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.

The Market Week in Review :

It is always bleakest just before the bottom. After all, prices are falling and investors are worried that their profits are evaporating or their losses are increasing. But it is precisely that type of psychology that is prevalent at cycle troughs. In their fear, traders and investors tend to give up and sell their positions. Interestingly enough, this happens at regular intervals of time in the market, known as cycles, and especially when certain geocosmic signatures are also in effect - like Venus turning retrograde, which is happening this week (May 15), but whose orb of influence was well in effect last week.

This was the situation on Tuesday night, May 8. Once again a special report on precious metals was sent to all subscribers on Wednesday morning, several hours before the USA markets opened. On Tuesday, Gold had dropped below its 1613 low of April 4, and Silver fell to its lowest level in four months. I suggested the price of Gold could "... drop to 1579 +/- 12 and 1585.20 +/- 9.80. But we cannot rule out a severe washout, quickly taking prices even down as low as 1499 +/- 35". That day Gold drop hard, down to 1578.50. The next day it was back above 1600. But that was not enough to confirm the primary bottom was in, which is still expected within 12 trading days of Venus turning retrograde. But in most cases of the past, that low unfolded within even 4 trading days (i.e. about 1 week). On Friday, Gold dipped even lower, down to 1572 intraday.

Although the special report was on Gold, it applies equally well to both stock indices and currency markets. As Gold fell, so did the Euro currency as French President Sarkozy went down in defeat to Francois Hollande, who was opposed to the austerity measures supported by Sarkozy, Merkel, and Draghi (and probably Sweden's leadership as well, who like Germany, have seen their economies grow very nicely by applying austerity measures to their economy). So the Euro futures market began the week by opening below the neckline of a head and shoulders pattern (i.e. a term known to chartists and market technicians for its bearish implications). The Euro currency fell to its lowest level also since January. On Friday, May 11, the June futures contract was down to 1.2906, which is exactly into a price target for such a low at this point in the cycle, 1.2906 +/- .0069, via a calculation formula provided in Volume 5 of the Stock Market Timing series. It remains to see if that will hold as the low for the Venus retrograde reversal signature, or if it will yet fall lower - maybe even to 1.2500 - as the powerful geocosmic reversal signature says could still happen too, as long as this orb of influence remains in effect. The Euro needs two closes back above that neckline, which is around 1.3090, to look positive again.

Equity markets around the world behaved most interestingly as well last week as we head into this magnet-like effect of the Venus Retrograde, May 15. So far, the magnet is pulling stock prices down. But if Venus retrograde is indeed to be a valid reversal signature this time as it has been so often in the past, it implies a bottom is close at hand and a rally is to begin.

Short-Term Geocosmics :

It is mostly about Venus turning retrograde on Tuesday, May 15. That's the powerful Level One signature now in effect, according to the studies published in Volume 3 of "The Ultimate Book on Stock Market Timing" series. But the Sun will also form a conjunction to the largest planet in our solar system - Jupiter - on Sunday, May 13. The former has a very high correlation to reversals for primary cycle crests or troughs - or their secondary lows or highs - within 12 trading days. Since the market is coming down to test its lows of April 10 at 12,710 in the DJIA, we can assume it will be either a half-primary cycle trough, or a double bottom that remains slightly above the primary low of April 10, if it indeed correlates with a reversal at all (probabilities are about 80% +/- 3% that it will). As a market timer who enjoys the challenge of picking lows, this set up is enough for me to get excited about. On Wednesday, May 9, the DJIA fell to 12,748, which is already in the price range for a double bottom to the 12,710 low of April 10. On Friday, it was back down to 12,779. It's still holding those lows, while the NASDAQ futures have broken well below it multi-month lows. Interestingly enough, the NASDAQ Composite cash index hit 2900 this week, the same level where it rested on the low of March 6.

The next important period looming on the horizon is the new moon solar eclipse on May 20. Both the Moon and Sun enter the sign of Gemini that day. The eclipse of the Sun occurs at 7:46 PM in the Eastern Daylight Time Zone, so you won't be able to see it from the USA. You can see it from the east coast of South America, and of course in Europe and parts of Asia and Australia. Neptune will then form a waxing square to the Sun (and this eclipse point) on Wednesday, May 23. That might hold provide a temporary reversal zone for stocks.

However, it will be more interesting (from my perspective) to then see what happens when the Venus occultation (eclipse) to the Sun takes place on June 6, nestled in between the Sun-Venus conjunction in square aspect to Mars, June 4 and June 7. Jupiter also ends its transit of Taurus and moves into Gemini on June 11. It will stay in Gemini for one year. Remember : Jupiter in Gemini can be a blow-off high when Uranus and Pluto are nearby to a hard aspect. And they are, June 24, 2012 through March 15, 2015. Any new yearly highs now can start a big rally, even to new all-time highs. Failure to make a new high, however, means the long-term cycle high occurred when Jupiter was in Taurus after all, and between 23 Aries and 7 Taurus for the German DAX, whose high of May and July 2011 has not been exceeded yet. Our analysis a year ago that the stock markets of the world would not exceed new highs after March 7, 2012 has proved correct so far everywhere in the world but the USA. The USA stock indices have made new highs in late March through May 1, 2012, well after Jupiter left 7 degrees of Taurus, implying they could go yet higher to peak while Jupiter is in Gemini. It will be interesting to see which of these Jupiter factors work. Or will they both work, with Jupiter in Taurus correlating with the high in most of the world's indices, and Jupiter in Gemini correlating with a higher high in the USA stock indices ? That type of bizarre pattern is the very stuff that Uranus square Pluto can bring to the table. That is, if anyone can still afford a table, given that it also correlates with the next step of the exploding world debt crisis.

Longer Term Thoughts :

For those interested in my longer-term views of the Economy and Stock Market, please note that this month's issue of The Mountain Astrologer contains a 12-page feature article on the subject, written by yours truly. You can access the article by subscribing to this journal at www.mountainastrologer.com. For those German speaking readers, it will be translated and posted in the next issue of Astrologie Heute (www.astrodata.ch).

Last week I talked about the importance of Venus in our lives this spring. As stated then, "Venus is going to be quite prominent in the weeks ahead, due to its 6-week retrograde motion that will be in effect May 15 through June 27, and also due to its very rare occultation to the Sun on June 6-7 (that's like Venus eclipsing the Sun)". So here we are - and there is more Venus principles present in the mundane and political world these days.

Let's talk about the concept of "social issues", a real hot topic of debate in this year's USA presidential election season. For that matter, it is an issue at work all over the world, as noted in Europe's 17-member Euro Union and its revolving leaderships as the result of elections last week in Greece and France, where the proponents of austerity measures got soundly beaten. Let's say the issue was more about quality of life (or equality of life) than personal sacrifices necessary to balance the ledgers of these countries (i.e. austerity).

So "austerity" is becoming just as much of a "social issue" as an "economic issue". In astrology, when we talk about anything social, we are referring to the principle of Venus and its ruling sign of Libra, and also the seventh house of the horoscope (Libra is the 7 th sign of the zodiac, and hence it has a correspondence of principles with the 7 th house of a horoscope).

To understand this movement to "austerity" as a "social issue," we look to Libra and Venus in the heavens. We already know Venus is highlighted now by its retrograde motion and also by the approach of its long-term occultation to the Sun (the last time this happened was in the 1870's, as discussed last week). But its natural home of Libra is also being highlighted - and has been highlighted since the summer of 2010 - with the presence of Saturn therein. In fact, Saturn is retrograde in Libra right now and will not turn direct until June 24, 2012. After that it will zoom quickly out of Libra for a three-year tour of duty in Scorpio on October 5, 2012. Saturn in Scorpio, with Pluto is Capricorn, is symbolically a "Time of Reckoning" for all things done under the domain of Pluto (debt, deficits, taxes, regulations).

But that's next. Right now, Saturn is in Libra, and social issues are on stage. Everyone's worried about the economy and financial markets, but they are fascinated with the number of social issues that are now being addressed by political leaders - like the two candidates running for USA presidency (Obama and Romney) - and large turnouts by the populace who do not want to suffer the sacrifices required of austerity policies. As a social issue, many people are no longer willing to accept austerity measures. As an economic issue, some leaders are acutely aware that it has to be addressed and acted upon, as has been the successful case in Germany, Switzerland, and Sweden. But if you are not living in one of those frugally managed countries - or any others who have managed to grow their economies and apply austerity measures - then those running for your highest office just won't get elected or re-elected unless they get the topic of discussion away from austerity.

Unless, of course, the voting population sees the writing on the walls too, and isn't deluded enough to think the debt crisis of today can be solved only by more and more monetary stimulus and hence more debt. But that's not for me to argue. Yet as a Financial Astrologer, I understand this : Saturn in Libra is austerity as both a social and economic issue. It was "chic" (popular social fashion) to be austere earlier in this period. But as Saturn in Libra comes to an end later this year and gives way to the heavier Saturn in Scorpio era, those who have not been "chic austere" will likely pay the price for their exaggerated debts after October 5. In the meantime, the market can go higher with the announcements of more stimulus spending. But as Saturn entrenches itself into Scorpio, the continued stimulus spending and new taxes due January 1, 2013 will likely increase these debts and bring about a "Time of Reckoning". This is the mantra of Saturn in Scorpio, in mutual reception to Pluto in Capricorn, through 2015 and quite possibly into 2020 when the Saturn-Pluto cycle finally ends and a new one begins.

To be continued... (next week)

Announcements :

!!! We have now added the Gold (GLD) and Silver (SLV) exchange traded funds (ETFs) to the markets we now analyze in our daily, weekly, and monthly subscription reports. We do this because so many subscribers now use our reports to trade ETF's rather than future contacts. The initial feedback has been very positive, so we will now make this part of the each report.

The DVD of the Denver Workshop on Financial Market Timing is now available. This financial markets workshop offers a completely unique and original perspective, integrating :
1) Market Timing studies
2) Price Objective calculations
3) Technical Analysis
4) Pattern Recognition studies
5) Trend Analysis.

The primary focus of this workshop is on Market Timing Studies, particularly Cycles Analysis and Geocosmic Studies, as leading indicators that identify when to anticipate a reversal in all financial markets. Gold and the U.S. stock market are studied in great detail, especially regarding their current status. There is a wealth of timely and valuable information in this DVD, especially pertaining the forthcoming Venus retrograde period (May 15-June 27), the forthcoming Uranus-Pluto square of June 24, 2012, lasting through March 2015, and the important Jupiter correlation to stock market cycles coming up August-November 2012 and March-May 2013.
The cost for this 4-hour DVD workshop is $180.00 plus postage. To order, or call Amber at 1-248-626-3034. If you are a trader or investor who appreciates the value of market timing - especially in the next few months - this is a presentation you will not want to miss! .

We are down to the last couple of DVD's of the "Forecast 2012" webcast, which went extremely well. Perhaps it was our best webcast ever, according to feedback received. The cost for one of the remaining copies is $59.95 plus postage. To order 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.

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 :

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 and Silver" 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Hotel Park Plaza Victoria. Amsterdam, Damrak 1-5, Amsterdam 1012 LG, Netherlands. Sponsored by Schogt Market Timing. This is a special workshop on precious metals you will not want to miss!!! Cost is €345 ex VAT. Subscribers of any MMA reports (trials excluded) receive a 15% discount. For further information, please go to, or call 31 (02) 294 415 917, or by fax at 31 (02) 294-415-918 to register 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 will be taking place then, right near the summer solstice! This will be special, and a great opportunity to meet some very impressive market timers who will be present. Register now as seating is limited ! .

August 2-6, 2012 : Midwest Astrology Conference, in Ann Arbor, MI, Holiday Inn. Pre-seminar workshop on Financial Astrology and Financial Market Timing with Raymond Merriman on Thursday, August 2. Featuring over 20 astrologers, including Michael Lutin, Chris McRae, Bob Thibodeau, Dennis Fairchild, Monica Dimino, Richard Smoot, Grace Morris and others. For more information, call 303-828-5445, 303-604-2777, or email macasrtrology@yahoo.com, or go to http://macastrology.tripod.com.

September 15-16 : Troy Michigan. OLMTA - the On-Line Market Timing Academy - will conduct it pre-curriculum introductory workshop on "Basic Principles of Geocosmic Studies for Financial Market Timing". This will be an introductory course on how to read an ephemeris and how to calculate a critical reversal date. It is open to anyone, but understanding this material is mandatory for anyone entering the MMA mentor-apprenticeship program that will officially start in March 2013. This introductory workshop will be available as a live webinar too. The cost is $300 to subscribers of any MMA subscription report, or $395 to others. For further information, please contact mmacustomerservice@gmail.com or ordersmmma@msn.com.

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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