MMA WEEKLY - Financial Astrology commentary, Market timing, MMA Cycles, The Merriman Market Analyst

The Market Week in Review :

There are few areas of study that are more fascinating than the movement of planets through the zodiac and their correspondence to events affecting human activity. This, of course, is the study of Mundane Astrology. Of particular interest in this regard is the forthcoming election for the office of President of the United States. As indicated in prior columns, this year's election will take place on November 4, 2008, the same date that the first of five passages of Saturn in opposition to Uranus will take place. In the study of Astrology, Uranus represents the unexpected, the new, and something unconventional that defies tradition or history. Saturn, on the other hand, represents tradition or history, the Establishment, the expected, or that which is planned for. The cycle of Saturn and Uranus is a 45-year periodicity. The last time the opposition occurred was in 1965-66, a time when the youth revolted against the values and laws of the Establishment throughout the world. The youth and minority groups found their power, and affected elections and governments in many countries, including the United States. Prior to that, this same aspect unfolded in a five-phase passage from 1918 through 1920, and a similar movement of the youth against the Establishment erupted, as did a society that was not about to obey the new laws of prohibition, let alone accept the lack of rights or opportunities to women any longer.

As we approach the election of 2008, many Mundane and Financial Astrologers have been wondering how this rare planetary phenomenon was going to play out this time. Would the first woman ever be elected as President of the United States? It seemed quite possible over the past year. But what didn't seem possible was that a young African American could be elected to this post - not in the United States, not yet. But folks, this is Uranus. And out of nowhere just a few months ago, Barack Obama has now soared to become the leading candidate of the Democratic Party with 8 consecutive stunning primary victories in a row - many by double digit margins. Youth, minority group leader, charismatic.... he fits all the characteristics of Uranus. And who is Saturn? John McCain, potentially the oldest man ever to assume the role of President, and a candidate who wants to continue the mantle of the United States as the world's sole military leader, even if it means remaining in Iraq for another 10,000 years according to post on YouTube (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gwqEneBKUs# ).

YouTube is one of the phenomenal social networking internet sites of today's youth, referred to previously as an important social phenomenon in this column.

Can Barack Obama continue this surge right into the White House? Or are his recent victories a product of Mercury retrograde, a time when few trends makes it out alive, and he is about to encounter the realities of "reversals in life" as Mercury now resumes its direct motion this week? It is interesting to observe all this, especially in light of last week's comments, which ended with, "As this two-year (Saturn-Uranus) aspect takes place", I think you will see the youth becoming more and more involved, just like they did 45 years ago when this aspect last occurred. But on Election Day itself, I think the Saturn part of this aspect holds reign... unless somehow the youth become active agents for change in the next couple of weeks, and show up to vote at the primaries and get someone in who is not recognized as "part of the Establishment."

Right now, it looks like the youth are indeed getting involved. Let's see what happens now that Mercury turns direct. Will Uranus represent the first minority race, or the first female ever to run as its party's presidential nominee? Or will Uranus continue to cause the favorite of this election to change over and over again? Or both? Or maybe some other unexpected event will take place that will cause yet an entirely different dynamic that no one (or very few) has dared to think about. After all, Pluto is also now in Capricorn. There may be some forces lurking in the shadows that will do whatever it takes to maintain the traditions and history of the Establishment. They may see it as their calling. Whenever there is a new force of light that enters the awareness of the collective, you can almost anticipate that there will be an equal force of darkness to oppose it. That's Uranus and Saturn too, with a bit of Pluto mixed in. After all, these three planets are moving towards a Cardinal T-Square as well. The "Empire Builders" are not about to give up their power easily. But they will eventually make colossal errors in judgment and lose their power as a result, as they have at similar junctures in history under similar signatures, especially when Pluto has transited through Cancer or Capricorn.

Last week's stock market behavior was again consistent with principles of Financial Astrology. As stated in last week's column, "The stock market behavior so far is consistent with a crest under the Venus-Jupiter conjunction (Feb 1), followed by a corrective decline (so far) into the next major signature, which is the Sun-Neptune conjunction of this weekend, February 10." Indeed, most of the world's stock indices ended a corrective decline early last week, and then rallied. Some, like the Japanese Nikkei, closed Friday nearby to their weekly highs. That was also true with Crude Oil, which was back above 96.00 during the day on Friday. Gold, however, was noticeably weak, even though the Dollar was also weak against the European currencies.

Short-Term Geocosmics :

For this week, the most important signature is Mercury turning direct on Monday-Tuesday. But an important geocosmic period commences the following week, February 25 through March 7, when the Sun will form an opposition to Saturn and end with a conjunction to Uranus. In essence, this is yet another period of a faster moving body translating the more important slower moving aspect. The Sun is translating the Saturn-Uranus opposition of later this year, and hence February 25-March 7 may offer a glimpse of what to expect from November 2008 through July 2010 when that Saturn-Uranus opposition is in effect. One might expect a very sudden turn of markets during that period, especially near the end, for Mars will also cross the 0 degree Cancer point on March 4. Historically that is a period when central banks make critical changes or announcements in their interest rate policies, which in turn affect Treasuries and currency prices, and by association, also precious metals and stock markets.

Long-Term Thoughts :

Is the United States in a recession? And if so, is this "the big one," the one that will be as severe as the "Great Depression of 1929-1938" ? Over half of Americans believe that a recession has already started, or is on the verge of unfolding in 2008. But what does Mundane or Financial Astrology say about this ? .

There are at least two schools of astrological thought on this subject. One school, which we shall call the "Modern-Day Astrology" thought, postulates that aspects between planets is the most important consideration in determining mundane conditions such as the state of the economy. In this view, soft aspects like trines and sextiles are considered harmonious or favorable. The other school of thought, which we shall refer to as "Traditionalist Astrology," postulates that planets-in-signs are the most important considerations in forecasting such mundane conditions. In this view, the slower moving planets in earth and water signs are considered more restrictive to economic growth, whereas positioned in fire or air signs would be more supportive to economic growth. Still other minor schools of astrological thought would postulate that slow-moving planets over certain degrees of the zodiac have correspondence over mundane matters like the economy, especially in terms of such events as stock market crashes or political crisis.

If we examine the positions of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto for most of 2008, we will note that the majority of aspects between them are in favorable aspects. That is, Jupiter and Saturn form three trines this year, while Jupiter and Uranus form three sextiles. Saturn and Pluto move within one degree of a favorable trine too in April and May. There are no hard or discordant aspects between these planets in 2008 until November, when Saturn and Uranus begin the first of their five oppositions, lasting through July 2010. Modern-Day Astrology would thus suggest no recession or serious downturn in the economy for most of 2008.

However, if we examine the sign positions of these planets, we would see a different story according to Traditionalist Astrological thought. Here we find Jupiter, planet of expansion, in the restriction-oriented earth sign of Capricorn. Saturn, planet of contraction, is also in an earth sign, Virgo. Pluto is also in the restrictive sign of Capricorn. Uranus is late in the water sign of Pisces, a location that in the past has corresponded to sharp declines in U.S. and British stock prices. Only Neptune is in an air sign. This branch of astrological study could support a forecast for an economic contraction, even a severe recession.

Thus the two major schools of thought in astrology today have differing outlooks on the general economy. It will be interesting to see which prevails. Perhaps we have a slow-down from the rapid pace of the prior several years, as suggested by Traditional Astrology, but not so much as to be considered a recession, as suggested by the Modern Day Astrology.

And then there is the matter of Pluto crossing the Galactic Center (26-27 degrees of Sagittarius) the prior two years. Financial Astrologer Manfred Zimmel from Austria, http://www.amanita.at , has done some impressive studies of major planets crossing the Galactic Center in the past. Since Pluto rules such matters as debt, Zimmel suggests that this geocosmic passage has correlated with the current sub-prime debt fiasco, and by itself could correspond to rather severe economic consequences. And there is yet another viewpoint espoused by one of the legends in Financial Astrology, Louise McWhirter in her classic book titled "Astrology and Stock Market Forecasting" (1938). Her theory was that when the Moon's North Node travels through the Saturn-ruled signs of Aquarius and Capricorn, the economies of the world are more prone to slow downs and even recessions - or worse. This tends to correspond to the real estate cycle, when both home sales and home prices may decline. The Moon's North Node has just moved into Aquarius, and will transit through both Aquarius and Capricorn from December 2007 through March 2011. My own view is that the economy may slow down, but will find support in 2008, per the views mostly of Modern Day Astrology. But sometime after late 2008, the economy could suffer a more severe blow than we just experienced. It is possible the economy is sustained even as late as the summer of 2010, for the Saturn-Uranus opposition doesn't end until then. In the past, the Saturn-Uranus opposition has coincided with long-term cycle crests or troughs. The challenge for Financial Astrologers is to determine whether this instance will be a long-term cycle crest, or the end of a very severe 2-3 year decline.

Announcements :

The next "MMA Cycles Report" and "MMA Japan Markets Cycles Report” will come out this Monday-Tuesday (February 18-19). These reports come out every month to subscribers of these reports. The "MMA Cycles Report" is our market advisory report for traders of the U.S. stock indices, T-Notes, Gold, Silver, Euro, Swiss Franc, Grains, and Crude Oil. This report will be issued Monday night to those who receive it via email. The "MMA Japan Cycles Report" covers the Nikkei, Dollar/Yen, and JGB Bonds, and will come out Tuesday afternoon. For more information

The new "SOS Global Market Cycles Report" came out last week, February 6 (February 5 for email subscribers in English). And it has been out one day later in German to our German SOS subscribers (please go to www.mma-europe.de in to order the German version of SOS). This SOS monthly report will address the long- and intermediate-term cycles that affect all world markets, but specifically through the history of the U.S. stock market, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average. It is the "big picture" ahead, like where we are in terms of the 18- and 4-year cycles. It will then give an overview (and projection) of the shorter cycles (primary and its phases) of the German DAX, Netherlands AEX, the Australian All Ordinaries, Hang Seng of Hong Kong, National Stock Exchange (NSE) of India, the NASDAQ Composite Index, and the XAU Gold and Silver Mining index. The German edition will soon give analysis also of the Swiss Market Index (SMI). For ordering information.

Many readers may be interested in knowing about the largest gathering of Financial Astrologers in many years that will be taking place May 15-20, 2008, in Denver, Colorado. In fact, the largest gathering of astrologers since 1974 will be taking place then. The United Astrological Conference (UAC) will convene for the first time since 2002, and approximately 1500 professionals and students of astrology will be present from all around the world. Whether you are a professional or student or novice, you will find one of the 15 tracks being offered to be of great interest. They even have a beginning track based on sun sign astrology for those who know very little about how astrology really works. In all, there will be 155 speakers from over 30 different countries. For more information on this conference, go to www.uacastrology.com .
For more information on the Financial Astrology track (18 different presentations), go to http://www.uacastrology.com/cgi-bin/tracks.cgi?CODE=12 . And the best news of all is that there is a pre-registration discount special in effect until February 20. After February 20, the price for the main conference will increase $50.00. Sign up now (before February 20) and save big bucks, for the most exciting astrological gathering of our generation!.

On Saturday evening, February 23, I will be giving a special presentation on Forecasts for 2008 in Boulder, Colorado. It will be similar to the Webcast given on January 5, but updated where financial markets are concerned. For further information, please contact Louise McCombs at 303-828-5445, or by email at macastrology@yahoo.com.

On April 12-13, 2008, I will giving two special presentations in San Diego, CA. On Friday evening, April 12, I will give a lecture on "Political and Economic Cycles for 2008-2012." On Saturday, April 13, I will give a six-hour workshop on "Introduction to Financial Astrology." This workshop will explain the methods for financial market timing that I use. It will cover the U.S. stock market, interest rates, and precious metals markets, both historically as well as the projection of future trends and reversals using this method of forecasting. For further information, contact Gayla Pierce at (619) 654-1265, or kalypso@earthlink.net .

Our MMA 2013 catalogue is now out and available to overseas clients on our web site at www.mmacycles.com, and then under MMA Catalogue, and then under MMA Catalogue (pdf). Or just click here. Due to high overseas postal costs, we will no longer send this catalogue out by postal mail except to clients in the U.S.A. So, if you are interested in this year's services and products, you can download it from our web site.

We have reprinted additional copies of the "Forecasts for 2008" book in English, to replace the 150 books that were damaged by U.S. Post Office, and to cover additional orders that continue to come in. There are approximately 50 copies still available through our website. There are no plans to print additional copies of the German edition, which sold out three weeks ago.

The newly revised The Sun, The Moon, and Silver Book : Secrets of a Silver Trader, is now out. This is a book that you will use as a reference guide for...many, many years. It identifies all the key Sun-Moon combinations that have a higher (and lower) than expected probability of correlating with 4% or greater reversals in COMEX Silver. It also identifies "Big Range Days" - those days in which the range of Silver is most likely to be 3.5% or more of the price of Silver, which is a great tool for day traders. This book fulfills the dream of all traders: high probability winning trade possibilities, with minimal market exposure. It is that “extra edge.” And Silver is a great market to trade now. The cost is $125.00. For ordering on line.

If you are an active short-term trader, you may wish to consider subscribing to our Weekly or even Daily Market Reports with short-term trading recommendations. It is the only way I keep in touch with traders on a daily or even weekly basis. These reports give in-depth analysis of the DJIA, S&P and NASDAQ futures, Euro currency (cash and futures), Swiss Franc, Dollar/Yen cash and Yen futures, T-Bonds, Soybeans, Wheat, Gold and Silver. The daily reports cover all stock indices listed above, as well as futures in Euro, T-Bonds, Soybeans, Gold and Silver. Subscription to the daily report also includes the weekly report. For more information, or call our offices at 1-248-626-3034. In the words of one of our subscribers : "I recently subscribed to your weekly report and am finding it to be excellent and a very useful companion to the MMA Cycles Report. I can't imagine now managing my investments without them."

I have had several calls regarding a “crisis investing” portfolio that I suggested could be developed with the help of a money manager who subscribes to my reports, and shares my views about the next few years. If you are interested, you can contact him at ted.fisher@comcast.net.
He will be more than happy to assist you.

Disclaimer and statement of purpose : The purpose of this column is not to predict 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 oftentimes report 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 will likely affect human activity in the times to come. The author (Merriman) will do this from a perspective of a cycle’s 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 these psychological dynamics that underlie (or coincide with) the news events and hence financial markets of the day.

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 assume any responsibility at all for those individual decisions. Reader should understand that futures and options trading are considered high risk.

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