NOTE: There will be no weekly column next week, as I will be preparing for the Sunday (February 18) MMA Worldwide Webinar on Forecast 2024. It will be an update on financial markets and the status of the national and world economic outlook as given in the annual book, with more of a shorter-term analysis of the status of these cycles as we approach the powerful Jupiter/Uranus conjunction of April 20, 2024.
REVIEW
Stocks rose on Friday after December’s revised inflation reading came in lower than first reported, and the S&P 500 closed above the key 5,000 level as strong earnings and economic news chugged on. “A close above this closely watched level will undoubtedly create headlines and further feed fear of missing out (FOMO) emotions,” said Adam Turnquist, chief technical strategist at LPL Financial. Samantha Subin and Yun Li, “S&P 500 Closes Above 5000 For First Time Ever,” www.cnbc.com, February 9, 2024.
New York Community Bank (NYCB) was hit with its third credit downgrade as fears linger that the regional bank could be in peril nearly a year after the regional banking sector was hit by a crisis that triggered some of the largest bank failures in U.S. history. Eric Revell, “Regional Bank Hit with 3rd Credit Downgrade as Crisis Concerns Linger,” www.foxbusiness.com, February 9, 2024.
The “flip the script” narrative of Pluto entering Aquarius on January 20 (for the third time of five) continued to unfold last week in the 2024 U.S. presidential election drama. At some point, it will affect financial markets, but maybe just not yet.
Or maybe it will begin now as we are setting up the first stages of a possible intermarket bearish divergence signal in an MMA geocosmic critical reversal date (CRD) time band. This CRD is anchored with Friday’s (February 9) New Moon in Aquarius, which just happened to also square Uranus – the ruler of Aquarius – on February 8. As we know, Uranus is the planetary correlation to either a breakout to new highs (or new lows if a market is testing multi-month lows), or a reversal of the trend – or both (breakout to new highs and a reversal). It might be a case of both here in U.S. equity markets as the S&P and NASDAQ indeed made new all-time highs late last week, but the DJIA could not take out its all-time high formed the prior week on February 2. This setup was discussed as a tradeable possibility in the MMA Weekly subscription service last week and will be updated with this Saturday’s report.
New stock market highs with divergences were also noted in Europe, where the Netherlands AEX and German DAX indices soared to new all-time highs that were not matched by the London FTSE or Zurich SMI. In fact, the Zurich SMI declined rather sharply last week after posting a new multi-month high the prior week.
Stock market indices were all over the place in the Far East. Japan’s Nikkei index continued its massive rally to its highest levels since the all-time high of December 1989. It is on a path to take out that high this year, maybe sooner than later. However, India’s NIFTY index and Australia’s All Ords (ASX) could not make new intraday all-time highs (they came close again), or even exceed the high of the prior week, which is yet another example of an intermarket bearish divergence pattern setting up in a geocosmic CRD zone. Yet in Hong Kong, another decline on Friday tested its multi-year low of the prior week, whilst, in China, the Shanghai Composite fell to its lowest level in five years last Monday and then commenced a sharp reversal up, suggesting the beginning of a new primary and possibly longer-term cycle as described in our last MMA China Cycles’ Report. The next MMA China Cycle report will come out a week from Monday, as the Chinese New Year begins now (so there will be no trading for a week in China as much celebration gets underway there – they do like to party!).
In other markets, Bitcoin and Crude Oil enjoyed strong rallies. Bitcoin rallied to 48,183 on Friday, testing its January 11 yearly high of 49,083 before turning south. On the other hand, Ethereum had only a modest rally to 2524, well off its recent high of 2717 on January 17. A case of intermarket bearish divergence might be setting up here, too, if BTC makes a new yearly high and Ether fails. Crude Oil displayed a pattern similar to Bitcoin, with a nice secondary rally into Friday’s high of 77.29, up from a major cycle low of 71.41 formed on Monday, February 5, but still slightly below its recent high of 79.29 made the prior week on January 29. Gold and Silver continued in a congested triangle pattern, but it is notable that the gold mining companies’ index (HUI) fell to a new low for the latter stage of this primary cycle (Gold and Silver did not yet).
SHORT-TERM GEOCOSMICS
Mr. Trump is doing neither himself nor his party any favors in deep-sixing his best shot at fulfilling the core GOP promise of border security. Kimberley A. Strassel, “The GOP’s Border Self-Sabotage: If Trump Wins, He’ll Regret Having Urged GOP Lawmakers Not to Enact Reforms,” Wall Street Journal, February 9, 2024.
At the White House, officials were apoplectic as they raced to contain the fallout from Hur’s characterization of Biden’s memory. Some Democrats inside and outside of Biden’s bubble were privately anxious about what’s next for the campaign. The report came during a week when Biden made a number of high-profile flubs, confusing current and past world leaders. Ken Thomas, Catherine Lucey, and Annie Linskey, “Panic, Fury and Blame: Inside the White House After Report Targets Biden’s Age,” Wall Street Journal Online, February 9, 2024.
“He did not remember, even within several years, when his son Beau died. And his memory appeared hazy when describing the Afghanistan debate that was once so important to him,” Mr. Hur writes. If Mr. Biden is that forgetful, how can he fulfill his presidential duties for another four years? Democrats have some hard thinking to do about his candidacy. Wall Street Editorial Board, “Biden’s Doddering Document Defense,” Wall Street Journal, February 9, 2024.
Most Americans are extremely anxious about the prospect of a repeat of the 2020 presidential election. But what they might be about to witness is a repeat of the 2016 presidential election.
Last week, the “flip the script” narrative – forecasted with the ingress of both the Sun and Pluto from Capricorn into Aquarius on January 20 – continued in the political theatre. First was the switch (or was it “bait and switch”?) by Congressional Republicans, fighting for a strong border control deal that was finally achieved to the point that both parties thought they had a deal. And then former President Donald Trump came out against it because he wanted it to remain a campaign issue he could run on – never mind that the deal would be a major step forward to improve current border security that he could continue to further work on if he becomes president again. It would make his next step easier and would represent a unifying effort to “Make America (er, Mr. Trump) Great Again.” But the “script was flipped” by Trump, and what would have been the strongest and most bipartisan border control act in many years was defeated by the Republicans, many of whom earlier had stated they would support it. Talk about leadership and representation of citizens’ wishes to secure a border deal…. This was potentially a deadly blow to those Republicans seeking re-election later this year.
However, it may not have been as deadly a blow as the special counsel Robert Hur’s report on the secret documents case of Joe Biden. The report described the president as “… a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” To which the President then went defiantly before reporters on TV to angrily defend himself and his mental state. In the process, he instead displayed the obvious signs of progressive age-related cognitive decline that were described in the report. He referred to the leader of Egypt as the leader of Mexico. The report stated he didn’t remember when he became vice president, when his term ended, or even within several years of when his son died. Does anyone care about the president’s well-being (mental and physical health) to avoid putting him under further duress when it is apparent that this threat is both to himself and the security of the nation? This alarming deterioration was on full display to the entire world last night. It may be just a matter of time before someone (the DNC) does act, and the next version of “flip the script” erupts with the change of the Democrats’ 2024 presidential nominee.
This tragic spectacle unfolding is easily seen in the study of astrology via the transits to President Biden’s natal chart. As covered in the Forecast 2024 Book, transiting Pluto is square his natal Moon, ruler of his eighth house. The square is a very challenging “hard” aspect, and as stated many times in this column, “No one escapes unscathed under a hard aspect from transiting Pluto.” Additionally, Uranus is transiting his sixth house of health, in opposition to his natal Mercury (mental functioning) in the 12th house, indicating “sudden changes.” You get the picture, especially if you are a professional or student of astrology.
A change is coming, and it may quite possibly be sudden. Looking at the recent polls, a change may actually benefit Democrats chances of winning the 2024 election, as popular opinion (polls) holds that any Democrat other than Biden has a better chance of victory against Donald Trump, just as the same popular opinion (polls) holds that any candidate other than Donald Trump (even Nikki Haley) could easily beat Joe Biden. Perhaps the Democrats will look to the future (Gavin Newsom) or the legacy of past Democratic families who served in the White House (Kennedy, Clinton) and who are available.
The surprises and “flip the script” themes continue in their effect over the next two weeks as both Mars and Venus cross from Capricorn into Aquarius and conjunct each other as well as Pluto, February 13-22. Likewise, financial markets may continue to surprise traders, either with more breakouts to new highs or sudden reversals, for we are still in the unpredictable season of Aquarius, also marked by strong aspects to its ruling planet, Uranus. Mars, Venus, and Pluto pertain to financial themes of debt and, hence, currency prices and interest-rate related markets. We will look for important market activity here, as well as in grain markets, also connected to Venus and Pluto dynamics.
Outside of the financial arena, this combination also suggests powerful changes in relationships. It can indicate intense and passionate experiences, combined with powerful displays of jealousy even threats of reprisals for perceived (or real) acts of disloyalty. Pluto is involved with the planets of lovers (Venus and Mars). And with Pluto in this combination, lovers who violate loyalty oaths may not escape unscathed. It may be the end of the relationship. It may also be the beginning of a new passionate adventure, but one that may also contain deep-seated psychological dramas. Are you playing with me, or is this for real?
Looking forward to connecting with many of you on the February 18 Forecast 2024 update webinar. This is one you won’t want to miss.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
NOTE 1: ONE MORE WEEK! February 18, 2024, MMA’s Annual Forecast 2024 World Wide Webinar with Raymond Merriman. The Webinar begins at noon EST and will last 3 hours. In the comfort of your own home or office, you can tune into Raymond Merriman’s annual worldwide Forecast 2024 Webinar. This broadcast will address themes from this year’s Forecast 2024 book, with updates on financial markets since the book was written in November 2023. This presentation will include trading plans for various financial markets based on the possibility of big moves related to the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction of April 21 and afterwards. Questions submitted by registrants in advance will be addressed in a live Q&A session. If you are unable to attend live, the video recording will be available the following day. Registration for the Forecast 2024 Webinar is now open. Save the date!
The subject topics of this year’s annual Forecast 2024 webinar will include:
- The “New Aira,” 2020-2032
- The outer planets in 2023-2025 and the U.S. war cycle
- The “Aries Vortex” of 2026 +/- 1 year
- Jupiter/Uranus conjunction April 2024 and its correlation to long-term market trends
- The AI revolution and investment opportunities ahead
- The Federal Reserve Board and outlook for the economy and inflation
- Outlook for Bitcoin
- Outlook for Gold
- Outlook for Crude Oil
- Outlook for the U.S. stock market
NOTE 2: Sunday, February 11, 2024: One Day Only Superbowl Subscription Sale. BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND! Our Annual Super Bowl Sale is BACK this Sunday for Superbowl #58. Curious about which reports will be on sale? Check your inbox when you wake up on Sunday morning for an opportunity to save BIG on our Daily and Weekly Reports. How big of a savings? All the details of the Super Bowl Sale will be announced on Sunday morning. This special sale only happens once a year and it only lasts for one day. Keep an eye on your inbox to catch the special offers available only on Sunday, February 11th.
NOTE 3: THE FEBRUARY ISSUE OF THE MMA Monthly Cycles Report was issued last week! Each issue gives an overview of what we expect for the next month and even year and includes MMA’s proprietary CRDs (critical reversal dates) for the next month). As we start the year, we are focused on the status of the 4-year cycle in stocks (when might they top out?) and the 16.5-month cycle in Gold (when might it bottom?), as well as the 44-month cycle in Crude Oil (has it already bottomed?) and other long-term cycles in Copper, Euro, T-Notes, and Soybeans. We provide key time bands and price ranges when these are most likely. And, of course, we will update the status of primary cycles in each of these markets as well for traders. In addition to MMA’s original geocosmic critical reversal dates (CRDs), each issue also lists MMA’s Solar/Lunar reversal dates over the next several weeks for stock indices, Gold, Silver, and the Euro. If you would like to try out one month of the MMA Monthly Cycles Report, you can sign up for only $35!
NOTE 4: 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 market activity of the previous week and offers a preview of the geocosmic signatures in effect for the following week and beyond.
NOTE 5: MMA’S FREE WEEKLY COLUMN PODCAST IS AVAILABLE ON SPOTIFY, APPLE, AND AMAZON! Now you can listen to a podcast of this weekly column by Thomas Miller on Saturdays! Just follow Merriman Market Analyst on Spotify or Apple to listen to all our episodes. New podcast episodes will be released every weekend. This is a FREE service and is available to everyone. Check out our podcasts on Apple, Spotify, and Apple Music. It makes for great listening!
NOTE 6: MMA’S Daily and Weekly Subscription Reports continue to be very hot, especially with stock indices, metals, and Bitcoin over the past several weeks. And now Crude Oil is picking up again! To order any of MMA Daily, Weekly, or Monthly subscription reports, please click here.
EVENTS
February 18, 2024: MMA’s Annual Forecast 2024 Webinar with Raymond Merriman. Starts at noon EST, which is 11:00 AM CET, 9:00 AM PST, and 6 PM CET. It will be very early in the morning in Australia, Beijing and Tokyo. This live broadcast will address themes from this year’s Forecast 2024 book, with updates on financial markets since the book was written in November 2023. This presentation will include trading plans based on the possibility of big moves related to the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction of April 21 and afterwards in the U.S. stock market, Gold, Silver, Crude Oil, and Bitcoin. It will also cover the geopolitical setup of the outer planets moving into new signs between now and 2025 (war cycles, techno-renaissance cycle) and into the Aries Vortex of 2025-2027. Cost is $55.00, and includes the PDF of the presentation slides plus access to the video recording of the event. Questions will be answered that are submitted one week before the event if they are deemed of interest to the overall audience. If you are unable to attend the live session, the video recording will be available the following day. Registration for the Forecast 2024 Webinar is now open. Save the date!
March 9, 2024: The Aries Vortex: Third Phase of the “New Aira” with Raymond Merriman. Hosted by The Astrology University. This is a 90-120-minute webinar presentation that explores the hope for humanity as shown by the unusual planetary arrangement of 2025-2027 involving the Saturn/Neptune conjunction on 0° Aries, the Vernal equinox point that marks the start of the spring season in the Northern Hemisphere. It is also the midpoint of the Uranus/Pluto trine, creating a funnel, or vortex, at 0° Aries. This has huge symbolic importance to the world and aligns with other important economic and socio-cultural time cycles. Cost is $30.00 if registered before March 7. For further information, click here.
April 20, 2024: “FORECASTS 2024 AND THE APPROCHING ARIES VORTEX,” Nova Southwestern University, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, with Ray Merriman. An in-person, live event and workshop, 10:30 AM – 5:00 PM, with a 90-minute lunch break. We will also update financial markets that are likely to be at critical stages in their cycles then, as it takes place under the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction that day. Cost is $95.00. This is one of the few live in-person events to be given by Ray Merriman this year. This event will not be broadcast via Zoom, but recordings will be made available for sale a few days afterwards. For further information and registration, please click here.
September 19-22, 2024: MMA’s 2024 Investment Retreat. SAVE THE DATES!!! We will be hosting our 2024 Investment Retreat in Europe for the first time since 2015. You won’t want to miss this chance to meet with the top MMA analysts (plus special guest speakers Claude Weiss and Aleksandar Imsiragic) live and hear our long-term investments and wealth-building strategies using MMA market timing methods. There is nothing quite like a life-altering MMA Investment Retreat! This one will be very special, and it will be our first investment retreat in Europe since 2015! The location is a premier (and affordable) destination on a beautiful lake with a historic castle nestled in the mountains. Don’t miss the opportunity!
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.