MMA FREE WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING MAY 26, 2025

NOTE: All major U.S. stock markets will be closed on Monday, May 26, in observance of Memorial Day.

 REVIEW

 The fact that policy decisions have been made quickly, by people who do not always have prior government experience, has introduced unintended consequences—either forcing policy reversals or causing economic disruption. They send a signal about how policy is formulated. The perception of policy professionalism might become an investor focus. Introducing unpredictability and unintended consequences removes any pretense of precision in forecasting the US economy. The weightings attached to risk scenarios are thus higher than normal.

—Dr. Paul Donovan, “Problems Beyond Policy Content,” UBS Weekly Blog, www.ubs.com/cio, May 23, 2025.

“It’s the Biden administration and the spending that we have seen over the past four years,” the treasury secretary continued. “We inherited 6.7% deficit to GDP, the highest when we weren’t in a recession, not in a war. And we are determined to bring the spending down and grow the economy.”

—Eric Revell, “Treasury Secretary Bessent Dismisses Moody’s US Credit Downgrade,” www.foxbusiness.com, May 19, 2025.

 Global stock indices took note of the May 16-19 two-star geocosmic critical reversal date that involved the powerful Sun/Uranus conjunction and the Mercury/Mars waning square.

In Europe, the London FTSE and Zurich SMI indices put in their highest marks on May 20 since the global stock market plunge of April 7-9. The Amsterdam AEX index made its post-panic high on Friday, May 16. All three then had a rather hard decline into Friday, May 23, as the Sun/Uranus reversal signature suggested. The German DAX seemed like it would escape as it tested its all-time high early on May 23. But by the end of the day, it dropped in the typical Uranus fashion, suddenly falling to its lowest level in two weeks.

Asia and the Pacific Rim also exhibited erratic behavior. Most notable was the decline in the Indian NIFTY and Japanese Nikkei indices, which topped out May 13-15, then plunged into Thursday, May 22. China’s Shanghai Composite also fell into a low on Friday after posting recent highs one week earlier. Australia’s ASX and the Hang Seng of Hong Kong were relatively tame, trading near their recent highs on May 23.

The U.S. stock indices responded right in line with the Sun/Uranus dynamic, ending their recent six-week rallies, May 19-21, then falling sharply into new weekly lows, below their 15-day moving averages, on Friday, May 23. The Bovespa of Brazil made a new all-time high on May 20 before pausing into the end of last week.

Gold recovered sharply from its major cycle low of $3123 on May 13, rising to a high of $3366 on Friday, May 23. Silver also recovered nicely from its low of $31.76 on May 15 to a high of 33.91 on May 22. Bitcoin was a star again last week, soaring to a new all-time high of 111,965 on Thursday, May 22, fulfilling the first target given in our recent special report on Bitcoin. However, by Friday, it had given back over $4000 of those gains intraday. I will discuss a new and powerful Mercury retrograde finding related to Bitcoin in our MMA Mid-Year Financial Markets Update, taking place on June 15 (see Announcements below).

All in all, it looks like the May 16-19 two-star CRD (geocosmic Critical Reversal Date) was on target from last week’s stock market high. The question now is whether this decline is about to end in a normal 3 to 8-day corrective retracement with support between the 15- and 45-day moving averages or continue as part of a steeper decline to the greater cycle low that will exceed the 45-day moving average.

SHORT-TERM GEOCOSMICS

 “Every single time we’ve raised tax rates on the top 1% of income earners, every single time, the economy has underperformed. Every single time we’ve raised tax rates on the top 1%, tax revenues from the top 1% of income earners go down,” Mr. (Arthur) Laffer says in a video interview from his home in Nashville, Tenn. “Every time we’ve cut tax rates on the rich, the economy has outperformed…. Today, some Republicans have forgotten the lessons of the Laffer Curve—or failed to learn them in the first place.”

—Allysia Finley, “America Needs a Supply-Side Comeback,” The Weekend Interview, Wall Street Journal, May 17-18, 2025.

Treasury yields moved back to levels that have pressured the economy and financial markets in the past as investors feared a new U.S. tax bill could worsen the country’s budget deficit, a risk highlighted in a Moody’s downgrade of the U.S. credit rating to end last week… The 30-year Treasury bond yield broke above the key 5% level for the second time this week and [is] hovering near its highest[point] since January.

—Lisa Kailai Han and Sawdah Bhaimiya, “30-Year Treasury Yield Tops 5% as GOP Bill Raises Deficit Concerns,” www.cnbc.com, May 21, 2025.

The Sun has now entered the sign of Gemini as of May 20. Unlike Taurus, which is known for its stability and has been in effect since the secondary stock market lows of April 21, the sign of Gemini is a different energy. It is not known for its association with stability or stable markets. It’s a mutable (changeable) air sign, which means it is quick thinking and acting, very vacillating, as it flips from one interesting and exciting idea to another. It is probably more known for its ability to multi-task, taking on several projects at once but not necessarily staying on point with any until completion. In terms of financial markets, sharp price swings are more likely now than under the influence of Taurus. This is important in understanding what has happened and what to prepare for during the next month. And it’s not only the Sun in Gemini that will be the leading actor/actress in this new play.

The “retrograde chaos” may be over as of April 13, when Venus was the last to turn direct. And in the even bigger picture, a round of “new turbulence” is now unfolding as the march of each outer planet into new signs picks up another participant this weekend when Saturn crosses into Aries. Pluto started this very rare ingress parade on November 19, 2024, when it fully moved into Aquarius. This was followed by Neptune changing its position from Pisces into Aries on March 30. As a side note, Neptune pertains to religion, and Aries is a new beginning; the Pope died, and a new pope has been ushered in. This may be a game changer that no one really sees yet.

The planetary procession moving ahead will find Jupiter entering Cancer on June 9, followed by Uranus transitioning from Taurus to Gemini on July 7. That’s a lot of sign-& leadership-changing, from the largest and longest orbiting planets in our solar system. Since outer planets are more associated with the collective than the personal, their correspondence is one of great turbulence as major re-workings on the planet get underway. Hence, this new phase of turbulence is likely to last until each of these outer planets is firmly entrenched into their new signs, which won’t be until spring 2026.

This week, we get yet another view of what this Aries Vortex and new era will be about as the New Moon in Gemini takes place on Monday, May 26. The actual planetary pattern surrounding this New Moon in early Gemini isn’t too bad. It forms a trine to Pluto and a sextile to both Saturn and Neptune in early Aries. The New Moon (with Mercury) occupies the same degrees that Uranus will traverse later this year and into the next when the Aries Vortex is in full force, per our discussions in the Forecast 2025 Book and webinars.

Yet, there are concerns as we travel beyond the range of the New Moon influence and head to the Full Moon of June 11. This will occur two days after Jupiter enters Cancer and starts its powerful square to the Saturn/Neptune conjunction in early Aries (June 15-19), with the Sun still in Gemini. It could get very turbulent the following two weeks. Financial markets could become very excitable and erratic.

One must keep in mind that this period will also coincide with President Trump’s birthday, his elaborate celebrations planned, and is butting up into his deadline for other nations to accept his tariff dictates. This solar return might be the most consequential year of the President’s life. It may define his ultimate legacy as it coincides with the strongest cosmic aspect of the year. And it is in the heart of the Aries Vortex (spring 2025-spring 2026), one of the most powerful celestial patterns ever.

Will the U.S. really enter its most golden economic age ever, as he claims will happen under his watch? It’s possible. I don’t think we should discard that possibility on some levels. Or will he make an incredibly ill-advised decision that undermines the nation’s trust in its leadership and economy? That, too, is a possibility that should not be breezily dismissed.

With the Aries Vortex now underway, we are in the midst of a plunge into the bottom of an abyss that started some time ago. At its best, the next few months are the reversal of that polarity and dissension, and the start of both an economic and cultural renaissance. At its worst, it is the collective realization of a great deception, which, if not checked, could lead to a great economic depression. It all depends upon how the world reacts to the symbolism of Saturn combining with Neptune in Aries: trust in the nation’s leadership and the leadership of the nation’s trust in its citizens. It’s trust or bust.

Whether it is a bust or not, I remain positive longer-term. As Saturn separates from Neptune and the Aries Vortex breaks up, these two planets begin to open up (waxing phase). It may take time to clearly see the light from that separation. But waxing phases of longer-term planetary cycles are growth periods for the sectors of human experience indicated by those planets. Just as the New Moon (conjunction of the Sun and Moon) occurs in the dark of night, it takes about 2-3 days before the crescent of light re-appears. It is the same with the synodic (conjunction) cycles of all planets.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

 NOTE 1: ONE MORE WEEK UNTIL MMA’S SPECIAL SIX-WEEK COURSE ON “THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF GEOCOSMIC STUDIES FOR FINANCIAL MARKET TIMING” BEGINS!!! Led by Gianni Di Poce and backed up by Ray Merriman, this course — starting May 31 — is designed to teach attendees 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 will also explain which planets and signs rule the various sectors of the economy and financial markets. In addition, it will cover 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 MMTA4 program, which begins on September 27, and who feel their astrological knowledge is at a beginner level. However, it is open to all interested participants. The cost for this six-week introductory course is $300. Classes will be held online on Saturdays at noon Eastern time through July 12, with a break on July 5 (no class that day due to the holiday). Each class will last approximately 90 minutes, followed by a Q&A session. Recordings will be available for download within two days of each live session. This is a great opportunity to learn basic astrology from a master economic astrologer! Click here for registration information!!! For a YouTube video explaining the class and FAQs — featuring Gianni, interviewed by Alie Schneider — please visit our YouTube channel.

NOTE 2: REGISTRATION FOR THE TWO-YEAR MERRIMAN MARKET TIMING ACADEMY (MMTA4) IS NOW UNDERWAY!!! SIGN UP BY THE FIRST CUTOFF DATE (JULY 1) AND SAVE BIG BUCKS!!! This highly valued 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 to eight 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, 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 two- to three-month summer break. The program also includes at least one live, in-person (or optional online) weekend session, plus a voluntary review session after each course, held prior to the exam for those wishing to receive a certificate of completion. There is nothing else as comprehensive in the field 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.

Acceptance into the MMTA requires an interview prior to enrollment. If you are interested in exploring whether the MMTA is right for you, please let us know and we will schedule a time to talk. To register or inquire about the MMTA4 program, click here. The cost for the entire two-year course is $25,000. A 10% discount is available for those who sign up by July 1. Other 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

NOTE 3: THE MAY ISSUE OF THE MMA Monthly Cycles Report Plus+, edited by Pouyan Zolfagharnia, will be released this week. This market letter has become a very popular addition to the MMA Cycles Report (it’s less technical, more visual, and contains horoscopes of current importance, high-quality analysis, and updates on MMA Cycles Report markets). The mid-month addendum to the MMA Cycles Report covers Pouyan’s outlook on Gold, Silver, NASDAQ, and Crude Oil. It contains stunning graphics and charts (people love it!) and is highly readable. This edition includes more illustrations and references to geocosmics than most MMA Cycles reports and is only available 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 to both reports is $55 per month. This includes the most recent May issue of the MMA Cycles Report and the MMA Monthly Cycles Report Plus+ addendum coming out this week. For more information and ordering instructions, please click here.

NOTE 4: THE MMA GRAIN CYCLES REPORT BY WYATT FELLOWS WILL BE ISSUED THIS WEDNESDAY, MAY 28. With Saturn and Neptune moving toward their once-every-36-year conjunction — a configuration historically correlated with large moves in grain prices — this is an excellent time to consider subscribing. Wyatt’s analysis has been very accurate, and his writing style is exceptionally clear. Truly, if you are a trader or producer of grains, this is a valuable report to read each month. Wyatt is an exceptionally gifted analyst of Wheat, Corn, and Soybeans. To order a copy of this excellent report, please click here.

NOTE 5: Sunday, June 15, 2025, at noon EDT (9 AM PDT, 5 PM Greenwich), THE ANNUAL MMA MID-YEAR MARKET WEBINAR WITH MMA MARKET ANALYSTS!!! In the comfort of your own home or office, you can tune in to MMA’s annual Mid-Year Financial Markets Update Webinar. This broadcast will be hosted by Raymond Merriman and will include 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). This webinar will last approximately four hours (about 20 minutes per market plus Q&A), with two five-minute breaks. The cost is $66, which includes access to the live presentation via Zoom, the presentation slides, plus the video recording of the live event 24 hours after the presentation. This is MMA’s once-a-year midterm market update. If you are unable to attend live, the video recording will be available the following day. To register, click here.

 NOTE 6: 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 7: 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. This app 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 the DJIA, NASDAQ, Gold, and Silver markets. It 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 8: 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. Last week’s special guest was Crypto Damus (Robert Weinstein), a well-known market analyst specializing in crypto, with an interesting outlook on Bitcoin.

NOTE 9: 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 10: 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 11: THE NEW MMA Monthly Technology Cycles Report by Wiebke Held was issued last week. The revised format has received very positive feedback from subscribers! This report provides an outlook not only for the NASDAQ but also for the QQQ (ETF) and specific technology stocks such as Microsoft, Google, NVIDIA, Tesla, and Apple. It also includes unique CRDs (critical reversal dates) specific to the NASDAQ, based on Held’s meticulous research. Additionally, much of this report is generated by Wiebke’s own AI applications.

If you wish to receive the last week’s issue of this new report, sign up now by clicking here.

EVENTS

MAY 31, 2025: SPECIAL SIX-WEEK COURSE ON “THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF ASTROLOGY FOR FINANCIAL MARKET TIMING” — REGISTRATION IS NOW UNDERWAY. The cost is $300. For registration information, click here!

JUNE 15, 2025: THE ANNUAL MMA “MID-YEAR MARKET UPDATE” will take place on Sunday, June 15 — just in time for the powerful Jupiter square Saturn/Neptune event. Save the date!

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.