REVIEW AND PREVIEW
A surge of trading volume in shares of GameStop and AMC Entertainment, as well as Bed Bath & Beyond and BlackBerry, has stunned Wall Street firms that were betting that those stocks would fall. The share prices had instead spiked this week as retail investors, spurred by the online Reddit forum WallStreetBets, piled into the stocks. The volatility continued Wednesday as platforms like Robinhood and Interactive Brokers limited trading on certain stocks. Robinhood, which has billed itself as a democratizing force in the market, in particular took criticism. – Paul Connor, “GameStop, AMC Trading Frenzy Roils Wall Street,” www.foxbusiness.com, January 28, 2021.
Game on! GameStop! Robinhood! Wall Street hedge funds get ripped off?
It’s a classic case Saturn square Uranus, with the volatile, unpredictable Uranus in Taurus (the stock market) storming the gates of the establishment’s (Saturn) Wall Street professional hedgers, causing unimaginable and exaggerated price movements (Jupiter is involved too) in heavily shorted stocks. And the gate-stormers were winning! Well, they were winning until the rules (Saturn) were suddenly changed (Uranus) and the newbies (Uranus) were restricted from trading in these companies. So much for the concept of “free markets.” Intervention (a Plutonian dynamic) took over as Venus (money) was also conjunct with Pluto (liquidation and intervention).
I can’t really be critical of Robinhood, can I? After all, that’s where the namesake of my surname comes from. The Merrymen (i.e., “Merriman”) were originally “Archers in the service of the King.” Now I spend my hours trying to zero in on hitting the bullseye of highs and lows in financial markets. Apparently, so are many of my fellow archers from incarnations long ago. I wish them well as they seek the crown jewels of professional hedgers (short-sellers), who are like the “king’s men,” very upset with the upstart merrymen trading on the Robinhood platform You know, like “stealing from the rich to feed the poor.” Those who control the wealth and make the rules of the game don’t like that.
But, alas, this was not really in the spirit of Robinhood and his merrymen of days long past. This was more like Robinhood and scaredy-cats imposing restrictions on the new breed of young traders who were upending the status quo of the hedge fund establishment. This current Robinhood ran from the king’s men just as the “Money Heist” was getting underway by the new breed of suddenly rich and daring young speculators. This was the Robinhood whose ads tout “investing made easy.” Suddenly, investing became risky and dangerous, but it was also the way to quick riches if you were able to act nimbly and fast enough. That is, before this version of Robinhood pulled the plug and stopped all those new traders from taking their profits and bidding the companies even higher. But all this was adding up to huge losses for all the king’s men (the short-selling hedgers who bet against a company’s success).
But back to the case of Jupiter and Saturn square Uranus: nothing goes as planned, and there will be plenty of surprises in store for everyone this year – especially those who set themselves up as kings or king’s men (self-imposed or appointed regulators) and act like dictators and authoritarians (the low side of Saturn, especially with Pluto in Capricorn). That’s what Uranus (revolt, breaking the rules and customs) does now to Saturn (the rules and authority) in 2021. And it’s only the end of January.
Uranus’ volatility was in full view in global equity markets last week. It was a week where nothing went quite as expected. The assault on short-sellers by Robinhood traders freaked the markets out and led to Wednesday’s global stock market rout. When the new rules to restrict trading were imposed, the markets recovered smartly for half of a day (Thursday), but then the selloff resumed due to the sudden and unexpected, uncertainty that had just exploded. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, for example, was down over 600 points on Wednesday. During the day on Thursday it was up over 600 points. Then another sell-off started and on Friday it was down another 600+ points again. It was not a good end to the week for any stock market, let alone a week when a few started off by making new all-time or multi-year highs. It is beginning to look like January-February of last year. But that was caused by a pandemic. Some kind of group-think may cause this. Both the sign of Aquarius and its ruler Uranus are big on group-think and frenzies.
Both the NASDAQ and S&P had just made new all-time highs before Wednesday’s selloff began (but not the DJIA). As pointed out in last week’s column, “The danger of a change in investor psychology is very strong during this period, and hence traders will need to be very careful. This can be a very erratic and volatile market with large price swings in very short periods of time… The tension suggested for this week is further augmented by the Leo full moon on January 28, the same period when the Sun will conjoin Jupiter, and Venus will conjoin Pluto. With Jupiter being the planet of exaggeration, still in a hard aspect with Uranus, one can see why there might be very large price moves nearby.” In case you hadn’t noticed, there was a correlation between cycles in the cosmos and cycles in human activity last week, and it showed up in financial markets.
SHORT-TERM GEOCOSMICS
Then, when something suddenly happens to start a buying wave, buyers find the supply of stocks scarce and have to bid them up. It always happens that the higher prices go, the more people want to buy. This causes a final grand rush and a rapid advance in the last stages of a Bull Market. History always repeats on Wall Street, and what has happened in the past will happen again in the future. W.D. Gann, legendary financial astrologer and trader, “45 Years in Wall Street,” Lambert Gann, Pomeroy, WA, 1976, first written in 1949.
As if the market climate wasn’t erratic and unstable enough, now comes Mercury retrograde, the “Trickster,” onto the scene, January 30-February 20 in the U.S. (add one day for Europe and Asia at the end). This is just another time band when support and resistance are apt to be unreliable, which is not the optimal situation for chartists or technical analysis.
Market flip-flops may reflect the political flip-flops of world leaders, too. It is not the ideal time to be position trading and it may not be the perfect time to have a trial for impeaching former President Donald Trump. Things aren’t likely to go as expected. With Mercury retrograde conjoining Jupiter for much of this period, we can anticipate a great amount of exaggeration by all parties. As both are in Aquarius, we can expect some far-out conspiracy theories too. Aquarius and Uranus rule outer space. It may get very “other-worldly” now. In fact, it has already started. Try to stay grounded and “in the science.”
From another market perspective, we note that transiting Saturn was in a square aspect to Venus in the New York Stock Exchange’s founding chart last week (January 22-February 8). Mars will also enter an important aspect to this chart’s Mercury/Pluto square the week surrounding February 19-22. But beyond that looms the transit of Pluto in Capricorn (the planet of “intervention” and “liquidation”), forming a T-Square with the Saturn/Neptune opposition in this same chart, starting in March, and lasting through the rest of the year. I think we are soon to see more regulations and interventions in the U.S. financial markets in the name of protecting the small investor. I think the real Robinhood and his merrymen would find this a cause to reload their quivers. They aren’t going down without a fight for their rights to trade without interference, even if they have to relocate and learn how to “Think or Swim” and develop a knack for a “Streetsmart Edge.”
ANNOUNCEMENTS
NOTE 1: ONLY TWO MORE WEEKS! FEBRUARY 14, 2021, 12:00 PM MST: MMA’S FORECAST 2021 WORLD WEBINAR will take place on Sunday, February 14, 2021, 2:00 PM EST (that’s 11:00 AM PST, 7 PM, GMT, 8 PM CET. 1 AM Mumbai, 4 AM Tokyo, 6 AM Sydney). In the comfort of your own home or office, you can tune into Raymond Merriman’s annual worldwide Forecast 2021 Webinar. This broadcast will address subjects from this year’s Forecast 2021 book, with updates on financial markets since the book was written in November 2020. The focus will be on the Saturn/Uranus squares of 2021 and their relationship to national and international politics, economy, and financial markets, including the U.S. stock market, Gold, Silver, Crude Oil, Bitcoin, the Euro, and U.S. Dollar currency. Under Saturn/Uranus, things do not usually go as expected. It is shaping up to be “The Year of the Contrarian.” In addition, this webinar will identify the three most intensive (potentially explosive and volatile) times in 2021, as shown by geocosmic studies. Hint: we are in the first one now! Cost is $55.00, and includes the slides of the presentation, plus access to the video recording of the event. If unable to attend live, you can still sign up, as everyone who orders the Webinar will receive the video recording following the live event. For more information, go to www.mmacycles.com, or https://www.mmacycles.com/product/forecast-2021-webinar/ or Shop> Webinars> Forecast 2021 Webinar. SIGN UP NOW TO LOCK IN YOUR PLACE for this once-a-year event!
NOTE 2: MMA is pleased to announce that Great Conjunctions: Shifting Times is now available as of this week! Written by Chris McRae, who was one of the world’s leading Mundane Astrologers before her sudden passing to the cloud, this fascinating book on the history of Great Conjunctions involving the outer planets throughout history is of great importance to all astrological historians. It is especially appropriate today because 2020 was such a year exhibiting Great Conjunctions. In fact, the grandest of all outer planet conjunctions – the Jupiter/Saturn synodic cycle – took place on December 21, 2020, so this book is timely. The insights that McRae provides on these rare but remarkable configurations will make this one of the most valuable additions to the field of Mundane Astrology. The cost is $24.95 plus postage.
NOTE 3: The print edition of the Forecast 2021 Book is now out. The e-Book English version has been out for three weeks.
This year’s printed and/or e-Book versions of Forecast 2021 are also available in these languages:
German: www.mma-europe.ch/ or email at info@mma-europe.ch
Japanese: https://www.toushinippou.co.jp/
Chinese: www.nodoor.com/
In addition to this year’s Forecast book, we are offering a separate publication for those who enjoy the yearly trends for the twelve individual signs. It is titled “Trends for the Twelve Signs 2021” and written by Antonia Langsdorf-Merriman and Ray Merriman. It, too, is at the printer now and due out any day. The eBook version is now available as of Monday, December 7! The cost of this book is $25, with a further discount if ordered with the Forecast 2021 Book.
NOTE 4: The first 2021 issue of the ICR (International Cycles Reports) will be released this week, January 26-27. 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 Aspegren (Currencies), Isabella Suleymanov (Grains), and Gianni Di Poce (Australian ASX and Dollar, Cannabis (MJ), and Live Cattle). Order now to make sure you get this month’s report! Consider a one-month trial for only $35.
EVENTS
February 14, 2021: The Annual MMA Forecast 2021 Webinar. Noon, MST. This will be our annual address to the world regarding the year ahead. The focus will be on the long-term outlook for the U.S. stock market, Gold, Silver, Crude Oil, Bitcoin, the Euro, and U.S. Dollar currency. It will also review and update our views on the world economy and the national political situation This presentation will also identify the three most intensive (potentially explosive and volatile) times in 2021, as shown by geocosmic studies. Always exciting, informative, and well-attended. Sign up now to make sure you secure your place in the live presentation. An MP4 recording will be available on the following Monday (February 15) to all who sign up. The cost to attend is $55.00. For more information and registration, go to https://www.mmacycles.com/product/forecast-2021-webinar/ or www.mmacycles.com, Shop> Webinars> Forecast 2021 Webinar.
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 hence potentially affect 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.