REVIEW AND PREVIEW
A week that started out as Democrats’ big push to destroy Mr. Trump, could instead easily come to be known as the week that ended Mr. Biden’s run. – Kimberly Strassel, “Taking Out Joe Biden,” Wall Street Journal, September 27, 2019.
What we know of the call (for impeachment) underscores Mr. Trump’s greatest flaw as President, which is his political narcissism. Every decision boils down to how it affects him or his re-election prospects. Other Presidents have made similar calculations, but Mr. Trump lacks the basic filter to know when he is crossing a line that creates trouble for himself or the country. – Review and Outlook, “Trump’s Ukraine Call,” Wall Street Journal, September 23, 2019.
Impeachment.
For several months this column has often stated that the biggest risk to the bull market in stocks and the economy in the United States is the political one. Last week’s dramatic events demonstrated this truism once again. And once again, the drama unfolded under the TMI (Trump Mars Indicator) in effect September 13-23. As in past cases, stock markets reacted negatively, as did the President, but then again, that was to be expected when Mars makes a hard aspect to three planets in one’s natal chart.
Most of the world’s stock indices were down from their highs of the prior week, just before the third and final passage of the Jupiter/Neptune waning square on Saturday, September 21. It was as if the “irrational exuberance” suddenly disappeared, and in its place, the realism of Saturn took over. Saturn turned direct on September 18, and the Venus is in the process of forming a challenging square to Saturn and Pluto on September 25 and 30 respectively. It may not be over. The Sun will also square Saturn and Pluto October 7-14. Whereas Jupiter and Neptune can coincide with exaggerated hopes, wishes, and fantasies that are not realistic or evidence-based, hard transiting aspects involving Saturn can be just the opposite: a stark reality check that serious high crimes and misdemeanors might be afoot and must be investigated. One’s actions, behaviors, and decisions must be accounted for, and any coverups (Neptune) must be brought to light (Saturn). The only problem is determining whether these activities really constitute high crimes and misdemeanors, or even “treason,” as the President alleges in connection with the whistleblower. Strange how it all closely relates to the symbolism of the Jupiter/Neptune and Saturn signatures now in force.
The question right now is: what is real and what is fantasy? Jupiter and Neptune in a square aspect can indeed suggest a “witch hunt,” an attempt to harm one’s reputation through allegations and rumors disguised as “credible,” but one in which the source is invisible and anonymous. It is so Neptunian.
Still, everyone seems to have an opinion, and many seem to have reached a verdict before the investigation has gotten underway, which is also characteristic of Neptune with Saturn highlighted. One interesting observation pointed out by astrologer Robert Thibodeau of Detroit, Michigan (who was one of the very few astrologers to predict that Donald Trump would be elected president in 2016 – and he is not a Republican himself) – is that in the chart of Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, transiting Neptune is now conjunct her natal Mercury. Mercury is the planet of communications and information, and Neptune can be a lack of either in making a decision or initiating action. It is a signature in which one must be careful of what is spoken or written, for pertinent facts and details may be missing. This is even more interesting because transiting Neptune is also making a T-square to Trump’s natal Sun/Uranus, which is in opposition to his natal Moon. That pertains to one’s reputation and trustworthiness issues. No doubt there is a lack of trust here between the two (one of the possible expressions between charts afflicted by transiting Neptune). But this may also become a case where Pelosi’s decision to start an impeachment investigation at this time has the unintended consequence of dooming Joe Biden’s presidential bid. Well, here comes Elizabeth Warren, just as this column forecasted recently (as well as in 2017) could be the nominee of the Democratic Party in 2020.
But let get back to the markets. In the few cases in which impeachment proceedings have started in the U.S., stock markets have declined to long-term cycle lows, but then bounced back. In 1998, Bill Clinton’s impeachment vote by the House resulted in a decline to the 4-year cycle low. But that decline only lasted two months, after which the stock market resumed its rally to a new all-time high. In 1974, impeachment proceedings started in February 1974. Shortly after, Richard Nixon resigned and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell to a 36-year cycle low in December of that year. They have never been that low since.
Not only did stocks indices suffer following the events of last week, but so did precious metals, Crude Oil, the Euro currency, and Bitcoin. By mid-week, Gold was back up to 1543 after dropping to a new six-week low of 1490 on our three-star critical reversal date of September 18. By Friday, September 27, Gold was back down to 1493 (it closed at 1503). Silver, on the other hand, fell to 17.34 on Friday, September 27, its lowest price in 5 weeks and down considerably from its multi-year high of 19.75 on September 4. This may become a chart pattern known as intermarket bullish divergence, if both metals hold those lows and rally next week. The Euro was noteworthy as it fell to its lowest mark in over two years on Friday as it tested 1.0900. Crude Oil also fell sharply from its high of the previous week at 63.38. On Friday, it was down to 54.70. That’s the nature of Saturn being highlighted right after the Jupiter/Neptune square. What seemed promising and optimistic suddenly gives way to a sober reality. We are a divided world in search of a trustworthy political leader and/or system.
SHORT-TERM GEOCOSMICS AND LONGER-TERM THOUGHTS
In a stinging speech on Monday, (Greta Thunberg) the teenage Swedish climate activist told governments that “You are still not mature enough to tell it like it is. You are failing us. But the young people are starting to understand your betrayal. You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. The eyes of all future generations are upon you. And if you choose to fail us, I say we will never forgive you. We will not let you get away with this. Right here, right now is where we draw the line.” Ollie Milman, “Greta Thunberg Condemns World Leaders in Emotional Speech at UN,” https://www.theguardian.com, September 23, 2019.
As we look forward, past the final passage of the Jupiter/Neptune waning square of last week, there are two long-term geocosmic factors looming ahead. The first is the end of Jupiter’s 13-month passage through Sagittarius, which will take place on December 2. The second is the “Capricorn Stellium” that will then begin, in which Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto will cross one another in Capricorn throughout 2020. The highlights of the “Capricorn Stellium” begin with the 32-37 year Saturn/Pluto conjunction cycle that will take place on January 12, 2020, and will end December 17-21, 2020 when Jupiter and Saturn cross over from Capricorn to Aquarius near the winter solstice.
The first long-term geocosmic factor will mark the end of a time band that has a rather high historical correlation to the culmination of long-term cycle highs in U.S. stock indices. In fact, those highs typically end well before the ingress takes place on December 2, 2019, when Jupiter leaves Sagittarius and enters Capricorn for the next year. The correlation between Jupiter in Sagittarius and long-term cycle crests is not 100%. There are cases where the rallies continued to higher prices even after Jupiter moved into Capricorn, although the amplitude of the rallies was greater before that ingress occurred. Our thought on this, as expressed in prior columns, was that the all-time high in U.S. stocks would be completed within two months of August 2019. So far, the high has been in late July 2019. Yet, there is no technical or charting confirmation that the crest has been completed, and won’t be until the DJIA falls below 24,680.
The second factor, the “Capricorn Stellium,” is interesting because it involves both a Saturn/Pluto and Jupiter/Saturn conjunction nearby to one another. The former is a 32-37 year planetary synodic cycle and the latter is a 20-year synodic cycle that is given great importance by Mundane Astrologers for centuries because of its association with broad changes of trends in the social and political arenas of human activity. As pointed out in the Forecast 2019 Book, this instance of Jupiter and Saturn ingressing together into Aquarius may mark the emergence of a new world leader, someone who comes onto the world’s stage and affects a major change in the path of civilization. It will not necessarily be in the arena of politics or involve the United States. It may be in the field of something more Aquarian – like a group or world movement that will alter the arc of the future in a way that benefits all of humankind. It is something to ponder, which I will do at greater length in the forthcoming Forecast 2020 Book.
Shorter-term, we note that Pluto will turn direct on Wednesday, October 2, and on Thursday, Mercury will ingress into Scorpio. The intensity of the investigations is likely to increase, for both Pluto and Scorpio rule intensity, and with Mercury involved, investigations will likely get underway, with demands for more information and radical reforms (calls for impeachment). The following week, Venus will also enter Scorpio (October 8), while the Sun begins its square aspect to Saturn and Pluto (October 7-14). This isn’t going to go away that fast. Markets are likely to struggle with determining what it means for the economy. October 14 will also find Jupiter making a sesquiquadrate to Uranus (135°), which will also connect with the Jupiter/Neptune waning square that is separating. But this aspect will also keep the Jupiter/Neptune hysteria going and may coincide with sudden sharp reversals or declines in stock prices, +/- one week. It could also coincide with damaging acts of nature (earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes), all of which come under the themes of Uranus and Neptune being highlighted.
What can you do? Remain calm and stable. You don’t also have to be a genius.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
NOTE 1: The ICR (International Cycles Reports) from MMA just came out LAST WEEK, September 24-25. If you subscribe to these reports and did not receive either, let us know at once. The ICR Financials Report 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 Shanghai Composite), MMA Analyst Ulric Aspegren (Currencies), Isabella Suleymanov (Grains), and Massimo Moras (Live Cattle and Hang Seng).
NOTE 2: 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 3: 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. Subscription to the Daily report also includes the Weekly report.
EVENTS
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.
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.