MMA FREE WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING JUNE 30, 2025

Note: Markets will be closed on Friday, July 4, in honor of the U.S. Independence Day holiday.

 REVIEW

 The S&P 500 on Friday notched its first new high since February, capping a dizzying 24% rally from the depths of April’s tariff-induced selloff. The wild 89 trading days in between put the broad U.S. stock index on track for its swiftest recovery back to a record close after a decline of at least 15%, according to Dow Jones Market Data. Stocks have climbed in recent sessions after the fragile cease-fire between Israel and Iran sent oil prices lower and fueled optimism that the Middle East could avoid a prolonged conflict. Continued trade negotiations between the U.S. and trading partners including China, Canada and the European Union have also lifted investors’ spirits ahead of the looming deadline for tariff hikes.

—Karen Langley and Krystal Hur, “Historic Rebound Sends S&P 500 to New Highs,” The Wall Street Journal, www.wsj.com, June 27, 2025.

Time will tell (it always does). But the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities by Israel and the U.S. over the past two weeks – and especially on June 22 –  may be the critical turning point in the “Age of Terrorism” that began in earnest on September 11, 2001. Global stock markets responded favorably to this bold act.

In Asia and the Pacific Rim, the indices of China, Hong Kong, Japan, and India all rallied to multi-month highs last week. Australia’s ASX got within 35 points of doing the same. All closed well for the week.

In Europe, it was a little more complicated. Most were down early in the week and rallied after the bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites. The exception was the Zurich SMI, which bottomed on June 23 but had an anemic rally afterwards.

The performance was much more animated in the U.S., where the S&P and NASDAQ soared to new all-time highs on Friday. The DJIA had a powerful rally into the end of the week, reaching a high of 42,966 on Friday. But this was still off from the all-time high of 45,073 recorded on December 4, 2024. Failure to attain a new high leaves the U.S. stock market open to a case of intermarket bearish divergence as we head into the July 4 holiday week, with Venus and Uranus both due to ingress into Gemini, July 4-7. Whenever Uranus is highlighted, there is an increased risk of a sudden reversal or an explosive breakout to new highs in several financial markets. Furthermore, the sign of Gemini can be almost as volatile as Uranus when prominent. Expect impressive fireworks both literally and in terms of financial markets.

Commodities took the exact opposite direction from equities last week. Gold fell to its lowest level in five weeks and is now down over $200 from its all-time high of April 22. Silver also buckled, dropping to a low of 35.20 last week, just one week after posting its highest level in 13 years the week before at 37.24. Shock and awe were especially present in Crude Oil, which shot up to 78.30 on Monday, June 23, only to immediately fall back to 64.00 one day later. Bitcoin and Ethereum followed the stock market higher last week, following probable primary cycle lows the prior week. If correct, new all-time highs in Bitcoin are shortly ahead.

 SHORT-TERM GEOCOSMICS

 President Trump’s decision to strike Iran’s three most significant nuclear sites on Saturday helped rid the world of a grave nuclear threat and was a large step toward restoring U.S. deterrence. It also creates an opportunity for a more peaceful Middle East, if the nations of the region will seize it.

— Wall Street Journal Editorial Board, “Trump Meets the Moment on Iran,” The Wall Street Journal, June 22, 2025.

We are leaving the central time band of the most powerful geocosmic signatures of the year. However, that doesn’t mean that chaotic financial markets or disruptive geopolitical events have ended. As covered in our recent mid-year financial markets webinar of June 15, there are a series of secondary “earthquakes” still ahead through the end of this year. June 9-27 was just the center of the hurricane.

Another major geocosmic disruption arrangement is setting up July 4-18. It starts with Venus (money) conjoining Uranus (disruption) as both planets enter the changeable sign of Gemini (July 4-17). At the same time, Neptune will be the first of three planets turning retrograde on July 4, followed by Saturn on July 13 and Mercury on July 18. Neptune and Saturn turning retrograde are powerful Level 1 reversal signatures (highest correlation to primary cycles). Also, when two or more planets change directions in a short time frame, primary cycles in several financial markets often culminate.

Neptune turning retrograde has a correlation to rallies in Gold shortly afterwards, which will be interesting in this case as Gold is plummeting towards its 31.3-month cycle low at the same time. Neptune also has rulership over Crude Oil, which has been extremely volatile in the past week.

Saturn retrograde is another important reversal signature within an orb of nine trading days, and often only four. Any market making a high or low in this period is a candidate for a major reversal, as worries about the future tend to increase. Those anxieties are apt to be further exaggerated with Mercury turning retrograde in mid-Leo on July 18, which starts a 3-week period when decision-making tends to be made in haste before all the facts and possible outcomes are considered.

None of this appears to represent a time of calm and steady markets or world leadership. To the contrary, we may see events, decisions, and reactions to those decisions set off another period of retrograde chaos. It is crucial to consider that this period also coincides with President Trump’s deadline to inform other nations what their tariff fees will be to trade with the United States. This could be a time of turmoil and disappointment (Neptune, Saturn, and Mercury are all turning retrograde), as hopes for a jubilant relief…end up with a thud. We are now well past the Sun conjunct Jupiter time (June 24) for celebration. Equity markets are already in the mature stage of their primary cycle, and intermarket bearish divergence triggers are setting up if the DJIA doesn’t rally to a new all-time high prior to, or during this retrograde headwind. These geocosmic signatures could therefore be a recipe for another sharp decline via disappointing economic or political announcements, though probably not leading to a selloff below the lows of April 7.

Long-Term Thoughts and Opinion

 “At the turn of the 20^th century, Friedrich Nietzsche proclaimed that God was dead and that man had killed Him. This created an arrogance within man—that he himself was God. But as God, all he could seem to produce was disaster. This led to a terrifying confusion: for if we could not take the place of God, how could we fill the space we had created within ourselves?”

—David Bowie, from “Moonage Daydream,” 2022.

Trump said at a NATO summit in The Hague on Wednesday that the strikes led to the “virtual obliteration” of Iran’s nuclear capabilities and set its atomic program back “by decades….” Hassan Abedini, the deputy political director of Iran’s state broadcaster, said the three sites targeted by the U.S. had been evacuated a “while ago,” and that Iran “didn’t suffer a major blow because the materials had already been taken out.” On Tuesday, sources familiar with the initial report into Saturday’s bombings told the BBC’s U.S. news partner CBS that Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium had not been eliminated. They added that the strikes had only set the country’s nuclear program back by a few months — an assessment the White House swiftly described as “flat-out wrong.”

— Rachel Hagan, “Trump Pushes Back After Leaked Report Suggests Iran Strikes Had Limited Impact,” BBC News, June 25, 2025.

 So, who is lying and who is telling the truth? The astrological themes of last week’s bombing give a clue. Jupiter (exaggeration) was in a hard square aspect to Saturn (truth) and Neptune (fabrication of truth). Together, they suggest statements of exaggeration and manipulation (propaganda). Thus, it is likely that neither side is telling the whole truth.

The more important question is: why? Why do world leaders think their populations cannot and should not be told the truth? The key probably lies with the nature of Saturn: control. If you tell “the people,” (Pluto in Aquarius) the truth, they might revolt (Pluto) and leaders will lose control. What the leaders may not realize is that with Pluto in Aquarius over the next two decades, “the people” (Aquarius) will learn the truth. They will penetrate the veil of non-transparency and get to the source, and thereby increasingly gain more power. The internet is too embedded in a worldwide communication network now to keep information from “the people.” The major task over the next 1-2 years will be discerning which information is fact and truth-based (Saturn) versus fabricated manipulation and propaganda (Neptune).

Saturn and Neptune are conjunct now, in the first degrees of Aries, hence the “Aries Vortex” of 2025-2026. We introduced that this powerful geocosmic configuration was approaching over the past two years in our annual Forecast books and in this column. We described it as “the bottom of the abyss,” where truth becomes a rare commodity, and the forces of fear and trust will be in conflict between the governments of the world that are driven by power and control, and their populations. It is the period representing the height of propaganda and division. Saturn (control) is front-running or blocking out the light of Neptune (urge for peace). But after February 20, 2026, the last day of the exact aspect, Saturn will begin separating from Neptune, and transparency can begin to increase.

It will take a while to notice, perhaps as long as six years, and after Saturn conjoins Uranus and breaks up the last remnants of this “Age of Terrorism” we have lived through for approximately 25 years. At that point, Saturn will be in its waxing (opening) phase to all the planets outside of its orbit for the first time since 2001 (think September 11, 2001, when Saturn opposed Pluto and began its first waning phase to an outer planet thereafter).

There is a cosmic reason for maintaining hope for the future. Do not give up your vision for a world of beauty and peace. We are crossing an important cosmic milestone right now with the unfolding of the Aries Vortex, 2025-2026. This is when darkness, chaos, division, and the manipulation of truth are at their peak. The pendulum is getting ready for its swing towards the opposite direction on this matter of “quality of life” on Earth. There will certainly continue to be dramatic events, but the arc denoted by the relationship of Saturn to the planets outside of its orbit is changing. It is “opening up,” whereas for the past 25 years, it was closing. Thus, “As above, so below.” We just need to negotiate reality intelligently as we experience these planetary dynamics operating in our lives.

And for that, we need to value truth. Not exaggeration, not lies, not propaganda designed to divide us. Saturn and Neptune in Aries, at the midpoint of Uranus and Pluto ( which are in a harmonious trine aspect to one another) can coincide with a new frontier opening up for humankind. This is not only a period of war and economic threats, but also of a renaissance in our collective awareness and direction. The chaos of the events of today is the building block to this renaissance in awareness. Embrace this chaos and be alert for the openings it produces. According to our cycle studies, they are setting up a remarkable long-term investment opportunity by the end of this decade. Wait for it. Plan for it.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

NOTE 1: LAST WEEK UNTIL THE FIRST CUT-OFF DATE!!! REGISTRATION FOR THE TWO-YEAR MERRIMAN MARKET TIMING ACADEMY (MMTA4) IS NOW UNDERWAY!!! SIGN UP NOW AND SAVE BIG BUCKS!!!

 Due to the increase in interview requests and the fact that all available appointments before July 1 have been filled, we are adjusting the deadline slightly. If you are interested and simply request the required interview by July 1, you will still be eligible for the special discount. ~250630

This highly valuable two-year educational and training program, created by Raymond Merriman (CTA), is an experience that will change your life and the way you view financial markets. Yes, the course is challenging, but it is also incredibly exciting! Through this program, you will learn how to identify where the market is at any given point in time — and which trading or investing strategy to apply.

The eight-course program includes six Zoom meetings per course — over 100 hours of live instruction and interaction — with instructors Wiebke Held and Raymond Merriman, along with special guest MMA analysts such as Pouyan Zolfagharnia, Gianni Di Poce, Ulric Aspegrén, Wyatt Fellows, Derek Panaia, and Kat Powell.

Classes will meet on Saturdays, approximately 20 times per year, at noon Eastern time, starting on September 27. There are one-month breaks between each course and a three-month summer break. There is nothing else as comprehensive in the subject of market timing as the MMTA program! It covers MMA’s market timing methodology for long- and intermediate-term investing, as well as position trading and aggressive short-term trading.

As mentioned, acceptance into MMTA requires an interview prior to enrollment. If you are interested in exploring whether MMTA is right for you, we will schedule a time to talk (interviews are now being offered July 1-15). To register or inquire about the MMTA4 program, click here. The cost for the entire two-year course is $25,000, with a $3,500 discount available for those who sign up by July 1. Additional payment plans are available upon request.

Here are just a few of the many very positive reviews from graduates of the last MMTA3 program (2023-2024):

I wanted to express my deepest gratitude for generously sharing your knowledge and teaching it. As you know, I am fairly new to trading and joined MMTA3 to learn a system to approach the stock market. Starting the year, I set myself the goal of doubling the money that I had in my trading account, thinking at the time that this was impossible to do. Thanks to the knowledge and tools MMTA3 teaches, I was actually able to accomplish this goal! In fact, I even exceeded it. —W.H., Germany

 Thank you, Ray and Gianni, for the fantastic course material and support. I have made money, and every dollar for the courses was paid back and more! — J.L., Netherlands

 This course was truly mind-blowing! I learnt in abundance. Thank you all for sharing the excellent trading data and knowledge. This course is worth more than a college degree — and at a fraction of the price, too. — K.L., Australia

My perspective on the markets — and perhaps life — has changed dramatically since being gifted the privilege of joining MMTA2. I am extremely grateful for having been given the opportunity to learn directly from you. — K.M., USA

Doing these research projects and really dissecting the markets during this course has allowed me to trade very successfully over the past year. It is extremely rewarding to do the work and then watch it unfold according to plan. — W.F., USA

To watch the most recent informative video interview with Wiebke Held and Raymond Merriman, conducted on June 26 and discussing the MMTA4 program, click here.

NOTE 2: The June issue of the MMA Monthly Cycles Report Plus+, edited by Pouyan Zolfagharnia, will be released this week. This mid-month addendum to the MMA Cycles Report features Pouyan’s outlook on Gold, Silver, NASDAQ, and Crude Oil. It includes stunning graphics and charts (people love it!). The report contains more illustrations and references to geocosmics than most MMA Cycles reports and is available only to subscribers of 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. A subscription for a monthly copy of both reports is $55. This includes the most recent issue 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 3: The MMA GRAIN CYCLES REPORT by Wyatt Fellows will be released on Wednesday, July 2. Wyatt’s analysis has been very accurate, and his writing style is very clear. Truly, if you are a trader or producer of grains, this is a wonderful report to read every month. Wyatt is an exceptionally gifted analyst of Wheat, Corn, and Soybeans. To order a copy of this excellent report, please click here.

 NOTE 4: The next “SPECIAL MMA OPTIONS WEBINAR” with Derek Panaia, hosted by Raymond Merriman, will take place on Sunday, July 13, at 12:00 PM EDT and coincides with Saturn and Mercury turning retrograde (July 12-18). Saturn retrograde is one of the most significant geocosmic indicators of a potential reversal in financial markets. Two planets turning retrograde within a week is also a powerful reversal combination. You may recall that the week Mercury and Venus changed directions (April 7-13) was the most tumultuous market period of the year! We anticipate this to be an exceptional time for trading options.

Here’s how it works: Ray will provide his outlook on the status of cycles and geocosmic turning points in 3-5 markets that appear to be setting up for primary cycle lows or highs. Derek will then present the option strategies with the best risk/reward potential based on Ray’s outlook and his own interpretation of additional factors that support it. The markets covered will include Gold, the S&P, and three others to be determined the week before the webinar.

The cost is $95 for this 2.5-hour webinar (it may run longer). We also offer an Options+ package, which includes additional follow-ups from Derek on the interactive Discord chat forum. These discussions provide refined timing for entry and exit points that evolve after the webinar itself and have resulted in handsome profits in each of our past Options webinars. The cost of “Options +” is $250. And yes, we are well aware that this type of webinar and its follow-ups would cost ten times as much on other platforms — with far less impressive results. SAVE THE DATE: Sunday, July 13, at 12 PM EDT (that’s 6 PM in Zurich, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, and Paris, 11 AM in Chicago, and 9 AM in Los Angeles). Click here to register! Note: Keep in mind that options trading is speculative, and this webinar is designed for speculators who have some basic knowledge of options. For those who do not, MMA offers a recording of Derek’s webinar on option principles, available on its website.

 NOTE 5: MUST READ!!! A NEW BOOK, ESOTERIC ECONOMICS BY GIANNI DI POCE, IS NOW AVAILABLE!!! This is an excellent introduction to the correlation between geocosmic studies and the fields of economics and financial markets. In many ways, it is the perfect book to launch one’s journey into the world of financial astrology — but it is more than that. Esoteric Economics offers a clear and accessible explanation of how economics and financial markets work, then beautifully ties these fields together through an esoteric lens. It is ideal not only for those beginning this journey but also for readers seeking a deeper understanding of how economics operates on both a practical and esoteric level.

Gianni Di Poce is a well-respected MMA analyst and served as the director and lead instructor of the MMTA2 and MMTA3 (Merriman Market Timing Academy) programs from 2021 to 2024. He also holds an MBA in economics from the University of Michigan. The cost of this excellent 288-page book is $55 for the softcover or $60 for the hardcover (plus postage). It is also available as an eBook (no postage). To order, click here.

NOTE 6: MMA’s Free Weekly Column Podcast Is Available on SPOTIFY, APPLE, and AMAZON! Now you can listen to a podcast of this weekly column, narrated by Thomas Miller, every Saturday! Thomas has an excellent voice and brings the weekly column to life in a personable and, at times, humorous fashion. Just follow Merriman Market Analyst on Spotify or Apple to listen to all our episodes. A new podcast episode will be released every weekend. This is a FREE service and is available to everyone. Check out our podcasts on Apple, Spotify, and Amazon Music. It makes for great listening!

NOTE 7: 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 previous week’s market activity and offers a preview of the geocosmic signatures in effect for the coming week and beyond.

 NOTE 8: THE “JUPITER REPORT“ — YOUR MOMENTS OF OPPORTUNITY — IS NOW AVAILABLE. This new product, written by Raymond Merriman, 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. It delineates the meaning of Jupiter’s transits to your natal planets and angles over a 14-month period (including one month before your order 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 successes? Or a –3 transit with stronger-than-usual potential for misjudgments and losses? You betcha! The cost for your 14-month Jupiter Report is $69. Click here to order!!!

NOTE 9: The MMA Solar-Lunar App now offers reversal signals on the NASDAQ to all subscribers! The app provides daily weighted values for four markets: 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. The app is currently available only on Apple products (iPhone and iPad).

To learn more about the MMA App, click here. To order it, go to the Apple App Store and search for Merriman Solar/Lunar Reversals.

 NOTE 10: THE RECORDING OF THE ANNUAL MMA “MID-YEAR MARKET UPDATE” IS NOW AVAILABLE. It took place on June 15 and provided great strategies for position trading in various markets through the end of this year. The broadcast was hosted by Raymond Merriman and included updates for the next several months from top MMA market analysts as follows: Bitcoin (Merriman), NASDAQ (Wiebke Held), S&P and T-notes (Gianni Di Poce), Euro (Ulric Aspegrén), Silver and Crude Oil (Pouyan Zolfagharnia), and Gold and Soybeans (Wyatt Fellows). It also covered the current Iran-U.S.-Israel charts and featured astrological analysis and an outlook on the conflict by both Merriman and Zolfagharnia. The recording includes four hours of exceptional market timing forecasts and comes with presentation slides. These outlooks are still very relevant and in play! Don’t miss this! To order, click here.

 EVENTS

 JULY 13, 2025, at 12:00 PM EDT: the next MMA Options Webinar with Derek Panaia and Ray Merriman. This will occur in the middle of the Saturn and Mercury retrogrades of July 12 and 18, an historically important period correlated with primary cycles and reversals. Save the date. For registration, click here.

SEPTEMBER 27, 2025: MMTA4 begins!! Special rates apply through July 1. Click here for details.

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’s 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.