financial astrologers were puzzled as to why a market would bottom as Jupiter formed a favorable trine to Saturn at the time of the low. But as stated many times before in this column, the market doesn’t always judge trines to be crests or squares to be troughs. Trines are favorable, so if the news was mostly negative going into a trine, it would coincide with a bottom or trough, and then the news would be favorable, leading to rally off that low. In this case, the news was favorable. The FRB lowered interest rates, not once, but twice.

Still the market struggled. It wasn’t straight up. Most markets made an initial top last Friday, January 25, and then sold off quickly into Monday. They then rallied again, only to fall somewhat sharply again into Thursday, back to the lows of Monday (more than 2.5% each time). Then they took off again late Thursday through Friday, February 1, as the Venus-Jupiter conjunction unfolded. Why all the whip saws, and swinging back and forth? Financial astrology would suggest it was due to Mercury turning retrograde on Monday, January 28, and Mars turning direct on January 30. Mercury and Mars highlighted together correlates with volatility. Mercury retrograde coincides with periods when there is a tendency towards many conflicting messages, from politicians as well as economic data and pundits. We can expect these swings to continue until Mercury turns direct on February 18-19. However, the further we get into Mercury retrograde, the less amplitude in the daily price swings, unless Uranus or Mars-Jupiter signatures are unfolding too.

In other markets, Gold and Silver were the stellar performers until late Friday. Gold, made another new all-time high early Friday, approaching 950.00. Silver soared to its highest level since 1980, trading above $17.00. However both sold off pretty hard by Friday’s close, with Gold making its weekly low that quickly. This is typical Moon in Sagittarius stuff, which was in effect on Friday. The Euro also tested its all-time on Friday, and the Swiss Franc made an all-time high then. But by the close, both were off sharply. Crude Oil continues to languor below 90.00, after passing out critical 100.00 mark earlier in January. For two years we had forecasted Crude would hit 100.00 by spring 2008, and now we’ve done it. But is that the top? If so, look for 20.00-50.00 oil within 1-3 years. This forecast is based on the history of Uranus transiting Pisces. Stock sectors ruled by the sign Uranus is in tend to “blow-off” to new all-time highs while in the middle degrees of that sign, Then they lose 50-90% of their value by the time it reaches the end of that same sign.

Short-Term Geocosmics

The major geocosmic signature this week is the partial solar eclipse on Wednesday, February 6. By itself I am doubtful that this will do that much to the markets. Eclipses seem only important as significant cycle lows or highs when they make aspects to other major planets at the same time, in my experience.

Our next major cluster of geocosmic signatures doesn’t come up until the following week, starting with the Sun-Neptune conjunction of February 10. That’s a big one, much more important than Financial Astrologers would think. It has a 75% correlation to primary or greater cycles within 9 trading days.

Longer-Term Thoughts

Our previous suggestion that one of the winners of the New Hampshire presidential primary would probably be the next president of the United States appears to be coming true. John McCain won the Republican side of that primary, and Hillary Clinton the Democratic. Both are now favored to win “Super Tuesday’s” primaries. Whoever is ahead after Super Tuesday will probably their party’s nominee. As stated back at the time of the Iowa primary, and just before the New Hampshire one on January 8, “This coming week will also feature a new moon at 17 degrees of Capricorn on Tuesday (January 8). 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). 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 (and other primaries taking place prior to January 22) 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.”

The Moon on Super Tuesday, February 5, will again be in Capricorn as the voting starts, same as it will on Election Day. So once again, it seems to mirror what we might expect on Election Day itself. I was asked in Zurich last week, who I thought might be the next president. I replied that it would probably be McCain or Clinton. But if Rudy Giuliani could make it through, he would have the best chance of beating Hillary. But after listening to McCain the past few days, I am not so sure that Hillary will beat him. As mentioned in the Forecast Book, the winner will likely be the candidate with who represents law and order the strongest, for that is what the Moon in Capricorn is about on a collective emotional “need” level. I thought Hillary might be stronger here than McCain (Scorpio versus Virgo). But the Capricorn Moon also represents “age” and “experience,” and for that McCain gets the edge. And where is Obama in all of this? His support is the youth. If the youth turn out, he still has a chance, for on Election Day, Saturn (age and establishment) is opposite Uranus (youth). And where is Mitt Romney in all of this? He has Mars in Pisces, and there has never been a U.S. President with Mars in Pisces. Most have had Mars in Leo, which is the case with both Hillary and McCain, per the studies of Michael O’Reilly in his book called “Political Astrology.” Obama has Mars in Virgo, like current President George W. Bush. However, Mars in Pisces is a psychological dynamic very much like Mars in aspect to Neptune. Several USA Presidents have had Mars-Neptune aspects (like Bill Clinton), as does the U.S.A. chart itself. So we can’t count Romney out just yet.

Geez… I sound like Mercury retrograde with all these conflicting signatures. Don’t worry. We will know soon enough, and the principles of astrology are working just fine in terms of this election, and the financial markets.

 

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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