REVIEW AND PREVIEW
The Securities and Exchange Commission is set to allow the first U.S. bitcoin futures exchange-traded funds to start trading next week, a landmark victory for a cryptocurrency industry that has long sought permissions from Wall Street’s top regulator. Bitcoin traded north of $60,000 on Friday, its highest level since April 17, in part on speculation the SEC would greenlight the ETFs. – Thomas Frank, “The SEC Is Poised to Allow the First Bitcoin Futures ETF To Begin Trading,” www.cnbc.com, October 15, 2021.
Rising vaccination rates and nearly $2.8 trillion in federal spending since December have produced a recovery like none in recent memory. Inflation has soared (and) the gains largely reflect disrupted supply chains and shortages associated with the reopening of the economy. – Nick Timiraos, “Fed Tapering Plan on Track, Clarida Says,” Wall Street Journal, October 13, 2021.
Global equity indices soared last week following their lows that started when Mercury turned retrograde September 29, or near the midpoint of its retrograde cycle, which was October 7-8. But now we are in the midst of three prominent Jupiter transits, October 15-18, plus Mercury ends its retrograde motion on Monday, October 18, along with Jupiter doing the same. It is not unusual to see healthy rallies into multiple Jupiter transits, even if Mercury is still retrograde. But can this rally continue past this next week when the Jupiter effect wanes? Can a rally that started with Mercury retrograde also end when it turns direct three weeks later? Yes, these things are possible. But right now, the chart pattern and technical picture look very bullish. But then again, it is often the case with Mercury retrograde that technicals and chart patterns look one way, but reality turns out differently.
In Asia and the Pacific Rim, the Indian NIFTY index was the star last week. It soared to a new all-time on Friday, October 15. The Australian ASX and Japanese Nikkei indices also had healthy rallies following their cycle lows of September 29 and October 6 respectively. Hong Kong and China’s markets were not as bullish.
In Europe, the London FTSE surged to a new post-pandemic high on Friday. The Netherlands AEX, German DAX, and Zurich SMI indices also rallied smartly from their recent lows posted on October 6.
In the U.S., strong rallies ended the week in the DJIA, S&P, and NASDAQ.
Other markets also had noteworthy weeks. Crude Oil soared to a new 7-year high on Friday, reaching 82.49. Bitcoin is now challenging its all-time high as the week comes to an end. The Dollar/Yen exploded to its highest level in three years. Silver was also strong, soaring to 23.64 on Friday. As recently as September 29, it was making new yearly lows of 21.41. Gold crossed the 1800 mark on Thursday for the first time since September 15, but on Friday, it dropped nearly $30 and was back below 1770.
In retrospect, it looks like many markets ended their counter trend moves that began with Mercury retrograde or its midpoint. They appear to be resuming the trends that were in effect prior to that time. However, with four planets switching from their retrograde to direct motions between October 6 and 18, that two-week period may also end up being a counter-trend move. Such is the nature of multiple planets turning retrograde and direct in a short span of time.
SHORT-TERM GEOCOSMICS AND LONGER-TERM THOUGHTS
How does it feel to be at the very end of a 12-day stretch where four of the planets ended their retrograde cycles and returned back to their direct motions? Did you feel anything flipped? Did you witness the abrupt about-face of financial markets during this period, which started with Pluto turning direct on October 6 (also a new moon, and mid-Mercury retrograde cycle, and Sun conjunct Mars the next day), followed by Saturn turning direct last Monday, October 11? The planetary reversals will be completed this Monday, October 18, when both Mercury and Jupiter will turn direct. Does that end this impressive rally? Or did it just start October 6 and to continue past on this next week? These are questions financial astrologers will be looking to answer.
It’s not just the switch from retrograde to direct motion of Pluto, Saturn, Mercury and Jupiter. As indicated in the opening, it is also the culmination of three Jupiter transits. On Friday, the Sun and Jupiter formed a trine to one another and the stock markets of the world were sharply higher. On Monday, October 18, Jupiter will turn direct, which also has bullish implications. On Tuesday, October 19, Mars will trine Jupiter, another mostly bullish indicator. These harmonious aspects then transition into the more challenging square and opposition types, October 22 through November 17, starting with the harsh Mars/Pluto square of October 22 and ending with the powerful Mars/Uranus opposition. In between, Mars will square Saturn on November 10.
Of course, we would like to think the bearish counter-trends are over and the bullish trends are resuming. And that might be the case. Even the transits to the NYSE “buttonwood” chart (May 17, 1792) support this view, as transiting Mars conjoins the Jupiter/Neptune conjunction in that chart, October 15-29. It is followed by transiting Jupiter doing the same November 2-Deember 20. Maybe the stock indices of the world will continue to rally, but the challenges facing world leaders haven’t ended. And we still have that final Saturn/Uranus square looming ahead on December 24, which closely follows the equally powerful Venus retrograde (conjunct Pluto) on December 19. Historically, stock markets that are rising into a Saturn/Uranus quarter cycle (conjunction, square, or opposition) top out at least 1-2 months before their final passage.
There is a lot to like about what happened last week in world stock markets. There is also still a lot to be concerned with as well. People may be making money via the economy and the stock market. But world leaders and their governments are still having problems agreeing on major initiatives to move their societies and economies forward, while at the same time consumer prices for goods are rising faster than wages. The Fed is cornering itself between deciding to fight inflation or continuing to stoke a strong economy. Something has to give, and my view is that judgement day will come in December when those cosmic giants discussed above will collide.
Collisions are the nature of Saturn/Uranus. There is usually some pain and conflict that goes along with it. The thing about conflicts is that one actually and ultimately benefits from embracing them. To do that, one has to have the will to grow. It is important to embrace conflicts for what they yield, not for how they feel. They are uncomfortable and even painful to go through. But that’s the price to pay for poor decisions. It is also the price to pay to grow as a society.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
NOTE 1: TWO MORE WEEKS OF OUR ANNUAL FORECAST PRE-ORDER EVENT! That’s it! Only two more weeks to pre-order Forecast 2022 for only $45 and take advantage of our annual subscription discounts (10% off any subscription of $275 or more)!
Although 2021 is not yet over, several forecasts made in the 2021 book have already unfolded. For a review of the Forecast 2021 Book as of September 23, 2021, please visit our Scorecard.
This pre-publication period will be in effect through October 31 and will include our once-a-year sale discounts on both the annual Forecast Book and MMA Subscription Reports. You may pre-order Forecast 2022 at the discounted rate of $45. After the pre-order event ends, the price will increase to $55 on November 1st. Order both an eBook and print book (Forecast 2022 Bundle) for only $65, a savings of $45 off the standard rates. This may be a good idea as printers report they are 2-4 weeks behind normal completion schedules this year all over the country. We will have the book completed before December 1st as always, but we cannot promise it will get printed and mailed by December 15th this year as has been the case for the past 45 years. You can also save 10% off any subscription ($275+) with purchase of Forecast 2022. Use code SALE2022 at checkout to receive the subscription discount. Click here to learn more about this once-a-year sale.
This year we are again pleased to announce the publication of our TRENDS FOR THE TWELVE SIGNS 2022 book, which will include the individual Sun Signs forecasts. This very popular book on the annual outlook for each sign is 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 me 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 with the Forecast 2022 Book. To order this book, click here.
This year’s printed and/or e-Book versions of Forecast 2022 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/
NOTE 2: THE OCTOBER-NOVEMBER ISSUE OF THE ICRs (International Cycles Reports) will be released this week, October 19-20. The ICR Financials includes analysis on ASX (Australian Stock Index), RUT (Russell 2000), SSE (Chinese Shanghai Stock Composite), HSI (Hang Seng Index), AUD (Australian Dollar), DXY (US Dollar), and GBP (British Pound). The ICR Commodities Report includes analysis on LC (Live Cattle), MJ (Cannabis), XAU (Gold and Silver), KT (Coffee), KA (Sugar), C (Corn), and W (Wheat). These reports are written by MMA Analyst and editor Mark Shyterman (metals, stock indices, and soft commodities), MMA President Raymond Merriman (China’s Shanghai Composite Index), MMA Analysts Ken Liao (Hang Seng), Ulric Aspegrén, (Currencies), Isabella Suleymanova (Grains), and Gianni Di Poce (Australian ASX and Dollar, Cannabis, and Live Cattle). Order now to make sure you get this month’s report! Consider our October Only Subscription for only $35.
Stay tuned as the ICR Commodities report will soon add Copper to its analysis! Copper prices have long been considered a leading indicator for the economy. In May of 2021, they reached an all-time high. The research on Copper cycles by Portfolio Manager Matthieu Kaiser of Paris, and a current student at the Merriman Market Timing Academy (MMTA), is one of the finest studies on cycles I have seen to date. His research on Copper cycles is stunning. He is on schedule to issue his first analysis on Copper via ICR Commodities newsletter in the November issue. Sign up now to make sure you get this report! His work is amazing.
NOTE 3: THE NEW MERRIMAN ON MARKET CYCLES: THE BASICS book is out! The printed edition has just been received on Friday, October 1, and the eBook is also available! And already the first edition is nearly sold out! This new edition contains the most comprehensive and modern listing of 175 long-, intermediate-, and short-term financial cycles in over 40 financial, currency, and commodity markets available anywhere! The book is a clearly written text on the MMA methodology for determining cycles periodicities and recognizing patterns within those cycles. It is a 72-page basic book for those who want to improve their timing skills by integrating cycles analysis with technical studies. It is a glossy softcover, 8-1/2” x 11” with illustrations to demonstrate the correct way to count cycle lengths, identify their phases with instruction on the trading strategies used to successfully trade each phase. The cost of the new version is $35.00. We have less than 5 print copies available as of Thursday.
NOTE 4: THE OCTOBER ISSUE OF THE MMA Monthly Cycles Report was released last week. If you are a subscriber and did not receive it, let us know at once. 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. If you are not a subscriber to the MMA Monthly Cycles Report and would like a copy of MMA’s outlook for financial markets, consider trying the October issue for only $35. And keep in mind that subscribers to this report will also receive a complimentary addendum and mid-term report of MMA Monthly Cycles written by MMTA student Pouyan Zolfagarnia two weeks later on October 26!
NOTE 5: NEW OPTION TO MMA MONTHLY CYCLES REPORT! We are adding a mid-month option to the MMA Cycles Report by Pouyan Zolfagarnia, one of the top students in the Merriman Market Timing Academy (MMTA). This is for subscribers of that report only and will be issued as a complimentary addendum through December, after which there will be a charge of $95/year (or $45/three months, or $20/issue) to continue to receive it as an addendum to MMA Cycles. The first pilot of this addendum went out last month and the reviews have been extremely favorable from subscribers who received it. It has very attractive graphics, is clearly written with a little more emphasis on geocosmics (including charts) and is basically an excellent and not-so-technical update of the MMA Cycles Report. If you wish to receive a copy of this visually and analytically excellent report, you can simply sign up for a one-month trial to MMA Cycles and you will also receive both the monthly cycles report and this mid-term addendum. As mentioned, this report will be delivered at no cost to subscribers of MMA Monthly Cycles Report through December 2021. To order click here.
Really excellent, with the color-coding and shading, etc. Nice complement to Ray’s work and obvious edge of experience. I would definitely subscribe to this. J.N, trader and subscriber.
Just wanted to let you know that I thoroughly enjoyed the first issue of the MMA Monthly Cycle Report Mid-Month Addendum. I felt the analysis was clear and relevant. Looking forward to next month’s analysis. If the following months are as insightful as this issue, I will be a purchaser of this subscription. M.T. MMA Cycles subscriber.
NOTE 6: Coming in January! A new ETF report by MMTA Director Gianni di Poce! We have received many requests for an ETF report from readers who prefer trading ETFs on commodities and financials rather than futures contracts. So, we are organizing a new service for those who wish to have a monthly ETF report. The ETFs to be covered will include a precious metal (probably GLD), stock index (probably an S&P), Treasury Notes or Bonds, and Bitcoin. Stay tuned for more information as plans develop. Gianni, like Pouyan, is an excellent and easy-to-read analyst trained in MMA’s market timing methodology. He also has an MBA from the University of Michigan. He understands and uses fundamentals in his analysis.
For any questions, please contact us at customerservice@mmacycles.com or call (248) 626-3034, or (800) MMA-3349.
EVENTS
January 14, 2022: Zurich, Switzerland: Trends for 2022, sponsored by AstroData, and featuring Claude Weiss, Alexandra Klinghammer, Monica Kissling, Verena Bachman, Antonia Langsdorf, Raymond Merriman and others. This special event will be given online due to COVID-19 meeting restrictions that have been implemented in Zurich at the present time. For more information, contact AstroData at www.astrodata.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 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.