MMA FREE WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING FEBRUARY 16, 2025

Market Holiday Notice: U.S. stock and bond markets will be closed Monday, February 16. Regular trading resumes Tuesday, February 17.

Wyatt Fellows is the editor of the MMA MonthlyCycles Grain Report, which will be issued the week of February 23 and covers the Corn, Wheat, and Soybean markets. He is also the lead MMA analyst, along with Ray Merriman, for the MMA Weekly Report and MMA Monthly Report on the Gold market.

 REVIEW

 Treasury yields decline following softer-than-expected U.S. consumer price index gains and ahead of a shortened week featuring the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge. CPI slows in January to 2.4% from December’s 2.7%, but that may not be enough to convince the Fed to cut rates, as labor markets remain robust.

— “Treasury Yields Fall as U.S. Inflation Cools,” The Wall Street Journal, February 13, 2026, www.wsj.com.

Washington skeptics were quieted Wednesday morning as the January jobs report beat expectations, revealing a resilient American workforce that added 130,000 jobs to start the year. While experts predicted a winter chill for hiring, the 4.3% unemployment rate tells a different story — one of a Main Street economy showing renewed strength.

— Kristen Altus, “Expert Credits Trump Tax Certainty for Economic Confidence, Americans Returning to Workforce,” February 11, 2026, www.foxbusinessnews.com.

It was a benign trading week for most stock markets around the world. This is somewhat surprising considering we had the CPI, PPI, and employment report released all in the same week due to another brief government shutdown.

In the U.S., the DJIA hit another new all-time high of 50,512 (if you didn’t know, the DJIA was over 50,000, just as Attorney General Pamela Bondi pronounced in congressional hearings this past week!). However, the S&P and Nasdaq have failed to exceed their all-time highs made on January 28 and October 30, 2025, respectively. This constitutes a case of bearish intermarket divergence that may have consequences if not rectified soon.

Across the pond, a similar case of bearish intermarket divergence is in effect. The FTSE 100 registered a fresh new all-time high, as did the Zurich SMI. The German DAX, however, fell short of a new high but still closed positive on the week.

In Asian markets, the Hang Seng and the Shanghai Composite closed slightly higher but ended the week on a bearish note. The Nikkei was the standout, gapping higher to another new all-time high and closing the week up 2688 points.

Metals had a quiet week, considering the volatility that has entered these markets since the start of the new year. Gold, Silver, and Platinum finished the week mostly unchanged, while Copper finished lower for the week. Having said that, Gold’s rebound looks incomplete, and the white metals appear to be forming a bullish inverse head-and-shoulders pattern on the hourly charts. Perhaps the volatility is set to pick back up again next week? Crude Oil finished the week lower, as did Natural Gas after the invasion of Iran talk subsided after the weekend. The biggest winner of the week could be the grain markets. Both Soybeans and Wheat ripped higher, hitting prices not seen since November of last year, while Corn eked out a modest gain. Grain markets are showing some relative strength at the moment, which could be a precursor of things to come. More on that below.

The Treasury market caught a bid with T-note futures hitting 113/075 and settling the week just below important technical resistance. Rising T-note futures equate to falling interest rates as bond prices and yields move inversely, signaling that the bond market is not concerned with inflation or interest rate hikes after this week’s economic reports were released. Quite the opposite, actually.

In the crypto markets, the HODLers (investors who “hold on for dear life”) found some solace in the fact that Bitcoin and Ethereum didn’t make another new multi-week low this past week. However, both settled modestly lower for the week. Unfortunately, with Bitcoin only 1/3 of the way through its now bearish primary cycle, it may get worse before it gets better.

 SHORT-TERM GEOCOSMICS

The GOP-led House passed a resolution Wednesday designed to roll back President Trump’s tariffs on Canada, as a half-dozen Republicans joined Democrats in rebuking the administration’s signature economic policy. Democrats plan more anti-tariff votes targeting Trump’s levies on Brazil and other nations, which could split the GOP caucus again in coming weeks.

— Greg Ip and Olivia Beavers, “GOP-Led House Rejects Trump’s Tariffs on Canada,” The Wall Street Journal, February 11, 2026.

Uranus is parked right on President Trump’s Midheaven, square his natal Mars/Ascendant at 26–29° Leo. This tense square is being activated by the personal planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, and the Sun) as they, one by one, form a hard square aspect with Uranus on their way out of Aquarius and into Pisces. In fact, the solar eclipse of next week, February 18, is square Uranus, an indicator of unexpected surprises, chaos, and disruptions. This is affecting not only the public’s perception of the president himself, but also the job he is doing (cue Minnesota and ICE).

The president is also finding it harder to get his way on things. This is indicative of the pushback (from members of his own party, no less) as he is starting to see rebellion against parts of his agenda, including one of his key economic policies, tariffs. Things do not look to get much better for President Trump even after the Solar Eclipse, as Mars finishes things off by squaring Uranus on February 27. We can also throw in the fact that the U.S. Supreme Court could release its ruling on the legality of Trump’s tariffs on February 20 (same day as the Saturn/Neptune conjunction—you just can’t make this stuff up). If a ruling does indeed come forth during this tumultuous time for the President, the odds don’t imply it will be in his favor.

This cosmic setup is once again activating TUMDI (Trump Uranus Market Disruption Indicator), a term Ray coined last year after observing that Trump tends to make bold statements that disrupt markets during times of heightened Uranus activity. With the Dow and S&P fresh off new all-time highs, there is a lot of “air” underneath indices at the moment. It wouldn’t take much of a spark in TUMDI to send U.S. markets into their largest decline since the April 2025 mini-panic when he first announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs. This is especially the case now that we have entered Mercury’s retrograde shadow period. The Trickster might come out to play a little earlier this time around with his big brother Uranus “holding court” over the playground.

 LONGER-TERM THOUGHTS

In a free weekly column that I penned almost a year ago to the day, I laid out my findings on the coming Saturn/Neptune conjunction and its correlation to price spikes in the grain markets. The cause was largely weather-related, mostly due to drought, which in turn shrunk the available supply. The effect was that grain prices would bottom sometime ahead of the conjunction (often more than a year ahead), and would then top within 12–13 months of the exact aspect. Something similar seems to be playing out again this time around as Saturn is set to conjoin Neptune on February 20. Corn, Soybeans, and Wheat all formed longer-term lows in August 2024 (around the time of the Jupiter/Saturn waxing square) and are quietly starting to show constructive chart patterns on the weekly charts. In the case of Soybeans (a market we cover in our MMA weekly and monthly reports), they are knocking on the door of a potential bullish primary cycle and breaking out of a multi-year downtrend line drawn off the 2022 high. We will update our forecasts for this market, along with many others, during the Annual Forecast Webinar on Sunday, February 22.

For futures markets like grains, it can best be said, “Commodity markets run on rotation. Money flows out of yesterday’s surplus and into tomorrow’s shortage long before the fundamentals show up on a chart.” When capital wants to rotate, it can do so with a vengeance. The trick is not to get lulled to sleep by the grind that happens before.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

 NOTE 1: ONE MORE WEEK!!! THE MMA ANNUAL FORECAST 2026 WORLDWIDE WEBINAR WITH RAYMOND MERRIMAN WILL TAKE PLACE ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22, STARTING AT NOON EST. You won’t want to miss this one! From the comfort of your own home or office, you can tune in to this live event. This broadcast will address the three major geocosmic configurations this year and how they are impacting global geopolitics, national politics, the war cycle involving the U.S. (and other nations), and the renaissance in technology. A look at the geocosmic calendar for 2026 will outline the most important geocosmic critical reversal dates and how they tie into the intermediate- and long-term financial market cycles in Silver, Gold, T-Notes, Crude Oil, stock markets, Soybeans, and Bitcoin. The charts of the U.S., China, Iran, President Donald Trump, and the Federal Reserve Board will be examined in terms of their relationship to these three major planetary configurations, with a scenario of where this is all leading to in 2026. If you are unable to attend live, the video recording will be available the following day. The cost of this special three-hour webinar is $60. Registration for the Forecast 2026 webinar is now open. Save the date! Sign up now!

 NOTE 2: TWO MORE WEEKS FOR THE BEST DEAL! MMA’S 2026 TRADERS’ RETREAT WILL TAKE PLACE MAY 20–24, 2026, IN LAKE BLED, SLOVENIA!!! Pre-register by March 1 and save big bucks!!!

 This special four-day event will focus on trading strategies for position and short-term traders for 2026. It will cover the unique, research-based MMA methods for identifying primary, half-primary, major, and trading cycles. It will then apply those market-timing techniques (cycles and geocosmic studies) to the current situation in stock markets, Gold, Silver, Bitcoin, currencies, interest rates, and grain markets, with strategies for each on both a short- and intermediate-term basis (one week to 12 months ahead).

There will also be special presentations and interactive discussions on current and future world conditions through 2032 that are likely to affect financial markets. These will be led by world-class mundane astrologers Claude Weiss (Switzerland), Christeen Skinner (UK), Christof Niederwieser (Germany), Pouyan Zolfagharnia (UK), and Raymond Merriman (USA). Joining them on MMA timing methodology and trading strategies will be MMTA Director Wiebke Held (Germany) and MMA analysts Wyatt Fellows (USA), Ulric Aspegrén (Switzerland), Gianni Di Poce (USA), and MMA Trading Coach Rita Perea (USA).

Registration is now open, with special discounts for early-bird registration. The presentations will also be available via Zoom for those unable to attend in person, and recordings (along with PowerPoint slides) will be available immediately after each day’s presentations to all who attend. For the schedule, registration, speaker bios, topic descriptions, and hotel information, please click here. The MMA Annual Investment and Traders’ Retreats are incredible events! Don’t miss it if you can make it.

 NOTE 3: THE MMA DAILY OPTIONS REPORT WITH DEREK PANAIA HAS BEEN UP AND RUNNING SINCE JANUARY 15. It has been performing well, with recent successful trades involving shorting (buying puts on) Bitcoin and Silver and buying calls (long) on T-Notes and Soybeans right near their recent lows. For many subscribers who implemented these trades, their recent gains have more than offset the cost of the subscription. This new daily options service focuses on the S&P, Gold, Copper, T-Notes, Soybeans, Bitcoin, ETFs, and other markets where special situations arise that may benefit from options strategies. The service includes intraday updates as necessary, sometimes multiple times per day, depending on market conditions. Ray Merriman also provides timely commentary within this service. In fact, this is where Ray is spending most of his time discussing trading strategies in 2026 as they arise.

The cost is $360 per month or $3600 per year until June 30, when the special launch price will end. For those who already subscribe to the current MMA Daily Report, which is issued at the end of each trading day for the next trading day, the cost of adding Derek’s new Daily Options Report is only $140 extra per month. For more information on this new service, click here. Order now at the special launch price to get in on the action of options trading if you are an active trader!

NOTE 4: A FEW COPIES OF THE PRINT EDITION OF FORECAST 2026 ARE STILL AVAILABLE! ORDER WHILE COPIES LAST! This year’s book is 240 pages (our largest ever because it’s the special 50-year anniversary edition) and measures 8.5″ × 11″. The price of the Forecast 2026 print edition is $66, and the eBook is $55. To order this year’s 50-year anniversary edition, click here. It’s special!

NOTE 5: THE (ORIGINAL) GOLD BOOK: GEOCOSMIC CORRELATIONS TO GOLD PRICE CYCLES is now available as an eBook. This was the first financial market-timing book written by Raymond Merriman (1982) that put financial astrology on the map. It was the first book to conduct formal quantitative research studies on any financial market in relation to planetary cycles (there were several earlier studies on lunar cycles, but none on planetary cycles and stations until this book). It brought together Wall Street and astrology and revolutionized the field of financial market timing by demonstrating the correlation between market cycles and planetary cycles as reversal signals. As a result, the topic became one of the most attended subjects at financial and astrology conferences worldwide in 1983. This classic book has been out of print since 1984, except as a collector’s item occasionally available through Amazon. It is now available as an eBook for the first time! 324 pages, $95. Click here to order.

 NOTE 6: THE JUPITER REPORT — YOUR MOMENTS OF OPPORTUNITY! 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 cost of a personal 14-month Jupiter Report based on your birth data is $69.

 NOTE 7: THE MMA SOLAR-LUNAR APP 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. Please note that this should not be used as a standalone system. It works best as an adjunct tool when cycle lows or highs are due, when a market is in a technically overbought or oversold condition, or when it is exhibiting intermarket bullish or bearish divergence relative to a related market. The app is currently available only on Apple devices (iPhone and iPad). 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 8: 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 two-year program offered by the Merriman Market Timing Academy 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!

 NOTE 9: 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 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.

 EVENTS

 FEBRUARY 22, 2026: MMA’S ANNUAL FORECAST 2026 WEBINAR WITH RAY MERRIMAN. Details are above. This webinar will be presented entirely in English and will cover the U.S. stock market, Gold, Silver, Bitcoin, Soybeans, Crude Oil, and other markets, as time allows. Don’t miss it!

 MAY 20–24, 2026: MMA’S NEXT INVESTMENT RETREAT, LAKE BLED, SLOVENIA. SAVE THE DATE!!

Registration is now open, with a special early-bird $600 discount for those who register by March 1. The presentations will also be available via Zoom for those unable to attend in person. The theme of this event will focus on market timing and trading, but there will also be coverage of longer-term cycles, with strategies for all! It’s going to be great!

SEPTEMBER 3, 2026: A UAC PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP ON FINANCIAL ASTROLOGY BY RAYMOND MERRIMAN, 1:00–5:00 PM. This workshop will take place at the United Astrology Congress (UAC), the largest astrological conference in the world, which is held every four to eight years. More than 150 world-class astrologers will be presenting. The conference will be held at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Chicago. In addition to the workshop, Ray will present two lectures during the six-day event: one on mundane astrology, “What Is Happening in the World from an Astrological Viewpoint,” on September 5, and another, “The U.S. Stock Market: Timing Tools and Outlook,” on September 7 (Labor Day). For more information, visit www.uacastrology.com.