MMA FREE WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING AUGUST 11, 2025

NOTE: Ray will be on vacation the next two weeks, and this week’s report is written by MMA Analyst and special guest Gianni Di Poce.

 REVIEW

President Donald Trump said he will impose a 100% tariff on imports of semiconductors and chips, but not for companies that are “building in the United States.”

— Kevin Breuninger, “Trump Vows 100% Tariff On Chips, Unless Companies Are Building In The U.S.,” CNBC, August 6, 2025.

The Financial Times reports that the U.S. has declared imports of one kilogram and 100-ounce bars of gold are subject to trade taxes. If true, U.S. citizens who tried to hedge the inflation impact of U.S. President Trump’s trade taxes by buying gold bars must pay those same taxes on their hedge. The ruling suggests gold imported between April 9 and August 7 was subject to the tariff, underscoring how tariffs work. Gold importers are liable, and they (not exporters) will be pursued in the courts if they do not pay the tax. Switzerland is the main supplier of these gold bars. 

— Dr. Paul Donovan, “All That’s Gold Does Not Glitter,” UBS Morning Audio Comment, August 8, 2025.

US stocks capped off an impressive week with the Nasdaq and various segments of the tech sector seeing strong bids. The rally from the April 7 intermediate-term cycle bottom just turned 4 months old, so we may not be far from reaching a point of euphoria here.

European markets were mixed last week, with Germany showing the most strength out of the major exchanges. The FTSE over in the UK was slightly lower, while the AEX managed to finish up on the week. We continue to see notable strength from markets like Poland, Greece, and Austria, which have been some of the world’s best-performing markets this year.

Aside from the US, the best-performing markets of the week came from Asia, as we saw the Nikkei, the Shanghai Composite, the Hang Seng Index, and the Australian All Ordinaries Index all notch impressive gains.

Precious metals also saw smart rallies. Gold hit a new all-time high after tariffs were announced on imports from Switzerland. Silver still has not made a new high, however.

Cryptocurrencies also saw bids, with Ethereum leading the way higher once again. Although Ethereum has yet to make a new all-time high like Bitcoin has, it’s been one of the strongest-performing assets since April 7. It seems that there is little stopping its bullish momentum at the moment, given that it traded back above $4,000 just this Friday.

Commodity markets continued to display weakness. Crude Oil closed at a new cycle low, and grains continued to edge lower. Despite inflation not presenting itself in commodity markets, Treasuries struggled and finished lower on the week as well. The Dollar ended the week mixed down against the Euro, but up against the Yen. Don’t be surprised if the USD/JPY carry trade starts accelerating again, either.

SHORT-TERM GEOCOSMICS

We’re in the final days of the Mercury retrograde period now, and per usual, there have been no shortages of mixed messages surrounding the state of global affairs and the economy. Here we have stock markets within a few percentage points of all-time highs, yet concerns about the economy slipping into a recession continue to grow.

The tension in the near term is amplified by the series of hard aspects between Mars, Saturn, and Neptune. Mars recently ingressed into Libra and is moving into an opposition with those two outer planets, which are in orb of a conjunction in the sign of Aries. More on this below, especially on the Saturn side of things.

Mars is in the sign of Libra, and we have an attempt at a peace deal being made. Trump and Putin are supposed to meet soon, but whether it actually happens and whether it actually bears fruit is another story entirely. For the sake of world peace, hopefully their meeting takes place after Mercury goes direct.

Speaking of Mercury retrograde, we had a series of trade deals between the US and the European Union, and the US and Japan struck under Mercury retrograde. Time will tell as to whether these stick, but it’s safe to say there may be some modifications coming down the line in those agreements.

Mars in Libra, opposing Saturn conjunct Neptune in Aries, is very fitting for peace talks on the Ukraine matter. We’ve heard so many different stories about the progress of the war, and who was “winning” at various points in time. But who really does in these situations? Economic growth based on conquest has always existed, but always at a cost. We know that nothing is free in this universe – someone, somewhere, has to pay.

Despite the tensions to start the weekend, we actually see some positive aspects coming to start next week. There’s a Venus-Jupiter conjunction in the sign of Cancer, and it’s an aspect I like to view as conducive to “civilization building.” Hopefully, we get some civility out of this meeting.

Plus, there’s a sextile between Saturn and Uranus, and even a trine between Mars and Pluto. The leaders will just have to face reality (Saturn) and overcome what’s real and what isn’t (Neptune) if they want to make progress and move toward ending this conflict that’s been ongoing for over three years. This could turn out to be good news for the stock market’s rally, which just turned 4 months old last week, but don’t be surprised if it turns into a case of “buy the rumor, sell the news” either.

LONGER-TERM THOUGHTS (AND OPINION)

The Kremlin said Thursday that a meeting between presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin has been agreed to in principle and will happen in the “coming days,” teeing up their first in-person encounter of Trump’s second term.

— Alexander Smith, “Kremlin Says Putin-Trump Meeting Agreed, Will Happen in ‘Coming Days’,” NBC News, August 7, 2025.

Last week, Noam Scheiber in The New York Times reported economists just out of school are suddenly having trouble finding jobs. As recently as the 2023-24 academic year, said a member of the American Economic Association, the employment rate for economists shortly after earning a doctorate was 100%. Not now. Everyone’s scaling back, government is laying off, and big firms have slowed hiring. Why? Uncertainty, tariffs and the possibility that artificial intelligence will replace their workers.

— Peggy Noonan, “AI Is Here, and a Quiet Havoc Has Begun,” The Wall Street Journal, August 8, 2025.

When it comes to outer planetary astrology, it’s pretty quiet until the exact conjunction between Saturn and Neptune on February 20, 2026. This conjunction will take place in the sign of Aries, and I spent some time discussing the ramifications of this transit in the last free weekly column that Ray asked me to write back in May.

So, instead of rehashing the same ideas a few months later, I would like to use this week’s column to talk more about Saturn to add further context to the conjunction with Neptune, which is in orb right now.

Saturn is a very important planet both to Ray and me. Ray is a double Capricorn (Sun and Moon), while I am a Capricorn rising, which makes Saturn my ruling planet. I am currently here in central Italy, in a territory with particularly close ties to Saturn itself. I spent all of my summers as a youth in this area, and in the ancient world, it was known as the Latin Valley.

According to legend, Saturn, after being dethroned by his son Jupiter in Greece, fled to Latium (modern-day Lazio) as an immigrant god. He was welcomed by Janus, the god of beginnings and ends. Saturn settled in the region and became its first king, ushering in a Golden Age of peace and prosperity. During his reign, Saturn taught the people in this area agriculture, viticulture, and civilized living, transforming their “barbaric” ways into a moral and prosperous society. He was seen as the ancestor of the Latin people through his son Picus, the first king of Latium, who married Janus’s daughter Canens and fathered Faunus.

This era was marked by harmony (think about how Saturn is exalted in the sign of Libra), with Saturn uniting wild races like nymphs and fauns, giving them laws, and fostering abundance. His rule was celebrated as a time when labor was unnecessary, and the land yielded bountiful harvests.

Now, I will say, this land is still pretty abundant with agriculture, and looking around at the terrain surrounded by mountains, one can’t help but see the connections to Saturn. And I’ll say this too – time seems to move at a different pace here. It’s almost as if the land itself is forcing you to embrace patience, which is downstream from discipline, both Saturnian virtues.

So, as we think about the potential ramifications of this Saturn-Neptune conjunction in Aries, as well as how it’s aspected via sextile to both Uranus and Pluto, which are already in trine to one another, I remain optimistic over the outcome of this conjunction.

But that doesn’t mean it’s going to be a smooth transition. In fact, I’m not exactly expecting it to be comfortable for many, but typical to Saturn’s rulership of time, and the notion that “time heals all wounds,” I do think the world will be better for it afterwards. We may even have to reevaluate what we thought of the past in order to come to terms with the present, and this will likely be reflected both at a mundane level and in financial markets.

We know that Saturn is a planet that tends more towards deflation versus inflation, and so don’t be surprised if the next ideological battle on the inflation front has to do with the blame game. Jupiter will be on the Federal Reserve Board’s ascendant at the September meeting, and the market is currently pricing in a +90% chance of a rate cut then.

It still seems as though the goldilocks economic scenario can continue – but don’t be surprised if people get caught up in blaming rate cuts or tariffs for the next round of inflation. In the meantime, there are cracks starting to surface in the job market that further reinforce the idea that rate cuts are coming. It all makes for a fine ideological discussion, but at the end of the day, as traders, we like to ask, “Do you want to be right, or do you want to make money?” The time to prepare is now, because once Saturn and Neptune start separating in February 2026, the inflation landscape could quickly start to unravel, and if it’s accompanied by rising unemployment too, things could start getting uncomfortable.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

NOTE 1: IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN! THE “ANNUAL MMA FORECAST 2026 PRE-PUBLICATION SALE” STARTS AUGUST 11 AT 1:00 PM EDT!!!! The sale runs through October 31 and features our once-a-year discounts on both the annual Forecast book and MMA subscription reports.~

During this pre-order period, the Forecast 2026 print edition will be available at the discounted price of $55, and the eBook version at $45. And the best deal on MMA subscription reports is also offered at this time! Save 10% on any subscription of $275 or more with the purchase of Forecast 2026. After the pre-publication period ends on November 1, the retail price of the Forecast 2026 print edition increases to $66, and the eBook to $55. Subscription reports will also return to their regular prices. Order now and save big bucks!

MMA will also offer a special bundle discount for those who wish to order both the eBook and printed editions of Forecast 2026 for $75. The eBook typically becomes available one to two weeks before the print edition and avoids delays caused by the postal system—especially for those living overseas. However, many readers prefer the print edition, so ordering both through the Forecast 2026 Bundle makes sense. You will receive the Forecast 2026 eBook on December 15, and your print copy will be mailed in mid-December.

MMA’s annual Forecast book is a cycles- and astrology-themed almanac that has served students of cycles and markets since 1976. It provides a cyclical outlook on the collective world psychology, the national economy, geopolitical developments, socio-cultural trends, and timing of potential weather and natural disasters — as well as financial market projections for the U.S. stock market, U.S. Treasury market, interest rates, Gold and Silver, currencies (the Euro, U.S. Dollar, Swiss Franc, and Japanese Yen), Bitcoin, Crude Oil, and Grain markets (Corn, Wheat, and Soybeans). A scorecard of the 2025 forecasts will be posted on the MMA website on August 11. Of note is that the seven critical reversals dates (CRDs) for the U.S. stock market and nine CRDs for the Soybean market have all been accurate within three trading days—most within only one day!

The print version of the book is approximately 200 pages, 8.5” x 11”, and has set the standard for all astrological almanacs written today.

Stay tuned for instructions on how to pre-order your Forecast 2026 book at special pre-publication rates, beginning August 11, 1:00 PM EDT!!!

NOTE 2: The August Issue of the MMA Monthly Cycles Report will be released this week, August 11-12. With Mercury turning direct this week, and the powerful Mars-Saturn opposition as well, this period can coincide with significant turns in several financial markets. Each issue includes our outlook for the U.S. stock market, Gold, Silver, Copper, Treasuries, the Euro currency, Crude Oil, and Soybeans. The MMA Monthly Cycles Report also provides MMA’s original geocosmic (CRDs) and solar/lunar reversal dates for traders over the next several weeks, as well as trading strategies for both position and aggressive short-term traders.

If you would like to try a one-month subscription, you can sign up for the August report for only $35, or save by ordering a three-report or twelve-report subscription.

 NOTE 3: THE TWO-YEAR MERRIMAN MARKET TIMING ACADEMY (MMTA4) BEGINS SEPTEMBER 27!!!

 This highly valuable two-year educational training program, created by Raymond Merriman (CTA), is an experience that will change your life and the way you view financial markets.

MMTA is an eight-course program that includes over 100 hours of live instruction and interaction, led by instructors Wiebke Held and Raymond Merriman, with special guest appearances by MMA analysts Pouyan Zolfagharnia, Gianni Di Poce, Ulric Aspegrén, Wyatt Fellows, Derek Panaia, and Kat Powell.

Classes for Courses 1-3 and 5-7 will meet on Saturdays, approximately 20 times per year, at noon Eastern Time, starting on September 27, 2025. There will be one-month breaks between each course and a three-month summer break between Courses 4 and 5. These eight courses cover MMA’s market timing methodology for long- and intermediate-term investing, as well as position and aggressive short-term trading. There is nothing else as comprehensive in the field of market timing as MMTA’s two-year program!

Acceptance into MMTA requires a 20-minute interview prior to enrollment. If you are interested in exploring whether MMTA is right for you, schedule your interview now. If you schedule your interview before September 1 (see below), you will still qualify for substantial “early bird” savings.

The cost for the entire two-year program is $25,000, with early registration discounts available for those enrolling in the full program or one year at a time. A tuition payment plan is also available for those who prefer to take Course 1 first (at full price) and decide later whether to commit to the remaining seven courses, which will then be offered at a substantial discount.

To register or inquire about the MMTA4 program, click here. Yearly subscribers to MMA’s weekly and daily reports receive additional discounts. Other payment plans are available upon request.

Here are just a few of the many very positive reviews from graduates of prior MMTA programs:

I wanted to express my deepest gratitude for generously sharing your knowledge and teaching it. As you know, I am fairly new to trading and joined MMTA3 to learn a system to approach the stock market. Starting the year, I set myself the goal of doubling the money that I had in my trading account, thinking at the time that this was impossible to do. Thanks to the knowledge and tools MMTA3 teaches, I was actually able to accomplish this goal! In fact, I even exceeded it. —W.H., Germany.

 Thank you, Ray and Gianni, for the fantastic course material and support. I have made money, and every dollar for the courses was paid back and more! — J.L., Netherlands

 This course was truly mind-blowing! I learnt in abundance. Thank you all for sharing the excellent trading data and knowledge. This course is worth more than a college degree — and at a fraction of the price, too. — K.L., Australia.

My perspective on the markets — and perhaps life — has changed dramatically since taking MMTA. I am extremely grateful for having been given the opportunity to learn directly from you. — K.M., USA

Doing these research projects and really dissecting the markets during this course has allowed me to trade very successfully over the past year. It is extremely rewarding to do the work and then watch it unfold according to plan. — W.F., USA

To watch the most recent informative video interview with Wiebke Held and Raymond Merriman, conducted on June 26 and discussing the MMTA4 program, click here.

 NOTE 4: RECORDINGS OF MMA’S SPECIAL SIX-WEEK COURSE ON “THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF GEOCOSMIC STUDIES FOR FINANCIAL MARKET TIMING” ARE NOW AVAILABLE!!! Led by Gianni Di Poce and backed up by Ray Merriman, this course is designed to teach students the basic principles of planets, signs, and aspects (including retrograde and direct stations) as used in MMA’s market timing methodology — one of its most important tools. The course explains which planets and signs rule the various sectors of the economy and financial markets. In addition, it covers how to use an ephemeris and astrological software (Solar Fire) for important routines such as calculating charts, generating transit “hit lists,” and identifying signs, ingresses, planetary stations, and aspects — the essential cosmic features necessary for determining market reversal periods.

The course is especially useful for those interested in taking the MMTA4 program, which begins on September 27, or for anyone wishing to deepen their astrological knowledge. The cost for these six introductory lessons, which last about two hours each, is $300. This is a great opportunity to learn basic astrology from a master economic astrologer! Click here to order now!

 NOTE 5: THE JUPITER REPORT — YOUR MOMENTS OF OPPORTUNITY — IS NOW AVAILABLE. This new product, written by Raymond Merriman, is a 30- to 40-page report that all traders (and even non-traders) will find highly valuable. It identifies the times during the year when Jupiter transits are highlighted in your natal chart and explains the meaning of Jupiter’s transits to your natal planets and angles over a 14-month period (including one month before your order and one month after the year ends). As an added bonus, each transit is ranked on a scale from -3 to +3 in terms of favorability for trading. Traders may find this especially valuable! Would you like to know when you are under a +3 transit and, therefore, most likely to experience trading successes? Or a -3 transit, with stronger-than-usual potential for misjudgments and losses? You betcha! The cost for your 14-month Jupiter Report is $69. Click here to order!!!

 Here is a recent letter from our options expert, Derek Panaia, to the Options+ group, which just closed out exceptional gains on five option trades presented in the July 13 webinar:

On a side note, I started using MMA’s Jupiter Report this year, so I only have a few months of history with it. But my first positive Jupiter aspects came in March/April this year. I was trading copper and had made a nice long trade and started buying puts for a dip. The puts did nothing for a week or so, then copper prices collapsed, and my puts went up sharply in one week. This started exactly on the same day my Jupiter Report showed a positive aspect. Well, fast-forward a few months, and I have copper put spreads (the same put spreads you guys bought), and yesterday copper prices collapsed, and the puts made a lot of money. And guess what? This was one day before my Jupiter aspects started positive again. For me, it is amazing how accurate this report has been. I just wanted to share this, FWIW. The Jupiter Report from MMA is not very expensive, so if you guys use astrology in your trading, you might want to check it out.

 NOTE 6: The MMA Solar-Lunar App now offers reversal signals on the NASDAQ to all subscribers! The app provides daily weighted values for four markets: the DJIA, NASDAQ, Gold, and Silver. It is an ideal tool to have in your back pocket if you are a short-term swing trader looking for high-probability dates that identify isolated lows and highs in these markets. The app is currently available only on Apple devices (iPhone and iPad). To learn more about the MMA app, click here. To order it, go to the Apple App Store and search for Merriman Solar/Lunar Reversals.

 NOTE 7: MUST READ!!! A NEW BOOK, ESOTERIC ECONOMICS BY GIANNI DI POCE, IS NOW AVAILABLE!!! This is an excellent introduction to the correlation between geocosmic studies and the fields of economics and financial markets. In many ways, it is the perfect book to launch one’s journey into the world of financial astrology — but it is more than that. Esoteric Economics offers a clear and accessible explanation of how economics and financial markets work, then beautifully ties these fields together through an esoteric lens. It is ideal not only for those beginning this journey but also for readers seeking a deeper understanding of how economics operates on both a practical and esoteric level.

Gianni Di Poce is a well-respected MMA analyst and served as the director and lead instructor of the MMTA2 and MMTA3 (Merriman Market Timing Academy) programs from 2021 to 2024. He also holds an MBA in economics from the University of Michigan. The cost of this excellent 288-page book is $55 for the softcover or $60 for the hardcover (plus postage). It is also available as an eBook (no postage). To order, click here.

NOTE 8: MMA’s Free Weekly Column podcast is available on SPOTIFY, APPLE, and AMAZON! Now you can listen to a podcast of this weekly column, narrated by Thomas Miller, every Saturday! Thomas has an excellent voice and brings the weekly column to life in a personable and, at times, humorous fashion. Just follow Merriman Market Analyst on Spotify or Apple to listen to all our episodes. A new episode is released every weekend. This is a FREE service and is available to everyone. Check out our podcasts on Apple, Spotify, and Amazon Music. It makes for great listening!

NOTE 9: The MMA weekly YouTube show, Geocosmic Week in Review and Look Ahead, with Gianni Di Poce, is conducted on Wednesday evenings! Each 5- to 20-minute FREE episode reviews the previous week’s market activity and offers a preview of the geocosmic signatures in effect for the coming week and beyond.

 EVENTS

 SEPTEMBER 14, 2025: A MICRO-WEBINAR BY RAY MERRIMAN ON BITCOIN, GOLD, AND SILVER

We will be preparing for big moves in Bitcoin, Gold, and Silver this fall, according to our cycle studies — and we want to be ready. Click here to register!

SEPTEMBER 27, 2025: CYCLES AND PATTERNS IN FINANCIAL MARKETS. This is a comprehensive eight-week course taught by Wiebke Held and Ray Merriman, with special presentations featuring various MMA market analysts. It also serves as Course 1 of the 2025-2026 MMTA market timing program but is an important standalone course in its own right and, therefore, will open to a limited number of non-MMTA students as well. The course will be conducted live every Saturday at noon Eastern Time for eight weeks, and each class will last approximately 2 to 2.5 hours. Each live class will be recorded and made available by the following Monday for those unable to attend the live sessions. The cost is $3600, which may be applied toward registration (with further discounts) for Courses 2-8 of the MMTA program that will follow.

Cycle studies are the foundation upon which MMA’s market timing methodology is built. Once you know where a market is in terms of its primary or longer-term cycles, you will also know which investment and trading strategies to apply. Understanding when a cycle (or one of its phases) is due is essential to recognizing both the strength and the narrowing of a cycle time band, especially when correlated with geocosmic signatures. However, without first understanding cycles and their patterns, the effective use of geocosmics is limited. Together, they offer a powerful method for timing significant tradable lows and highs in financial markets.

Registration details for signing up for this course will only be available shortly. You may also contact us at customerservice@mmacycles.com or call 248-626-3034.

 SEPTEMBER 27, 2025: MMTA4 begins!! Special rates apply for those who schedule a 20-minute interview before September 1. Click here for details.

 Disclaimer and statement of purpose: The purpose of this column is not to forecast 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 of educating the reader on the relationship between astrological factors and collective human activities as they occur. In this regard, this report will often cite what happened in various stock and financial markets throughout the world in the past week and discuss those movements 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, month, or even years, and the author’s understanding of how these signatures may affect human activity in the times to come. The author (Merriman) will do this from the perspective of a cycle 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 to the psychological climate we are in from an astrological perspective. The hope is that it will help the reader understand the psychological dynamics that underlie (or coincide with) the news events and their potential effect on financial markets.

 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 of this column assume any responsibility whatsoever for anyone’s trading or investment decisions. Readers of this report should understand that commodity futures and options trading are considered high-risk.