MMA WEEKLY - Financial Astrology commentary, Financial Market Analyst and Market Timer

The printed version of Forecast 2014 will be translated into several different languages again this year as follows :

- Chinese Dutch Deutsch Japanese Russian Spanish Italiano

Each of these will also offer the English version of Forecast 2014, as will our Chinese distributor : "Your work is essential to anyone who is serious in this field. I can't thank you enough for it".

Go to the sheet for Downloading the video for the Ultimate book on stock market timing.

This is written Friday afternoon here in Le Provence, southern France, where I am licking my wounds from a grueling 3-week lecture tour in Hong Kong and Belgrade. Actually the wounds I am licking are more from being on the wrong side of recent market moves in stocks and precious metals, which will be covered in this week's Longer-Term Thoughts section. In any event, this week's column will once again not have the benefit of being written after the weekly close in the USA. However, all of our subscription reports during this period were issued on time and will be issued on time again this coming week.

The Market Week in Review :

There were indeed more "Gifts from heaven" last week. As the rare but harmonious grand trine unfolded between Venus/Jupiter to Pluto and Mars in earth signs, equity markets around the world continued to rally. Euphoria abounds about the future of world economies and stock indices. However, we must keep in mind that the grand trine is passing, and all this euphoria is occurring under Mercury retrograde, which is about to retreat to Pisces. Is it real ? Maybe. Can it be trusted and depended upon ? Absolutely not. Mercury is a trickster all by itself. Retrograde and in Pisces, it is other-worldly in its capacity to imagine.

Precious metals and currencies vis-à-vis the U.S. Dollar fell rather hard again last week, and so did U.S. Treasuries. At least the part regarding a declining U.S. Treasury market fit the cycles' picture very well. The rest ? It's Uranus striking again where nothing goes quite as expected.

Short-Term Geocosmics :

Mercury continues in retrograde motion from March 12 through April 4. It starts in Aries, which is robust and assertive. But on March 23, the retrograde takes the trickster back to Pisces, where is can flow easily with its tricks. It may be good for dancing, charm, and romance, but it is not a combination that normally reflects the state of affairs accurately. Be careful about believing what you hear, let alone what you see. And most of all make sure that the message delivered is the same as the message received, for this is a signature of misunderstanding, miscommunication, and/or misdirection. What is really happening and what is it that they don't want you to see ? And for that matter, who are "they?".

There is a new moon this week too in early Aries, which is near enough to Uranus to be considered a conjunction. Therefore we look to the entire period of March 22-29 as one of potential volatility and reversals in many financial markets, especially those related to interest rates and currency values. It will also be a period known as the translation of the Sun to the forthcoming Uranus-Pluto square. It will offer yet another preview as to what to expect from June 2012 through March 2015 when those two powerhouses are in exact square 7 times, due to their own retrograde motions.

One thing I have noticed on this tour is that many people who have been involved in partnerships (business or romance) are breaking up. They want to redefine (Uranus) or terminate (Pluto) their relationship. I suspect this will also be the case with world leaders, many of whom may be on the verge of losing their power (Sarkozy and France ?). Now I think there is a connection here between the debt explosion in the world signified by Uranus and Pluto, and the difficulty in getting along in partnering relationships also symbolized by Uranus and Pluto.

Let's look at it from this perspective. Uranus in Aries wants unconditional freedom to do whatever it wants – even take on more debt that it can afford. It is, really, the wish to be allowed to accrue unconditional debt by spending without consequences. But with Pluto in Capricorn, there are consequences. Likewise in love, one of the parties seems to demand unconditional love, again a quality of Uranus. But it is unconditional love they want with sex or other perks, which like debt, is the domain of Pluto. Yet the other side – the Pluto in Capricorn – wants sex and love, but with conditions. Under the square, it will be hard for both sides to come to an understanding and agreement, whether it involves love, sex, or money. And with Mercury in Pisces coming up, we can also add to the mix the probabilities of lies and deception, so now we will have it all from late this week through much of April : money, love, sex, lies and betrayal. But will it be conditional or unconditional ? Will Uranus or Pluto get its way ? If both get their way (unconditional debt and unconditional love - with sex), it might work out. But more than likely it will be unconditional love without sex, or conditional love with sex – or conditional debt relief with restricted spending. After all, it is a square, not a trine. And with debt, you can keep talking all you want about how we need to spend more and more money to bring our debt down, but it is unlikely to work or be acceptable to those who demand an accounting (i.e. credit rating agencies).

Longer Term Thoughts :

It's been several weeks since I wrote a personal transit tale in this column, despite the promise to do so while on this three-week tour. The fact is I got quite ill and just didn't have the energy to write much. I needed rest to recover. But now that I am in Le Provence (southern France) where the air is clear, the sunlight is magical, and the vistas offer spectacular panoramas of nature's early spring seasonal colors, I am healing just fine. Now, only my ego is wounded.

The ego. What a marvelously constructed psychological explanation for something that has very little bearing whatsoever upon outer reality, except from the point of view of the viewer. The world is what it is, and the only difference to that is within the distortion that we create about the meaning of "is". And the reason for that distortion is to protect or enhance some interpretation of our own self-image within the context of those two realities – the reality of what "is" and the reality of our own role in effecting what "is", and perhaps how other people might perceive our role in effecting what "is", as if we have some power to actually do that. We have some power to affect this illusion simply because we have the choice of how we wish to distort the presentation of our role in the world of others.

Back let's get off the philosophy for moment, for that is only another vehicle for the ego to distort what "is". Let's revisit Uranus, the planet that may be considered the great distorter of reality because under its influence, nothing goes as expected. What you think is going to happen isn't, and what happens is not what you thought would happen. So you have a choice : re-invent yourself and the future that you imagined, or have it torn away from underneath your feet. Your ground is not stable, and you better shift, or you will fall into the void. The fall will continue until you shift your interpretation of reality and your own role within the drama that is happening all around you. It's not just an ordinary shift. It is radical. It's Uranus and Pluto, arguably the most potent and radical shift of all planetary combinations. In the 112-142 year cycle of these two planets, they form quarter cycles (hard aspects) four times. One is coming up soon (June 2012-March 2015), but you can feel it now. You've felt for the past year, actually, since summer 2011 when they came within one degree (and the USA credit rating was downgraded).

Under Uranus, you will likely experience extremes. One day you are on top of the world. You are on the summit. The next day, you are in the valley – perhaps feeling as if it really the valley of the dead. Your world is at first wonderful and bright, and then just as suddenly it seems shattered. This is the nature of Uranus, especially in Aries, and especially approaching its waxing square to Pluto. This is the reality that many of you reading this column are experiencing, especially if you have natal planets or angles within the first 9 degrees of cardinal signs right now (Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn). During the next two years, this will shift to 9-15 degrees of cardinal signs. For example, if dealing only with one's sun sign, those born in the last 9 days of March, June, September, and December are under this cosmic spell, which at once may seem like a blessing but then a suddenly shape-shift into a curse. Or vice-versa. The good news is that bad news doesn't last long. The bad news is that good news doesn't last long either. So don't get complacent or arrogant, as if you are the greatest, unless you have a sadistic love for being shocked and embarrassed. You need to be flexible and ready to re-invent the way you imagined your future quickly. This is called "adjustment". It is an essential tool for surviving these times as we approach Uranus square Pluto, 2012-2015.

As far as my own life goes (and many of you with planets in early cardinal signs will identify with this), I have experienced the heights of being on an incredible roll for the better part of the last 2-3 years. I have Sun and Mars in early Capricorn, so Uranus and Pluto are treating my life (and your life too if you have this set up) like a Ping-Pong match. The calls of the high in Silver last spring, and the lows on Gold and Silver in September and December 2011, have resulted in making a ton of money both personally and for clients. So had the forecast of higher prices in stocks from September 2010 through May-July 2011, followed by the decline into October, and followed by the rally that followed into at least December. But the unexpected move of stocks higher and Gold lower –– exactly the opposite of what was expected by yours truly - has resulted in losses of a half-ton. Thank God there were other markets that performed as expected (Treasuries Currencies), to help balance the final ledger, but still... . This is Uranus and Pluto in hard aspect to one's natal planets. Exciting, but wild. And I am a Capricorn, stable earth sign, so I don't always like wild that way. But you deal with it. You go to Le Provence, drink fine wine, watch the sunset, and philosophize.

The good news is that you can reinvent your thoughts, and your own self-image under Uranus, and it becomes a new day. The sudden fall into the valley is usually followed by another ascent up to the summit. You realize that you cannot make a plan that can be relied upon. At some point, the transition you go through and the understanding of the meaning of these changes involves faith. You have to believe ultimately in yourself and your own tools, and basically make the shift in perception. The world just changed. The key now is a rising dollar, not a falling one, and under that reality Gold and Silver fall and stocks rise.

But here's another reality. Mercury is retrograde through April 4, and about to re-enter Pisces. Well, maybe that is not really another reality after all. Maybe what needs to be reinvented is the context of a dream. Or simply prepare to be awakened shortly to yet another reality that is not a dream. After all, this week's new moon is in early Aries. It's spring in our hemisphere. New season, new realities, new trends. Adjust quickly and recognize the newness of it all. If you play by the rules of the past, you fall behind. Jupiter is also now past 7º Taurus. For a detailed explanation as to what this means for stocks, please view the Forecast 2012 webcast. It can still be seen via our archives until March 20. Or via CD or DVD afterwards. It's all there.

To be continued... (next week)

Announcements :

The "Forecast 2012" webcast of Sunday, February 19, 19 went extremely well. Perhaps it was our best webcast ever, according to feedback received. The entire broadcast is available as a historical archive until March 20. That is, you can view the presentation in its entirety - with slides, video, and questions and answers - as often as you want until March 20. The cost to get into the archive is $45.00 (no postage). If you would like a DVD or CD of the presentation for your library, they too are now available for $59.95 and $45.00 respectively, plus postage. Or go to our home page and scroll down to the announcement. For those ordering CD's, a PDF file of the charts will be emailed along with the order. "I just wanted to say that Ray's presentation was EXCELLENT! Great presentation and the WEBINAR was outstanding. Once again...THANK YOU !" Matt M., trader, Boulder, CO. on making reservations.

NEW! Now available Mini-Congress 'Outlook for 2012' on CD !!! Recordings of the congress "Outlook for 2012", held January 21, 2012 in Amsterdam, are now available on CD, with audio and PDFs of PowerPoint slides. All lectures are spoken in English.
The following presentations are included on this CD :

1) 2012 End Time of Dawning by Irma Schogt (20 minutes) ;

2) Happy New Year by Drs. Karen Hamaker-Zondag (20 minutes , regarding ECB and Federal Reserve Board) ;

3) 2012 = The Center of the Storm by Antonia Langsdorf (20 minutes, regarding Mayan calendar and astrology);

4) Forecast for 2012 by Raymond Merriman (1 hour).

Total length 2 hours, with PowerPoint slides sent online in a PDF document. Cost is $55.00 plus postage. Please go there, or www.mmacycles.com for ordering info.

MMA's" Forecast 2012 Book" The printed version of Forecast 2014 went out Wednesday and Thursday, December 14-15. Domestic purchasers should receive it now. Overseas people need to allow 5-8 business days. It's 200 pages - out largest ever - and packed full of information about the economy, USA Presidential election, social and economic trends, and of course, financial markets with their all-important three-star critical reversal dates (the one and two-star reversal dates are covered in the MMA Cycles Report, as well as weekly reports). The annual Forecasts Book , written by Raymond A. Merriman since 1976, is one of the most unique, affordable, and accurate glimpses into the coming year. Utilizing the study of cycles and geocosmic factors, this annual Forecasts book outlines forthcoming trends pertaining to political, economic, and financial markets throughout the world. For further information, please go to the front page of our web site. There you can also place your order for the Forecast 2012. Or call us at 1-248-626-3034.

If you wish to hear more about this year's Forecast 2012 Book, please visit our YouTube channel. There is a new video there highlighting three great market calls from last year's book, plus a preview of this year's book. It should be quite a year coming up!

Our E-Book version of the Forecast 2012 Book is now out as well in two different formats. The first is our own version, which contains both the text and the calendar-ephemeris for 2012. The cost for this is $55.00, or $35.00, depending on whether you also ordered the printed version too. The second is through Apple ITunes, which covers I Phone 4 and 5, and the I Pad. This format only costs $39.99, and is available in nine countries. It does not contain the advertisements or the planetary calendar and ephemeris in the back.

If you have ordered the E-Book version of Forecast 2014 from us, and have not yet received it, let us know at once, at ordersmma@msn.com. If you have already ordered the hard copy, you may then add the EBook version for $35.00. If you wish to order the"bundle" of both at $90.00 plus postage, please go to bottom of page and then click"bundle" on the order form for an additional $35.00.

The E-Book version of Forecast 2014 on the I Pad, or I Phone, is now up and ready to download as of Thursday, December 15. You can now order it if you have an email address registered via one of these 9 countries (USA, UK, Australia, France, Canada, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain). Just go to ITunes, and then"Library", then"Store", then in the field titled"Search", type in"Forecast 2012" or"Raymond Merriman" (without quotation marks). We are still waiting approval from Amazon.com Kindle.

If you wish to hear more about this year's Forecast 2012 Book, please visit our YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/RaymondMerriman. There is a new video there highlighting three great market calls from last year's book, plus a preview of this year's book. It should be quite a year coming up!

Our new 2013 MMA Catalogue of products and services 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.

If you are an active short-term trader, or even if you are an investor who likes to keep up with our current thoughts on financial markets, 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, as I no longer offer personal consultations. 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, Euro-Yen cash, T-Notes, Soybeans, Crude Oil, Gold and Silver. The daily reports cover all stock indices listed above, as well as futures in Euro, T-Notes, Soybeans, Gold and Silver. Both reports provide trading strategies and recommendations for position traders as well as for shorter-term aggressive traders. Subscription to the daily report also includes the weekly report.
If you want more information call our offices at 1-248-626-3034.
These reports are extremely valuable to those who trade ETF's (Exchange Traded Funds). In the words of one of our subscribers :"I am really pleased with your recommendations through the Daily and Weekly Trade Recommendations. I have used them to trade gold and silver stocks in my IRA. In the last eight years I increased my account from $60,000 to $712,000. Thanks for your excellent publications". - Bryden C., Small Business Owner, Illinois.

The Ultimate Book on Stock Market Timing, Volume 5 : Price Objectives and Technical Analysis is out !. The comments and reviews are starting to come in, and we will post them here over the next few weeks".I am a long time Merriman Market Analysis Newsletter reader. It has never ceased to amaze me how accurate those levels are given in the newsletter. I often wonder how Ray calculates those levels. By setting up my trades using those levels together with his timing methodology, I have profited greatly. I sincerely feel that Volume 5 of the series finally gives the whole investment community the full story about Ray's lifetime work and the complete description of his financial astrology methodology. It will be a great treasure to all serious market participants". Kenneth Laio, Trader and Chief Technology Officer, Sequoia Media Inc., Beijing, China.
It took two years to write this one, which is par for each of the five books of this series that started in 1997. That was around the time I decided I wanted to"tap into the soul of the stock market", like there is such a thing. Turns out there is, in my opinion. But it depends on how you interpret"soul". If you accept that it is a connection between the observable and the intuitive, that patterns do exist and like oracles, they oftentimes do reveal the future, then it exists. This is a book describing the tools that serious traders that I know use. I use them. Many of my subscribers use them, although not that many know how I calculate price targets to go along with market timing. This book identifies the formulas I personally use to calculate price targets, and the trading plans I find that work using these market timing and technical indicators. This book 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, IMHO. The book is 300 pages, printed in perfect bind format, gloss cover, 8-1/2" x 11" size. The retail price of this new book is $144.00. The publication of Volume 5 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 all five volumes, or choice of any four now, or just go to www.mmacycles.com and scroll down to the announcement. If ordering all five volumes, you will save $99.00 !.
For more information on this book, go to YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnplAS5m2AI, describing this new book. It is"the missing link". You may want to check this video out, as it contains some interesting long-term tips. You can also download that video there and read more comments.

The monthly MMA Cycles report and its companion MMA Japanese Cycles and MMA European Cycles reports 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.

- This report covers our long term analysis of 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. If you are not a subscriber, you can check this service out on a 2-month trial basis for only $50.00.

Upcoming Events :

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.

April 27 : Scottsdale, AZ. Evening presentation on "Political, Economic and Financial Markets Outlook for 2012". Details soon.

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.

June 23 : Amsterdam : A special 5-hour workshop on "The Gold Market : Forecasting the Price of Gold" Details to be announced shortly, but mark your calendars for an exciting event in one of the world's most exciting cities at the most exciting time of the year : the first Uranus-Pluto square! :).

August 2-6, 2012 : Midwest Astrology Conference, in Ann Arbor, MI, Holiday Inn. Pre-seminar workshop on Financial Astrology, Thursday, August 2, with Raymond Merriman. More details soon.

September 14-15 : San Diego, CA. Lecture on world economy and national election, and then a workshop on Financial Market Timing. More details shortly.

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/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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