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

Special One day Discussion with Raymond A. Merriman, follow that track.

The Market Week in Review :

Last week's column, written Friday evening, March 6, stated "Financial Astrology is on track to coincide with another remarkable turning point in the stock indices of the world. As the 19-month cycle of Venus retrograde takes effect on Friday, March 6, several of the world's leading indices are falling to multi-year lows". That report then concluded, "Whether the stock markets bottom right here, as Venus goes retrograde, or they suffer another plunge in the next two weeks, may relate to the transit of Mars. On March 6, Mars is at 23 degrees of Aquarius, the same position as Pluto occupies in the chart of the New York Stock Exchange chart, founded May 17, 1792. Mercury in that same chart is at 23 Taurus... . Oftentimes that coincides with the end of a sharp sell off".

So what happened ? The Dow Jones Industrial Average bottomed exactly on Friday, March 6, at 6469.75, its lowest price in 12 years. The following Monday and Tuesday, other stock indices of the world made multi-year lows. And then all started sharp rallies, which is the normal pattern starting all new cycles. The first phase of every cycle is bullish, and this one is no different. It may "feel" different (yes, we are still in the land of imaginative Pisces, so things can "feel" different), because this has the possibility of also being the start of several longer-term cycles. If so, these indices could be up at least 50% from their lows of the past week, sometime by this October. Otherwise if the bear is still hungry, these rallies will not last more than 8 weeks.

Short-Term Geocosmics :

Venus retrograde last week worked every bit as impressively as its history would suggest, as reported in "The Ultimate Book on Stock Market Timing Vol. 3: Geocosmic Correlations to Trading Cycles". If a market completes a significant cycle high or low near the time of Venus retrograde, it is not uncommon to see it reverse and start a counter-trend move that lasts into the time period when Venus turns direct. Venus turns direct in 5 weeks (April 18). The Venus direct period also has a high historical correlation (73%) to the culmination of primary or greater cycles within 10 trading days.

For this coming week, the most notable celestial event we take interest in is the "Sagittarius Factor" of Monday-Wednesday. This is when the Moon makes its 2-1/2 day passage through the sign of Sagittarius. It oftentimes coincides with very sharp price movements - and reversals - in many financial markets, but especially in precious metals, currencies, and Treasuries. It may be more important than usual this time for two reasons. First, Venus is retrograde, which pertains to changes in financial policies of Central Banks and/or world governments that can affect interest-rate sensitive markets. Second, the Sun is in Pisces, which is a mutable sign like Sagittarius. Having the Sun and Moon both in mutable signs oftentimes coincides with sharp price swings in financial markets, for mutable represents the principle of change, as in "change in trend", whether very short-term or even longer. Note that Saturn and Uranus are also both in mutable signs since late 2007 and lasting through the end of this year. Arguably this has been one of the most volatile periods in history so far.

Long-Term Thoughts :

The full moon of March 10-11 was not as traumatic for financial markets as it was six months earlier when it also fell on the Saturn-Uranus opposition. On the full moon of September 15, 2008, the world financial panic began in earnest. That was when the foundation of the world financial system nearly snapped. It was AIG and Citibank (instead of Lehman Brothers) in the forefront of worrisome news again last week too, just as it was during last September's meltdown! So we were concerned that something similar could happen this time in the markets. But it didn't.

But something big did happen in the political arena on March 11, again involving the economic leadership of the United States. President Obama encountered his first major "values conflict". He was trapped between his sense of honor and truth (Saturn), versus his sense of protection and even survival (transiting Pluto in opposition to his - and the USA - natal Venus in Cancer). Here is how it went down, according to Steven Thomma and David Lightman in Thursday morning's McClatchy Newspaper report: "As a candidate, Barack Obama once said that a president has to be able to do more than one thing at a time... . He criticized pork barrel spending in the form of earmarks... then (Wednesday) he signed a spending bill that contains nearly 9,000 of them, some that members of his own staff shoved in last year when they were still members of Congress. "I am signing an imperfect... bill because it is necessary for the ongoing functions of the government, and we have a lot more work to do. We can't have Congress bogged down at this critical juncture in our economic recovery"".

As he signed this highly charged "imperfect" spending bill, many geocosmic principles were highlighted. Mars, Neptune, and Chiron all came together in a conjunction last week, a time that was bound to find the lines between right and wrong, truth and deception, not as clear as the long-term transit of Pluto in Capricorn will demand (2008-2023). Pluto is not only in Capricorn now, but it was there 233 years ago when the United States was formed. If there is one thing this represents about the United States of America, it is the people's strict demand that lawmakers honor their campaign promises - especially if it involves taxes or changing the constitution (which so far, this doesn't). Another geocosmic point to note is that he signed this bill as Venus was still in its station, but turning retrograde, in the sign of its detriment, Aries. Venus rules values, both psychological and financial, and this was a case where both were involved. As a station, Venus is very strong. In its detriment and retrograde, one tends to make decisions that can be brought up again and again as examples of ones inconsistency, between what one says and what one does.

But Obama is still King Arthur, Camelot, and John F Kennedy (we are talking about the symbolism of the "Jupiter-Neptune in Aquarius in mutual reception with Uranus in Pisces" kind... you know, the heroes, the saviors of the universe, the good guys in the Matrix of the X-Box-Nintendo-Play Station games). He still has plenty of political capital while this mutual reception remains through January 2010. But it begins to wane as the forthcoming Saturn-Pluto square starts its influence, sometime after August 2009.

So let's say that under this past week's full moon, the investment community didn't panic at the President's bold action. But the public noticed. And even though his response did reflect the more important value in the minds of many (survival of the economy), in time what they might most remember is the campaign promise he turned away from (Venus retrograde). If so, the next time a similar situation arises, the public's reaction may change from "forgiveness" to something like "very concerned". And if it happens a third time (for surely, with his natal Moon in Gemini, he will find himself in several such dilemmas before Saturn is done with its square of Pluto) that he turns away from a campaign promise for a "higher value", people might become more than concerned. They might exhibit far less forgiving characteristics that one would expect with Pluto in Capricorn. Just look at the public's reaction to the Bernie Madoff court case this past week, which was an even more dramatic illustration of how people tend to react when Pluto is in Capricorn. When trust is broken, forgiveness is the last thing on their mind.

Announcements :

I will be giving a special one day intensive for subscribers to any of the MMA reports on Saturday, April 18, 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM, the day after Venus turns direct. Venus turning retrograde or direct has a very high correlation to the end and beginning of powerful cycles in many financial, markets. We want to be aware of which markets may be making cyclical tops or bottoms at this time, for they will be the most likely candidates for exceptional trading opportunities. Attendees can spend an afternoon and ask all the questions they wish about how I analyze a market, and why I forecast what I forecast in the various reports. If you have never been to one of these intensives with other MMA subscribers, you are in for a treat. Many participants share their view of markets and the economy as well, which provide very stimulating discussions. This one-day intensive is free to any daily or weekly subscriber of MMA Reports, or to any yearly subscriber of the SOS or MMA Cycles report. For all others, the cost is $300.00 (but it is best if you become a subscriber at less than this amount, know the language of the reports, and then get in for free). The location will be the beautiful Asilomar Retreat Center on California's Monterey Peninsula. For more information, contact our office at 1-248-626-3034, or by email at ordersmma@msn.com , and we will give you details as to the location and accommodations.

We are going to have another webcast, a "Virtual On-line Discussion and Market Update with Raymond Merriman!" to take place on Saturday, April 18, 2009, just as Venus goes direct. Starting time is 12:00 PM EDT (that's 5:00 PM, GMT, or 9:00 AM, in Los Angeles). Via the modern technology of You--niversity.com, this "latest update discussion" on current markets (both long-term and short-term outlooks), can be heard in the comfort of your home or office. All you need is a computer with speakers. You will hear the live voice and see the latest charts on your computer screen that will be the focus of this presentation. You can ask questions by logging on to our webcast that day, and inputting a pin number that you will be given upon receipt of your reservation for this event. This webcast will analyze the stock market, Gold and Silver, currencies, grains, T-Notes, and Crude Oil. It is a webcast you won't want to miss if you are a trader or investor in any of these markets. The cost for this private discussion is $45.00. If you are interested in being part of this on line event, go to http://www.mmacycles.com/virtual to register on-line. Or drop us an email or fax (248-538-5296), or call us at 1-248-626-3034, and we will email instructions and pin number on how to participate. The webcast will be available for viewing for 30 days afterwards for those who participate, or for those who can't make that particular day.

For those interested in learning or improving your understanding of astrology, please note that a fantastic conference in Astrology is going to take place August 19-24, 2009, at the luxurious Oakbrook Hills Marriot Resort, just outside of Chicago (not far from O'Hare Airport). This will be the ISAR (International Society for Astrological Research) 2009 conference, featuring over 80 professional astrologers from all over the world, including Jeff Jawer, Rick Levine, Michael Lutin, Claude Weiss, Nick Campion, Verena Bachmann, and several Financial Astrologers, including myself. There will be a whole track on Financial Astrology, and I will be giving a one-day workshop on Financial Astrology the day after the main conference. For more information, and registration, please go to www.isar2009.com. For those who golf, note that this resort has one of the most impressive golf courses on the PGA tour. Golf where the pros golf, and learn astrology from some of the best astrologers in the world, all at the same time!

If you are an active short-term trader, you may be interested in 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-Notes, Corn, Soybeans, Wheat, Gold and Silver. The daily reports cover all stock indices listed above, as well as futures in Euro, T-Notes, Soybeans, Gold and Silver. Subscription to the daily report also includes the weekly report. For more information, go to http://www.mmacycles.com/services, 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".

You can now order Forecast for 2009 in four languages ! It will be available in Japanese, via Toshi Nippou Ltd
in Tokyo at http://www.toushinippou.co.jp,
in German at www.mma-europe.ch and www.mma-europe.de, and
in Spanish via www.mma-spanish.com.
In English, you can order directly from us, via our web site, or you can order from www.markettiming.nl in Netherlands, www.astrodata.com in Zurich, Earlthorn Ltd in Hong Kong at www.earlthorn.com or email at earlthorn2000@yahoo.com. In Melbourne, Australia, you may order the Forecast 2009 book through email at investorbooks@iprimus.com.

For those of you unable to attend our first "Forecast for 2009" speech (via the web) on Saturday, December 13, please know that you can order a a CD audio recording of this presentation at this time. The cost is $45.00 plus postage.

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 Dow 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.

As a side note, there are now only 4 boxes of the English version Forecast for 2012 book left for sale. It is projected that they will sell out in the next 3-5 weeks. There will be no reprints this year, so if you haven't ordered and you wish a copy, now is the time to place that order. This will be the third time in the past 4 years they have sold out.

Our MMA 2013 catalogue is now out. If you are interested in receiving this catalogue, you can download it directly Or just click here. A list of all our products and services and software programs is included therein.

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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