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

You may view a video of Raymond Merriman, taken from a lecture given to traders of the ICE exchange last October 2010, where I discuss the long-term cycles in the U.S. Dollar and U.S. stock market.

A special "thank you" to all subscribers and readers who attended the symposium in San Francisco last weekend, sponsored by the Technical Securities Analysts Association of San Francisco (TSAASF) at Golden Gate University. It was wonderful to see so many of you there.

The Market Week in Review :

A lot has happened in the two weeks since the last column was written. Right afterwards, the S&P credit agency downgraded the USA credit worthiness for the first time ever. The following week was every bit as volatile and unsettling for investors as that event - plus Mars in a T-square to Uranus and Pluto - would have suggested. That planetary translation took place August 8-10, and the actual low was right there on August 9, at 10,604 in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. As expected and advised in our daily and weekly reports, a 3-13 day rally then commenced in which the DJIA would rally back to at least 11,500. It topped out at 11,529 on Wednesday, August 17, a strong solar-lunar reversal date as indicated daily for the DJIA and Silver on the top of our website screen (www.mmacycles.com). The next day, the DJIA was down more than 500 points, to 10,881, from that high. Although these movements have been very profitable for our short-term aggressive daily subscribers (we caught several of these 500 point days on the right side), they have been unnerving for longer-term position traders who still fear a market collapse, consistent with the Uranus-Pluto square that continues within one degree of exact orb.

The uneasiness regarding the world wide debt explosion has been a positive for Gold, which soared to another new all-time late last week, well above 1800. Unfortunately this "out-of-control" debt situation (in Europe, Japan, and USA) will continue to benefit holders of Gold, the historical storage of value. The bizarre race by nations competing to get their currency to the lowest value of the world only underscores the ultimate problem with paper currency : there is nothing to back up its value other than the good faith and trust of those nations who continually print more and more of this increasingly devalued paper. Another harbinger of tough times presently and ahead is that Treasury yields fell to historical lows last week. The 10-Year Notes in the USA fell below 2%, something not witnessed in over 50 years. Likewise the Dollar fell to another new all-time low against the Japanese Yen.

Mercury continues in its retrograde motion through August 26. Information from political and economic sources continues to be a never-ending source of contradictions about the future economic direction. For instance, after S&P downgraded the USA credit, the Federal Reserve Board announced they would keep short-term rates near zero through the first half of 2013. The market and the White House absolutely hated the S&P downgrade, but loved Bernanke's follow-up. In homage to the Uranus-Pluto square, the U.S. Justice Department announced on Thursday it will now investigate S&P's rating agency for "their role in developing mortgage-bond deals that helped trigger the financial crisis" in 2008. Who was it - during the mid-term elections - that said, "We will reward our friends and punish our enemies" ?. Also last week, Fitch's rating service announced it would not downgrade the USA triple AAA investment grade rating, just a week after S&P downgraded it. Last week also witnessed Texas Governor Rick Perry entering the race for the Republican presidential nomination. In one of his first speeches, he attacked Ben Bernanke's Fed policies as "almost treasonous", and called for the Fed to open its books. In a recent column, we noted that the Fed would likely be attacked and called upon to account for its actions again during these transits over early cardinal signs. After all, the Fed was born December 23, 1913, and has its natal Sun and Pluto in opposition in the first degrees of cardinal signs (Capricorn and Cancer). It would be a surprise if they weren't under attack now.

Short-Term Geocosmics :

There will be a slew of geocosmic signatures unfolding August 21 through September 2. Several of these signatures involve Jupiter and Neptune. Since these two planets co-rule Pisces, and Pisces has dominion over Crude Oil, we can anticipate big moves - and possible reversals - forthcoming in the Crude Oil market, which has plummeted in the past month.

On Sunday, August 21, Venus goes into Virgo (known as an "ingress"), and in opposition to Neptune. Venus rules money, and is not particularly strong in Virgo, a sign associated with worry. People are worried about their money during this transit, which lasts through September 14. Virgo rules work and employment too, so the matter of low wages and high unemployment is likely to be even more visible as a political "hot" topic. On August 22-23, the Sun ingresses into Virgo and forms an opposition as well to Neptune. More worries. And since Neptune has to do with rumors and accusations, we can expect a few days of perhaps outrageous allegations of political leaders, all fostering a sense of distrust and suspicion. It would be best if people would just focus on the facts, and not add to an environment that is already on the verge of hysteria.

Later in the week, Mars will square Saturn and Mercury will turn direct, August 25-26. The tone can be combative as frustrations reach a boiling point, especially with Mars in the sensitive sign of Cancer. Neither Mars nor Venus are happy in their signs these days, And when Mars and Venus are not happy, people tend not to get along very well. After all, Venus and Mars are lovers, and when they aren't madly in love, they are usually fighting over money.

The new moon occurs August 29, right after these hard aspects. The new moon coincides with Jupiter going direct and forming a favorable trine aspect with the Sun and Venus, August 30-September 2. From a Financial Astrologer's point of view, this is considered a favorable setup. It might present a window of opportunity in which agreements can be forged amongst political leaders. More than likely, however, they will be on vacation, enjoying the break away from the grind of verbal warfare. Still, financial markets will be open, and perhaps the optimism suggested by these planetary movements will show up in rallies of equity markets.

Longer Term Thoughts and Personal Astrology Transit Tales :

Let us get away from the correlation of astrology to financial markets and political, mundane trends for a moment, and look at life from the perspective of real people. Not that financial markets don't qualify as "real people, real life", for they do or you wouldn't be reading this column after all these years (since what ? The late 1990's ? I don't remember exactly when I started this column, but I am certain Bill Clinton was serving as President of the USA). But my point is that the very best way to learn astrology is to :
1) be self-observant and relate what you personally experience under the transit of certain slow-moving planets as they make exact aspects to planets in your birth chart, and
2) express those experiences, in astrological terms to yourself, and in layman's terms to others - especially to those who are going through the same set of transits as you are, for they can most easily relate to the real life issues that you go through.

Like for instance, when I was in Europe in May and June, I spent a good amount of time relating my personal experiences in this column as transiting Uranus in Aries was (and is) squaring my natal Sun and Mars in Capricorn. Everyone born in the first 5 days of any season (Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn, or March 21-27, June 21-27, September 22-28, or December 21-28) is going through something similar to what I am experiencing. This would also be true of anyone who has any other planet or angle (like Ascendant) in these degrees, which probably includes many of you reading this column. And if so, then you know how utterly different this period is to anything you have known before. New experiences, Unexpected events. Brilliant ideas. But how do you hold on to them and why don't they come out as you thought they would ? But if you can just flow with the excitement of newness and maintain the faith that whatever is happening is very fluid and changing rapidly (so why get hung up in drama for too long) it can be fascinating. And yes, it can coincide with a sense of losing control, of knowing that you cannot plan anything and rely on "the plan". There are no plans to be relied upon when Uranus is so strong in the heavens, so strong in your chart, so strong in your nation or family's chart. So why stress about that which is beyond your control ? Instead, you learn to adapt - quickly, if lucky.

Many of you who read this column know astrology, or at least study it because - let's face it - you never fully "know it", despite what some people think about your knowledge or understanding of astrology. You never know it all, and you never stop learning, because just as soon as you do, you begin to lose it. Uranus will keep your mind sharp, but it is up to you to keep it grounded. Thank God for Capricorn and Saturn - especially when Uranus comes to this part of the cosmos to make its 126-year square to Pluto (now through 2015).

Well, I would like to share with you a little story about my mother ("What ! Your mother" ? I can hear you scream). Well, yes. The story has astrological lessons for me, for anyone going through these transits of not only Uranus, but Pluto, over the first 5 degrees of cardinal signs. My mother... she is a 90 years old Taurus, who like most Taureans just won't let go, but unlike most Taureans, her mind has mostly let go of her. She lives in an "assisted living" facility in Traverse City, Michigan, a beautiful part of a beautiful state that I grew up in. I enjoy the 4-5 hour car ride up to see her every so often, as it goes through many woods, lakes, and ends up coming down a hill right into Grand Traverse Bay, a particularly scenic part of the great Lake Michigan.

My mother started losing her memory about the time my father died in 2004. With each visit she remembers less and less of who I am (does that sound like Uranus square your sun ? Who am I ? I am changing in the eyes of others, and maybe even to my own eyes). But every so often she amazes me with her sudden quick-wittedness. Two times ago when I visited, I put my arm around her and asked if she was sleeping well. She shot back, looking straight into my eyes, and said "With who" ? To which my sister and friend Franco laughed their heads off and Franco said, "Norma. That's a good one". He reached out his hand to her and said "Give me five" ! To which she pulled back and scowled at him, "I don't have five. Where would I get five" ! He is talking about fingers on a hand, and she is talking about dollars. It was precious, and that can be a healthy quality of Pluto and Uranus transiting in aspect to one's sun.

But I saw her again a couple of weeks ago, perhaps for the last time. She didn't recognize me (I told you Uranus was square my Sun. Who am I if my own mother doesn't know me?). I introduced myself as her son, which surprised her. She was very curious about the idea that she had children (she had three of us). I told her she was 90 years old and had grandchildren and great grandchildren too, which of course surprised her. The nurse came in and told her lunch would be served in 15 minutes and was she hungry? Yes, she was, she realized. But she was tired too, and so for the next 15 minutes she laid down, opening her eyes every couple of minutes and saying, "Who are you? I am hungry? Will you stay a while" ? Finally the nurse came in and helped her into her wheelchair (I learned how the two-step began). Her back was to me when she was finally seated. The nurse turned her around to go out the door to the dining room. But as she turned, she was facing directly at me and she said to the nurse, "Who is that" ? The nurse said, "Well, Norma, that is your son". She looked puzzled, and then looked at me very closely. She then turned to the nurse, and said. "I don't think so. That man is too handsome to be my son". It was another precious Pluto-transiting-the-fourth-house moment.

Many of you know astrology, and as I wrote so much about Uranus in my life recently, you came forward and asked, "Well, what about Pluto? If Uranus is active in your chart now, so is Pluto". And you are right. And this is how Pluto is operating now in my chart. It is Pluto conjunct my Sun and Mars in the fourth house of family, parents. That was the last time I made a soul connection with my mother, and perhaps the last time we will have such a meaningful, special exchange. As I said, learning astrology is as much experiential in its reality as it is something you can measure. In fact, you can't measure infinity and the Infinite. But you can measure the markets. On some level, there is always something of value being exchanged or discovered. It is not necessarily only in the price of a financial market. Financial markets are only a branch of life, and Financial Astrology is only a branch of astrology. Know the tree, and you will experience her fruit when your time is ripe. I just did, and I continue having these "outpouring of compassion moments" under these once-in-a-lifetime transits. I hope the same is happening with many of you.

To be continued... (next week)

Announcements :

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 (see a sample there, of the weekly). 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, or call our offices at 1-248-626-3034. In fact, since September 2011, both the daily and weekly reports have been extremely accurate and profitable for both position traders and short-term aggressive traders. Position traders in stocks indices, for instance, were put long back in November 2010 when the DJIA traded slightly below 11,000. They have remained long through the entire rally since then (over 1200 points, and over 12%). These reports are extremely valuable to those who trade ETF's (Exchange Traded Funds). 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 ".

The final Volume 5 : The special pre-publication discount price of $125.00 plus postage for "The Ultimate Book on Stock Market Timing, Volume 5: Price Objectives and Technical Analysis", will end this week (August 20). The book is scheduled to come out around the new moon in Libra, September 27. It is always a surreal feeling when I complete a book of this size (over 300 pages).Like every market analyst who writers a book, I think this is the greatest one ever written. Did I ever disclose that I had Mercury in Sagittarius ? Well, it is true. I am very pleased with this book and I think it is the one book that you will truly get your money's worth from purchasing. It's a book about the tools that real serious traders use, the formulas that they use to calculate price targets, and the trading plans that work using market timing and technical indicators. This book is like the markets itself : it is packed with powerful tools (signals), and if you take the time to learn these tools properly, your chances of being a successful trader will increase tremendously. The book is approximately 320 pages, printed in perfect bind format, gloss cover, 8-1/2" x 11" size. The retail price at the time of publication will be $144.00. This publication will complete the project that started in 1996, and covered approximately 1600 pages of studies and strategies for all types of traders and investors, using our market timing methods. In all, this is a complete and unified approach to analyzing (and trading) financial markets, and especially stock markets. If you are interested in this unique and integrated methodology for analyzing and forecasting stock indices, you can save big bucks by ordering now at http://www.mmacycles.com/catalogue/books/the-ultimate-book-on-stock-market-timing-volume-5, or just go to www.mmacycles.com and scroll down to the announcement.

The monthly MMA Cycles Report and its companions - the MMA Japan Cycles Report and MMA European Cycles Report went out last week. If you are subscriber to any these monthly reports and did not receive it, let us know at once via our email.

- The U.S. version covers the stock market (DJIA and S&P futures), Gold, Silver, T-Notes, Euro and Swiss Franc currencies, grains and crude oil. It also provides the list of geocosmic and solar-lunar reversal zones for the 1-2 months. This report comes out Monday night to subscribers.
- The MMA Japanese Markets Cycles report covers the Nikkei, JGB Bonds, and the Dollar-Yen.
- The new MMA Europe Cycles report covers the German DAX, Swiss SMI, and Netherlands AEX stock indices, each in english only and will be available on Wednesday.
For subscription information, please go to our web site , or call us at 1-248-626-3034.

Upcoming Events :

January 6-7, 2012 : Zurich Switzerland. Forecast 2012 Symposia sponsored by AstroData. Details to be announced shortly at www.mma-europe.ch.

January 18, 2012 : Amsterdam, Netherlands. "Forecast 2012". The date is not yet finalized, but will be shortly, and it will be around this date.

February 23 and 25 : Hong Kong, China. "Forecast 2012" on Thursday, February 23, and a workshop on "Financial Market Timing" on Saturday, February 25.

March 16-18, 2012 : The 8th Annual Balkan International Conference, Belgrade, Serbia. Featuring a workshop on Financial Astrology with Raymond Merriman.

April 19 and 21, Boulder, Colorado".Forecast 2012" with Raymond Merriman, plus a workshop on "Financial Market Timing", focusing on equities and precious metals. Sponsored by ROMA. For more information and registration, contact dralagifts@msn.com.

May 24-29, 2012 : UAC !!! The world's largest astrological conference. Taking place at the New Orleans Marriott Hotel. Go to www.uacastrology.com. There will be an awesome Financial Track, featuring some of the top Financial Astrologers and researchers in the world.

September 20-27 2012 : The first annual "MMA International Cycles Summit on World Economy, Politics, and Financial Markets". Location will be in Lake Bled, Slovenia, one of the most beautiful regions in the world. Details will be announced soon. It's on! .

The MMA Catalogue of products and services for 2013 is now out!!! You can download it in PDF. The ordering page is the last page of the catalogue. This is especially useful for those outside of the USA, since we do not mail these out by mail unless requested.

We are pleased to announce that the Spanish publication of "Basic Principles of Geocosmic Studies for Financial Market Timing " has just been completed. For more information and ordering, please contact www.lecochonsideral.info/PubliMERRI/Espagnol/Annee2012/semana.html.

We also have our new CD available : "The Cardinal Climax 2008-2015 : Investment Opportunities and Dangers ". This 75-minute CD outlines the most powerful geocosmic configuration of our lifetime : The Cardinal Climax of 2008-2015. This presentation examines the historical, long-term geocosmic signatures that are present 2008-2015, how they correlated to economic crises in the past, and how they will likely impact various financial markets and investment opportunities this time. In fact, many of the themes are already underway. Approximately 75 minutes, with PDF file of charts used: $25.00 plus postage.

I am oftentimes asked for recommendations of a money manager who uses my methods, since I won't manage other people's money. The thing is, almost all money managers I know use their own systems. But many subscribe to my services and share my thoughts about the future of the economy, various financial markets, and how to position one's portfolio along these lines. One money manager who subscribes to our services that I would suggest for those looking to structure a longer-term portfolio, such as a retirement account, is Duke O'Neill of Boulder, Colorado. He can be reached at dukeoneil1@gmail.com, or 1-(303) 545-5837. For those looking for a professional trader of commodity and futures contract might consider Ted Lee Fisher at ted.fisher@comcast.net. Ted is a legend in financial futures and has a seat on the CME. Both are very knowledgeable of the tools I use, of the way I am looking at markets, and yet each makes their own decisions as to exactly when to enter and exit any market. They will be more than happy to assist you.

To the above list, I would also like to recommend long-term MMA subscriber Erwin Brunner of Zurich, Switzerland. Mr. Brunner is the founder of BrunnerInvest AG. One of his five funds was awarded the "Best in-house fund of funds " in the world recently. Mr. Brunner is a former director of the Swiss Banking Corporation (today it is known as UBS), and a general director of Rothschild Bank in Zurich. As an independent wealth manager for high net worth individuals and institutional clients only, he places his clients into the funds of the best performing fund managers in the world, via his own research and experience. For high net worth readers interested in Mr. Brunner's funds, please contact him through www.brunnerinvest.ch.

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.

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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