MMA FREE WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING MARCH 23, 2026

By Gianni Di Poce, MMA Analyst

 REVIEW

Ms. Slotkin also tells me that the fraying of America’s alliances makes the country less safe. Trust among allies has been wrecked by years of American political dysfunction, so that foreign governments are less willing to help when Washington calls.

—David Rennie, “Inside Geopolitics: Can Anything Stop Trump’s War in Iran?” The Economist, March 16, 2026.

What I found is that all monetary orders, political orders, and geopolitical orders rise, evolve, and collapse in a repeating pattern I call “the Big Cycle”—typically lasting about 75 years, give or take about 30.

—Ray Dalio, “Ray Dalio: I’ve Studied 500 Years of History and Fear We’re Entering the Most Dangerous Phase of the ‘Big Cycle,’” Fortune.com, March 14, 2026.

Geopolitical tensions leading to an energy crunch remain the top concern for markets. Stocks in the U.S. were down across the board last week. However, the Dow is being sold the most, indicating where money is rotating within U.S. markets.

The rout carried over into Europe as well, with the FTSE, Amsterdam AEX, Zurich SMI, and German DAX all closing lower. The selling was also present in Asia and Oceania, with the Shanghai Composite facing the steepest drop. The Australian All-Ordinaries dropped notably and hit a new low, while the Hang Seng Index and the Japanese Nikkei showed resilience despite exposure to the energy crisis.

Precious metals also got hammered, despite global uncertainty and a surge in inflation expectations. This looks like a forced liquidation due to a margin call, which occurs when traders have to sell certain positions to cover losses on others. The carnage in bond markets is a likely culprit here, as they collapsed hard last week (rates rose). However, something interesting played out in energy markets – Brent Crude Oil retested the highs from the previous week and closed higher. In contrast, WTI Crude Oil actually finished slightly lower on the week. Grains also pulled back last week as they paused their recent impressive rallies.

Cryptocurrencies also finished slightly lower but displayed notable relative strength throughout the week. Bitcoin has the Venus in Taurus transit to look forward to at the end of the month, which typically corresponds to directional moves of +20% or more.

SHORT-TERM GEOCOSMICS

The talk of the trading town has been all about the geopolitical conflict in Iran. Of course, there are concerns about a crisis brewing in U.S. private credit, and, as is typical with Mercury retrograde, it’s been a juggling act trying to keep up with the latest breaking headlines on numerous fronts.

But Mercury’s retrograde motion (finally) ends today, and it’s worth noting that the last three significant market bottoms in stocks occurred with the Trickster in its retrograde motion. Last year, when stocks bottomed during the tariff tantrums, Mercury was retrograde in Pisces. It makes sense that miscommunication and even hysterical misunderstandings occur during this transit—what you say isn’t necessarily what’s heard, and vice versa. Obviously, this can create distortions and exaggerations in financial markets as well.

Now we look forward to the Sun translating the conjunction between Saturn and Neptune in the coming days. Symbolically, this could shine some additional light on the Iranian conflict, which kicked off just a couple of weeks after the exact conjunction between Saturn and Neptune.

There’s a lot of speculation about how long the conflict may last, and it’s becoming a real issue for energy supply in both Europe and Asia, which have extensive connections to the Middle East for energy needs. The supply shock poses serious economic risks for the entire world, and interestingly, there was a similar supply shock the last time Saturn and Neptune came together in 1989.

The concept of an orb must be applied here, however, because back in 1989, there were three passages of Saturn conjunct Neptune, versus one passage now. The final one in 1989 was on November 13. However, several months later, in August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait and disrupted nearly 20% of the world’s total oil supply. This isn’t much different from the current disruption we’re seeing in the Strait of Hormuz, which handles the movement of anywhere between 20% and 30% of the world’s total oil supply.

When Iraq invaded Kuwait, oil prices surged from a low of around 15.00 per barrel in June 1990 to a high of 41.15 in October, a roughly 173% increase. This time, the move in oil from December’s low at 54.98 to March’s high at 119.48 was around 117%. Time will tell whether this high will be exceeded, as we’re only 3 months into this rise, but it must be kept in mind that oil prices went on to decline for several years after topping out in October 1990. Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait eventually escalated into the Gulf War, which involved a coalition of 42 countries.

Stocks also suffered during that period. The supply shock sent major indices lower by about 20%, as they peaked around the same time oil bottomed and topped out.

The global economy seems especially sensitive to inflationary pressures now, given governments’ debt loads. Interest rates rise with inflation, and substantially increase borrowing costs. This will remain a major macroeconomic challenge for the next decade-plus as Neptune transits the fire sign of Aries, but, given the intensity of geocosmics in the immediate term, be ready for an inflection point of some form in the conflict – either a major escalation or a de-escalation. Communication around the matter should improve now that Mercury is direct.

LONGER-TERM THOUGHTS (AND OPINION)

Today’s event contracts only offer two binary outcomes: “yes or no,” “all or nothing.” Cboe’s prediction markets will introduce a third dimension—a new middle ground—enabling customers to engage with defined risk while gaining the opportunity to earn a partial payout when they are directionally correct, even if the result is not precisely on their target.

—Cboe, “Cboe Introduces Innovative Prediction Markets Framework, Expanding Choice Beyond Yes-or-No Outcomes,” March 9, 2026.

There are a lot of distractions in the world right now, and no shortage of things to be concerned about. But these are exactly the types of environments that present the greatest opportunity for those willing and able to transcend the chaos.

Now that Saturn and Neptune are firmly in Aries, we look towards the next outer planetary transits this year in Jupiter and Uranus. Jupiter ingresses into Leo on June 30, and Uranus ingresses into Gemini on April 25. These ingresses will round out the outer planetary transits for 2026 and cement us in the current alignment for roughly a year, until Jupiter moves into Virgo.

Naturally, these shifts manifest in financial markets. Cryptocurrencies burst into the public consciousness when Uranus transited Taurus, and now, it appears as though a new type of market is coming into play. It will grow in popularity as Uranus spends the next 7 years in Gemini.

Prediction markets were born with companies like Polymarket and Kalshi, but major Wall Street exchanges are now turning their attention to them as well.

In essence, prediction markets are a stock market for real-world events. Instead of buying shares in companies, people trade contracts on future outcomes such as election results, sports winners, cryptocurrency prices, award shows, and even weather patterns. In other words, if there’s an opinion on something, it can be monetized and traded.

Currently, prediction markets work in a binary fashion, not all that different than options. You can buy “Yes” or “No” shares on a specific question—for example, “Will Candidate X win?” Each share costs anywhere from $0.01 to $0.99, and that price directly represents the market’s current belief about the probability (so a $0.42 price means the crowd thinks there’s a 42% chance). If you’re right when the event resolves, you cash in $1 per share you own; if wrong, you get nothing.

Anyhow, what distinguishes prediction markets is that they force people to put real money behind their beliefs. This “skin in the game” filters out noise and hype, as the collective crowd wisdom tends to be far more accurate than traditional polls, expert forecasts, or media pundits—it’s basically the wisdom of the crowd with financial incentives. Think about the ramifications this could have for the field of astrology, especially—anyone can make predictions about certain events or outcomes, but what does the market have to say about how tuned-in one purports to be?

A lot of the insight into the upcoming Uranus-Pluto trine that starts this summer focuses on technology, including additional advancements in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, drones, robotics, and more. However, the evolution of prediction markets into the forefront of the collective consciousness should also be monitored.

After all, artificial intelligence represents the commodification of information and thought. Commodities get refined and are then brought to market. Prediction markets are shaping up to be that vector, and they could very well be in their infancy, similar to how crypto markets were in the early-to-mid 2010s.

But of course, with Pluto in the sign of Aquarius for the next couple of decades, will these prediction markets operate with high levels of integrity? There have already been ethical concerns about the nature of certain markets (like betting on wars and the deaths of public figures), and even about changing definitions after events to prevent payouts on winnings.

With Uranus in its final month in Taurus, we must look towards the next “boom-bust” cycle, where fortunes can be made, and prediction markets centered on insights and information are very fitting for the sign of Gemini.

 ANNOUNCEMENTS

 NOTE 1: THE MARCH ISSUES OF THE MMA MONTHLY CYCLES REPORT PLUS+ AND THE MMA MONTHLY GRAIN REPORT WILL BE RELEASED OVER THE NEXT TWO WEEKS, ON MARCH 24 AND APRIL 1. These excellent reports are written by Pouyan Zolfagharnia and Wyatt Fellows, respectively. Both reports are especially timely this month because precious metals, stock indices, and grains are in time bands for primary or half-primary cycles within this weekend’s three-star CRD (geocosmic critical reversal date) zone. In addition, Crude Oil has been on a tear since the outbreak of the Iranian conflict. To order either or both of these reports, or for further information, please click here and scroll down.

 NOTE 2: SUBSCRIPTION TO THE NEW MMA MONTHLY CRYPTO REPORT IS NOW OPEN!!! The first issue will launch on the evening of Wednesday, April 8! Each report will cover a cyclical and macro overview by Gianni Di Poce on Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, XRP, and one other cryptocurrency, which will change over time, depending on which cryptocurrency is in greatest demand, starting with Cardano. Pouyan Zolfagharnia will then provide the geocosmic overview and explain how it ties into the cycles. Together, they will share strategies for both “position trading” and “shorter-term trading” in cryptos.

Are you new to the crypto world? Do you wonder how to trade cryptos via wallets, futures, or ETFs? These and other topics will be covered in a special instructional webinar taking place at 2 PM EDT on the launch date of the new monthly report (April 8). This FREE WEBINAR will also cover how to use the new monthly crypto report for maximum value. Ray Merriman will host this webinar, joined by Gianni, Pouyan, and MMA President Wyatt Fellows. The webinar is free, but you must sign up ahead of time to receive login instructions. Click here to register at no cost!!! SAVE THE DATE — APRIL 8!!! You won’t want to miss this if you are interested in cryptos!

 NOTE 3: THE MMA 2026 TRADING AND INVESTMENT RETREAT WILL TAKE PLACE MAY 20–24, 2026, AT THE RIKLI BALANCE HOTEL IN BLED, SLOVENIA, OVERLOOKING THE STUNNING LAKE BLED IN THE JULIAN ALPS. Register by April 1 and save $300!!!

This special four-day event will focus on trading strategies for position and short-term traders in 2026. It will cover the unique, research-based MMA methods for identifying primary, half-primary, major, and trading cycles. It will then apply those market-timing techniques (cycles and geocosmic studies) to the current situation in stock markets, Gold, Silver, Bitcoin, currencies, interest rates, and grain markets, with strategies for each on both a short-and intermediate-term basis (one week to 12 months ahead).

There will also be special presentations and interactive discussions on current and future world conditions through 2032 that are likely to affect financial markets. These sessions will be led by world-class mundane astrologers Claude Weiss (Switzerland), Christeen Skinner (UK), Christof Niederwieser (Germany), Pouyan Zolfagharnia (UK), and Raymond Merriman (USA). Joining them on MMA timing methodology and trading strategies will be MMTA Director Wiebke Held (Germany) and MMA analysts Wyatt Fellows (USA), Ulric Aspegrén (Switzerland), Gianni Di Poce (USA), and MMA Trading Coach Rita Perea (USA).

Registration is now open, with a $300 early-bird discount available through April 1. The presentations will also be available via Zoom for those unable to attend in person, and recordings (along with PowerPoint slides) will be available immediately after each day’s presentations to all attendees. For the schedule, registration, speaker bios, topic descriptions, hotel information, and the booking code, please click here. Please note that all 45 rooms reserved for MMA at the Rikli Balance Hotel are currently booked. We have a list of other hotels within walking distance and are compiling a waiting list for the Rikli Balance Hotel. In fact, a room opened up just this past week and was quickly filled. You may book a room at another hotel and cancel it within 72 hours of arrival if a room becomes available at the Rikli Balance Hotel. However, please note that the retreat will also be offered via Zoom for those who cannot attend in person, and recordings will be available shortly after each presentation.

The MMA Annual Investment and Traders’ Retreat is an incredible event! Don’t miss it if you can make it!

NOTE 4: THE MMA DAILY OPTIONS REPORT WITH DEREK PANAIA continues to perform extremely well, with additional successful trades just realized involving Bitcoin (IBIT), T-Notes, and the rise in both Crude Oil and Soybeans. For many subscribers who implemented these trades, their recent gains have more than offset the subscription cost. This new daily options service focuses on the S&P (setting up for our next trade), Gold, Copper, T-Notes, Soybeans, Bitcoin, ETFs, and other markets where special situations arise that may benefit from options strategies. The service includes intraday updates, sometimes multiple times per day, depending on market conditions. Ray Merriman also provides market-timing commentary within this service. In fact, this is where Ray is spending most of his time discussing trading strategies in 2026 as they arise.

The cost is $360 per month or $3,600 per year, until June 30, when the special launch price ends. For those who already subscribe to the current MMA Daily Report, which is issued at the end of each trading day for the next trading day, the cost of adding Derek’s new Daily Options Report is only $140 extra per month. For more information on this new service, click here. Order now at the special launch price to get in on the action of options trading if you are an active trader! We are expecting new option opportunities to arise in the forthcoming March 20–23 three-star CRD zone. Be ready as we report the setups unfolding during this time and the option strategies to apply, via Derek and Ray.

NOTE 5: MONTHLY REPORTS ON THE GERMAN DAX AND ZURICH SMI INDICES IN ENGLISH are now available. These reports continue to be offered in German, along with the entire monthly MMA Cycles Report, through AstroData at https://www.mma-europe.ch/. However, we have received requests from clients who wish to read our outlook on the DAX and SMI in English, so these reports are now available later in the same week that the MMA Cycles Report is released. The cost to receive the English version of the monthly reports on the DAX and SMI is $35 each, or $325 per year. To subscribe, click here.

NOTE 6: THE (ORIGINAL) GOLD BOOK: GEOCOSMIC CORRELATIONS TO GOLD PRICE CYCLES is now available as an eBook. This was the first financial market-timing book by Raymond Merriman (1982), which put financial astrology on the map. It was also the first book to conduct formal quantitative research on any financial market in relation to planetary cycles (there were several earlier studies on lunar cycles, but none on planetary cycles or stations until this book). It brought together Wall Street and astrology and revolutionized the field of financial market timing by demonstrating the correlation between market cycles and planetary cycles as reversal signals. As a result, the topic became one of the most attended subjects at financial and astrology conferences worldwide in 1983. This classic book has been out of print since 1984, except as a collector’s item occasionally available through Amazon. It is now available as an eBook for the first time! 324 pages, $95. Click here to order.

 NOTE 7: 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.

NOTE 8: 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 9: 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 two-year program offered by the Merriman Market Timing Academy 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 an excellent economic astrologer! Click here to order now!

 NOTE 10: 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.

 EVENTS

 APRIL 8, 2026: SPECIAL FREE WEBINAR ON HOW TO USE THE NEW MMA MONTHLY CRYPTO REPORT!!! Save the date!!! It starts at 2:00 PM Eastern Time. Details for registering are coming soon.

APRIL 22, 2026: THE NEXT MMA OPTIONS WEBINAR. Save the date!!! Details will be announced shortly.

 MAY 20–24, 2026: MMA’S NEXT INVESTMENT RETREAT, LAKE BLED, SLOVENIA. SAVE THE DATE!!

Registration is now open, with a special early-bird $300 discount for those who register by April 1. The presentations will also be available via Zoom for those unable to attend in person. The theme of this event will focus on market timing and trading, including how to calculate and use solar/lunar reversal cycles. But there will also be coverage of longer-term cycles, with strategies for all! It’s going to be great!

JUNE 21, 2026: MMA’S ANNUAL MID-YEAR MARKETS UPDATE WEBINAR. Save this date, too! Details to sign up will be released 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. 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, “The U.S. Stock Market: Timing Tools and Outlook,” on September 7 (Labor Day). 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.