REVIEW AND PREVIEW
The U.S. economy rose at a disappointing rate in the second quarter, the Commerce Department reported Thursday in a sign that the U.S. has escaped the shackles of the Covid-19 pandemic but still has more work to do. Gross domestic product, a measure of all goods and services produced during the April-to-June period, accelerated 6.5% on an annualized basis. That was slightly better than the 6.3% gain in the first quarter, which was revised down narrowly.– Jeff Cox, “U.S. GDP rose 6.5% last quarter, well below expectations,” www.cnbc.com, July 29, 2021.
It was another week of global divergences unfolding under the non-conventional and non-conforming character of Saturn square Uranus. Some world stock indices soared to new all-time highs last week while others crashed support, falling to multi-month lows. It’s not a level playing field, and that is probably just fine with Uranus, which gravitates towards the chaotic, but disturbing to Saturn, which prefers controls and predictability, and for everything to be in alignment. The latter is more rigid, and the former strays from “normal.” And all of the earth and its regions are not presently in alignment or agreement. There is a sense that things are going astray.
Yet the Fed and other world central banks continue to beat the drum for more stimulus and monetary accommodation. In response, many global indices continue their post-pandemic rallies. In the U.S. the DJIA, S&P, and NASDAQ each made new all-time highs last week, albeit on different days. And they weren’t explosive new highs. They were more in the vicinity of double tops to highs made 1-2 weeks earlier.
In Europe, the Netherlands AEX and Zurich SMI both rallied to slightly higher new all-time highs on Friday, July 30. But the German DAX still remains below its all-time high of two weeks ago. The London FTSE is treading water trying to figure out whether it wants to make a new high or start another dive.
In Asia and the Pacific Rim, it was a very different story. Only the Australian ASX made a new all-time high. China’s Shanghai Composite, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index, and Japan’s Nikkei all fell to new lows for this year. This is interesting because each made their highs for this year within one day of the first Saturn/Uranus waning square passage on February 17. On the second passage of June 14, the Nikkei made its most recent primary cycle crest, and both the Shanghai Composite and Hang Seng were near their recent primary cycle crests. The Saturn/Uranus square has been a very powerful correlate to highs followed by significant declines in the stock markets of these nations. India’s Nifty index remains near its all-time highs of June 28, but the pattern developing may be more of a distribution top. We should know more next week when the Sun makes its T-square to the Saturn/Uranus square, August 2-7.
In other markets, Bitcoin and Ethereum showed new life with smart rallies testing their recent cycle highs of June 15. Gold also showed life, rallying to 1835.50 early Friday before falling back into the close below 1815. Silver on the other hand fell to 24.51 on July 27, a new low for this phase of its primary cycle. The new low in Silver and new cycle high in Gold is another reflection of the Saturn/Uranus waning square and its propensity to exhibit divergences. Financial markets have exhibited more than the normal amount of divergences this year. Both Crude Oil and currencies showed strength last week too, rallying to their highest levels since their mid-month sharp declines ended.
SHORT-TERM GEOCOSMICS
The most powerful U.S. earthquake in half a century left Alaska mostly unscathed, thanks to the remote location and depth of the epicenter, officials said on Thursday. The magnitude-8.2 Chignik Earthquake, which struck at 10:15 p.m. local time on Wednesday (0615 GMT Thursday) just off the Aleutians, was the strongest felt in the United States since an 8.7 quake ripped through the western Aleutian Islands in 1965.– Shubham Katia, Yereth Rosen, “Alaska Rocked by Powerful Earthquake,” Reuters, July 30, 2021.
There is an old saying from my days in the Wall Street community that when a major natural disaster occurs (like earthquakes), stock markets fall soon afterwards. We will see.
The cosmos will serve up a mixed bag of potential reversal signals in the next few days.
Last week ended with three planets changing signs: Mars entered Virgo, Mercury entered Leo, and Jupiter retrograded back into Aquarius. That’s a lot of planetary sign changes at once. In the process, the assertive (or aggressive) Mars was also in opposition to the exaggerative and sometimes careless yet optimistic Jupiter on July 29. The DJIA and S&P indices made new highs. In market parlance, Mars and Jupiter can correlate with greater volume, and hence wider price swings may be setting up. Uranus likes that too.
Greater price swings and reversals are further suggested by the transit of the Sun in Leo, in opposition to Saturn (August 2) and square to Uranus (August 7). These are each strong, Level 1, reversal signatures (Level 1 are the strongest of all correlations to market reversals as published in The Ultimate Book on Stock Market Timing Volume 3: Geocosmic Correlations to Trading Cycles). They also correlate to disturbances in the mundane and natural world. Earthquakes, extreme heat or cold temperatures, high winds and hurricanes, may also be noted. The strongest earthquake in America in the last half-century just occurred in Alaska, magnitude 8.2.
Speaking of Uranus… not only will it be squared by the Sun next week, but it will also be in a trine aspect from Venus on August 3. That’s another mixed bag, for in one case, Uranus is in a challenging square (with the Sun) and a couple of days earlier, it is in a favorable trine from Venus, which rules the sign Uranus is in. This has the look of a sudden reversal too. But with Uranus, you never know how long its change of mind will last. It could be brief and sharp, or it could last a while.
The next few days may once again have that special feeling of “chaos in exaggeration” with Uranus, Mars, and Jupiter all connected to the Sun and Venus. Even Neptune and Pluto join the play August 10 and 11. On the one hand, there is a call for peace and agreements. On the other hand, there is the urge to be disagreeable and hard to figure out. The problem is the peacemakers (Venus) can’t quite figure out how to appease the rebels (Mars and Uranus).
Maybe they will figure it out by August 20-22 when a spectacular full moon rises in the east with Jupiter beside it, as the Sun sets in the west. It will be one of the finest celestial sights to behold this year. And as an extra bonus, the Sun/Jupiter opposition is one of the top five geocosmic signatures coinciding with a reversal. In normal times it correlates with great optimism and festive social gatherings. But Uranus turns retrograde the day before (August 19), so nothing is normal yet. The markets probably reflect that cosmic dynamic with exaggerated moves one way or the other, or both ways in a short span of time. With Uranus, it is difficult to predict what will happen. Its presence coincides with surprises and sudden events. With Jupiter, whatever happens is apt to be exaggerated and perhaps overrated. Still, it can be fun. But it would be wise to party or speculate responsibly.
My vacation to Dubrovnik, by the way, was incredible. I loved the warm, Mediterranean sea breezes, the balmy evenings, and the splendor of this ancient city that was once the primary trading port of the world. I am glad to be back and will plan to return again, maybe every summer. It’s dreamy.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
NOTE 1: The July-August issue of the ICRs (International Cycles Reports) was released this week, July 28-29. The ICR Financials includes analysis on ASX (Australian Stock Index), RUT (Russell 2000), SSE (Chinese Shanghai Stock Composite), HSI (Hang Seng Index), AUD (Australian Dollar), DXY (US Dollar), and GBP (British Pound). The ICR Commodities Report includes analysis on LC (Live Cattle), MJ (Cannabis), XAU (Gold and Silver), KT (Coffee), KA (Sugar), C (Corn), and W (Wheat). These reports are written by MMA Analyst and editor Mark Shyterman (metals, stock indices, and soft commodities), MMA President Raymond Merriman (China’s Shanghai Composite Index), MMA Analysts Ken Liao (Hang Seng), Ulric Aspegrén, (Currencies), Isabella Suleymanova (Grains), and Gianni Di Poce (Australian ASX and Dollar, Cannabis, and Live Cattle). Order now for this month’s report! Consider a one-month trial for only $35.
NOTE 2: THE NEW MERRIMAN ON MARKET CYCLES: THE BASICS book is now completed and with the editors for editing. It is on schedule to be released in September. This new addition adds several new markets and dozens of new cycles as a result of not only Ray Merriman’s research studies, but also that of the students in the Merriman Market Timing Academy (MMTA). A lot has been learned since the book was first written over 25 years ago, and this book contains much of that new material. The cost of the new version will be $35.00 and there will be a pre-publication special rate of $28.00 available shortly that will remain in effect until one week before the release date. Details for pre-ordering will be available next week,
NOTE 3: SOLAR/LUNAR STUDIES FOR DJIA, GOLD, AND SILVER ARE NOW AVAILABLE IN THE UPDATED FAR SOFTWARE. A new feature has just been added to the FAR for the Galactic Trader software program, called “MMA Solar/Lunar Studies.” This new feature connects the daily solar/lunar weighted values for the DJIA, Gold, and Silver, based on the research studies conducted in Ray Merriman’s solar/lunar books.
With this new feature, one is able to select any date on the calendar and the solar/lunar values for reversals in the DJIA, Gold, and Silver market will pop up. These values are based on reversals of 4% or more that have a greater or lesser than “normal” probability of occurrence as reported in the books by Merriman. There is also a feature in the FAR program (“Filtered Waves”) that allows the continuous update of weighted values based on market data as it unfolds. This new item allows one to also determine which dates, each month, have the highest (or lowest) probability of a 4% reversal from an isolated low or high based on historical rates of frequency, as well as its correspondence to either a high or low.
For further information on FAR for the Galactic Traders software program, including ordering instructions, go to www.mmacycles.com > shopping cart > software or click here. The “End of Day” version (as opposed to “Real Time”) is sufficient for the use of these new features.
Special additional offer: For those who order the new updated version of the FAR program, which includes the “solar/lunar weighted values studies” feature, a special discount of 50% will be available for the purchase of either (or all) of the three solar/lunar reversal books by Merriman. These include: The Ultimate Book on Stock Market Timing Volume 4: Solar/Lunar Correlations to Short-Term Trading Reversals; Solar/Lunar Key to Gold Prices; and The Sun, the Moon, and the Silver Market.
NOTE 4: NEW CRYPTO FEATURE FOR MMA WEEKLY REPORTS HAS BEEN HOT!!! The MMA Bitcoin subscription report now includes Ethereum in its weekly analysis, as of last month! Ethereum’s weekly analysis is also now added to the full MMA Weekly subscription report, to be included along with Bitcoin’s weekly analysis. If you do not subscribe to either, you can receive the daily Bitcoin report, which will now include the weekly Bitcoin plus Ethereum reports from MMA for a $150 monthly rate (yearly and quarterly rates are also available). The weekly and daily Bitcoin reports for “very aggressive traders” have resumed their impressive streak of profitable trades begun at the start of the year. Another streak of several consecutive profitable traders has been under way since mid-May For a description or ordering information on either the MMA Bitcoin report (daily and weekly) or the full MMA Weekly Reports, click here.
EVENTS
SEPTEMBER 3/SEPTEMBER 4: MMA’S FINANCIAL MARKETS UPDATE FOR CHINA: This special webinar will take place on Friday evening, September 3, 2021, at 6:30 PM (PST) which is September 4, 9:30 AM, Saturday morning in Beijing or 11:30 AM in Sydney, Australia. In the comfort of your own home or office, you can tune into Raymond Merriman’s Webinar on Financial Markets for China. This 3-hour webinar will give an update and overview on the Shanghai Composite Index, Gold and Bitcoin. It will describe the geocosmic critical reversal zones that are highlighted for the rest of 2021, including the important December 19-25 period when Venus will turn retrograde conjunct Pluto, and the final Saturn/Uranus waning square will take place. This meeting will examine how these long-term planetary cycles may affect the longer-term cycles and trends in world economies and specifically these three financial markets (Shanghai Composite, Gold, and Bitcoin). There will be a Q&A with participants in which questions concerning other markets of interest in China may be discussed from both a cycles’ and geocosmic studies viewpoint. The presentation will be given in English by Raymond Merriman and translated into Chinese by the staff of the NoDoor school in Beijing. The cost to attend this special broadcast is $55.00 and includes the slides of the presentation, plus access to the video recording of the event. Instructions for logging on will be sent during the week leading up to webinar. To register for this special event, please visit www.mmacycles.com > Shop > Webinars, or click here.
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 to educate the reader on the relationship between astrological factors and collective human activities as they are happening. 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 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 may affect human activity in the times to come. The author (Merriman) will do this from the perspective of a cycles’ 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 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.