MMA FREE WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING JULY 13, 2026

 REVIEW by Guest Contributor Wyatt Fellows

 US attacks on Iran follow from Iranian attacks on Strait of Hormuz shipping. It is not a great look for the memorandum of misunderstanding. Oil futures prices rose—to levels not seen for two weeks. A stronger reaction has been avoided, perhaps because of how investors view U.S. President Trump’s political position. U.S. retail gasoline prices remain well above pre-war levels, and it is the pre-war level that consumers think of as a “fair” price.

— Paul Donovan, “More Misunderstandings,” UBS Daily Update, July 8, 2026.

Things were looking better for President Trump heading into America’s 250^th birthday on July 4. Oil prices were back under $70 a barrel, the national average for gasoline prices was well below $4 a gallon. The DJIA was making new all-time highs, and inflation expectations were declining, leading to a modest decline in long-term interest rates. However, there was a surprise guest at this year’s birthday party with the Mars/Uranus conjunction taking place in Gemini on, you guessed it, July 4.

Mars can be aggressive and warlike, while Uranus is sudden, unpredictable, and explosive. So, it really is no surprise that early this past week, news broke that Iran had attacked three commercial ships in or near the Strait of Hormuz (right as Neptune turned retrograde, no less). The U.S. response was swift and decisive, with renewed military strikes that could continue for the foreseeable future. The U.S. also revoked waivers that allowed Iranian oil to be sold on the global market. Suffice it to say, “TACOs” don’t seem to have been on the menu at the White House Fourth of July picnic this year. However, I can’t help but wonder whether they would return as the main dish if there were a picnic lunch celebration on Labor Day.

After strong reactions across markets at the start of the week (negative for stocks, Gold, and T-Notes, and positive for Crude Oil), most markets stabilized, and in the case of the Nasdaq and S&P, even closed the week with modest gains. To me, this signals that the majority of market participants don’t think the new escalation between Iran and the U.S. will last much longer, but time will tell. It does, however, fit our narrative that the separation between Saturn and Neptune indicates greater efforts toward peace and ceasefires, and fewer toward escalation into a world war. Saturn and Neptune conjunctions also correlate with implosions in Russian governance, and this has recently become increasingly evident in global geopolitics with Trump’s pivot toward providing greater support to Ukraine at last week’s G-7 meeting. This isn’t playing well in Russia.

While the S&P and Nasdaq were higher on the week, the Dow closed with a modest decline. However, the bigger story is the continued intermarket bearish divergence between the U.S. stock indices. The Dow is fresh off an all-time high achieved on July 7, while the other indices have yet to take out their June highs. This will be an important piece to the puzzle if the divergence continues into the intense geocosmic period of July 17–20, the orb of which begins this week.

There was notable strength in European stock indices such as the German DAX and Swiss Market Index. Both actually led the Dow by hitting new all-time highs on Monday, July 6, but then spent the week consolidating those gains. China’s Shanghai Composite had an up-and-down week while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was up sharply but remains relatively weak compared to other world indices. Japan’s Nikkei continued to consolidate, holding key support levels, potentially setting up for another run to all-time highs.

Crude Oil shot up above $76 a barrel on the U.S./Iran escalation but gave some of that back into the close of the week. Higher energy prices undoubtedly played an important role in the rise in Treasury yields (a decline in bond prices). The 10-Year T-notes are back to testing their May 19 lows, and the question now is whether that low will hold or not. The decline in bonds led to a rise in real yields, which is what sent Gold into a tailspin early in the week. Like stocks, Gold recovered, as did Silver, Platinum, and Copper. It is also interesting that all the metals continue to hold their late June lows so far.

The hottest action of the week was in the agricultural space. In the softs, Cocoa futures hit the highest price since last December while Coffee launched itself 18% higher on Monday alone! Even Cotton hit a new monthly high and is confirming June as an important low. Speaking of June lows, Corn, Soybeans, and Wheat have really come alive over the last few weeks. I have touched on the grain markets and their connection to Saturn/Neptune conjunctions and oppositions in past columns that I have written. The last one occurred in February of this year and portends a period of rising grain prices. Now, with the help of Jupiter entering the fire sign of Leo, we are getting the makings of a weather rally for the U.S. crops. Weather rallies are notoriously hard, sharp, fast, and then over. However, this could just be a precursor to the real fireworks that could happen in this space into early 2027 should the projected super El Niño pattern continue to verify.

In crypto-land, it was rather dull, all things considered, even though both Bitcoin and Ethereum finished the week with modest gains. Perhaps the most interesting item in this space was the July 6 filing by Michael Saylor’s Strategy, which stated that it had sold 3,588 BTC between June 29 and July 5. Readers may remember that in the June 8 column, I found it interesting that Strategy had sold a token amount of 32 Bitcoins within a month of Uranus leaving the sign of Taurus. Is there a trend developing here? Does anyone smell smoke? To be fair, smoke doesn’t always lead to a fire, but then again, a fire doesn’t happen without smoke.

SHORT-TERM GEOCOSMICS

 But the President is right that his tariffs are at work—in destroying U.S. jobs and raising prices. The U.S. has lost some 75,000 manufacturing jobs since January 2025, including 25,900 in motor vehicle and parts production…. There’s no question his tariffs are raising costs for U.S. manufacturers. At the same time, foreign retaliation has hurt America’s farmers and depressed purchases of agricultural equipment.

—The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board, “How Trump’s Tariffs Really ‘Work, “ The Wall Street Journal, July 10, 2026.

Mercury is retrograde until July 23. Expect delays, misunderstandings, or arguments from misinterpretations, lost emails/texts, plans having to be redone, decisions having to be reversed, etc. Basically, all the little things that can make life just a little more challenging. In trading, markets can reverse direction every 1–4 days, as occurred in many financial and commodity markets this past week. This is frustrating for traders as normal signals fail to be as reliable.

However, this Mercury-the-trickster chaos comes to an end right as one of the most potent geocosmic periods of the year takes place. As Ray outlined nicely in last week’s column, “We must also keep in mind that the first of five trines between Uranus and Pluto (lasting into spring 2028) will take place on July 17, followed by Jupiter in sextile to Uranus, trine to Neptune, and in opposition to Pluto, July 20-21 (the “Jupiter Convergence of 2026”). The first two aspects mentioned here are indicative of a “melt-up” in financial markets (like stocks). The last one (Jupiter/Pluto opposition) is symbolic of a financial crisis, often precipitated by a debt crisis, corporate bankruptcy, credit downgrade, or bank run.”

 With stocks shrugging off early-week losses, they are still on track for a potential phase of “irrational exuberance” this summer. However, trends don’t last indefinitely, and sometimes change can happen suddenly. As the great Warren Buffett is attributed to have said, “Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful.”

Speaking of Warren Buffett, I was sent an “X” post by @adityapandeydev that offers several points attributed to an interview with Mr. Buffett on what actually makes life successful. One of the pearls of wisdom bestowed was “You become whoever you spend your time with. You drift in the direction of the people around you. So, pick people better than you. The biggest pick of your life is your spouse. Marry someone a little better than you, and hope they don’t figure it out too fast.”

I can attest that no truer words have ever been spoken! I admit that I completely “outkicked my coverage” when it comes to my wife, and by some miracle she hasn’t realized it…yet! So, with this in mind, wouldn’t it be prudent to heed Mr. Buffett’s advice and take some chips off the table if we indeed see a “melt-up” in the stock market as the geocosmic landscape suggests is possible?

ANNOUNCEMENTS

 NOTE 1: THE SIX-WEEK SUMMER SCHOOL COURSE ON ESOTERIC ECONOMICS: THE HIDDEN ARCHITECTURE OF WEALTH, BY GIANNI DI POCE, WILL BEGIN THIS SUNDAY, JULY 12. This immersive, six-week online course is the complete companion to Esoteric Economics, the financial astrology textbook by Gianni Di Poce. The course touches on conventional economics, but it also reveals the deeper, often invisible currents that truly govern wealth: archetypal forces, temporal rhythms, capital flows, and the ancient principles that have shaped civilizations for millennia. The course blends rigorous historical and technical analysis with esoteric insight, practical tools, and visionary thinking. You will not simply study economics—you will be initiated into its hidden language and learn to navigate it with clarity, confidence, and creative power. The cost of this six-week course is $300, and registration is now open! Click here to register.

NOTE 2: THE JULY ISSUE OF THE MMA MONTHLY TECH REPORT BY WIEBKE HELD WILL BE RELEASED THIS WEEK, ON JULY 14–15. As we are now entering the critical Jupiter convergence period of July 15–21, with increasing bearish intermarket divergence signals between the major indices of the world, this will be an especially timely issue. And Wiebke’s analysis has been especially on target during this period. Each report provides a clearly organized outlook with strategies not only for the NASDAQ but also for the QQQ ETF, NASDAQ futures, and specific technology stocks, including Microsoft, Google, Nvidia, Tesla, and Apple. It also includes CRDs (critical reversal dates) specific to the NASDAQ, based on Wiebke’s meticulous research. Focusing on the NASDAQ is crucial because of the outsized role technology will play in financial markets, especially with Pluto already in Aquarius for several years and Uranus now in Gemini for nearly seven more years. If you would like to try a one-month subscription, you can sign up for the July report for only $35—or save by ordering a three-report or twelve-report subscription.

NOTE 3: COMING SOON: RAY MERRIMAN’S NEW BOOK, JUPITER AND SATURN TRANSITS: MASTERING THE CYCLES OF LIFE. This is Book One, the first of five books that will be written on the outer planets transiting the natal chart over the next four years. Nothing like this has ever been done in the history of astrology. This first book, covering the transits of Jupiter and Saturn, is approximately 425 pages long and includes all the major transits of Jupiter to one’s natal planets and angles, including interpretations of the opening and closing sextile, square, and trine aspects. The Saturn section also includes the opening and closing semi-square and sesquiquadrate transits to all natal planets and angles, plus the “Business Cycle” of transiting Saturn. Each transiting aspect is ranked on a scale of –3 to +3 in terms of trading and investment potential, which alone is worth the price of the book.

Here are early reviews by two of the world’s leading astrologers after receiving an early draft of this book:

Ray Merriman’s book reads like the work of a seasoned authority, and its final line—“A new level of mastery awaits you”—feels entirely earned. Drawing on more than fifty years of experience in chart interpretation and the study of planetary transits in relation to financial cycles, Merriman demonstrates an impressive command of planetary timing. What makes this book especially valuable is not only the depth of its insight, but the clarity with which complex ideas are presented. His discussion of applying and separating aspects is particularly lucid, while his treatment of derivative houses stands out as both exemplary and distinctive. Although the book places a strong emphasis on financial astrology, its analysis extends well beyond money, offering thoughtful observations on many dimensions of human life. Traders, investors, and astrologers alike will find it highly rewarding, and even readers with extensive astrology libraries are likely to feel this volume deserves a place on their shelves.

—Christeen Skinner, D.F.Astrol.S., FRSA, director of Cityscopes London Ltd., acclaimed financial astrologer, speaker, and author.

 Ray Merriman surprises us with a new book on transits. The book covers the delineation of planetary aspects of two of the most important traditional planets: the classical supportive and encouraging Jupiter aspects on the one hand, and the restrictive but also stabilizing Saturn aspects on the other. The descriptions of transits by an experienced and renowned astrologer are, together with his recommendations, of immense value. Going beyond the symbolic meaning of planetary combinations, Ray Merriman draws on his rich experience with planetary transits to provide the reader with practical interpretations and useful recommendations, with the aim of helping readers deal appropriately with the various transits of Jupiter and Saturn. To these, he adds advice for investors and traders in order to enable them to make the most of specific planetary transits. A highly recommendable and easily understandable book about transits for modern readers interested in the way astrology works in daily life. The depth of the interpretations provided should also serve as a source of inspiration for professional astrologers.

—Claude Weiss, owner of Astrodata, Zurich, Switzerland, author of several books on astrology, and one of the world’s top mundane astrologers.

The book JUPITER AND SATURN TRANSITS: MASTERING THE CYCLES OF LIFE is now at the printer and is due for release in mid-August. The list price is $39.99. However, those who order prior to August 10 will receive the special pre-publication price of $33.00 (plus postage for the printed edition; the eBook requires no postage). To order at the pre-publication price, click here.

 NOTE 4: 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). HOWEVER, IT IS NOW AVAILABLE BY SUBSCRIPTION ON THE NEW MMA WEBSITE TO EVERYONE, INCLUDING USERS OF ANDROID PHONES! To learn more about the MMA app, click here. To order on your iPhone, go to the Apple App Store and search for Merriman Solar/Lunar Reversals.

 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 if 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 that can be costly? The price for a personal 14-month Jupiter Report based on your birth data is $69.

Coming soon! The Saturn Report: Mastering Your Life Cycles. Due out this fall.

 EVENTS

 JULY 12, 2026: Esoteric Economics course begins with Gianni Di Poce. The six-week course costs $300 and runs from July 12 to August 16. See above for further details. Click here to register.

AUGUST 23, 2026: The next Options Webinar with Derek Panaia, Ray Merriman, and Wyatt Fellows. Save the date! Details will be announced soon.

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, and over 1500 attendees will be present. The conference will be held at the Marriott Downtown Chicago Magnificent Mile Hotel. In addition to the workshop, Ray will present another lecture during the six-day event on mundane astrology, titled “What Is Happening in the World from an Astrological Viewpoint,” on September 5. 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 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) 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.