MMA FREE WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING JANUARY 5, 2025

REVIEW:

 The festive mood that powered the crypto market in early 2025 gave way to a hangover. Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency, finished the year below $88,000 after retreating more than 30% from early October, when it peaked at above $126,000. Since then, digital assets have lost more than $1 trillion in market value.

— Vicky Ge Huang, “Crypto Investors Celebrated for Most of 2025. Then Came the Hangover,” www.wsj.com, January 1, 2026.

The CME’s announcement of a second margin hike on precious metals futures in three days has sent shockwaves through the markets on the final day of trading in 2025, with experts wondering if this signals the end of the multi-year precious metals bull market.

— Ernest Hoffman, “Silver, Platinum, and Palladium ‘Became Meme Stocks’ and CME was Forced to Preserve the Integrity of those Markets,” www.kitco.com, December 31, 2025.

Happy New Year! And get ready for another wild year of political chaos that could very well spill over into financial markets’ chaos.

You might literally wonder if there was a Silver lining to financial markets in 2025. Indeed, Silver exploded in the last quarter of 2025, rallying in a parabolic burst to an all-time high of 82.67 early last week, December 29, before two hefty increases in margin requirements brought the semi-precious metal back to $70.00 just two days later as the year ended. It then started Friday’s New Year off strong, but ended the session only slightly higher.

Gold was also strong, but its all-time high of $4584 was recorded on the Friday before, December 26, thus creating a case of intermarket bearish divergence last week. By Wednesday, December 31, Gold had fallen $300 from that high. These types of price movements are historically related to sudden increases in margin requirements. They are also associated with outer planet aspects involving Uranus or Neptune, the planets symbolizing bubbles in financial markets. Currently, Saturn is nearing its 36-year synodic cycle (conjunction) with Neptune on February 20, 2026. Some readers may remember the last time Saturn conjoined Neptune in 1989 as the year the Japanese Nikkei exploded in a parabolic bubble to its then all-time high. Then, once the bubble burst, which was just one month after the conjunction ended, the Nikkei began a nearly 19-year bear market that didn’t end until October 2008.

The “bubble” taking place in Silver this year was no coincidence to financial astrologers. After all, Jupiter (exaggeration) is transiting Cancer, the sign traditionally associated with Silver. Jupiter will remain in Cancer until June 30, 2026. Then it ingresses into Leo, the sign traditionally associated with Gold.

Gold, Silver, Copper, and Platinum were not the only markets soaring to new all-time highs in 2025, a year we had described as a new era of “Chaos” in our webinars of early 2025. Many global stock indices also soared to record highs, including those in the U.S., Japan, Australia, India, Germany, the UK, and the Netherlands. Most have remained near their all-time highs as the year ended.

However, another market that made a new all-time high in 2025 but did not keep its gains was Bitcoin. After peaking at $126,223 on October 6, it fell all the way back to 80,553 on November 21, a loss of 36%. This fits well with our special alerts and webinars given between May and September, calling for a re-test of the all-time high of August 14 at 124,481 to be completed by October, followed by a 73-93% decline by the end of 2026. Time will tell if that forecast proves to be correct, but it’s off to a good start. In the meantime, it would not surprise us if the stock market follows a similar path in 2026 as Bitcoin did in 2025. We will have more special market updates in the coming weeks on these markets, including our annual Forecast Webinar on February 22.

SHORT-TERM GEOCOSMICS

 USMCA, the world’s largest free-trade zone as measured by economic output, is at risk of unraveling…. the first half of 2026 is going to look eerily similar to the first half of 2025, with the president threatening both Canada and Mexico with new tariffs—especially if negotiations seem to be going off track.

— Josh Lipsky, “Prepare for More Tariffs in 2026,” Wall Street Journal, December 30, 2026.

One of the striking contradictions of President Trump’s tariffs is the way his chorus claims their rousing success even as he carves out hundreds of exceptions. Rarely has a president worked so hard to cover the damage from his policies without admitting it.

— Opinion: Review & Outlook, “Another Trump Tariff Retreat,” The Wall Street Journal, January 2, 2026.

The first part of the New Year starts out with a cosmic bang. The Sun, Venus, and Mars will all conjoin in Capricorn, in opposition to Jupiter, January 7-10. The Sun-Mars conjunction has a strong correlation to primary cycle highs and/or lows within 3 weeks, often involving an 8% or greater reversal in world stock indices. That would equate to a nearly 4000-point swing in the DJIA. Additionally, the Sun/Jupiter opposition is one of the strongest correlations we have researched to primary cycle highs or lows within 10 trading days. It also has a 50% correlation to a 50-week or greater cycle within two weeks in the DJIA.

As we look at the entirety of January, we find 12 major planetary signatures with a historical correlation to stock market reversals in effect, January 7-27. The midpoint is the weekend of January 16-19, as the Sun and Venus both ingress into Aquarius. But January 19-27 is also highlighted as the Sun, Venus, and Mars will then conjoin Pluto, the planet of debt and tax conflicts, as well as a signature often related to threats to human life or crops, via either natural or human-caused calamities. This is not a time to be a lender or borrower. However, it may coincide with large rallies in food prices, where damage to crops may occur due to adverse weather conditions.

 LONG-TERM GEOCOSMICS AND THOUGHTS

“Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom,” Ben Franklin wrote. “As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.”

— Brett Baier, “Teddy Roosevelt’s Powerful Lessons—Strength, Duty, Country,” www.foxnews.com/opinion, October 21, 2025.

A man can get a temporary thrill from making money. But if all he has to show for his life’s work is a financial balance, he cannot derive a great deal of satisfaction. A man must be able to say that “my work has been of such a character that I have benefited my fellow man.”

— Andrew Ross Sorkin, quoting Forbes magazine in 1930, in his book titled 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History, Penguin Books, October 2025.

One of the basic rules taught in our 2-year MMTA program (Merriman Market Timing Academy) is that long-term market cycles culminate or bottom when long-term planetary cycles are unfolding. Long-term planetary cycles involve major aspects among Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and/or Pluto. Between mid-2025 and early 2026, all four are involved in major aspects with one another.

Saturn, conjunct Neptune at 0° Aries, is the most powerful. But so are Uranus and Pluto, which are trine one another and form a double sextile to Saturn and Neptune. Jupiter joins this remarkable and unusual configuration on July 20-21, 2026, shortly after it enters the fire sign Leo, where it will sextile Uranus, trine Neptune (and Saturn shortly after), while also forming a powerful opposition to Pluto.

Somewhere between Saturn’s sextile with Uranus on January 14 and Jupiter making its rash of aspects to Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto in late July, I would expect the long-term cycle crest in stocks to culminate. Unfortunately, outer planet aspects of these types require an orb of up to four months, so one will have to listen carefully for the banging of the gong that announces the bear has come out of hibernation. This is a market joke, of course, for there is no sounding of the gong that takes place when the final high is happening, despite many who will likely claim that they know (or knew) exactly when that moment will arrive. They won’t know it until well after it has happened.

However, I think there is a reason for financial astrologers to believe it will happen in 2026, based on historical correlations from past market tops. The problem is that the orb of influence of these aspects is quite long, especially with so many outer planet aspects unfolding in early and mid-2026. To me, this suggests a year of more chaos, consisting of many false sell signals involving brief but sharp declines that suddenly reverse back up again. The tell signal will be when each of these rallies fails to make new highs, and each of the declines starts to make new multi-month lows. Watch for it, especially as Saturn starts to separate from Neptune after February 20, 2026. Look at the chart of Bitcoin in 2025. The pattern may be similar in 2026 to what happened in stocks, with a top followed by a secondary high that may also be a double-top chart formation, just as Bitcoin exhibited in August and October 2025.

Most market pundits seem certain that 2026 will be just as impressive as the prior three years. I think it would be better to be a contrarian to the sentiment of the public and financial media this year. I would not be surprised to see a taste of this in January with the Sun conjunct Mars, and both in opposition to the overconfident Jupiter.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

NOTE 1: TWO MORE WEEKS!!! THE MMA DAILY OPTIONS REPORT WITH DEREK PANAIA.

Starting on January 15, MMA will launch a new daily options service with Derek Panaia. This new service will focus on the S&P, Gold, Copper, T-Notes, Soybeans, and Bitcoin. The service will include intraday updates as necessary, sometimes multiple times per day, depending on market conditions.

This is the next step in the evolution of MMA services, from the yearly Forecasts to the monthly and weekly market updates, and then to the current MMA daily reports issued each evening after the close for the next day’s trading outlook. However, this service will be provided during market hours, as intraday price activity dictates. The focus is on options, but there will also be plenty of commentary on the cyclical and geocosmic conditions currently in effect and those coming up. Ray Merriman will also provide commentary within this new daily service. In fact, this is where Ray will be spending most of his time on trading strategies in 2026.

For more information on this new service, or to pre-register, click here. If you wish to start now with the beta version, you can sign up for the Options + group, which also includes a recording of the recent options webinar with Derek Panaia, Wyatt Fellows, and Ray Merriman. Here, daily trades and strategies are already underway with Derek and Ray at a reduced price. Order now at the special launch price to get in on the action of options trading if you are an active trader!

 NOTE 2: FORECAST 2026 IS NOW OUT! ORDER WHILE COPIES LAST!

 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 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 geocosmic critical reversal dates (CRDs) for each market for 2026, 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 240 pages (our largest ever because it’s the special 50-year anniversary edition), 8.5″ × 11″. The price of the Forecast 2026 print edition is $66, and the eBook is $55.

To 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: “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 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.

A Forecast 2026 audiobook is also now available for only $35. It includes all chapters from the Forecast 2026 book except the financial markets and the calendar/ephemeris pages in the back of the print and eBook editions. It provides an excellent overview of what’s in store for the coming year(s) for the world and the nation (the U.S., 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 3: EACH FOREIGN EDITION OF THE FORECAST 2026 BOOK INCLUDES A STOCK MARKET SECTION SPECIFIC TO THAT NATION, WHICH IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE ENGLISH FORECAST BOOK OR IN OTHER INTERNATIONAL EDITIONS. However, we recognize that some readers and investors may be interested in these foreign stock markets without purchasing the entire edition in that nation’s language. Therefore, we make those stock market outlooks available in English as a separate service for $35 each or $95 for all three reports. The overseas market reports for 2026 that are available separately in English include Japan’s Nikkei, China’s Shanghai Composite, and Germany’s DAX plus Zurich’s SMI indices. Readers who prefer to purchase these offerings together may also take advantage of our discounted bundle options, which can be accessed here. Each report is available in PDF format and contains monthly charts as of December 1, 2025.

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 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: 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 6: 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 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!

 NOTE 8: MMA’S ANNUAL FORECAST 2026 WORLDWIDE WEBINAR WITH RAYMOND MERRIMAN WILL TAKE PLACE ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22, STARTING AT NOON EST. From the comfort of your own home or office, you can tune in to this live event. This broadcast will address the major themes from this year’s Forecast 2026 book, with updates on financial markets since the book was written in November 2025. This presentation will include trading plans for various financial markets, including the U.S. stock market, Gold, Silver, and Bitcoin. A special guest will be Wyatt Fellows, MMA’s new president, who will speak on the outlook for grain prices for 2026 based on his Saturn-Neptune studies. 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!

EVENTS

 JANUARY 15, 2026: The launch of the new MMA Daily Options Report with Derek Panaia.

 FEBRUARY 22, 2026: MMA’S ANNUAL FORECAST 2026 WEBINAR WITH RAY MERRIMAN. Details will 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 of this event will focus more on market timing and trading. 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 takes place every 4-8 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 on “The U.S. Stock Market: Timing Tools and Outlook” on September 7 (Labor Day). Discounts are available for those who register by January 20. For more information, visit www.uacastrology.com.

 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 of educating the reader on the relationship between astrological factors and collective human activities as they occur. 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 those movements 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, 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 cycle 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 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.