REVIEW AND PREVIEW
Larry Kudlow, the chief economic adviser to President Trump, accused staff members of the Federal Reserve’s Board of being part of the “deep state.” – Megan Henney, “Larry Kudlow Accuses Feb Board of Being ‘Deep State,’” https://foxbusiness.com, October 17, 2019.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Friday blasted President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from northern Syria, calling the move “a grave strategic mistake” in an op-ed for Washington Post. “The recently announced pullout risks repeating the Obama administration’s reckless withdrawal from Iraq, which facilitated the rise of the Islamic State in the first place,” McConnell wrote in the op-ed. While his piece does not explicitly lay blame at Trump’s feet — or even mention his name — it warns that the Trump administration’s sudden foreign policy shift “will leave the American people and homeland less safe, embolden our enemies, and weaken important alliances.”– Kevin Breuninger, “Mitch McConnell Blasts Trump’s Syria Withdrawal as a ‘Strategic Nightmare.’” https://www.cnbc.com, October 18, 2019.
President Donald Trump will host world leaders at a G-7 economic summit in 2020 at his Doral golf resort in Miami, the White House said Thursday, despite condemnation from lawmakers and the president’s critics who said he is again using public duties for personal gain. – David Jackson and John Fritze, “Trump to Host G-7 at his Golf Club in Miami,” USA Today. October 18, 2019.
Global equity markets started out strong last week, on the heels of the productive trade meetings between the U.S. and China one week ago. But then the market’s biggest risk – the “political risk” – began to take over as a series of criticisms and concerns regarding President Trump’s decisions, actions, and even psychological stability begin to emerge, even as the investigation into possible impeachment proceedings continued to unfold. It was not a good week for Donald Trump, although he did give a rousing speech in Texas on Thursday evening that demonstrated that his supporters still love him, still stand behind him.
The geocosmic climate of last week was also interesting. The week began with the opposition of Venus and Uranus on Saturday, October 12, and Jupiter forming a sesquiquadrate (135°) to Uranus on Monday, October 14, with the Full Moon making a T-square with Pluto in between the two Uranus signatures. The Full Moon in a T-square with Pluto likely relates to the impeachment proceedings, as well as more “tell-all” books and articles being released that reveal a White House in chaos under the President’s watch. But the Uranus aspects are more important to our work as market timers, for they usually coincide with either a reversal in market prices (counter-trend moves) or a breakout of long-standing resistance or support zones. Looking at the performance of world equity markets last week, one can see signs of both types of market behavior.
In the U.S. the Dow Jones Industrial Average made its weekly high on Tuesday, October 16, then began to pull back. On Thursday, October 17, both the S&P and NASDAQ futures made their weekly highs, as the Moon entered Gemini. But by the end of Friday, all three markets had pulled back sharply, with the DJIA down 255 points on that day alone. A Gemini Moon period (Thursday-Friday) has that potential to coincide with sharp market reversals, but they don’t necessarily last very long. Still, it is a concern that the DJIA peaked right after the Uranus aspects and didn’t break to new highs.
In Asia and the Pacific Rim, a similar pattern unfolded in the Shanghai Composite Index, which made a triple top on Monday, October 14, and then started a decline into the end of the week. But in Japan, India, and Hong Kong, stock markets exploded higher right into the end of the week, with the Nikkei rising to its highest level of 2019.
In Europe, the German DAX rallied to its highest level of the year on October 17. No other European indices made new highs for this year last week, for a case of intermarket bearish divergence of indices in the same region.
In other markets, Crude Oil rallied to its highest mark since its probable primary cycle low of October 3, testing 55.00 on Monday October 14. It pulled back for 2 days, and then started to climb again by the end of the week, looking poised to go higher this week. The Euro currency had a good week, soaring to 1.1172 on Friday, its highest level in 2 months. It is starting to flash signs that a long-term cycle low may have occurred on October 1, at 1.0877. If so, this will bode well for Gold and Silver, which were both relatively quiet last week, but still holding above their probable primary cycle lows of October 1. It was not a great week for Bitcoin, however, as it dropped back to 7719 on Friday, testing its multi-month low of 7671 made on October 7. If that can hold as a double bottom, it could be very bullish. But if it breaks, another 20% decline may be “in the stars.” With Uranus in Taurus for another 5-6 years, I would not count this cryptocurrency out of another huge rally again in the near future.
SHORT-TERM GEOCOSMICS
In terms of geocosmic activity, it was relatively quiet last week following the Uranus aspects and the Full Moon T-square of Pluto, which may have correlated with the electrical shutdown by PG&E and a 4.5 Earthquake in San Francisco that hit Californians, October 9-14.
The next series of major geocosmic signatures begins on October 27, when Mars will form a waning square to Saturn and Pluto that will last through November 5. This is a geopolitical dynamic, one that might exhibit combative, war-like rhetoric or action. Mars with Pluto and Saturn symbolizes a threat to human life or nature, and a need to explore alternatives to any actions that might be perceived as hostile and coercive. Mars is in Libra, which is its detriment. Since Libra rules agreements where both sides see a need to compromise in order to “close the deal,” and Mars represents the principle of “me first,” or “my way or the highway,” it suggests that new (Mars) proposals may be offered to move negotiations (Libra) forward. But with Saturn and Pluto involved, there may be difficulty finding acceptance rather than resistance. If there is no willingness to compromise, the result may be anger and frustration from one of the parties, and the process could be in danger of breaking down. This applies to both the trade negotiations between the U.S. and China, and the impeachment proceedings (Saturn and Pluto) involving President Trump.
Given that the New Moon (Sun/Moon conjunction) will be in opposition to Uranus (October 28), while Mercury will be turning retrograde (October 31-November 20) during this the same time, it is advisable to be patient and make sure all possibilities and their outcomes are considered before acting or reacting impulsively. In the case of the U.S. President, we also note that the first two weeks of November is especially highly charged. It is a TMI period, (“Too Much Information” and a “Trump Mars Indicator”). It is a time when the political risk to the market is most highlighted.
How will equity markets react during this period? Well, between October 27 and November 14, there are five geocosmic signatures that have a strong correlation to sudden sharp but possibly brief reversals. These do not necessarily end the bull market trend, but they can indicate sudden 1-4 day declines. And given that we are entering the final two months of the 13-month transit of Jupiter through Sagittarius, a long-term cycle crest continues to be due. The ideal time was/is August 2019 +/- 2 months, and so far, the high in the S&P and NASDAQ occurred in the last week of July, which is right on time. Yet, the market has not yet broken down, so we cannot rule out the possibility of another thrust up to a new all-time high in at least one major U.S. equity market, if not all three, that we track.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
NOTE 1: The ICR (International Cycles Reports) from MMA will be issued THIS WEEK, October 22-23. 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 Massimo Moras (Live Cattle and Hang Seng).
NOTE 2: The MMA Monthly Cycles Report was issued last week to all active subscribers of that report. This report will provides our latest analysis and outlook for U.S. stock indices (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. If you are not a subscriber to the monthly MMA Cycles Reports and wish a copy of this month’s outlook for financial markets, consider taking out a 1-month trial subscription NOW. With stocks approaching their all-time highs again, and Gold recently making a new 6-year high, and Jupiter soon to leave Sagittarius as the 2020 “Capricorn Stellium” begins is less than 2 months, this is an important juncture for many financial markets.
NOTE 3: LESS THAN 2 WEEKS LEFT!!! The pre-order sale for Forecast 2020 is now underway! This once-a-year sale includes discounts on both the annual Forecast Book and MMA Subscription Reports and will be in effect through October 31st. You may pre-order Forecast 2020 now at the discounted rate of $45. After our sale ends, the price will increase to $55 on November 1st. Order both an eBook and print book (Forecast 2020 Bundle) for only $65, a savings of $45 off the standard rates. Save 10% off any subscription ($275+) with purchase of Forecast 2020. Use code SALE2020 at checkout to receive the subscription discount.
MMA’s 2019 Scorecard (from Forecast 2019 Book) as of September 6, 2019, is now available for viewing! See how we did HERE on our Website.
NOTE 4: MMA’s Daily and Weekly subscription reports are the best way to keep up with rapidly changing markets! If you are an active short-term trader, or even if you are an investor who likes to keep up with our current thoughts on financial markets, you will be interested in MMA’s Weekly or Daily Market reports. The Weekly reports give an in-depth analysis of the DJIA, S&P and NASDAQ futures, Euro currency (cash and futures), Dollar/Yen cash and Yen futures, Euro/Yen cash, Swiss Franc, T-Notes, Soybeans, Crude Oil, Gold and Silver, and Bitcoin. The Daily reports cover all stock indices listed above, as well as the Euro Currency, Japanese Yen, Bitcoin, T-Notes, Gold and Silver, plus GLD and SLV (the Gold and Silver ETF’s). Both reports provide trading strategies and recommendations for position traders and shorter-term aggressive traders. Save $360 on an annual subscription to the MMA Daily Report (which also includes the full weekly subscription reports) by ordering before October 31!
EVENTS
January 12, 2020: The Saturn/Pluto Conference: “Reset Astrology: Start of a New Era,” Zurich, Switzerland, featuring Claude Weiss, Monica Kissling, Verna Bachmann, Alexandra Klinghammer, Klemens Ludwig, Markus Jehle, Dr. Christof Niederwieser, and Raymond Merriman. For more information, visit https://www.astro2020.ch.
February 8, 2020: MMA’S FORECAST 2019 LIVE WEBINAR will take place on Saturday, February 8, 2020. 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 next 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, and currencies will be discussed. Cost is $55.00, and includes the slides of the presentation, plus a downloadable MP4 recording of the event. If unable to attend live, you can still sign up, as everyone who orders the Webinar will receive the MP4 recording, following the live event.
September 9-14, 2020: The ISAR 2020 Conference 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 TRENDS AND MARKET REVERSALS. This course will provide research studies showing the correlation of astrological factors to short-term and longer-term financial market timing in stock markets, precious metals, and Bitcoin. 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.