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

The Market Week in Review :

Nearly all the leading equity markets of the world fell to their lowest price since mid-May by the end of last week. Several of these started a modest rally by Friday.

The interesting part of last week's market behavior is that stock indices were down nearly the entirety of the May 22-June 13 "translation" period of Sun-Venus to Saturn-Uranus forthcoming opposition, as described in this report over the past couple of weeks. This is the third such translation period of the year, following the ones that coincided with the lows of January and March. It now comes to end, and we wait to observe whether or not this also means the decline comes to an end.

Stock indices were not the only financial market in decline much of last week. Gold and Silver also fell to their lowest levels in over a month. From a high of 934 on May 21, Gold fell to a low of 860 on June 12. Silver's decline was from 1833 on May 23 to 1625 on June 12, again coincident with the "translation" period of Sun-Venus in square to both the Saturn-Uranus that make up the forthcoming opposition later this year. Currencies also fell hard last week against the U.S. Dollar.

But other commodities rose sharply, especially the grains. Corn soared to a record high of 737 on Friday. Both Soybeans and Wheat rallied substantially last week too. The rise in Corn was attributed to rainy conditions in the grain belt that is delaying the growth of Corn. While we expected Corn to soar above 700 quickly in our subscription reports, the cause was not as we anticipated (we anticipated demand due to ethanol would create the rally). Yet the presence of too much rain can also be explained in terms of Financial Astrology. Neptune rules rains and floods. We are in a period when the planetoid Chiron, as well as the North Node of the Moon, are in a conjunction to Neptune. Thus Neptune is highlighted this spring and summer, and coincides with heavy rains. It may also be a factor in the continual rise in Crude Oil prices, for Neptune also rules Crude Oil.

Short-Term Geocosmics :

Mercury will end its retrograde motion this week, June 19. Give it about a week, and then we would anticipate that financial markets will return to more "normal behavior, from a technical studies point of view. In other words, we will start coming out of this highly erratic and quite unpredictable zone, when events occur suddenly and without much warning, or reports are released which are considerably off the mark of most forecasters (think the recent Employment report, as well as the release of the former press secretary Scott McClellan's expose on the current White House Administration).

There are a series of interesting opposition aspects coming up between planets in the next couple of weeks. Oppositions are important because they represent the climax of cycles that began at their conjunction point. They can mark a turn in the trend of various financial markets which they pertain to. On Wednesday of this week, Venus will be in opposition to Pluto, followed by the Sun doing the same on Friday, June 20. Pluto rules debt markets, like currencies and Treasuries. We might anticipate that Fed Chair Ben Bernanke comes under some rather severe challenges during this period. On June 21, Mars will be in opposition to Neptune, something that could relate to a climax in the Crude Oil market. On July 3 and 9 respectively, first Venus and then the Sun will be opposition to Jupiter. The later aspect is one of the most powerful correlates to primary or greater cycles in U.S. stock indices within 10 trading days. It can coincide with "Big Range" days, the 200+point types in the DJIA, especially since a Mars-Saturn conjunction occurs the very next day, and Uranus aspects to other planets unfold July 6 and July 14. Remember: when a combination of signatures involving Mars, Jupiter, and/or Uranus is present, stock indices tend to have "Big Range" days nearby. July 6-14 is one of those periods.

The entire period of June 12 through July 14 is a powerful geocosmic cluster zone. During this time band there are no less than 15 important geocosmic signatures unfolding, and no two consecutive ones are more than 5 calendar days apart. Seven of these are our most powerful Level One types, including three that take place June 20 (Sun-Pluto opposition), June 21 (Mars-Neptune opposition) and June 26 (Uranus stationary direct). The last one is extremely powerful, with a 77% correlation to primary or greater cycles within 11 trading days. All this activity suggests that one of the best trading opportunities of the year could be readying any day now.

Long-Term Thoughts :

I have referred to the importance of certain time bands this year in which faster moving planets make hard aspects to the forthcoming Saturn-Uranus opposition. My belief is that these periods, known as "translations" of the faster moving bodies to the longer-term aspect, will give us a glimpse of what to expect between November 4, 2008 and July 26, 2010, when the exact 45-year opposition of Saturn and Uranus take place in a five-passage series. The first four of those oppositions occur with Saturn in Virgo and Uranus in Pisces. Saturn in Virgo by itself represents a time when the working people of the planet become very dissatisfied with their working conditions - especially their pay scale, which they see as a sign of inequity in comparison to the affluence of the management, executive, or upper echelons of society. Typically the workers (laborers) demand intervention on the part of government to make changes that correct these inequities, or else they stop working. They go on strikes, demanding more money and better working conditions. Productivity goes down and distribution channels are interrupted.

With Uranus in the equation, there can be an even more serious note of protest and rebellion. Again, the protests are aimed at the government or those in authority, which are represented by Saturn. Thus it can become a time of class warfare.

We are currently in such a "translation" period, May 22-June 13, when both the Sun and Venus are transiting through Gemini, making first a square to Saturn, and then a square to Uranus. I am here in Tokyo this week, and it never fails to amaze me to see the difference in emphasis placed on various news items than we see in the United States. Here the front page headlines are all about protests taking place in Asian countries, such as India and South Korea. The later instance is particularly interesting, where tens of thousands of South Koreans are staging such a massive protests that the cabinet of the 100-day old government "offered to resign, taking responsibility for a string of political miscalculations that have sent support for President Lee Myung-bak's government tumbling," according to an article in Wednesday's Asian Financial Times newspaper The reason for the protests? Sharply rising oil prices and the government's decision to ease restrictions of U.S. imports on meat from cows, in the midst of an economy that is falling faster than they expected or forecasted. The Korean populace resents that the new government is "kowtowing" to the American government by allowing American beef into their country. They fear the dreaded "mad cow disease" will strike. Judging by their intense overreaction to the problem, it appears it may be too late.

But here is the thing that is pertinent to the United States. From a leadership point of view, could something like this happen in America soon ? The Times report goes on to state in that same article and another on the next day, "The scenes Tuesday illuminated the dramatic shift in President Lee's political fortunes... . Mr. Lee's government made grand pledges to overhaul the stagnant economy when it took office at the end of February... While championing a pragmatic leadership, Lee overlooked Koreans nationalistic pride. If what troubled Roh's presidency (the prior President) was too much nationalism, Lee's problem is a lack of it." Hmmm, this sounds vaguely familiar.

I have referred to the Saturn-Uranus opposition often in the context of the U.S. forthcoming election. The aspect is highly unpredictable, except that it promises sudden and unexpected events into the election, and immediately afterwards. It clearly defines the stark difference between the candidates. One is youthful, charismatic, and promises a great change, but cannot be accused of being overly nationalistic, which are characteristics of Uranus. The other is older, a national war hero, much more experienced, but represents the more conservative and nationalistic element, which is Saturn. Does the U.S.A. go for the promise of bold new changes at a time that the current party in office is so unpopular and nationalistic, as did South Korea ? If so, could it be a landslide victory for the Democrats, as many are predicting, with all of the nation's hopes wrapped up in the belief that these bold new changes will indeed take place quickly ? And what happens if in the critical first 100 days, the failing economy suffers further and the promised changes aren't taking place ? With Saturn in Virgo representing discontent, and Uranus in opposition representing the urge to rebel, could there be massive protests because things aren't getting better, and the hopes of the populace are falling faster than George W. Bush's approval ratings ? Yes, that is one possibility, and it is now a reality in South Korea, related to the translation of the Sun-Venus to the forthcoming Saturn-Uranus opposition. It could portend a theme that we see next year in the U.S.A. But it is Uranus to Saturn, and so there are several other possible themes related to the unexpected that are experienced as well. After all, the first passage of this Saturn-Uranus reality will take place right on Election Day, 2008. All we know is this : events will happen, and reactions to those events will be exaggerated, in ways that we did not fully expect. We may not get what we wish for, or even expect, without solid planning and understanding of the dynamics that are present. And there are so many dynamics present. Reality trumps hope, unless hope takes into account reality and consists of something more concrete than just wishful thinking and desire for change.

Announcements :

The "SOS Global Market Cycles Report" came out last week June 4. And it will be 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.

My next Market Timing Workshop will take place at "The Blast Astrology Conference" in Sedona, AZ, on Saturday, September 20 th , 2 pm to 6 pm. Cost is $145.00 if signed up by August 15. The title will be "Introduction to Financial Astrology and Market Timing." For more information on this workshop, go to http://blastastrologyconference.com/schedblast2.html. It ought to be a "Blast!"

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.

The German version of "Merriman on Market Cycles: The Basics" is now in print. It is also a revision of the earlier work in English. For more information on this book, please go to our German web site at www.mma-europe.de.

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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