REVIEW
Stocks fell sharply on Friday, wiping out the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s gain for January, as investors grew increasingly worried about the potential economic impact of China’s fast-spreading coronavirus. The Dow dropped 650 points, or 2.3%, after Delta and American suspended all flights between China and the U.S. United Airlines announced similar measures later in the day. The Dow was also on pace for its worst day since August… Ilya Feygin, senior strategist at WallachBeth Capital, noted, “there’s fear going into the weekend. The theme coming into this year was the Fed and Trump are going to bail us out of any problems, but the virus is something neither one can do anything about. That’s a reason to become more fearful.” – Fred Imbert, “Dow Plunges 650 Points as Friday’s Sell-Off Tied to the Coronavirus Accelerates Into the Close.” www.cnbc.com, January 31, 2020.
Global equity markets were very volatile last week, corresponding to the changing outlook regarding the Coronavirus outbreak between being out of control versus being under control. On Monday, it was hysteria as the Dow Jones Industrial Average sold off 450 points. The next two-three days, signs were imcreasing that the virus was not much of a threat after all. The DJIA rose over 500 points from Monday’s low. But on Friday, new reports came out that the threat is very serious, travel restrictions and quarantines are being implemented, and the DJIA fell over 600 points.
The suddenly changing outlook on the Coronavirus outbreak represents a classic dilemma symbolized by Mars in Sagittarius square Venus and Neptune in Pisces (out of control) that was in force last weekend, versus Saturn conjunct Pluto in Capricorn (obsession with the need to be in control, or at least appear to be in control). But Saturn/Pluto also represent the potential for serious threat to human life, through nature or human-initiated behavior. Right now, the more serious and longer-lasting correspondence with Saturn and Pluto appears to supersede the short-term and transitory correspondence to hysteria represented by the Neptune aspects, and this in turn may have more than a short-term correspondence to global equity prices.
The sharp price swings in global stock markets, however, are also typical of the Sun now transiting through the tropical sign of Aquarius (January 20-February 19). Aquarius is one of the hardest Sun signs in which to predict market behavior because – like its ruler Uranus – it is a time when support and resistance often fail spectacularly. You may remember the Aquarius period in February 2018 when the DJIA suffered its two biggest down days of over 1000 points. Prices break through support and resistance with fury. This may become even more apparent when Mercury goes retrograde in two weeks, which is another geocosmic signature known for its tendency to quickly shift from bullish or bearish signals in short time bands.
In periods like these, it is important for traders to keep their eyes on the larger picture, or the trend that is likely in force beyond the 3-4 weeks that Mercury is retrograde or the Sun transits through the sign of Aquarius. Despite the sharp sell off early last week, the trend is still bullish in most world indices, as well as Gold. However, in the case of equities, subscribers of MMA reports (daily, weekly and monthly, even the annual Forecast Book) are well aware that a 50-week and 15.5-month cycle low time band is in effect in which equities will likely decline more than any decline witnessed in 2019. After all, Jupiter is also now in Capricorn in 2020. Last year it was in Sagittarius, which is more bullish.
In other markets, Crude Oil also sold off sharply. Three weeks ago, Crude Oil had rallied to its highest level since April 2019. Now it is testing $50/barrel, near its low of all of 2019. With metals, it was a strange and volatile week. Silver fell to 17.28 on Wednesday, its lowest mark of January. But Gold performed rather well, rising to its highest mark on Friday since its six-year high of January 8. Bitcoin and Treasuries also performed very well last week. With Treasuries, it is not surprising. In times of crisis, people will seek safety here. But Bitcoin is another matter, and its rally to its highest mark since November 4 may be attributed to geocosmics. Jupiter is in Capricorn and Bitcoin was founded when several planets were in Capricorn (January 3, 2009). One colleague who does an admirable job of following this chart closely is Robert Weinstein of the AstroCrypto Report. He will also be speaking at the ISAR 2020 conference in September (see Announcements below).
SHORT-TERM GEOCOSMICS
President Trump promised to lift the economy above the 2% growth trend of the Obama years, and for a while tax reform and deregulation did the trick. But his trade and tariff forays undermined business investment and global manufacturing, and the economy is now back down to a 2% growth plateau. That’s nowhere near a recession, but it is disappointing as a lost opportunity. – “The Growth Cost of Tariffs,” Wall Street Journal Opinion Page, January 31, 2020.
The U.S. economy expanded at a moderate 2.1% annual rate in the final three months of 2019, capping a year when a weak global landscape and a sharp pullback in business investment resulting from President Donald Trumps’ trade fights combined to slow growth….Most alarmingly, businesses have been sharply reducing their investment as ongoing trade fights have heightened uncertainty for corporations. – Martin Crutsinger, “US Economy’s Growth in 2019 Was Weakest of Past Three Years,” Associated Press, January 31, 2020.
The slowdown in economic growth is no surprise to Financial Astrologers, given that Jupiter moved from the opportunity sign of Sagittarius to the more restrained and cautious sign of Capricorn in the last quarter of 2019. This in turn can also affect the rate of gains in the U.S. stock market. As reported before, history shows a high correlation to long-term cycle peaks in U.S. stocks when Jupiter transits 10º Sagittarius through 20º Capricorn. We are in that range now, as Jupiter ingressed from Sagittarius into Capricorn on December 2, 2019, where it will remain until December 19, 2020.
The all-time high in the DJIA, so far, was recorded on January 17, the same week of the 32-37-year long-term planetary conjunction between Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn. The NASDAQ made its all-time high one week later, on January 24, during the new moon square Uranus and Venus/Neptune in Pisces being squared by Mars. Just as important in our research findings is the historical correspondence of Uranus turning direct on January 10. As stated last week, “As noted to subscribers of MMA market reports, Uranus direct is one of the strongest geocosmic correlates to the end of intermediate or longer-term cycles in U.S. stocks, within an orb of 12 trading days. Could that high of January 17 be the primary or even longer-term cycle crest? It is possible, based solely on this geocosmic indicator, for January 17 was only five trading days after the Uranus station.” The S&P (January 22) and NASDAQ (January 24) highs were also in this Uranus time band, and additionally, this was a perfect example of intermarket bearish divergence between related markets occurring during an MMA geocosmic Critical Reversal Date (CRD) time band.
The concern now is that there are no prominent transiting planetary signatures related to market reversals until a slew of them begin on February 16, when Mercury turns retrograde in Pisces, and Mars enters Capricorn. Both of these are important, especially to interest-rate related markets. Just as important will be the transit of Venus, which will square the Capricorn Stellium planets of Jupiter, Pluto, and Saturn (February 23-March 3), followed by the two conjunctions of Venus/Uranus and Sun/Neptune on March 8. One day later, Mercury turns direct, having moved back to the volatile sign of Aquarius.
The only geocosmic indicator of a possible reversal and rally of this new downtrend in equity markets is the transit of Mars in late Sagittarius, making a mild sextile aspect February 4-13 to the Jupiter/Neptune conjunction in the chart of the New York Stock Exchange (founded May 17, 1792). However, that will also overlap with the TMI (“Trump Mars Indicator”) cosmic sectors. That is, Mars will activate the charts of President Donald Trump, the U.S., and Iran in a “grand square” configuration with one another, January 28-February 10. With Mars in hard aspect to these charts, sudden eruptions of tempers may flare up, which may have an influence on world stock markets and precious metals markets. It’s also right in time for our annual Forecast webinar too, taking place next Sunday, February 9. I will have a lot to share in this one.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
NOTE 1: Watch your inbox this weekend for a special MMA Super Bowl Sunday Sale. This is a one-day only sale that will be offered only on our Website!!!
NOTE 2: Last week to sign up for The MMA Forecast 2020 Webinar which will take place on Sunday February 9, 2020 at 2:00 PM EST (that’s 11:00 AM PST and 7:00 PM GMT). This webinar will share important studies that will provide a guideline to work with now, and for possibly the next three years in regard to the stock market as indicted by the market timing studies of cycles and geocosmics. This once-a-year broadcast will show the odds for a potential stock market crash in 2020-2023 (it’s not 100%) and discuss what to do to protect one’s portfolio in that event. This webinar will discuss the geocosmic importance of Saturn conjunct Pluto that took place January 12 but is very much in evidence in today’s news (impeachment, assassinations, sports scandals, etc.). It will discuss the forthcoming Jupiter/Saturn conjunction on the Winter Solstice 2020, right after the U.S. election, and its historical correlation to economic and market cycles. Updates will be provided on financial markets since the book was written in November 2019, including the U.S. and German stock market (DAX), Gold and Silver, Crude Oil, Bitcoin, and currencies (Swiss Franc) will be discussed. Cost is $55.00, and includes the slides of the presentation, plus a video recording of the event. If unable to attend live, you can still sign up and receive the video recording following the live event.
SPECIAL BUNDLE PACKAGES NOW AVAILABLE!!! Start the New Year, 2020, by saving $20 on a January Monthly Report of your choice + the Forecast 2020 Webinar. Choose from the MMA Monthly Cycles + Webinar Bundle, ICR: Financials + Webinar Bundle, or ICR: Commodities + Webinar Bundle.
NOTE 3: The first issue of the year of the ICR (International Cycles Reports) from MMA was released this past week, January 25-26. 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 new 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 Analyst Raymond Merriman (China markets), MMA Analyst Ulric Aspegren (Currencies), Isabella Suleymanov (Grains), and Ken Liao (Hang Seng) and Gianni Di Poce (Australian ASX and Dollar, and Live Cattle). As you can see, we have new analysts for Live Cattle (Gianni) and the Hang Seng (Ken) as former MMA Analyst Massimo Moras takes on new duties. We fully expect the quality of analysis for these tow markets will continue to live up to the high standards that Massimo delivered.
NOTE 4: NEW MMA CRUDE OIL REPORT SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICE STILL IN EFFECT! The special introductory rate (save several hundreds of dollars!) for MMA’s new Crude Oil Report by MMA Analyst and MMTA Graduate Gianni Di Poce is still available to those who sign up before February 10th.
Crude Oil is once again becoming a very hot market. This is no surprise to readers of MMA reports over the past several years, for Mars is now in Sagittarius and Capricorn, a time when our studies have shown Crude Oil prices tend to be most volatile and vulnerable to large price swings. You have seen this volatility manifesting as of late. This time band began on January 3, concurrent with the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani that sent Crude Oil to a new multi-month high. We see more steep price changes coming up in the next three months while Mars transits these two signs. In this new report, Gianni will analyze Crude Oil from a daily, weekly and monthly perspective, and each report will conclude with trading strategies for each type of trader or investor. For those who don’t know Gianni Di Poce, we have posted an interview with him, conducted by MMA President Raymond Merriman on our website.
And one of the best parts of this is the new rate for this report. We have reduced the price from $2,500/ Year to $1,800/ Year. AND WE ARE OFFERING A 20% SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY DISCOUNT ON THE NEW RATE! Sign up now – before February 10 – for a 20% discount. For a sample of the Daily MMA Crude Oil Report, click HERE.
EVENTS
February 9, 2020: ONE MORE WEEK!!! SIGN UP NOW! MMA’S FORECAST 2020 WEBINAR will take place on Sunday, February 9, 2020, 2:00 PM EST. In the comfort of your own home or office, you can tune into Raymond Merriman’s annual worldwide Forecast 2020 Webinar. This broadcast will address subjects from this year’s Forecast 2020 Book, with updates on financial markets since the book was written in November 2019. Outlooks for the U.S. stock market, Gold and Silver, Crude Oil, Bitcoin, and currencies will be discussed. Cost is $55.00, and includes the slides of the presentation, plus a access to the video recording of the event. If unable to attend live, you can still sign up, as everyone who orders the Webinar will receive the video recording, following the live event. Sign up to attend the live event will close Friday at 6 PM, EST. Send your questions in now if you plan to attend!
September 9-14, 2020: The ISAR 2020 Conference in Colorado on “Reimagining the Future.” The largest and most exciting international astrological conference taking place in 2020. With a faculty of over 100 of the world’s top astrologers from 25 different countries, and very dynamic tracks on Financial Astrology, Mundane and Political Astrology, and other topics, this is an event you will not want to miss. On Wednesday, September 9, Ray Merriman will be conducting a 4-hour workshop on “Astrology and the Art of Financial Market Timing: How to Forecast Market Trends and Market Reversals.” This course will provide research studies showing the correlation of astrological factors to short- and longer-term financial market timing in stock markets, precious metals, and Bitcoin. It is the only workshop Ray plans to conduct in 2020.
Saturday, September 12, Raymond Merriman will be presenting a lecture on “The Times, They Are a Changin’ – The Political, Economic, and Monetary Revolution.” It’s not just the convergence of the 20-, 200-, and 800-year long-term Jupiter/Saturn cycles. It is also Saturn in Aquarius, squaring its ruler, Uranus, in Taurus. The convergence of the Jupiter/Saturn cycle in air sign Aquarius symbolizes the dawn of a new socio-economic-political era; the waning Saturn/Uranus square, the demise of an older order. What does this bode for financial markets of the world, and what can you do? We will discuss that in this lecture.
Sign up by April 19 and receive a pre-registration special discount price for the Main Conference. A discount for pre- and post-conference workshops is also in effect until April 19. To register or see more information on this spectacular event, go to go to https://isar2020.org and be prepared to be amazed!
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 a 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 hence potentially affect 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.