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

The Market Week in Review :

This Mercury retrograde period continues to be a killer for financial markets all around the world. It is not so much that Mercury retrograde is the culprit, for we get three of those events per year, on average. But when you begin a financial panic right at the beginning of it, and your financial leaders start the alarm bells ringing by stating that everyone must act immediately and without any time for thoughtful discussion, and then on top of that you add in the politics of a presidential election, you have the ingredients of an escalation of that panic, not the subduing of it as our leaders attempted. Mercury retrograde is regarded by Mundane and Financial Astrologers as a time for fact-finding, research, and thoughtful contemplation. It is not regarded as the "best of times" to make a final decision on matters. In this Mercury retrograde case, however, the sense of urgency and alarm was so great that the luxury of time was simply not allowed for fear that matters would become worse very quickly. Unfortunately, matters became worse very quickly even after the decisions were hastily agreed upon.

Equity markets in all regions of the planet fell to multi-year lows last week. Some made those lows on Tuesday, others on Friday. In Europe, the Netherlands AEX, London FTSE, and Swiss SMI Index all fell to their lowest levels in over three years last Tuesday, September 30. The German DAX fell to its lowest level in over two years on Friday, October 3.

In Asia and the Pacific Rim, the All Ordinaries of Australia made a double bottom last week to the lows realized on September 18, but together those were the lowest levels seen since December 2005. The Hang Seng of Japan fell to 16,800 last week, which held above the 16,283 low of September 18, But that is the lowest level since July 2006. On Friday, the Nikkei Index of Japan fell below 11,000 for the first time since 2004. The NIFTY index of India fell to 3715 on September 30, its lowest price since April 2007.

The U.S. markets fared even worse. On Friday, both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the NASDAQ Composite fell to their lowest levels since 2005. The only good news is that each of these indices did not make new lows on technical oscillators we follow, which might give rise to a case of bullish oscillator divergence. But with Mercury retrograde, we already know not to depend upon technical studies. They are much more reliable when Mercury is not retrograde.

It wasn't only the stocks that experienced an elevator ride down in price. Precious metals - especially Silver - and Crude Oil also fell hard last week, but not to new cycle lows. It seems that investors are cashing in everything now, for even food prices fell to their lowest price in several months last week. It doesn't seem at all like inflation is the threat now, but rather deflation may be preparing to strike. However, remember one thing : it is still Mercury retrograde, and shortly after it returns to direct motion on October 15, the trends that were in effect prior to mid-September could very well resume.

Short-Term Geocosmics :

We are now right in the middle of this retrograde period. It is not unusual to see a sudden and sharp reversal of trends right around this period for those markets that have been in trends the past two weeks. Almost every market we track has been bearish during that time, so the possibility of a sudden brief and sharp rally is very real, according to this study.

On Monday, the Sun will square Jupiter. Since Jupiter relates to the principle of exaggeration, there is a possibility of further panic and sell-off early this coming week. Maybe the bottom signified by the middle of Mercury retrograde period, and the Sun square Jupiter, is achieved by Monday.

I think it is also interesting to point out that the Jupiter-Saturn trine in Earth signs for 2008 did not result in stable financial markets as modern day astrologers (such as myself) would have expected entering into this year. I posed the question earlier this year that perhaps the classical astrologers might have it right. Jupiter and Saturn in earth signs are more bearish for financial markets. Earth signs suppress prices, regardless of whether the planets are in a favorable trine relationship or not. This is a victory for the classical rules of astrology over modern day, and it is also an indication that the tropical zodiac may be more relevant to financial markets than the sidereal system. In the sidereal system, this trine would have taken place in fire signs, which would be considered more bullish. Last year (2007), Saturn and Jupiter were in trine in fire signs in the tropical system (water signs in sidereal), and the market was at record highs. Fire and air signs are generally bullish for equities, whereas earth and water are generally more bearish. So we score one for the tropical zodiac over sidereal, and another one for classical over modern day astrologers.

Long-Term Thoughts :

Let me share a quote from the "Forecasts for 1996" book that was written 13 years ago. "But based upon these assumptions... there is not likely to be a major world war, nor nuclear holocaust, nor world wide economic collapse, nor major collapse of a political system that strongly influences the course of Humankind for the next twelve years minimum... Why 2008-2011? That is because there are no periods of time in which multiple aspects between the major long-term planets form in cardinal signs until then. And what happens then ? Pluto ingresses into Capricorn, Uranus into Aries, Saturn into Libra. In addition, the Moon's North Node will also move back into Capricorn. The last time these three planets (and Node) were all in Cardinal signs was 1967-72 and 1929-1931."

I bring this up for one very important reason. It is not because I, the Financial Astrologer, am so great. It is because astrology itself is such a valuable tool for society. In these turbulent times, Mundane and Financial Astrologers are oftentimes asked, "Well, if astrology works, why didn't it predict this chaos we are now going through ?" The fact is that in every Forecast Book written since 1995, this period of time beginning in 2008 was pointed out as one of the most significant anyone would ever live through in a lifetime. And the implication was always that it would be cathartic in terms of finances and economics, and probably other aspects of the human experience. Yet even though I was (to my knowledge) the first to specifically identify this important period of time, and the first to refer to it as the "Cardinal Climax", this potent planetary line up could have been identified by any astrologer even decades before I identified it in a book written in 1991 titled: "Evolutionary Astrology : The Journey of the Soul Through States of Consciousness" ( http://www.mmacycles.com/shop/ ).

And so here we are, on the verge of a planetary "climax" that has been known for many years by anyone who studies the relationship of planetary movements to cycles in human activity. I would like to say this chaos will end quickly, but I cannot state that. My view is that this transformative period will last at least three years (this is the first year), maybe as many as seven years, and possibly even more. It is not the end of the world, but I believe it is the end of an era as we have known it, just as the 1920's were the end of an era as we had known it. And if you have been wise and adhered to basic principles of saving money, then in the next couple of years you will be able to purchase things of value (like land, real estate, stocks) for approximately 10-50% of what the cost would have been prior to this period. In that regard, you can look at this as a giant "fire sale". This is one of the characteristics that pertain to Pluto in Capricorn, 2008-2023. How far are we along in this cycle ? I would guess that we have at least 40% more to go in the depreciation of equity values than we have seen so far. That is, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has now fallen almost 4000 points from its high of one year ago. I think it has at least 3000 more to go before the ultimate bottom is in, and maybe more. The real estate and vacant land market is probably in a similar phase of this cycle. There will be some outstanding values available to those who can afford it. But of course, at the very bottom, no one except the very brave and courageous will be willing to buy. So outwardly, we can use this period to save money and avoid debt, and inwardly we can use this period to develop our inner strength, a sense of courage and bravery to initiate action when the opportunity arises. It is coming.

Announcements :

The monthly "SOS Global Market Cycles Report" will come out this week, October 7, and one day later in German to our German SOS subscribers.This SOS monthly report addresses and updates 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 several world markets like the German DAX, 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 Swiss Market Index (SMI). For ordering information, please go to
http://www.mmacycles.com/catalogue/services/the-sos-stock-market-cycles.

It is that time of the year again! You can now pre-order the Forecast for 2014 book at a special pre-publication discount price of $39.95 until October 15 (plus postage). For more information on this book, and other special offers in effect, go to our website at www.mmacycles.com , and click on the opening banner.

Our next Market Timing Workshop, will take place January 15-18, 2009, in Zurich, Switzerland, and January 22-24, 2009, in Belgrade, Serbia. For information on the Zurich gathering, please contact AstroData at 044-700-1012. For more information on the Belgrade event, please contact info@kepler.edu.yu. The first "Forecast for 2009" speech will take place December 20, 2008, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. For more information, please contact info@marketttiming.nl, or go to the website.

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.

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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