REVIEW AND PREVIEW
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose on Friday, notching its best month since January. The blue-chip index closed 272 points, or 0.8%, higher at 34,098.16. The Dow finished April 2.5% higher, its best monthly showing since January, when the average ended up 2.8%. –Alex Harring and Sarah Min, “Dow Gains More than 250 Points Friday as Index Finishes Best Month Since January,” www.cnbc.com, April 28, 2023.
U.S. economic growth slipped in the first quarter in the midst of still-high inflation and rising interest rates, adding to worries about a possible recession later this year. U.S. gross domestic product, a measure of the value of all the goods and services produced in the country, rose at an inflation- and seasonally-adjusted 1.1% annual rate from January to March, a significant slowdown from 2.6% growth in the fourth quarter, the Commerce Department said Thursday. – Austen Hufford, “Economy Cools Amid Recession Fears,” Wall Street Journal, April 28, 2023.
It was another Mercury retrograde roller coaster ride. Most global equity markets were down into mid-week and looking poised to fall off a cliff. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, the “Trickster” must have found something of hope for the nation – for the world – in President Biden’s announcement last Tuesday that he will run again for the highest office in the universe. It was intentionally declared on the same day that he had announced previous candidacies for office, in which he had won. It’s his lucky day.
Or maybe the market rallied because, on Wednesday, the House of Representatives finally approved a bill to lift the nation’s borrowing limit (i.e., debt ceiling). It has no chance of passage in its current form as Senate leader Chuck Schumer has already decreed that it will be “dead on arrival” once it reaches the Senate for a vote. Nevertheless, there is now a bill to raise the debt ceiling, and it’s a first step in the possibility of avoiding a financial catastrophe that advances ever closer.
The majority of global stock indices followed a similar pattern once again. That is, most made major cycle lows last Wednesday, +/- 1 day, then rallied nicely into the close of the week. In some cases, the rallies were to new highs for this primary cycle and even for this current year. That was the case in Japan and India, where the Nikkei Index rose to its highest mark since mid-August of last year, and the Nifty to its highest level since mid-February,
In Europe, the German DAX soared to its highest price since January 2022, and the SMI did the same on Friday to its highest level since June 2022.
The performance was also noteworthy and mostly positive in the U.S. The nearby NASDAQ futures soared to 13,336 on Friday, a level not seen since mid-August 2022. The DJIA cash market reached a high of 34,104 on Friday, a new high for this primary cycle. Both completed their first major cycle troughs of this current primary cycle on Tuesday/Wednesday, April 25-26. The S&P also made a major cycle low on April 26, but the rally that followed has not yet taken out the high of April 18, just before the prior week’s powerful solar eclipse square Pluto. Anything is possible, but it is still very early in this new major cycle when momentum is more bullish than bearish.
In other markets, Bitcoin and Ethereum fell to trading cycle lows on April 26-27 too, but then suddenly found a strong bid to new rallies. They are still below their highs of MMA’s last two-star critical reversal date of April 14 but appear poised to exceed those soon. Gold and Silver are also down from their yearly highs of April 13-14 but may also be building support around 1980 (Gold) and 24.50 (Silver). Of course, with the Trickster capable of much noise and disturbance as it switches back and forth from bullish to bearish in many markets, it is not inconceivable that these support zones could be taken out before the next leg of their bullish markets resumes.
Remember: this is the time for multiple false buy and sell signals, otherwise known as “fakeouts” in the vernacular of the Trickster. He will be around (and around) until May 14, which is why we usually take this time off from position trading and pronouncing bold or serious predictions, focusing instead only on aggressive short-term trades every 1-4 days. We will let others get dizzy making (and reversing) stunning predictions in pursuit of meaningless certainties amidst the Trickster’s booby traps.
SHORT-TERM GEOCOSMICS AND LONGER-TERM THOUGHTS
So Trump and Biden are heading into a possible rematch with similar numbers of Americans who wish they would just go away. – Ingrid Jacques, “Americans on Biden, Trump: Please Give Us Someone Else,” Arizona Republic, April 26, 2023.
Mr. Biden doesn’t seem to have figured out that the House vote changes the balance of negotiating power… “While I do not agree with everything proposed,” Sen. Joe Manchin said of the House plan, “it remains the only bill moving through Congress that would prevent default and that cannot be ignored.” If Mr. Biden won’t work with Republicans in the House and Senate on a compromise, then he’ll be responsible for the financial calamity he’s been warning about. The Wall Street Editorial Board, “Biden Plays Chicken With Default: He Refuses to Negotiate with Kevin McCarthy Even After the House Raises the Debt Ceiling, “ April 28, 2023.
This week that Joe Biden announced his intention to run for a second term. He revealed it on his superstitious “lucky day,” April 25. However, it was not a good week for Joe Biden. Very few people are excited about his decision to run again, yet everyone seems to think he will win because more people want to avoid a second term of Donald Trump than a second term of Joe Biden.
I think Democrats are misjudging the situation even more than Republicans. Donald Trump will have Jupiter conjoining his natal Sun near Election Day 2024, and transiting Jupiter will trine his natal Jupiter, too. These are not transits of a loser if he is in a competitive race at that time. I am not the first to note this. Astrologer Robert Thibodeau of Detroit, Michigan, brought this to my attention over a year ago when he also flatly stated Joe Biden would not have a second term. Now just because an astrologer makes a prediction doesn’t mean it will come to pass. But if you ask an astrologer which looks more favorable: a transit of Pluto square your natal Moon (Biden), or a transit of Jupiter conjunct your natal Sun and trine your natal Jupiter, then I don’t think the cosmic scales weigh in favor of the former over the latter. Bottom line: a Biden victory over Trump in November 2024 is not a sure thing, despite conventional wisdom trumped up by the media and Democratic (and many Republican) operatives.
Meanwhile, President Biden has a major problem approaching very fast that might do more to define (and damage) his legacy than anything he has encountered so far: the raising of the debt limit. There is now a proposal passed in the House, and neither he nor his comrades have anything to offer other than he wants a “clean vote” (raise the ceiling without any compromise to moderate spending and debt), which isn’t likely to happen now. Biden won’t be able to blame the Republicans for not offering a plan to raise the debt limit, although he is attempting to do just that — as if they have not provided a workable plan. He has to do something other than blaming the other side for doing nothing when in fact, he is now doing nothing except demanding that nothing be changed that created the threat of default in the first place. He doesn’t exactly have a stellar record of fiscal discipline personally or as a leader. Avoiding negotiations will not amend that personal history.
The importance of all this is the looming T-square May 16-23 between Mars, Jupiter, and Pluto. This is a confluence of very hard aspects that coincide with hysteria. And Jupiter square Pluto does have a history of correlating with financial panics (maybe 50% of the time within a 4-month orb). This is approaching fast, in line with the time when the U.S. Treasury will run out of tricks to pay its debts.
Along the way, the Sun will conjoin Uranus (disruption) on May 9, in Taurus, the sign of money. I think we will see very huge movements in financial markets around that time, lasting through May 23 and maybe beyond.
The Trickster’s cycle may be technically over on May 14, but his influence will still be present for a few days afterwards. It could get dicey for financial markets.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
NOTE 1: JUNE 1-4: THE 2023 MMA INVESTMENT RETREAT AND MMTA3 COURSE TWO: “GEOCOSMIC CORRELATIONS TO LONG-TERM INVESTMENT CYCLES.” The 4-day investment retreat is taking place at the Michigan State University Management Education Center in Troy, Michigan, and is also offered virtually via Zoom. Instructors and presenters will include Ray Merriman, Gianni Di Poce, Kat Powell, and Rita Perea.
This 4-day intensive will introduce the participant to the role of Outer-Planet Aspects and Ingresses to long-term financial market cycles. With this understanding, one will learn to identify time bands that historically have coincided with the most favorable long-term investment opportunities as well as time bands that have correlated with long-term market peaks or selling opportunities. These studies are based on actual research on the performance of financial markets going back to the 17th century. Once these studies and methods are disclosed, the instructors will then illustrate how they apply them to current market conditions. Outlooks will be given for long-term cycles in various markets (such as stock indices, Gold, and Bitcoin), with the goal of identifying when the next excellent investment or selling opportunities are most likely to take place. Additionally, MMTA Graduate Rita Perea will give a presentation on “The Role of Psychology in Financial Market Trading: Maximizing the Key Mindset Traits of Successful Traders and Investors.”
You do not need to be a student of the two-year MMTA3 program to join! “Geocosmic Correlations to Long-Term Investment Cycles” is a standalone course designed for investors, but there will also be discussions on the near-term climate for traders as well. This event is an excellent opportunity to interact with MMA President Raymond Merriman and MMTA Director Gianni Di Poce, and several other like-minded students of financial market timing methods over an extended 4-day period. There is nothing like the in-person interactions that occur at an MMA Investment Retreat!
The cost is $2750, or $2500 if reserved before May 11. Cost includes a 120-page workbook, all class recordings, and slides of the class presentations. Note that this retreat is also in conjunction with Course Two of MMTA3, and non-student participants will get credit for Course Two if they decide to attend MMTA in the future. For further information on this unique and special event, contact MMA at 1-248-626-3034 or by email at customerservice@mmacycles.com.
NOTE 2: THE APRIL ISSUE OF THE MMA Monthly Cycles Report Plus+, edited by Pouyan Zolfagharnia, was issued last week. This market letter has become 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 AI 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 copy of the MMA Cycles Report and the MMA Cycles Report addendum coming out this week.
NOTE 3: The MMA Grain Cycles report by MMTA Graduate Wyatt Fellows was also issued last week on Wednesday, April 26. This is an exceptional report by a top MMTA graduate who is also the owner of a large family 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 Cycles Grain Report has been extremely accurate in its first editions that began in January. If you trade grains or are in the farming business and wish for accurate timing and understanding of when to hedge your crop, this report is not to be missed!
NOTE 4: TUNE INTO MMA’S WEEKLY YouTube show, hosted by Gianni Di Poce. 5-15 minute FREE episodes review market activity of the past week and offer 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.
EVENTS
May 20, 11:00 AM: “Eye of the Geocosmic Storm: What’s Next for Financial Markets.” MMA Analyst and MMTA Director Gianni Di Poce will be giving a lecture with Astrology University on Saturday, May 20 at 2pm ET: Eye of the Geocosmic Storm: What’s Next for Financial Markets? We are in the final stages of the most intense astrological signatures of the year. Will markets boom or is gloom on the horizon? Special attention will be paid to stocks, bonds, forex, commodities, Cryptocurrencies, and real estate. The T-square between Jupiter-Mars-Pluto will also be of major focus, along with Venus retrograde later this year. The cost is $30.
June 1-4: MMA INVESTMENT RETREAT: “GEOCOSMIC CORRELATIONS TO LONG-TERM INVESTMENT CYCLES.” A 4-day, in-person investment retreat hosted at the Michigan State University Management Education Center in Troy, Michigan. It will also be offered virtually via Zoom. See description above.
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.