REVIEW AND PREVIEW
U.S. consumer inflation excluding energy and food accelerated to a new four-decade high in September. The core consumer-price index—which excludes volatile energy and food prices—rose 6.6% in September from a year earlier, the biggest increase since August 1982. The measure increased 6.3% in August. The inflation report likely keeps the Federal Reserve on track to increase interest rates by 0.75 percentage points at its meeting next month. Gwynn Guilford, “Inflation Sits at 8.2% as Core Prices Hit Four-Decade High,” Wall Street Journal, October 13, 2022.
This was the week in which the passive/aggressive Mars square Neptune took place on October 12, followed by the whipsaw-like behavior of Moon in Gemini with the Sun also in an air sign, Libra, on October 13-14. The CPI (inflation) report came out Thursday morning, October 13. Consistent with Mars square Neptune, the DJIA first retreated over 500 points, a new yearly low, along with the S&P and NASDAQ. But then it suddenly reversed – the Gemini Moon whipsaw – and assertively charged up over 800 points. That was the first time in history that the DJIA was down over 500 points and then closed up over 800 according to Bloomberg news services. But the Moon was still in Gemini on Friday, and true to its whipsaw nature, the DJIA was first up nearly 400 points, then closed down nearly 400 points.
As mentioned, new yearly lows were attained on October 13 in the S&P and NASDAQ, too. Not only was Moon square Neptune on October 12, but the Sun and Venus were both in a trine aspect to Saturn on October 12 and 14. In fact, when extended out to October 17-19, Mars will make a grand trine to the Sun/Venus and Saturn, all in air signs. Normally we look for good news under an air grand trine, and maybe that was it with Thursday’s huge 1300-point rally from the yearly low.
Not all world global indices dropped to new yearly lows last week. Besides the U.S., new yearly lows were notched in the Netherlands AEX, London FTSE, and Zurich SMI indices. The worst was in Hong Kong where the Hang Seng fell to its lowest level since October 2011! Many others held above their lows of September 26-October 3 that coincided with the year’s most powerful geocosmic combination of Jupiter at the midpoint, and in a double semi-square to the last passage of the Saturn/Uranus square. That was also the end of the 6 planetary retrograde cycles that had been in effect since September 9-10 through October 2, also corresponding to the Mercury retrograde period. Six retrograde planets at one time indicate uncertainty, with a tendency for premature announcements or claims that need more time to think out clearly. Recall the UK economic decisions and revisions that rocked the world financial system during that period.
Last week, Pluto also turned direct on October 8. Thus, we now have 4 planets retrograde until October 30 when the warrior planet Mars reverses, which will bring it back up to another overabundance period of 5 planets appearing to move backwards through the skies. The skies are not clear during this period. With Mars square Neptune, it’s more like smoke and mirrors.
In other markets, Bitcoin tested the 18,000 level again on October 13, while Ethereum fell to 1192. Both remain above their yearly lows of June, but Bitcoin is getting very close to breaking to new lows. Crude Oil enjoyed a 22.8% rally from its low on September 18 to last Monday’s high of 93.64. before giving back about 50% of those gains into Friday’s low. Gold and Silver also pulled back sharply last week from its nice rallies between late September and October 4. Ten-Year Treasury Notes dropped to 110/02 on the CPI announcement of October 13, their lowest level in over 15 years.
SHORT-TERM GEOCOSMICS AND LONGER-TERM THOUGHTS
“Those who try to find a compromise with Putin should understand the following. Putin wants to kill us and we want to live. Putin wants to erase Ukraine as a state, as a nation from the world map. And we want to have our state. We want to move it to European family… Please don’t trust Putin. I have five years of experience with him for negotiation. And please don’t be afraid of Putin. Learn from Ukraine. Keep strong. Keep together.” – Former Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko as quoted by Kayla Bailey, “Former Ukraine President Says Time Is Now to Negotiate with Russia: Don’t Trust Putin but Don’t Be Afraid,” www.foxbusiness.com, October 14, 2022.
Everyone conveniently ignores that a majority of Crimeans backed Ukrainian independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.– Casey Michel, “Putin’s Annexation May Cost Him Crimea,” Wall Street Journal, October 12, 2022.
Part of the cause of the economic and financial pain the world is presently experiencing has to do with the disruption in supplies as indicated by the Saturn/Uranus squares of 2021-2022. These supply chain issues have been exasperated by the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, which caused huge price spikes in Crude Oil, Natural Gas, and grains this past year.
Now we are entering a period where Mars, the god of war, will be highlighted through the first quarter of 2023, and especially between now and the end of November, when it will be stationary turning retrograde at 23-25° Gemini, square to Neptune at 23° Pisces. The first square of Mars and Neptune in these degrees happened last week, and there are major issues arising in the world that speak to this aspect.
As discussed last week, these degrees are important because these same two planets are also highlighted in the charts of Iran and the U.S. in the same degrees of mutable signs, which means they are touching off a grand mutable square between these two nations. Iran is undergoing a level of protests not seen in many years that threatens the authority of its leadership. The U.S. is also experiencing a great strain in its relationship with Saudi Arabia and other OPEC nations that just decided to cut their production of oil, to which President Biden has threatened retaliation. He sees this as a betrayal of trust (Neptune afflicted) and a nod in favor of their relationship with Russia.
Mars/Neptune squares can coincide with times when world leaders (and everyone else) make poor judgements. It can illuminate a period when trust issues arise between current allies that may threaten their relationship. But it doesn’t end with the U.S., Iran, and OPEC, for 23° Gemini (where Mars is now posited) is also conjunct the natal Sun of Chinese leader Xi Jinping (June 15, 1953, time unknown), the most important ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. There is a possibility that closeness and trust will start to unravel between President Putin and Xi, after they recently entered into a very highly publicized commitment to support one another. The thing is that even trust has its limits. It’s not unconditional, and when one party violates the principles of good behavior expected of the other in such a partnership, the solidarity of the relationship is vulnerable to dissolving. The agreement between the Iranian leadership and its citizens is dissolving. The agreement between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia is dissolving. And the relationship between Russia and China may also be unraveling, all because the expectations inherent in trust are being violated in the eyes of one of the parties, if not both.
As far as the U.S. is concerned, the next month will be a challenging time to cope with this type of cosmic conflict (Mars square Neptune, Mars turning retrograde) because the mid-term elections are approaching in three weeks. This is not usually a time when the nation exhibits the type of unity needed on the world stage to deal with these issues. The fact that the world will also be in the midst of eclipses won’t help (solar eclipse on October 25, lunar eclipse on November 8, the day of the election). And we haven’t even mentioned that former President Donald Trump’s Sun is also at 22° 55’ of Gemini, opposite his natal Moon at 21° Sagittarius. He is not going to be invisible between now and the election, and in fact, he is being subpoenaed to testify before the January 6 Senate committee regarding his role in the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol. That too promises to be a very Mars/Neptune type of experience where the lines between truth and fantasy collide.
It is hard to imagine the global stock indices performing well during this time. But as stated earlier, Mars/Neptune is often a time of misjudgments. The lunar and geocosmic landscape doesn’t look that promising for equities next week. The Sun and Venus trine Mars on Monday and Tuesday, which appears favorable, but the Moon in Cancer and Leo is not so favorable. This is followed by the Sun and Venus forming a waning square to Pluto on Wednesday and Thursday, followed by Saturn ending its retrograde motion on Saturday, October 23. Then the eclipse season starts, and in the middle of that, Mars turns retrograde on October 30 through January 12, a time when the aggressor tends to be the loser.
Traders need to continue being extra cautious right through the election and even a couple of days afterwards, for these are not easy waters to navigate, whether we are talking about financial markets or world leadership. The most volatile time ahead seems to be November 5-11, election week. This is a time for upsets, and I would expect the polls to “misjudge” results again. As the economist John Kenneth Galbraith once stated: “Economic forecasting was created to make astrology look respectable.” I think that is about right, and it also pertains to election forecasting by the media and polling agencies in 2022.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
NOTE 1: TWO MORE WEEKS! FORECAST 2023 SPECIAL OFFERS ARE NOW UNDERWAY! Written by Raymond Merriman, the preliminary outlook is that 2023 will be another very important year, with Pluto starting its 20-year transit through Aquarius.
This Annual Forecast Pre-Order Event will run through October 31 and will include our once-a-year sale discounts on both the annual Forecast Book, print and eBook and MMA Subscription Reports. You may pre-order Forecast 2023 at the discounted rate of $45. And the best deal on MMA Subscription Reports is offered at this time! Save big bucks off any subscription ($275+) with purchase of Forecast 2023.
Please note that after the pre-sale period ends, the price for the printed edition of Forecast 2023 will increase to $66 on November 1st and not $55 as originally intended. The cost of paper, printing, and distribution has gone up so much in the past few weeks that we have to make adjustments. Nevertheless, we will still honor our current pre-publication discount rate for $45. And the price for the eBook edition will remain at $55.00 after October 31. Thus, if you wish a printed edition of this year’s Forecast Book, it is best to order now, before October 31, and save $21.00.
Offer to consider: With printers dealing with supply problems in getting paper, we cannot guarantee the printed edition of this year’s book will be completed on time for delivery by December 25. It may or not be. We think it will. We do know that the book will be written and turned in on time, as usual, and the eBook will be ready on or around December 15. Therefore, purchasers of the printed edition may wish to also order the eBook this year to make sure they at least get the text in time. MMA offers a “bundle” purchasing plan where those who order the printed edition can also order the eBook for only $20.00. That way, you will be assured of receiving the text for reading over the holidays in case the printed edition of the book is not able to be delivered prior to December 15 as planned.
MMA will again publish an individual book dedicated to the yearly trends for the twelve individual signs. The book, Trends for the Twelve Signs 2023, will be written by Antonia Langsdorf-Merriman and Raymond Merriman. Antonia has written an annual Sun Sign book in German for the past several years, based on interviews conducted with Raymond beforehand. We will follow a format this year where Langsdorf will cover the health and relationships outlook and Merriman will cover the business, career, and overall psychological outlook of each sign for the year. The cost of this book will be $25, with a further discount if ordered together with the Forecast 2023 Book.
We offer discounts to our Forecast Fan Club Members and our Active Subscriber Club members. Check out our page on Forecast Club Levels to learn more about these discounts.
This year’s printed and eBook versions of Forecast 2023 will also be available in these languages:
German: www.mma-europe.ch/ or email at info@mma-europe.ch
Japanese: https://www.toushinippou.co.jp/
Chinese: www.nodoor.com/
We created an updated list of our most common Forecast FAQs to help this Forecast season.
NOTE 2: THE OCTOBER ISSUE OF THE MMA Monthly Cycles Report was released last week! Now that the most intense geocosmic signatures of the year are passing, what is next for financial markets? Will the stock market start a new bull run? Is the multi-year sell-off in currencies and Treasuries over? What about Gold and Silver? Will Silver rise to $30.00? This is a very important market timing period for many financial markets. Every issue provides an intermediate-term investors’ and near-term traders’ 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. If you are not a subscriber to the monthly MMA Cycles Report and would like a copy of MMA’s outlook for financial markets, consider trying the October issue for only $35. For an additional $20, you can also receive the next issue, due in two weeks, of the MMA Monthly Cycles Report Plus+ edited by Pouyan Zolfagharnia, which 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).
NOTE 3: TUNE INTO MMA’S NEW WEEKLY YouTube Channel on the geocosmic climate related to financial markets hosted by MMTA Educational Director Gianni Di Poce. New videos are recorded and released every Friday night. These 5-15 minute video presentations 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 announcements when each geocosmic market review is ready for viewing! To view this week’s MMA YouTube episode, click here.
NOTE 4: I will be celebrating my solar return this December in Kauai, Hawaii. If any of our readers who live there (or might be visiting there) would be interested in joining me for dinner one night, please contact me (Ray Merriman) at customerservice@mmacycles.com.
NOTE 5: ANNOUNCING THE NEW MMA CYCLES GRAIN REPORT! It’s coming in late January 2023. Edited by top MMTA graduate Wyatt Fellows, this report will provide excellent cyclical and geocosmic analysis on Soybeans, Corn, Wheat, and Cotton. Wyatt owns and operates a large farm in Wisconsin and has a deep understanding of the cycles and fundamentals connected with grain markets. This is a report that all farmers, people connected with the grain business, and traders will want to have access to. We have sent out two Cotton studies by Wyatt so far and the response has been excellent. We will be sending a free sample of this new grain report before January, at which time you will be able to sign up and subscribe to this report if you wish for a special introductory rate. Stay tuned!
EVENTS
January 6, 2023: MMA CHINA WEBINAR FORECAST 2023 WEBINAR! Financial markets review for the China SSE stock index, Gold, Crude Oil, and now DJIA and Bitcoin: Details and registration will be announced soon.
February 19, 2023: ANNUAL MMA FORECAST 2023 WEBINAR with Ray Merriman. Details and registration will be announced soon.
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.