REVIEW AND PREVIEW
Job creation disappointed again in May, with nonfarm payrolls up what normally would be considered a solid 559,000 but still short of lofty expectations, the Labor Department reported Friday. Payrolls were expected to increase by 671,000.– Jeff Cox, “Job Creation Accelerated in May but is Still Below Lofty Expectations,” www.cnbc.com, June 4, 2021.
President Biden painted a rosy picture of America’s economic rebound and claimed he beats all other presidents for job creation during their first three months in office. Biden, indeed, created the most jobs in his first three months than any other president — about 1.5 million — but that’s partly because the U.S. population is larger than in the past. When calculated as a percentage of the workforce, job growth under President Jimmy Carter increased more quickly from February through April 1977 than the same three months this year. –Marisa Schultz, “Biden Touts ‘Fastest Job Creation’ of any President in US History,” www.foxbusiness.com, May 28, 2021.
Here we are again. The last instance of Saturn in waning square to Uranus was 45 years ago, in 1976-1977. We have pointed out the similarities between Joe Biden and Jimmy Carter, who was elected President in 1976 and started his term in January 1977. Correspondences exist in personality, correlations to their election-year cycles and geocosmics, and now with similar economic results after their first three months in office. You may also remember what happened afterwards. 1976-77 was the beginning of the huge surge in inflation that eventually led to stagflation for much of the next decade. Once again, our future may be held hostage to history, as noted by the correlation of planetary cycles to cycles in human activity.
But that becomes more important 1-3 years down the road. For the present, happy days are here again as more people go back to work and start having fun and traveling again in many parts of the world that have had access to the COVID-19 vaccine. As projected in the Forecast 2021 Book (written in November 2020), the transit of Neptune would leave opposition to the “super-charged degrees” of 15-19° Virgo in February 2021 (this is where the Uranus/Pluto conjunction occurred in 1965-66). This signaled that the height of the COVID-19 pandemic cases would peak within three months of February 2021, and by late Spring-early Summer, the worst would be over. In retrospect, the peak in the U.S. was indeed in February 2021. If my projections are correct, we won’t have to worry about COVID-19 or a next pandemic again until 2026 +/- one year, when Saturn will conjoin Neptune in 0° Aries.
Returning to the present, last week was another positive week for most world equity indices. All-time highs were recorded in the Netherlands AEX, German DAX, Zurich SMI, Australian ASX, India NIFTY, and Brazil’s Bovespa indices. Other indices maintained their multi-year highs of February 16-18, which was during the first passage of the Saturn/Uranus square. This was the case with China’s Shanghai Composite, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng, and Japan’s Nikkei indices. The NASDAQ made the first leg of a double top to its all-time high then, too. This is important because the second passage of this powerful aspect unfolds next Friday, June 14. It is the most powerful of all geocosmic signatures in 2021.
In other markets, Gold made a new cycle high of 1919.20 on June 1. It hasn’t seen that level since January 6. Silver came close, reaching 28.71 on June 1, but still below its recent high of 28.91 on May 18. That case of intermarket bearish divergence was followed by a sharp selloff in both metals Thursday and Friday of last week. Crude Oil was also strong last week, soaring to its highest price since October 2018 and nearing $70.00. It’s right in line with our thoughts about Jupiter’s short visit into Pisces, May 13-July 28. Jupiter, Neptune, and Pisces rule Crude Oil prices.
SHORT-TERM GEOCOSMICS
The White House economic analysis boils down to an assertion that slow growth is inevitable. The belief is that the U.S. economy can’t grow faster than 1.9% over the long-term… There is no way an economy growing that slowly can afford both a robust defense budget and the Biden social welfare policies. To put it bluntly, this is a budget that is anticipating America’s economic and political decline. The question is whether the American people will settle for it.– Wall Street Journal Opinion Page, “A Future of Secular Stagnation,” June 2, 2021.
This is a huge bet that government investment can replace and produce better results than private investment. The track record on that isn’t encouraging… Which brings us to the Fed. It owns a substantial portfolio of mortgage-backed securities. Now, federal debt and mortgage-backed securities happen to be preferred investments for small, fixed-income investors. The massive buying program of the Fed has sharply reduced returns. The Fed has had a policy of screwing small savers for well over a decade. The immorality of that hasn’t received sufficient notice… The budget also assumes that there are no negative consequences other than screwing small savers. Last November, the electorate voted to escape from the Trump political soap opera. There is no mandate for taking such big gambles in fiscal and monetary policy. – Robert Robb, “Biden’s Budget is a Massive Gamble,” Arizona Republic, June 4, 2021.
We are now in one of the most intense geocosmic periods of the year. It starts with Mercury retrograde, in its ruling sign of Gemini, May 29-June 22. The “Trickster” has a notorious correlation to skittish markets where prices change suddenly after giving a bullish or bearish technical signal. This is often a result of confused messaging on the part of government leaders or contradictory economic reports. The confusion may be even greater in this retrograde cycle than usual, for the Trickster is turning retrograde in a square aspect to Neptune in Pisces, the planet and sign of confusion and misunderstandings or intentional disinformation. Neptune and Pisces have an association with rumors and mis-information, in some ways similar to Mercury retrograde. This will likely be a bizarre couple of weeks on many levels, not the least of which pertain to financial markets. Is it a bull or is it a bear?
In the midst of this particular Mercury retrograde period, there is an annular solar eclipse on June 10 at 19° Gemini, also conjunct Mercury retrograde and square to Neptune in Pisces. In fact, June 10 is the midpoint of the Mercury retrograde cycle, a time when markets are again prone to reversals if they didn’t reverse at the time of the retrograde on May 29 +/- 2 days.
An eclipse (on the midpoint of Mercury retrograde) intensifies the issues of current events. In other words, confusion and misinformation/rumors may intensify. One may rightfully question: What is being covered up? What is being hidden? How are people being distracted from what is really taking place? If you believe something is happening or going to happen, it would be wise to consider the possibility that the opposite may occur. If it looks like a market is about to rally, consider that it might instead be readying for a decline, or vice-versa. What you see and think is happening may not be happening at all. This combination is indicative of mass illusion.
Now don’t get me wrong. Illusions can be pleasant if there is no need for accountability. But if you are supposed to be responsible, this is not the time to shirk your duties. At the same time as all this bizarreness is underway, Saturn will also make a second passage of its waning square to Uranus on June 14. As just mentioned, there will be a price to pay if one is not accountable. The price may be loss of position, or having your duties terminated. Given that Mars is also entering the drama sign of Leo on June 11, this isn’t likely to be handled discretely or quietly as all that Mutable Madness (eclipse in Gemini with Mercury retrograde in Gemini square Neptune in Pisces) would wish. Mars in Leo will be prone to create a scene for everyone to see. It could get embarrassing.
How will this affect financial markets? Possibly like an explosion, storm, or earthquake that no one saw coming. It may explode this week, or it may take until Mars makes its T-square to the Saturn/Uranus square in the first ten days of July. There may be an initial act under Mercury retrograde followed by a second act after it turns direct and crosses the same degrees it just retrograded over. This can be both exciting and dangerous. Try to stay safe and out of danger.
This may not be an easy 1-4 weeks for position traders. The Neptune/Pisces element suggests complacency. The favorable Jupiter transits of July 20-25 indicate “irrational exuberance.” But the “Mutable Madness” combined with the Saturn/Uranus/Mars dynamics through early July portend a rude awakening. The possibility of hysteria, even panic, is heightened. Keep an eye on Crude Oil (disruptions in distribution) and interest rates. Keep an eye on your trading positions, resisting the urge to overtrade or take risks larger than you can handle should markets suddenly reverse, as these cosmic patterns indicate they might.
On the other hand, those who are nimble and attentive may find this to be an extremely propitious time to capture large profits from steep price changes in short periods of time.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
NOTE 1: THE NEXT ISSUE OF THE MMA Monthly Cycles Report will be released this week, Tuesday, June 8. Every issue provides MMA’s intermediate-term and near-term outlook for the U.S. stock market, Gold, Silver, Treasuries, Euro Currency, Crude Oil, and Soybeans. Each issue also contains MMA’s original geocosmic critical reversal dates (CRDs) and Solar/Lunar reversal dates over the next several weeks for DJIA, Gold, and Silver, complete with trading strategies for position traders during the next month. This will be a very important issue as we head into the second passage of the Saturn/Uranus waning square under a Mercury retrograde. Additionally, U.S. stocks are challenging their all-time highs as they enter an important intermediate-term cycle time band. Gold and Silver are also giving strong indications of a new trend underway. If you are not a subscriber to the monthly MMA Cycles Report and would like a copy of our outlook for financial markets, consider trying the May issue for only $35.
NOTE 2: A SEVEN-WEEK COURSE ON “GEOCOSMIC CORRELATIONS TO TRADING CYCLES” will begin on Saturday afternoons, 1 PM Eastern Time (EDT) via Zoom, June 19-July 31.
This is the most important course on market timing for traders offered by MMA. The historical correlation between planetary cycles and cycles in financial markets will be taught and demonstrated with stock indices, Gold, Silver. T-Notes, Currencies, Crude Oil, and grain markets. With the knowledge of certain geocosmic cycles and their phases, one can narrow a market cycle’s time band down to a specific date with an orb of only three trading days! This is how MMA provides that extra edge” that all traders seek. Beginning June 19, and lasting seven weeks, Raymond Merriman and his protégé Gianni di Poce will offer 2-3 hour training webinars on this methodology. The classes will be offered via Zoom, starting at 1 PM Eastern Time, for seven consecutive weeks (June 19-July 31). This is part of the Merriman Market Timing Academy (MMTA) curriculum (Course 3), but it will also be available as a standalone course for up to ten persons not enrolled in the academy.
The cost for this 7-week training course is $1800. Each course will be recorded and available for future viewing by participants. For further information and application, please visit www.mmacycles.com > Events, or click here.
NOTE 3: MMA’S FINANCIAL MARKETS WORLD WEBINAR AND FORECASTS 2021 UPDATE TOOK PLACE MAY 22, 2021, 12:00 PM MST: This 3-hour broadcast gave an intermediate-term update on several financial markets, including the U.S. stock market, Gold, Silver, Crude Oil, the Euro currency, U.S. Dollar and Bitcoin. Joining Ray to share their outlook was Ulric Aspegrén (Euro, U.S. Dollar) and Gianni Di Poce (U.S. Treasuries, Crude Oil). Ray covered equities, metals, and Bitcoin. The recording is now available and very current (especially Bitcoin!). The cost for this recording is $55.00 and includes the slides of the presentation. For more information, go to www.mmacycles.com, Shop> Webinars. Or click here.
EVENTS
JUNE 19-JULY 31: A SEVEN-WEEK COURSE ON “GEOCOSMIC CORRELATIONS TO TRADING CYCLES” taking place on Saturday afternoons, 1 PM Eastern Time via Zoom.
For further information, see “Announcements” above, or visit www.mmacycles.com > Education, or 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.