REVIEW AND PREVIEW
Nonfarm payrolls increased by 943,000 for the month while the unemployment rate dropped to 5.4%, according to the department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. The payroll increase was the best since August 2020. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for 845,000 new jobs and a headline jobless rate of 5.7%. However, estimates were diverse amid conflicting headwinds and tailwinds for the jobs market and an uncertain path ahead for the economy. Jeff Cox, “Payrolls Increase 943,000 in July as Unemployment Rate Slides to 5.4%,” www.cnbc.com, August 6, 2021.
And on that news, Gold and Silver, along with currencies, got crushed. The strong jobs report implies that inflation is a threat and the Fed will have to start tapering or raising rates to prevent an overheated economy. The specter of higher rates also raises the value of the U.S. Dollar, which is nearing its high for this year after ending a 2-week pullback. This is consistent with the political cycle as show in our Forecast books, where the US Dollar goes up under a Democrat presidency and down under a Republican White House. Gold fell over $70 and Silver nearly $2.00, following from Wednesday’s new cycle high in Gold. The report was not good news for commodities and currencies vis-à-vis the US Dollar.
But it was good news for equities, especially since the Fed has not announced that it is thinking about reducing its accommodative monetary policies any time this year. Several world stock indices recorded a new all-time high slate last week, including the DJIA, S&P, NASDAQ, plus the AEX and SMI in Europe, the ASX in Australia, and India’s NIFTY Index.
It was an excellent week for Bitcoin and Ethereum, which rallied to their highest level since their 50+% decline in April-May. But it was not so good for Treasuries, which like metals and currencies, got hammered on Friday’s strong jobs report.
SHORT-TERM GEOCOSMICS
It was not an easy path to reach last week’s new all-time highs in world stock indices. And last week was downright brutal for holders of precious metals and currencies after looking so promising as recently as Wednesday, August 4 (an MMA critical reversal date), only to give up all their gains over the past month on Thursday-Friday.
This is the nature of markets when Uranus is highlighted. Last week Venus formed a trine to Uranus on Tuesday and the Sun will square Uranus on Saturday, August 7. That was a wild period for financial markets, typical of Uranus the maverick. There might be a pause here, following Saturday’s Sun/Uranus square and Sunday’s new Moon in Leo. New Moons statistically have a higher correlation to crests than full Moons, which could correlate with another reversal here. But Uranus is turning stationary retrograde on August 19, the same day that the Sun is in opposition to Jupiter. Thus, the sudden reversals and whipsaws are likely to continue another two weeks into the full Moon. The breakout to new highs can continue until then if this new Moon square to Uranus is not a reversal. Some technical studies are not confirming this as a true breakout, but Uranus doesn’t care about technical studies, or support/resistance levels. They are just markers to break through.
LONGER-TERM THOUGHTS
U.S. household debt rose at the fastest pace in years during the spring, driven by a surge in credit card spending and home purchases, the New York Federal Reserve said in a quarterly report released Tuesday. Between April and June, total debt balances soared by $313 billion – the largest nominal increase since 2007 and the biggest percentage jump since 2014. In total, American consumers held about $14.96 trillion in debt at the end of June, the most on record. – Megan Henney, “US Household Debt Surged to Nearly $15T in Second Quarter, a New Record,” www.foxbusiness.com/economy, August 4, 2021.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell made clear Thursday that Republicans will not help Democrats with the votes to raise the debt ceiling as Congress is grappling with a crucial deadline. McConnell, R-Ky., railed against Democrats’ plans to pass a $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill without GOP support. He said if Democrats want to go alone on more “reckless” spending, they’ll have to raise the debt limit themselves, too. “Let me make something perfectly clear: If they don’t need or want our input, they won’t get our help,”McConnell said Thursday from the Senate floor. “They won’t get our help with the debt limit increase that these reckless plans will require.” – Marisa Schultz, “McConnell Says GOP Won’t Help Dems with ‘Reckless’ Debt Plan,” www.foxbusiness.com/economy, August 6, 2021.
Yes, everything seems so positive and it has for almost the entire year since Joe Biden assumed the Presidency on January 20. But this was also suggested by the spring equinox and summer solstice that had Jupiter rising in Washington D.C. Those fortunate celestial arrangements change with the Fall equinox when Pluto in Capricorn rises, square an Aries Moon.
In the meantime, here comes the next phase of the looming debt crisis marked by a Pluto return in the U.S. chart. And no one seems too concerned about it except perhaps Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. The politicians are more concerned about the power struggles of the matter than the potential consequences on the U.S. and world economy.
This is not an issue to dismiss lightly. Its resolution will require compromise and agreement to avoid an economic catastrophe. As the article quoted above also states, “The debt ceiling suspension expired last month and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen instituted extraordinary measures for cash-conservation…. Time is running out for Congress to raise the debt ceiling…. But if the debt ceiling is not raised or suspended, the U.S. government can no longer issue debt and will soon run out of cash on hand.” Will they come to an agreement on raising the debt ceiling before liquidity runs out? Or will the government shut down and risk another credit downgrade as it did in 2011 when then-President Obama came to an agreement with the Republicans and then backed out of it at the last moment?
With Saturn also in the midst of its waning square to Uranus, a dysfunctional government unable to compromise (Congress) can wreak havoc and disruption on normal daily activities by their actions or lack of action when needed. Saturn is time, as in deadlines. Uranus could care less about deadlines and boundaries of any sort. They are there to be violated or to be used to liberate people from the bondage they impose. The problem in this case is that the “liberation” and “violation of boundaries” idea will actually result in less freedom and more bondage. Either the Dems have to compromise with Republicans and reduce their demand to spend more and more monies (i.e., raise the debt), or the Republicans have to accept that raising the debt ceiling is no big deal for an economy this large in the long run. No one really knows the answer, but one side is willing to take the risk and the adverse consequences this could have on future generations (maybe the current generation), and the other side isn’t. Both have a point.
The astrological hope is that when Venus enters its ruling sign of Libra, August 16-September 10, there will be an agreement. Maybe it will happen before the U.S. government is forced to shut down, put its employees on leave, and risk a temporary credit downgrade, which in turn would likely cause a large stock market selloff. The possibility of a shut down and large stock market selloff is also shown by Uranus turning retrograde in the money sign of Taurus on August 19, the same day that an exaggerated opposition of the Sun and Jupiter occurs just prior to that weekend’s full Moon (which will be a spectacular evening sight to behold as the Sun sets and the Moon rises with Jupiter beside it).
Uranus and Jupiter highlighted together (August 19) can correlate with sharp price moves nearby. It can be even greater if Mars is involved. The following week (August 23) Mars will trine Uranus, but perhaps more importantly, Mars will pass through the 15-19° “super-charged zone” of Virgo, August 23-30. It could get whacky and surreal. And by the way, this same “super-charged degree” sector of the signs relates to COVID-19, which is on the rise again worldwide.
Furthermore, transiting Mars activates the Mars/Neptune square in the July 2, 1776 (or July 4) U.S. chart. Everyone in Congress wants to appear to be the hero and come to the rescue. But the entity to be rescued doesn’t seem to like the color or shape of the safety net, so they want another life raft to be thrown out to them. That’s Mars/Neptune: “I tried to help you, but you won’t accept my advice, so I give up trying.”
This is not a time to give up on the effort nor is it in anyone’s best interest to turn down a genuine offeet to help. The positive side of this transiting aspect is to heal wounds, emotional or psychic. You keep trying and remember: “Every decision I make is a choice between a grievance and a miracle.” (Deepak Chopra, 2009). Choose the miraculous path these next two weeks, and always.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
NOTE 1: THE AUGUST ISSUE OF THE MMA Monthly Cycles Report will be released this week, Tuesday, August 10 (Monday, August 9 for the English edition). August is often a critical month for the stock market with many instances of long-term cycle highs taking place then. Plus, there will be an important full Moon this month conjoining Jupiter. Every issue provides MMA’s intermediate-term and near-term outlook for the U.S. stock market, Gold, Silver, Treasuries, Euro Currency, Crude Oil, and Soybeans. Each issue also contains MMA’s original geocosmic critical reversal dates (CRDs) and Solar/Lunar reversal dates over the next several weeks for DJIA, Gold, and Silver, complete with trading strategies for position traders during the next month. If you are not a subscriber to the monthly MMA Cycles Report and would like a copy of MMA’s outlook for financial markets, consider trying this issue 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 late September. This new edition will contain the most comprehensive and modern listing of long, – intermediate-, and short-term financial cycles available anywhere! The book is a clearly written text on the MMA methodology for determining cycles periodicities and recognizing patterns within those cycles. It is a 75-page basic book for those who want to improve their timing skills by integrating cycles analysis with technical studies. It is a glossy softcover, 8-1/2” x 11” with illustrations to demonstrate the correct way to count cycle lengths, identify their phases with instruction on the trading strategies used to successfully trade each phase. The cost of the new version will be $35.00 and a pre-publication special rate of $28.00 will be available starting now through early September. Order now and save money! Details for pre-ordering are available now by clicking here.
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 been very on another very impressive streak of profitable trades in the past six weeks, including another last week. For a description or ordering information on either the MMA Bitcoin report (daily and weekly) or the full MMA Weekly Reports, click here.
NOTE 5: GET READY! FORECAST 2022 SPECIAL OFFERS begin August 16 for subscribers to MMA Cycles reports: daily, weekly, or monthly.
EVENTS
SEPTEMBER 3/SEPTEMBER 4: MMA’S FINANCIAL MARKETS UPDATE FOR CHINA, GOLD, AND BITCOIN: 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 the 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.