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

The Market Week in Review :

It was a bit unusual. It waited until the very end. But a bottom of significance in equity markets around the world finally formed at the very end of the time band containing an abundance of geocosmic signatures. As stated in last week's column, "We are now at the very end of this huge time band of geocosmic signatures extending from June 12 through July 14. The midpoint of June 28 did not correlate with a lasting major reversal in stock indices. There is still a possibility it could coincide with a reversal at the very end, for there are three Level One (strongest correlates to reversals) signatures in effect July 9-14." Most of these stock markets bottomed July 15 or 16, and then rallied sharply into the end of the week. This is within the allowable orb of three trading days from a midpoint of that tight geocosmic cluster (July 11-12).

In Europe, all four equity markets we track made their multi-month lows early Wednesday. Of most interest to us was the 5999.32 low in German DAX. As stated in the SOS Report that went out July 8, "The idea now is that the DAX will fall to yet another lower low, below the 6167 low of March 17, to complete the fifth point of this (Lorusso 5-point reversal) pattern. Then a multi-month bull market will begin, assuming the low for point #5 is somewhat proportionate to point #3 and #3 was to point #1 (i.e. generally around 5950). In fact, a normal price target zone for this low would be 6026.78 +/- 166.91." This pattern is named after one of the finest chartist I know, Rick Lorusso of Citibank Corp, and when this pattern unfolds into a major geocosmic time, it can be very valuable signal in picking important turns in the market.

In Asia and the Pacific Rim, the All Ordinaries of Australia and the NIFTY stock index of India also made new multi-month lows on Wednesday. In the case of the NIFTY, another powerful rally followed into Friday. The Nikkei of Japan and Hang Seng of Hong Kong also made their weekly lows on Wednesday, but they held their previous lows of March 17. In fact the Nikkei's low of 12,671 was well above the 11,691 low of March 17, for a continued case of Intermarket bullish divergence in this region of the world.

The Intermarket bullish divergence pattern also continued in the United States. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell to 10,827 on Tuesday, July 15, well below it prior low of January 22 at 11,634. By Friday, it was up to 11,510 intraday, a rally of nearly 700 points. In fact it had two consecutive +200 point up days Wednesday and Thursday, following a -200 point down day the prior week on July 9. This all relates to the Sun-Jupiter opposition of July 9, of which was previously stated, "The Sun-Jupiter opposition is particularly interesting because it has a 75% correlation to primary or greater cycles within 10 trading days. It can correlate with powerful price moves, like 200+ point up or down days within only 4 trading days in the DJIA."

In other markets, Crude Oil fell sharply last week, falling from an all-time high of 147.27 on July 11 to a low of 128.23 on Friday, July 18. Crude Oil is co-ruled by Jupiter, and that high was just two days after the opposition to the Sun. Gold and Silver also fell sharply last week after posting new cycle highs on the Sagittarius Factor days of last Monday and Tuesday. All in all, it was noteworthy week that supported the market timing principles of Financial Astrology.

Short-Term Geocosmics :

The challenge now will be whether or not these conventional geocosmic studies will lead to a continued rebound as one would normally suggest. Or will the specter of the forthcoming 45-year Saturn-Uranus opposition again thwart any long-lasting ane meaningful advance ? As written last week, and still a concern, " But there is another geocosmic pattern that has now begun... That is the transit of Mars, which is now in a "translation" position between the conjunction to Saturn (July 10) and opposition to Uranus (August 6). A "translation" to this long-term planetary signature is a preview of what to expect during the time that the major signature is in effect... Therefore we are in between two conflicting signals: cycles say a primary cycle trough is now due, to be followed by a strong 2-5 week or greater rally. Some geocosmic signatures support this view if the low forms by Tuesday. But the Mars translation to Saturn-Uranus allows a possibility of a further decline into early August, and maybe even longer, as Venus and then the Sun does the same thing over the following month (August 13-23, and September 3-12). Each of these periods may be fraught with several triple digits daily declines."

There are no major geocosmic reversal signatures in effect this week, according to the studies presented in "The Ultimate Book on Stock Market Timing Volume 3: Geocosmic Correlations to Trading Cycles." The next series of geocosmic signatures pertaining to market reversal don't commence until July 26. But the next "big one" is the Mars-Uranus opposition of August 6. It will be interesting to see if this rally can continue until then, or if will abort early this week and start another plunge into August 6.

Long-Term Thoughts :

In the past three weeks I have given two arguments why Barack Obama could be the next president of the United States, and one why John McCain could be, according to the relationship of long-term geocosmic cycles to the themes of their platforms and/or the likely outcome of their expected policies. This week I would like to present another reason why John McCain might be the next president, based on this same method of astrological and geopolitical analysis.

My argument begins with an understanding of the birth chart of the United States of America. It doesn't matter whether you use the conventional birth date of July 4, 1776, when the Revolutionary War officially began, or the one I prefer, which acknowledges the vote to declare Independence and commence the War. That vote culminated late on the afternoon of July 2. In either chart, one will note a square between Mars and Neptune at approximately 20-22 degrees of Gemini and Virgo respectively. In the study of astrology, this is known as a square aspect, a quarter distance of the circle away from one another. A square is considered one of the "hard aspects" in astrology. The opposition, like the forthcoming Saturn-Uranus relationship November 2008 through July 2010, is also considered a "hard aspect."

In Mundane Astrology, Mars is the known as the planet of combat and wars. If a President's own birth chart has planets in hard aspect to the USA Mars-Neptune square, it is assumed (usually correctly) that this President will lead the country into war and combat. If major transits of Saturn and planets beyond its orbit make a hard aspect to the USA Mars-Neptune square, it points to period of time when the threat - or actuality - of war is heightened.

The 45-year Saturn-Uranus opposition will cross 20-22 degrees of Virgo and Pisces respectively over the next two years, in exact hard aspect to the USA Mars-Neptune square. This implies an increase in military combat, and an escalation of war-like tensions for the United States. If we look at the charts of the two candidates, we will see that each has aspects to this critical square in the USA chart. In fact, Obama has Mars at 22 Virgo, exactly on the USA Neptune and square its Mars (his birth certificate, on his website, shows he is born Aug 4, 1961, at 7:24 PM, in Honolulu, Hi). The Mars-Mars contact suggests conflict, but his natal Mars on USA Neptune is worrisome as a Commander-in-Chief, for Neptune suggests passivity in the relationship and/or the effort for peace. I believe Senator Obama's platform is built more upon the idea of engaged dialogue with the goal of achieving world peace. But as suggested by his critics, and I think indicated by this synastry between his and the USA's chart, this approach could be seen as a sign of weakness for other nations to exploit. And if that is the case, he may feel compelled to act tough, and/or overreact with aggression himself to prove he is not weak.

Senator McCain's chart has a whole different dynamic to this Mars-Neptune square in the USA chart. Born Aug 29, 1936 in Panama City, Panama (time unknown, but believed to be between 9:00-11:00 AM), we see his natal Venus and Neptune conjunct at 16-22 Virgo, opposite Saturn at 20 Pisces, and in a T-square with Jupiter at 15 Sagittarius. In other words, four of the ten planets on the day of his birth were making a hard aspect to the USA Mars-Neptune square. The Venus-Neptune on the USA Neptune is a signature of playing nice, trying to be gentle and compassionate. But the Saturn in opposition, and square to the USA Mars, is not usually indicative of one who bends or moves away from his stance. He takes a stand, and holds it. He may try to gently convince others that he is listening and open to their views, but it is for the purpose of getting others to see - and agree to - things his way. He probably has little interest in veering off his course or goals at all. And with Jupiter in the mix, if things aren't going the way he wants, he may be more inclined to overwhelm. This is the signature indicating his support for - and willingness to continue - the "troop surge." He believes that "more force" is the way to win, and perhaps the only way to win.

Obama's platform is to bring the troops home and strive for peace through open dialogue with potential antagonists. McCain's position is more of a "shock and awe," and "troop surge" to win the war, first and foremost. Because the USA is about to go through the transit of both Saturn and Uranus in hard aspect to its Mars-Neptune hard aspect, it implies a time of increased war threats, military tensions, and a heightened probability of greater combat, late 2008 through 2010. The transit of Uranus falls right on Senator McCain's natal Saturn, and opposite Senator Obama's natal Mars. As a conjunction in the case of Mr. McCain, it shows him the likely initiator of military actions. As an opposition in the case Mr. Obama, it shows him the likely object of other's aggressions, and then being reactive to these forces. Both could fit with the next president. But because of the pre-dominance of natal planets (4) in McCain's chart in aspect to the USA's Mars-Neptune square, it seems that this issue would be an edge towards him as the next USA president.

Announcements :

The next issue of "MMA Cycles Report" and "MMA Japan Markets Cycles Report” wil come out this monday Tuesday (July 23). 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 If you a subscriber to this report and did not receiver it, please let us know. If you not a subscriber, and you are interested in the longer-term outlook for U.S. and world stock indices, then I suggest you consider taking out a subscription and getting that last report. It is also available in German (please go to www.mma-europe.de in to order the German version of SOS). This monthly report addresses 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 now 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 Netherlands AEX, the Australian All Ordinaries, Hang Seng of Hong Kong, the NASDAQ Composite Index, and the XAU Gold and Silver Mining index. The German edition will give analysis also of the German DAX and Swiss Market Index (SMI). For ordering information, please go to http://www.mmacycles.com/catalogue/services/the-sos-stock-market-cycles.

We have added an exciting new feature to our web site. Now, on the very front page, you can get a daily update on the weighted values of the Solar-Lunar cycles for the Dopw Jones Industrial Average and the Silver market, via the studies conducted in "The Ultimate Book on Sock Market Timing Vol 4: Solar-Lunar Correlations to Trading Cycles," and "The Sun, Moon And Silver Market : Secrets of a Silver Trader." These are the studies, I use personally when trading stock index futures, ETFs (like DIA and Silver fund), and Silver futures. Anything over 100 means it has an above average correlation to reversing from an isolated high or low if it forms that day. The higher the value, the more probable the reversal. To see these daily values, please go to www.mmacycles.com , and just check it out.

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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