MMA FREE WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING DECEMBER 1, 2025

REVIEW

Allies of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell have laid the groundwork for him to push a rate cut through a divided committee at next month’s meeting even though it could draw multiple dissents. The unusual level of division inside the Fed means that, to an even greater degree than usual, the final call rests with Powell.
—Nick Timiraos, “Fed Chair Powell’s Allies Provide Opening for December Rate Cut,” The Wall Street Journal, November 25, 2025.

The rise of the side hustle complicates the modern economy. The self-employed content creator has an income stream and thus spending power—but that goes largely unrecognized by today’s statistics. Side hustles mean that data is increasingly underreporting economic reality. [It] may also shift some economic value creation from large companies to very small (“micro”) companies. While large companies may use accountants and lawyers to avoid taxes, a micro company may not be liable for taxes at all. Shifting economic activity to “businesses” that fall below current tax thresholds may challenge some government revenue streams.
—Dr. Paul Donovan, “The Hassle of the Side Hustle,” UBS Weekly Blog, November 28, 2025.

Stock markets around the world got a welcome lift last week after falling to their lowest levels in at least 2-6 months. This fits well with the bullish seasonal holiday trend that usually starts near the Sun entering Sagittarius, which began a week ago, right in the time band of MMAs geocosmic critical reversal date, November 21-24, +/- 3 trading days.

In Asia and the Pacific Rim, stock markets rallied last week. The Australian ASX made its primary bottom right on November 21, the same day the Hang Seng made a major cycle trough. Japan’s Nikkei index completed its primary cycle trough on November 19, while China did the same on Monday, November 24. India’s Nifty was just bullish all week, making a new all-time high (ATH) on Friday, November 28.

In Europe, the Netherlands’ AEX, Germany’s DAX, and London’s FTSE all bottomed on November 21 and rallied all week sharply. The SMI of Zurich also ended a good week with a double top on Friday, back at its six-month high set on November 13.

In the U.S., the DJIA, S&P, and NASDAQ all completed primary cycle lows on November 19-21 and rallied smartly last week, as new cycles usually do. The Bovespa in Brazil also enjoyed a good week, soaring to a new ATH on Friday, November 28.

The bigger story, however, was in Silver, which just exploded to a new ATH of 57.24 on Friday in the March contract. Gold had a strong week too, with the February contract rising to 4263, well off its all-time high of 4398 made a month ago in the nearby December contract. Even Bitcoin came back smartly from its drenching, which ended a week ago (November 21), around 80,000. On Friday, it tested 93,000, a gain of 15%, suggesting that this too is now a new primary cycle. This fits with the outlook given in last Sunday’s special MMA Options webinar, which called for a primary cycle low and a 20-35% rally in the follow-up sent to all participants right afterwards. Speaking of that options webinar, the T-Notes may be setting up for the top of the head-and-shoulders pattern also discussed. In addition, other strategies that were given during the event appear to be setting up to unfold. The recording of that webinar is now available and still very valuable.

SHORT-TERM GEOCOSMICS

Every nation must strive to preserve three basic elements of its existence—sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. Russia’s aggression has already compromised Ukraine’s control over its territory, and the proposal now under discussion would make matters worse. Under the terms of the original 28-point plan (reduced to 19 points after U.S.-Ukraine discussions in Geneva), Ukraine would be forced to pull back its troops from the parts of the Donetsk region it currently controls, and this territory would be internationally recognized as belonging to the Russian Federation. This provision would give international legitimacy to a naked land grab, and it would deprive Ukraine of one of its strongest defensive lines against future Russian aggression—just as ceding the Sudetenland in 1938 made it nearly impossible for Czechoslovakia to resist Germany’s army in 1939. No sovereign nation can be asked to forfeit the military forces it deems necessary to defend itself.
—William Galston, “Ukraine and the Off-Point Peace Plan,” The Wall Street Journal, November 25, 2025.

This weekend finds both Mercury and Saturn ending their retrograde cycles, which, for many, will be a relief to see the Trickster (Mercury retrograde) return to its normal habitat. More importantly, when two or more planets change directions nearby to one another like this, it often signals the end or start of primary cycles. We noted that stock indices and Bitcoin probably made primary cycle lows in the past week. But now we have to wonder about Gold and Silver. Was last week’s run-up a case of intermarket bearish divergence under these planetary stations?

We also note that Venus ends its grand water trine to Jupiter and Saturn-Neptune this weekend, which may be an astrological correlate for the robust rallies in world stock markets last week. But Venus is also in opposition to Uranus on Sunday, November 30, which could relate to the powerful upside breakout in Silver. Or it could also portend a reversal from a case of bearish intermarket divergence. With Uranus, it can be either or both. That is, it could be a breakout to a new multi-month or even yearly high/low, or a sudden reversal. The loss of the grand trine may become a concern this week, especially with Venus in opposition to Uranus, for markets that have rallied.

The next big aspect confluence starts on December 9 with Mars forming a waning square to Saturn. This is a warlike dynamic, where one side wants to force its will on the other, and the other puts up a powerful resistance. Equity indices do not generally like this type of conflict, but commodities often do. The next day, December 10, Neptune turns direct, followed by Mars forming a waning square to Neptune. Thus, any conflict is likely to witness more propaganda and falsehoods as attempts are made to redirect the narrative away from the truth.

November had the benefit of grand trines, which brought out a sense of hope about restoring sanity in various conflicts around the world. December, on the other hand, will be fraught with several waning squares involving the Sun, Venus, and Mars to Saturn and Neptune in late mutable signs (the Galactic Center at 27° Sagittarius is activated). The entire world may be drawn into this struggle. Mercury may be done with its tricks. But politicians and war mongers are likely to resume theirs.

LONGER-TERM THOUGHTS

Practical advice from one Charles Dickens in “Sketches by Boz”: “Reflect upon your present blessings—of which every man has many—not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” G.K. Chesterton took a different tack—gratitude is “the highest form of thought.” Tolstoy took it a step further: You can infer from his work that he thought the moments in which we feel the greatest thankfulness are those in which we are most noble. Don’t be embarrassed by talk of gratitude this weekend, or think it rote or corny. Feel thankful enough long enough and it amounts to a stance toward life, a good one.
—Peggy Noonan, “Don’t Be Shy, Gratitude Is Good for You,” The Wall Street Journal, November 28, 2025.

What a wonderful Thanksgiving this was as I hosted about 15 of the world’s top astrologers on a 45-minute call to wish one another a happy holiday. But it turned into much more than that as we evolved our well wishes into a lively discussion on what is happening in the heavens and in the world. The thing about this group is that each of them is an original “out-of-the-box” thinker. Each had a unique take that inspired further discussion into areas no one expected but very much found to be a great value.

One of the subjects that came up was about AI. Antonia Langsdorf (my wife) mentioned a podcast she had just listened to that pointed out how AI’s tendency towards “hallucinations” is causing a downdraft in the reliability of the information it provides. As more people provide information online from AI that is derived from inaccurate information generated by AI (hallucination), the more it pollutes (and downgrades) the pool of information it regenerates in further retrieval of certain subjects. For instance, a student conducts a research project based on “facts” generated by AI about the subject. But those facts are not always reliable. The student posts the research study, based on inaccurate facts, online and then it becomes part of the agent’s retrieval when asked about that subject in the future. This process of proving inaccurate information, and then repeating it online, compounds the problem of getting correct facts and information as we go along.

Astrologers Demetra George, Susie Cox, Christeen Skinner, Darby Coatello, David Cochrane, Matt Carnecelli, and Aleksandar Imsiragic each had a refreshing response to that and the future of AI. All pretty much agreed that 1) we don’t know how this is all going to end up as it is a wave of innovation that is still being birthed, 2) AI has to be treated primarily as a source information and not so much as an “emotional support system” even though it is developing intuitive functions, but 3) those intuitive and emotional factors are exposing some to mental health challenges and dependencies in place of healthy social interactions and earnest fact-checking, but 4) AI will be a positive force for our evolution (personally and collectively) and so it is important to adjust well to this new pathway ahead for the world. It’s not going away, and it will continually improve over the long haul.

Actually, the conversations were much more exciting than this simple recount. There was a wealth of correlations shared about this AI movement, including Pluto in Aquarius, Uranus trine Pluto in air signs, and even Saturn and Neptune as the midpoint forming a double sextile to both Uranus and Pluto, each with a different twist. When someone mentioned the chaos engulfing the world today and wondered if it would ever end, I pointed out that I think it is peaking with Saturn acting like an eclipse to Neptune (Saturn is between the Earth and Neptune). Therefore, it is Saturn collecting the power of the Uranus trine Pluto presently. However, when Saturn starts to separate from its conjunction to Neptune, the power of Neptune will begin to accelerate as it (and not Saturn) will still be in the double sextile to Uranus and Pluto, collecting their power that Saturn had consumed over the past year. That too elicited further insights from this remarkable group of very intelligent, experienced, and professional astrologers.

All in all, I would say this discussion with such wonderful, thought-provoking astrologer friends made this the best Thanksgiving of my lifetime. It was far and away the most intelligent and inspiring conversation I have had with astrologers in quite some time. And for that, I am very thankful that we still connect with one another, even after working together over the past 40 years in many cases. What a blessing!

Enjoy the holidays! The favorable seasonality for stocks is now underway with the Sun in Sagittarius. It’s also a new and young primary cycle. Bulls should love this season.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

NOTE 1: THE RECORDING OF THE MMA “SPECIAL MMA OPTIONS WEBINAR” WITH DEREK PANAIA, HOSTED BY RAYMOND MERRIMAN AND WYATT FELLOWS, IS NOW AVAILABLE.

It was an exciting webinar, 3.5 hours in length, with cycles and geocosmic market-timing dates provided by Wyatt and Ray, and options strategies outlined by Derek for the S&P, Gold, T-Notes, Soybeans, and Crude Oil. There was also an outlook for Bitcoin market timing, based on the idea of a primary cycle low coming due.

The Options Plus segment is now underway through January 14 at a special price of $100. This is where Derek monitors the trading strategies given in the webinar as the setup develops in real time and informs subscribers of the option play to undertake. Derek will also post his own outlook on trades in other markets as he sees them unfolding on a very active basis. There may be multiple posts of trades suggested on the same day during this period!

To get a recording of the Options webinar ($95), or to join the Options+ follow-up now underway ($100), click here.

Note: Keep in mind that options trading is speculative. This webinar and the new subscription service that follows are designed for speculators who have a basic understanding of options. For those who do not, MMA offers a recording of Derek’s webinar on option principles, available on its website.

NOTE 2: There will be a special Black Friday sale offered to all registered readers of this column on Friday, November 28. Watch your emails for this special announcement!

NOTE 3: FORECAST 2026 IS NOW AT THE PRINTER AND ON SCHEDULE TO BE MAILED OUT BY DECEMBER 15!!! Order by December 1 to be included in the first shipment!

MMA’s annual Forecast book is an astrological-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, a geopolitical overview, socio-cultural trends, weather and natural-calamity potential, as well as financial market projections for the U.S. stock market (DJIA and NASDAQ this year!), the 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. Additionally, it provides the three-star critical reversal dates (CRDs) for each market for the year, which have maintained an 80+% accuracy rate over the years for trading-cycle highs and lows when given an orb of three trading days. The book is approximately 250 pages (our largest ever, because it’s the special 50-year anniversary edition) and 8.5″ × 11″. The price of the Forecast 2026 print edition is $66, and the eBook is $55.

To pre-order this year’s 50th-year edition, click here. It’s special! Not only are the market outlooks very valuable, with their own unique CRDs, but this year’s book will include a special long-term outlook based on the outer planets changing signs, written by MMA market analyst and master mundane astrologer Pouyan Zolfagharnia. His contribution to this year’s 50th anniversary edition is remarkable! As commented on by arguably the world’s top mundane astrologer, Claude Weiss of Zurich, Switzerland, who just read the proofs: “I want to congratulate you regarding the content of the 2026 Forecast book. It seems to me even more interesting than previous Forecast books and, in these unusual times, of special interest even to scholars of history and human society, even if they are not mainly interested in stocks and finances. Besides your articles, Pouyan’s chapters of the book are of outstanding quality.”

The book is 240 pages (our longest and most in-depth ever), 8.5” x 11”, with beautiful glossy four-color covers. The printed edition is limited. When they sell out, there will be no further printings.

Additional offers: MMA is also offering a special bundle discount for those who order both the eBook and printed editions of Forecast 2026 for $86. 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.

There will be 50 autographed copies by Raymond Merriman (no autopen!) of our 50th-year print edition of the Forecast 2026 book available for $195. Orders must be placed by December 10, or until all 50 copies are requested, whichever comes first.

A Forecast 2026 audiobook is now available for only $30.00 if ordered before December 15. The Forecast 2026 audiobook will include all chapters from the Forecast 2026 book except the financial markets and the calendar/ephemeris pages in the back of the annual book. It provides an excellent overview of what’s in store for the coming year(s) for the world and the nation (USA, President Trump, the Federal Reserve Board, the economy, lunar nodal cycles, each outer planet in each sign, and the remarkable “Aries Vortex”). It makes for great listening, narrated by the silky-smooth voice of Thomas Miller. To order, click here.

NOTE 4: THE NEW AUDIOBOOK OF EVOLUTIONARY ASTROLOGY: THE JOURNEY OF THE SOUL THROUGH STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS, by Raymond Merriman, written in 1993, is now available! It is narrated by Thomas Miller, who has a great voice and who also broadcasts MMA’s free weekly column. The first edition of Evolutionary Astrology, originally published in 1977, introduced this remarkable subject to the astrological community, where it has since become one of astrology’s major branches of study. Get ready to listen to the original work on Evolutionary Astrology that brought a spiritual perspective to the study of astrology from the late 1970s through today. To order the book (hardcover or eBook) or the audio recording, please click here.

NOTE 5: SPECIAL ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY SALE ON THE JUPITER REPORT — YOUR MOMENTS OF OPPORTUNITY! The Jupiter Report was first introduced one year ago, in late September 2024. If you were one of the first to order then, it’s now time to update your outlook for the year ahead. The cost of your 14-month Jupiter Report is $69. However, starting this week, we’re launching a special one-year anniversary sale at $55 (a 21.5% discount) for those who order their next 14-month Jupiter Report.

The Jupiter Report is written by Raymond Merriman. It 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 date 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 success? Or a –3 transit, with a stronger-than-usual potential for misjudgments and losses?

The Jupiter Report also makes an excellent holiday or birthday gift.

Here is a recent letter from our options expert, Derek Panaia, to the Options+ group, which 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 FOR 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). Plans are in progress to create an Android version of this app within the next 3-5 months, and a crypto app shortly thereafter. To learn more about the MMA app, click here. To order, go to the Apple App Store and search for Merriman Solar/Lunar Reversals.

NOTE 7: 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 supported 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 began on September 27, or for anyone wishing to deepen their astrological knowledge. The cost for these six introductory lessons, each lasting about two hours, is $300. This is a great opportunity to learn basic astrology from a master economic astrologer! Click here to order now!

EVENTS

FEBRUARY 22, 2026: MMA’S ANNUAL FORECAST 2026 WEBINAR WITH RAY MERRIMAN. Details to be announced soon. For now, SAVE THE DATE!!

MAY 20-24, 2026: MMA’S NEXT INVESTMENT RETREAT, LAKE BLED, SLOVENIA. SAVE THE DATE!!
Registration will open sometime in December. The presentations will also be available via Zoom for those unable to attend in person. The theme will focus more on market timing and trading at this event. It’s going to be great!

Disclaimer and Proper Use of This Information

Futures and options trading involve the risk of large losses as well as large gains.

Information is provided herein with sincere intent and according to MMA’s original research studies and methodologies. These reports are provided mainly for “speculators.” By its very nature, “speculation” means “willing to take the risk of loss.” “Speculators” must be willing to accept the fact that they are going to have losing trades — many more than, say, “investors.” That is why they are “speculators.” The way “speculators” become profitable is not so much by a high percentage of winning trades but by controlling the amount of loss on any given trade so that the average gain on winners is considerably greater than the average loss on losing trades.

MMA’s comments, strategies, and data are given to serve as guidelines for traders for each day and/or week. Comments and strategies are based upon intraday and intraweek highs, lows, and closes at the end of the day or week. Traders are advised to use these only as guidelines — and to use intraday analysis to establish positions in the directions suggested, so long as those support and resistance (entry) areas look favorable according to intraday analysis as well. Support and resistance are areas for day traders to look to buy and sell intraday. No guarantees are made for accuracy.

Support may represent favorable risk/reward levels to buy if the trend is up. If prices trade below support and then close back above it, this is considered a bullish “trigger” and often represents a good buy signal. Resistance may represent favorable risk/reward levels to sell short if the trend is down. If prices trade above resistance and then have a weekly close back below it, this is considered a bearish “trigger” and often represents a good sell signal.

By signing up for these reports, the reader agrees that he or she is solely responsible for any actions taken in markets, and neither the author, publisher, analyst nor any person associated with MMA assumes any responsibility whatsoever for the reader’s decisions.