REVIEW AND PREVIEW
Stocks finished Friday lower, after swinging wildly throughout the session due to technical factors. A number of headlines also raised concern about a resurgence in the coronavirus and a slowdown in the economy’s recovery… Apple said it’s reclosing a total of 11 stores in Florida, Arizona, South Carolina and North Carolina. – Fred Imbert and Yun Li, “S&P Ends Roller-Coaster Session Lower, But Ekes Out Gain for the Week,” www.cnbc.com, June 19, 2020.
Heliocentric Mercury was indeed at work early this week. This started June 16 and remains in effect through June 28. This one will be interesting because now Mercury’s geocentric position has turned retrograde (June 18-July 12). This could get wacky, or rather more whacky, because helio Mercury in Sagittarius is given to wild price swings and Mercury retrograde is given to… tricks and misdirection. It is a good time be a chiropractor, or at least know a good one.
Stock markets of the world have followed a similar pattern to one another since the lunar eclipse of Friday, June 5. That is, most of them made their cycle high June 5 or the following Monday, June 8. Most fell rather hard to their major cycle lows of last Monday, June 15. Most then rallied to secondary highs on Friday, June 19, with some making new cycle highs as we enter the weekend of the solar eclipse.
In Europe, the Netherlands AEX made its cycle high on June 5, declined into a low June 15, and then made a double top on Friday, June 19. The German DAX and London FTSE made their cycle highs on June 8, followed by major cycle lows June 15, and then lower highs on June 19. But the Zurich SMI made a high June 10, a low June 15 and a new cycle high on June 19, for a case of inter-market bearish divergence in the Euro zone.
In Asia and the Pacific Rim, there was also a case inter-market bearish divergence on Friday, June 15, as China’s Shanghai Composite soared to its highest level since March 11. However, the other indices in this region topped out June 8-10, with major cycle lows June 15, and lower highs June 19.
There was already inter-market bearish divergence in the Americas as the NASDAQ had made an all-time on June 10 without the other indices doing the same. All made major cycle lows last Monday, June 15, and secondary highs on June 19, but at lower prices than the highs of June 5-10. Even after posting these secondary highs early on Friday, all fell sharply after Apple announced it was closing stores again in the South due to the resurgence of COVID-19. The DJIA closed down 208 points after being up nearly 400 points earlier. This is typical heliocentric Mercury in Sagittarius, combined with Mercury retrograde, on a day the Moon was in Gemini, the sign that Mercury rules.
Gold and Silver also had strong moves last week. Gold started the week testing 1700, well above its major cycle low of 1671 a week earlier. Silver started the week testing 17.00, a new 5-week low, creating a case of inter-market bullish divergence. Then, heliocentric Mercury moved into Sagittarius, and as happens about 75% of the time, both Gold and Silver started a nice rally. By Friday, Gold had traded above 1760 and Silver above 18.00 intraday. Crude Oil was also a star last week, and why not? As reported previously, there are a slew of Neptune and Jupiter signatures in effect June 11-30, and both rule Crude Oil. And as if taking its cue from the cosmos, Crude Oil rallied to a new post-crash high of 40.60 on Friday, June 19. Since its historic 36-year cycle low of 6.50 on April 21, Crude has gained over 500% in less than 2 months.
SHORT-TERM GEOCOSMICS
This is the middle of yet another geocosmic deluge. We will have several in 2020. Unlike the year 2019, when there were no declines exceeding 7.5% in the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), this year has already seen six (6) declines exceeding 8%, including the crash from February 12-20 to the low of March 23, when the DJIA lost over 38% of its value, its steepest decline in 11 years. And this year is only half over. Another 10% decline may have formed last Monday, June 15, if it is not still underway.
Let’s start with Mercury turning retrograde on Thursday, June 18, and lasting through July 12. This is a time when communications often get distorted, so be sure you know what you or the other person really mean, and not just what they say. This is apt to be difficult anyway because four days later, on June 22, Neptune (planet of illusion, delusion, and confusion) turns retrograde. This entire effort of acquiring accurate information is even more challenging because right in the midst these two retrogrades is the total solar eclipse on June 21, which just happens to be on the summer solstice. Mercury the trickster is likely to be trickier than ever, which in turn may mean the financial markets are more bizarre than usual – and they are truly bizarre in 2020, as already witnessed.
Yet financial markets may act even more bizarre these next two weeks. Venus will represent a third planet changing direction within a week. She will turn direct on June 25, and this is one of the most powerful correlates to primary cycle lows or highs if given a 10-day orb (and usually much less). You may think that will be a high, and you might be right because the market is closer to its post-crash high than its crash low. However, don’t get too comfortable with that view because on June 30, Jupiter (exaggeration) conjoins Pluto (“Who let the dogs out?”). This is a combination we refer to as “extreme measures” and it can also correlate with extreme price moves. In fact, the Jupiter/Pluto conjunction has an even higher correlation to primary cycles (high or low) in the U.S. stock market than Venus direct.
Bottom line: this may be an excellent time for short-term, aggressive, trading profits. But it can also be a dangerous time if you are on the wrong side of the market. And with Mercury the trickster retrograde, be on the alert for a slew of false signals. With Mercury and Neptune turning retrograde and Venus turning direct, we cannot rule out the possibility of a good news-bad news week cancelling each other out, a tug of war between the bulls and the bears. Expect the unexpected and expect fakeouts in charting signals. Neptune retrograde doesn’t make that any less the case. This can be a highly entertaining time if you don’t mind political leaders becoming unnerved and slinging mud at one another. It can also be a time of floods (there may literally be much mud to sling) and the health threat from the pandemic may reach another crisis peak, so… protect yourself. Be smart and careful. Our motto for traders during the next three weeks is: “take profits too soon, rather than risk losses for being too late.”
LONGER-TERM GEOCOSMIC THOUGHTS
Recent history has not been especially kind to militant efforts to advance racial equality. Writing last month in the American Political Science Review, (Princeton scholar) Omar Wasow described the results of a 15-year research project on the political consequences of protests. Mr. Wasow, who is black, found that the “types of protest tactics employed” can make all the difference in advancing a social cause. “Non-violent black-led protests played a critical role in tilting the national political agenda towards civil rights (while) black-led resistance that included protester-initiated violence contributed to outcomes directly in opposition to the policy preferences of the protesters.” Most black people know that young black men have far more to fear from their peers than from the cops. And they know that the rioters are opportunists, not revolutionaries. – Jason Riley, “America Has a Silent Black Majority,” Wall Street Journal, June 17, 2020.
The latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News Poll shows that a stunning 80% of Americans think the country is out of control. Many will blame him (Trump) for letting the country slip out of control, but he is counting on voters who think a strongman is the person who can reassert control… this represents a Trumpian attempt to turn a liability into an asset. – Gerald F. Seib, “For Trump, A Clear Campaign Script Emerges,” Wall Street Journal, June 16, 2020.
“Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.” Winston Churchill, as re-quoted from the Wall Street Journal Opinion Page, June 19, 2020.
Many people fear the coronavirus is the greatest threat to life and the national (even world) economy today and will be for some time. But if you live in the U.S. and you are a student of Mundane Astrology, you are more apt to believe the greatest threat is civil unrest, racial inequality, and protests turning violent. As described in the Forecast 2020 Book, we are now in between Saturn conjunct Pluto in Capricorn (January 12, 2020) and Saturn in Aquarius square to Uranus in Taurus (February-December 2021). In all cases since 1900, severe stock market declines have occurred when hard aspects unfolded between Saturn/Pluto and Saturn/Uranus within one calendar year. The last two instances involved the dot-com bubble burst in 2000-2002, and the Great Recession of 2008-2010. We are here again in 2020-2021.
The 2021 Saturn/Uranus square is especially interesting because these two planets were also in square aspect to one another in 1999-2000, but in exactly the opposite signs: Saturn was in Taurus and Uranus was in Aquarius. In 2021, that will be reversed. The stock market topped out in 2000, led by technology stocks. That bubble had a second burst when the World Trade Center (and America) was attacked on September 11, 2001, as Saturn was in opposition to Pluto, leading the world into the “War on Terrorism” era. By October 2002, the NASDAQ had lost 80% of its value from its high in March 2000. The Great Recession of 2008-2010, when Saturn was in opposition to Uranus, and both in a T-square to Pluto, was also noted for its violence in the uprisings named the “Arab Spring.”
In fact, we can go back to 1965-1966 when Saturn was in opposition to the Uranus/Pluto conjunction and see similar themes occurring today. That too was a time of protests turned violent when many people thought the country was slipping out of control, and the “Law and Order” candidate (Richard Nixon) won the election. That was also the time the DJIA crossed the 1000 point threshold for the first time in history (1966). It lasted less than a week and then a 26.5% decline commenced over the next 8 months.
It would be totally naive to think that we live in safe times right now, or to believe that everything is under control. It’s not. From the cosmic perspective Saturn rules law and order. It can be very authoritarian and repressive on the one hand, or very responsible, goal-oriented, and just on the other. But it has been in Aquarius, March 21-July 1, 2020, and it will return there December 17, 2020 through March 7, 2023. Aquarius is the sign that values independence, freedom, and revolutionary thought or activity. Uranus is the planet that rules Aquarius, so in a square aspect from Saturn (authority), it is apt to be in conflict with Uranus, which seeks freedom and abhors repression and authoritarianism. The combination may result in the path of least resistance as not just protests, but radical demands for change that can turn violent. Thus, the threat to life is not likely to be solely or even mostly about the COVID-19 virus as time progresses, but more upon the threat to civil order and the potential for violence.
The United States is particularly vulnerable because at the same time it will be undergoing its Pluto return. In the July 2, 1776 chart of the U.S. vote for Independence, the Moon was also conjunct Pluto. Thus, this is no ordinary 248-year Pluto return. It is also the first time Pluto will cross over the U.S. Moon – and the U.S. is a Cancer country, which is ruled by the Moon. This is serious geocosmic messaging, a critical juncture in the destiny of the U.S. Will it survive? I believe it will, but this is not going to be easy. Neither was 1966-1969. 2000-2002, or 2008-2010.
But back to why I think America (U.S.) will survive. Because ultimately everything goes back to the natal or founding chart. If the U.S. was born on July 2, 1776, as the vote for independence was concluded just before noon, Libra is rising, with the Sun, Venus (ruler), and Jupiter stellium on the MC (Midheaven). Of course, that’s a big “if” because we don’t know the exact time or even date that really applies. As astrologers, we know there are several charts postulated over the years. But as explained in my article on “America at a Crossroads,” written in late 2014, I explain why I prefer this time and that chart. Nothing has changed since that article was written. But things may be about to change now with Saturn square Uranus in 2021, following Saturn conjunct Pluto in 2020.
And one more thing to note about the U.S. chart and this weekend’s solar eclipse. It falls on the U.S. Venus at zero degrees Cancer in the July 2, 1776 chart. It also falls on Elizabeth Warren’s Sun/Uranus conjunction at zero degrees Cancer.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
NOTE 1: The ICR (International Cycles Reports) will be released this week, June 23-24. 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 Aspegren (Currencies), Isabella Suleymanov (Grains), and Gianni Di Poce (Australian ASX and Dollar, Cannabis (MJ), and Live Cattle). Order now to make sure you get this month’s report!
NOTE 2: The MMA Monthly Cycles Report for June-July 2020 came out last week. This issue addressed the set of triple retrogrades coming up in the second half of June, which also coincides with the second of three passages of the Jupiter/Pluto conjunction on June 30. This is another very important period of potential primary cycle reversals for many markets. Every issue provides MMA’s outlook for the U.S. stock market (DJIA and S&P futures), Gold and 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. If you are not a subscriber to the monthly MMA Cycles Report and wish a copy of our outlook for financial markets, consider a one-time-payment June report for only $35.
NOTE 3: Get ready for MMTA 2 (the second 2-year program on the Merriman Market Timing Academy). This is the rare opportunity to learn the MMA Methodology of financial market timing and financial market analysis. Starting October 24, the second offering of MMTA will begin, led by MMTA graduate Gianni Di Poce with assistance from founder Raymond Merriman. It will be the first time this 2-year course will be offered in English since 2014. It will be offered online. There will be 12-20 classes per course, 8 courses in all. Each course will take place in 6-7 weekly online segments that will last 2-3 hours each. These will take place live on Saturdays, and video recordings will be available by the following Monday to those who are registered. There will be a one-month break between each course. The cost for the 2-year program is $12,000, with a 10% discount for those who register by September 20, 2020. To enroll, you will need to know how to read an ephemeris or purchase the DVD that instructs how to do this. There will be a certificate of graduation (as an MMTA apprentice) for those who take and pass exams at the end of each course and complete a research project with teams of three members between courses. Courses may be taken separately, without exams and research papers, if one only wishes the knowledge without the certificate of graduation. For more information and schedule, please visit our MMTA description and find out how you can become a financial market timer and analyst, the MMA way.
EVENTS
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.
Wednesday, September 9, 2020: Raymond 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, 2020: 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. Please note: This conference may be re-scheduled. The discussion to re-schedule or go online is underway.
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.