NOTE: U.S. financial markets will be closed for half a day on Monday and all day on Tuesday in observance of the July 4 Independence Day holiday.
REVIEW AND PREVIEW
(Fed Chair Jerome) Powell has signaled that officials are prepared to raise rates at the Fed’s July 25-26 meeting after holding them steady at their meeting earlier this month. “Our commitment isn’t to a particular number of rate hikes; it is to a stance of policy that’s sufficiently restrictive to bring inflation down to 2%,” Powell said. Nick Timiraos, “Jerome Powell Says Next Phase of Rate Rises Will Be Harder to Predict,” June 29, 2023, Wall Street Journal.
The US decision to freeze Russian foreign exchange reserves is, to this writer, the most momentous decision in international finance since Richard Nixon broke the US dollar’s link with gold in 1971. The long-term consequences of that decision could prove profound consequences, as hinted at by the record central bank buying of gold last year, which has continued into the first quarter of this year – Christopher Wood, Grizzle Research and Quant, June 30, 2023.
The pre-holiday market week was in a celebratory mood for the U.S. and most of the other world stock indices. This was not surprising following the low on Monday, June 26, as Mars squared Uranus, touching off the Mercury/Pluto square in the New York Stock Exchange chart as discussed in last week’s column as a time for a low. This was followed by Neptune turning retrograde on Friday, June 30, a time that often coincides with a state of irrational exuberance. Even though the Fed announced it would likely hike rates soon, which is the policy that led to the large declines of 2022, investors seemed not to care this time around. Perhaps they no longer trust the Fed’s guidance since they have changed their narrative so many times in the last 18 months. That would certainly fit the nature of Neptune.
The path of Gold and Silver was opposite to that of equities until Friday. Gold fell to a new three-month low on our June 29 three-star CRD (geocosmic critical reversal date). But Silver held its low of the prior week for a case of intermarket bullish divergence. Both rallied nicely with Friday’s “Sagittarius Factor” after starting out the day lower. Bitcoin re-tested its yearly high on Friday, but then had a sharp pullback of nearly $2000 when the SEC denied filings from large companies to offer an ETF on the spot Bitcoin market as inadequate. However, the filings can be re-submitted with more complete information. Crude Oil continued to languish near the 70.00 mark, but did in fact, rally the last three days of the week as Neptune, which co-rules this market, turned retrograde on Friday.
SHORT-TERM GEOCOSMICS
Donald Trump vs. Joe Biden—the seemingly inevitable matchup—dramatizes a massive failure: Whoever wins, the country loses. What genius invented this election? – Lance Morrow, “The 2024 Presidential Race Barrels Towards the Rapids,” June 29, 2023, Wall Street Journal.
The holiday week will begin with a Venus/Uranus square on July 2, the first of three that will unfold between now and September 29 due to the retrograde motion of Venus starting July 22. This suggests a very interesting summer, for both Venus retrograde and Venus square Uranus (in the money sign of Taurus) indicate suddenly changing central bank policies that can affect interest rate sensitive markets like Treasuries and currencies. In fact, they can also correspond to sudden reversals in equity, Copper, Corn, and Soybean prices as well. It looks like this may be a summer of unusually high volatility.
After the first Venus/Uranus passage this weekend, along with a Full Moon on Monday, July 3, the geocosmic climate becomes quiet until July 20-22. And then the next big bang erupts as Mars opposes Saturn (war-like and hot), the Sun opposes Pluto (possible threats and danger to crops and life), Jupiter semi-squares Neptune (floods and more irrational enthusiasm or panic), and the biggest bang of them all, Venus turns retrograde. It’s all about money and love, and … why can’t we all get along? Why can’t we be given choices we want instead of only choices we don’t want? Be wary of people who are jealous in matters of love and envious of others who have earned money and success.
LONGER-TERM THOUGHTS
The war, Mr. Prigozhin said, was launched under false premises. Ukraine wasn’t the aggressor. President Volodymyr Zelensky wanted agreements. Russia’s Defense Ministry “is trying to deceive society and the president and tell us a story about how there was crazy aggression from Ukraine, and that they were planning to attack us with the whole of NATO.” This was “a beautiful story.” But “the special operation was started for different reasons”—chiefly to enrich the oligarchs and the ruling elite. “The task was to divide material assets” in Ukraine. – Peggy Noonan, “What Will Prigozhin’s Rebellion Mean?” June 29, 2023, Wall Street Journal.
Jimmy Carter lost the 1980 general election by a landslide to Ronald Reagan, so it’s difficult to understand why Joe Biden continues to follow the Carter ‘malaise’ playbook today. – Mike Watson, “Biden Follows Jimmy Carter’s Failed Middle East Model,” June 28, 2023, Wall Street Journal.
Last week was the aftermath of an incredible previous week which witnessed the one-day surprising mutiny of the Wagner group against the Russian government. The revolt shocked Russia’s leaders because the group advanced unimpeded on its march towards Moscow before suddenly deciding to stand down. What was that about? Although the rebellion was short-lived, it exposed major weaknesses in Putin’s power to protect the country from invasion. Now many geopolitical analysts are calling this the beginning of the end of Putin’s reign of terror. His days may be numbered.
The possibility of an implosion in Russian governance should come as no surprise to readers of these reports and the annual Forecast books over the past few years, and in particular, the Forecast 2023 Book. You read it here first how the 36-year Saturn/Neptune conjunction of February 2026 has an uncanny correlation to the end of Russian governance as it was known prior to that aspect. You also read it here first, in 2020, that the Joe Biden presidency (and his economy) would closely resemble that of Jimmy Carter. Both were elected during the 45-year Saturn/Uranus waning square aspect. You also read it here first that there would be a modern-day renaissance starting around this time (2023-2026), led by inventions and innovations in technology and communications as denoted by Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto all entering new signs similar to what transpired during the Italian and European renaissance of the 15th century. This, too, was covered in great detail in Forecast 2023, but originally presented in the 2020-2022 books. It just takes a while for the rest of the world and the news to catch up with our understanding of the cosmos and its correlations with historical events and trends.
In the past, we have given different names to these rare periods when long-term geocosmic cycles have unfolded that we think will have a profound, transformational influence on human activity as they did in the past. We coined the phrase “The Capricorn Climax” in the mid-1980s to describe the 1988-1993 period when Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Lunar North Node all conjoined in the sign of Capricorn. That coincided with the fall of Soviet Communism, the Berlin Wall, and the transition of the way the world conducted business, moving from brick-and-mortar retail shopping to the world of online transactions.
As we left that period in the mid-1990s, we pointed our readers to the next powerful configuration involving the outer planets of 2008-2015, a period we coined as “The Cardinal Climax,” for Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto would all be entering cardinal signs (along with Jupiter and Saturn too), forming a powerful cardinal T-square with one another for the first time since the Great Depression. Indeed, it was another economic depression, now called the “Great Recession” of 2008-2011, when many companies and even nations (like Greece) went bankrupt or suffered credit downgrades. The current worldwide debt crisis exploded then under the experimental policies of central banks known as QE (quantitative easing) and ZIRP (zero interest rate policies), and out-of-control fiscal (stimulus) spending by many governments of the world, including the U.S.
And now we are headed into another powerful geocosmic configuration involving the major outer planets. We will henceforth refer to this as the “Aries Vortex.” In February 2026, Saturn and Neptune will both enter Aries in a powerful conjunction aspect at the “world universal degree” of zero Aries. Additionally, Uranus will form a trine Pluto from Gemini and Aquarius, respectively, and their midpoint will be near the zero Aries point. Thus, this is not only a Saturn/Neptune conjunction and Uranus/Pluto trine but also a double sextile aspect between Saturn/Neptune to both Uranus and Pluto. It will look like an arrow with the zero Aries point at the tip, hence acting like a cosmic vortex attracting a powerful energy that brings together the principles of Saturn/Neptune and Uranus/Pluto. According to colleague and Astro researcher Daniel Gordon, who initiated the discussion on creating a name for this cosmic event, nothing like this has happened before. Yes, there are remarkable similarities to the mid-1400s and the European renaissances, but nothing involving the four outermost planets sharing the universal degree of zero Aries, which represents the end and beginning of the astrological signs.
Even though it is not exact until early 2026, the themes of this unusually powerful geocosmic combination are already underway as of December 21, 2020, when Jupiter and Saturn began the 160-year “Air Epoch” (or the “New Aira,” a term coined by colleague Kat Powell) with their conjunction at 0° Aquarius. This was then followed by the ingress of Pluto into Aquarius (the same 0°) on March 23, 2023.
You can see and feel it starting to unfold now. The direction of humanity is undergoing an enormous change of direction, and we are not quite sure exactly where it will end up, typical of Saturn/Neptune. But we experientially know it is happening. We are aware of the dangers as well as the hopes this Aries Vortex poses. We were (and are) prepared for it to happen via our understanding of the correlation of geocosmic cycles to cycles in human activity. After all, this awareness and understanding is the real value of astrology to society.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
NOTE 1: The Annual Mid-Year 2023 Webinar with Raymond Merriman and MMA Analysts. Save the Date! July 16, 2023, at 12 PM EDT is our annual Mid-Year Webinar. This broadcast will address themes from this year’s Forecast 2023 Book, with updates on the U.S. stock market, Gold, and Bitcoin by Ray; Crude Oil, T-Notes and Euro by Gianni Di Poce; Copper by Matthieu Kaiser; and Soybeans by Wyatt Fellows. Cost is $55.00, and includes access to the live presentation via Zoom, the slides of the presentation, plus the video recording of the live event 24 hours after the presentation. 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 live, the video recording will be available the following day. To register, click here.
NOTE 2: We have posted the first video of MMA’s new series on “Casual Cosmic Conversations” with Ray Merriman and Antonia Langsdorf-Merriman, being interviewed on current news events by MMA Managing Director (and Ray’s daughter) Alie Schneider. This 20-minute video features their take on the recent Titan submersible tragedy, the new world trends towards a shorter work week and expensive danger-laden adventures, the recent explosion in AI interest as the beginning stage of the “Aries Vortex” cosmic configuration approaching in February 2026 (Saturn/Neptune conjunction at the midpoint of the Uranus/Pluto trine) – or the “Communication Revolution and Technological Renaissance” that is changing our lives. To view our first episode of “Casual Cosmic Conversations,” please click here.
NOTE 3: THE JUNE ISSUE OF THE MMA Monthly Cycles Report Plus+, edited by Pouyan Zolfagharnia, was issued last week. This market letter is a very popular addition to the MMA Cycles Report (less technical, more visual, high-quality analysis and update on MMA Cycles Report markets). The mid-month addendum to the MMA Cycles report has stunning graphics and charts (people love it!) and is very readable. It contains more illustrations and references to geocosmics than most MMA Cycles reports and is only available for subscription to those who also subscribe to the MMA Monthly Cycles Report. If you wish to try this month’s addendum, along with the latest issue of the MMA Monthly Cycles Report, sign up online at the link above. The cost for a monthly copy of both reports is $55. That will give you both the most recent June copy of the MMA Cycles Report and the June MMA Cycles Report Plus+ addendum coming out this week. For further information and ordering instructions, please click here.
NOTE 4: The MMA Monthly Grain Report by MMTA Graduate Wyatt Fellows was also issued last week. This is an exceptional report by a top MMTA graduate who runs a large family-owned farm operation. Wyatt knows the farming business and grain markets from both a cyclical and fundamental point of view. This report is an in-depth look at long-and short-term cycles in Corn, Wheat, Soybeans, and Cotton. The MMA Monthly Grain Report has been extremely accurate in forecasting trends, turning points, and price targets. If you trade grains or are in the farming business and wish accurate timing and understanding of when to hedge your crop, this report is not to be missed! To order, click here.
NOTE 5: SUBSCRIBE TO MMA’S WEEKLY YouTube show, Geocosmic Week in Review and Look Ahead. Each 5-15 minute FREE episode reviews market activity of the past week and offers a preview of the geocosmic signatures in effect for the next week and beyond. You may subscribe to MMA’s YouTube Channel today at no cost and get alerted when a new weekly episode is released! To view this week’s MMA YouTube episode, click here.
NOTE 6: Now you can listen to a podcast or broadcast of this weekly column by Thomas Miller. The Free Weekly Forecast Podcast is now available on Saturday. Just follow Merriman Market Analyst Spotify to listen to all our episodes. New Podcast episodes will be released every weekend. This is a FREE service and is available to everyone. Checkout out our Podcasts on Apple, Spotify, MMA- Merriman Market Analyst Podcast and on YouTube, Merriman Market Analyst. It makes for great listening!
EVENTS
JULY 16: 12:00 PM EDT: The Annual Mid-Year Market Update Webinar with Raymond Merriman and Team. Save the Date! Starts at 12 PM EDT, which is 5:00 PM GMT, 6:00 PM CET. It will be very early in the morning in Australia, Beijing, and Tokyo. In the comfort of your own home or office, you can tune into MMA’s annual Mid-Year Financial Markets Update Webinar. This broadcast will address the following points:
- The forthcoming Pre-Presidential Election Year Trough in stocks
- The November 18 Sun/Mars conjunction in Scorpio and its correlation to trends in U.S. stock markets and Gold
- Has Gold’s (and Silver’s) long-term cycle topped out or is there another new high ahead?
- How high can Crude Oil and Bitcoin go?
- How low can the Euro, Soybeans, T-Notes and Copper fall – and when?
- What can we expect with Venus turning retrograde July 22?
- What are the other major reversal periods for trading this year?
The cost is $55.00, and includes access to the live presentation via Zoom, the slides of the presentation, plus the video recording of the live event 24 hours after the presentation. 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 live, the video recording will be available the following day. To register, click here.
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.