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".

The E-Book version is also out, and it is now out in Amazon Kindle too. Click on this link, or search "Forecast 2013".

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

The Market Week in Review :

It was late. It was beyond President Obama's wish to be resolved by Christmas. In fact, it wasn't even resolved before January 1, the projected date that the USA economy would fall off the Fiscal Cliff. However, it did get resolved late in the evening on January 1, and stock markets around the world celebrated with huge gains on January 2, the first trading day of the New Year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, for example, was up a robust 308 points. It wasn't a new yearly high, but it's getting within shouting distance of it. In European stock indices, new multi-year highs were achieved in most. In Asia and the Pacific Rim, many indices (like the Hang Seng, Nikkei, and All Ordinaries of Australia) soared to new yearly highs. Now the question is whether the Americas can do the same.

As pointed out to subscribers of our daily and weekly reports the previous week, we thought that there would be a window of opportunity to reach an agreement between December 31 and January 4, as the Sun left its translation to the Uranus-Pluto square (December 25-30), and Mars was in a favorable applying trine aspect January 4. But after that, it changes again (see Short-Term geocosmics). Indeed the high for world indices was on Friday, January 4, under the applying Mars trine Jupiter aspect.

Gold and Silver were not so fortunate. They did rally initially on the agreement, with Gold bursting up to 1695 and Silver to 3150 on Wednesday, January 2. But by Friday, January 4, Gold had fallen down to 1626 and Silver to 2924. They bounced back up a bit into the close, but you have to wonder why they fell at all, given that the "deal" is a far cry from a solution to the continuing debt explosion crisis. The study of cycles explains it very well. The time band for several long-term cycle lows in precious metals is now in effect. In the meantime, this type of volatility and sharp price swing reversals noted in precious metals, currencies, and grain markets were also indicative of the fact that heliocentric Mercury was - is - in Sagittarius, December 28-January 8. This is one of the best indicators we have for identifying large price swings in financial markets, and it worked once again. It's not over yet.

Best Trades of the Past Week :

Our trades in precious metals continue to rock, as they have for the past 16 months. MMA's daily and weekly services have been short for several weeks now, and the daily report for Wednesday, January 2 on GLD (the ETF for Gold) advised , " Now let's look to sell short again in the bearish crossover zone of 163.84-164.20". The high of the day and last week was 164.14. It closed at 160.44 after falling to a low of 158.89 intraday on Friday.

For more information on the daily or weekly market reports, please follow this link, or call our offices at 1-248-626-3034.

Short-Term Geocosmics :

Our last column of two weeks ago discussed the translation of the Sun to the Uranus-Pluto square, December 25-30. We described it as follows : "This major aspect of our times will be intensified with the full moon on December 28, forming a powerful T-square with Uranus and Pluto. These are not significators of an agreement or compromise. Instead, the two sides are more apt to drift further and further apart, and the blame game escalates, much to the disappointment of everyone". Indeed it was at that time that everyone was about to give up. But then Senator Mitch McConnell (the Republican leader of the Senate) requested help from Vice President Joe Biden when Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid had given up. President Obama granted the request, and within the next two days, McConnell and Biden worked it out - after the Sun had left its translation to the Uranus-Pluto square on December 30.

Why is this important to note to a Financial or Mundane Astrologer ? Because following that intense planetary combination of December 25-30, the cosmic tension also broke up, and the energy shifted to the more optimistic and expansive signature of Mars trine Jupiter on January 4. This was the window of opportunity to get something done, and they did.

Now that energy shifts again this week, which will start with Mars in a more challenging square aspect to Saturn on Monday, January 7. Not only that, but the Uranus-Pluto waxing square is again translated January 12-16, when Venus first squares Uranus, and then conjuncts Pluto, exactly as the Sun did December 25-30. As suggested in our subscription reports, an agreement may be reached December 30-January 4, but no one will really like it when they dissect the details. Already we see the storm clouds gathering for the next round of arguments over raising the debt ceiling limit in the next month. Both Republicans and Democrats feel they gave away too much in the Fiscal Cliff agreements. This is baffling, since the agreement didn't even reduce the deficit one cent. To the contrary, the projection is now that the deficit actually increased by $4 trillion over the next few years.

Longer Term Thoughts :

"Don't give in to your fears", said the alchemist, in a strangely gentle voice. "If you do, you won't be able to talk to your heart…. There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve : the fear of failure".

"This is what we call love", the boy said, seeing that the wind was close to granting what he requested. "When you are loved, you can do anything in creation. When you are loved, there is no need at all to understand what is happening, because everything happens within you…" - Paulo Coehlo, "The Alchemist", 1988.

It has been said that financial markets are ruled by fear and greed. In Financial Astrology, fear falls under the domain of Saturn, and greed under Jupiter. The signs that they rule also correlate with these emotional principles, especially when the five furthest-out planets in our solar system are posited there. Thus Capricorn (which is ruled by Saturn) and both Sagittarius and Pisces (which are ruled and co-ruled by Jupiter), also pertain to the emotional dynamics of fear and greed respectively.

Today there is a lot fear in the world. There is fear of war, terrorism, individual insanity and madness leading to mass killings, and financial calamities. In Mundane Astrology, we can relate this to many astrological factors, most notably Uranus in Aries, forming a challenging waxing square aspect (first quarter phase), to Pluto in Capricorn.

In the last month, we have witnessed the tragedy of a mass killing of elementary school children in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, and the agonizing spectacle of USA political leaders desperately trying to avoid the dreaded financial cliff, which was universally feared as being a cause for a global recession if an agreement wasn't reached. As stated in our last weekly subscription report on December 28, there was a good chance that an agreement would be reached - but by January 4 and not before December 30 - and that it would be an agreement that did very little to resolve the exploding debt situation. In fact, an agreement was achieved late in the evening of January 1. But instead of reducing the USA federal debt, it increases the debt by $4 trillion this decade. No one is happy. More to the point, this did very little to relieve the uncertainty and fear of the financial challenges that still exist. And why not ? This is no mystery to Financial Astrologers. Uranus square Pluto is still in effect through March 2015.

The fear and anxiety about the financial future of America and even the world will ramp up again very soon. The USA debt-ceiling limit will be met in late February. The spending cuts of the sequester related to the Fiscal Cliff were kicked down the road again for another two months, and promises to be yet another Washington spectacle that has investors worrying about the ability of the President and Congress to reach another agreement before it is too late. This new round of the Fiscal Blues is right around the corner. Investors don't get a break from the stress of having to continually climb over one wall of worry after another. It is amazing investors haven't gotten weary yet. But then again, money has to find a home to park itself. And with central banks printing money at a rate never seen before, there is a lot of money to be parked somewhere. Stocks are the best bet, or so the thinking goes today.

President Obama has already stated that he will not participate in discussions about the debt ceiling if the Republicans insist on spending cuts tied to the discussions. He demands the debt ceiling raised for two years, with no spending cuts associated with this demand. Really ? Folks, that isn't going to happen and you know it - not as long as Uranus and Pluto are square to one another. Pluto in Capricorn can be indicative of a "power grab", as many world leaders make a run to centralize their power. Or it can mean a heightening of frustration on the part of populations the world over in regards to their political leaders not being able to reach agreements or compromises and move their governments forward. So what happens when people become overly frustrated over a long period time ? They eventually revolt.

So what is Mr. Obama going to do ? A look at the transits to his natal chart is very revealing, as discussed at length in this year's Forecast 2013 Book. His "favorable" aspects end at the end of January for quite some time. Transiting Neptune now begins its T-square to his natal Moon (in Gemini) square his natal Pluto (in Virgo). I think he is serious about not participating in any more discussions that make him crazy and don't give him everything he wants. Neptune surrenders. Neptune withdraws, especially when in aspect to the sensitive natal Moon.

We are soon to find out how serious Mr. Obama is when he threatens to not lead or even engage in discussions about the debt ceiling limit. This could have a huge impact on the USA's credit rating. What will this mean to the USA government - and to the financial stability of the world - as it occurs at the very same time that the Secretary of Treasury resigns ? It could get… confusing. Welcome to Neptune in Pisces, land of the giant fog. But it is also a time to remember your dreams and what can make them possible. The first step is to have a dream, and not just a grievance. And the dream must connect to your heart. Only then can you - which includes the political leaders of the world - avoid the fear of the fog and the uncertainty it brings with it. Deep inside you must know that "… when you are loved, and when you love, you can do anything in creation". Essentially, that is what healing is all about - and the world needs a healing right now, which comes from giving and receiving love. This too is the domain of Neptune in Pisces.

To be continued (next week)

Announcements :

I am giving my second special workshop on Gold next week in Zurich, Switzerland. The first one, you may remember, was on June 23, 2012, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, attended by 25 participants from 11 different countries. It was a very exciting and successful event. The conclusion reached that weekend - and reported to our daily and weekly subscribers - was to buy Gold that week, beginning on Monday, June 25, especially if Gold dipped below 1570. It did. Our sell for position traders was to take place on October 5, based on a particular geocosmic correspondence that I documented over the past 36 year, which had a 70+% correlation to rising Gold prices. I shared that information - and more - in that workshop. On the week of October 5, 2012, all MMA subscribers were advised to exit Gold if it traded above 1790, and even sell short with a stop-loss based on a close above 1810. It topped out at 1798 on - guess what ? - October 5. Those who attended that workshop and took that trade (which was the crux of that workshop for short-term traders) more than paid the costs to attend that event. Now it will take place again on January 12, and the timing of this workshop is just as important as the first presentation. I highly recommend readers to attend this special event if possible, and I look forward to meeting with those of you do. For more information on this workshop (which will be given in English), please go to www.mma-europe.ch or contact ASTRODATA AG, Tel. 41 (0) 43 343 33 66, or email info@mma-europe.ch . Register now as seating is limited!

There is a blog by subscriber Edward Smith that reviews our Forecast 2013 Book, particularly pertaining to the stock market. Please check it out at blog.efs-ideas.com . Plus he has a lot of other good ideas and data that many of you will find to be of value.

First of all, the new MMTA website is up and running now !!! This is the website dedicated to MMA's new Market Timing Academy, which will begin in April 2013. Please note that registration to participate in this "once in a lifetime" live course is now open until February 5, 2013. Read more below, or visit http://www.merrimanmta.com.

Forecast 2013 Book : is out. And the E-Book will be out early next week (our apologies for the delay, but it is coming). In retrospect, this year's book was the most enjoyable to write in a long time. It was very pleasing to hear our editors in both the USA and abroad comment that it was also their most enjoyable read of all the ones they have edited. I think that may be due to the fact that I gave a wealth of advice on "what to do" now - a well-thought out investment plan for 2013 based on the implications of cycles and geocosmic studies as they apply to 2013. The book may still be pre-ordered at $55.00, plus postage prior to December 15. It will also be available in an e-book format at these same prices, and with no postage costs. The book is 160 pages, and as always, a limited number will be printed, based on pre-publications sales. So order now, save big bucks, and make sure you reserve your 2013 book before they sell out!!! Once they sell out, however, you can still buy the electronic book version.

To order, you may call MMA offices at 1-248-626-3034, or contact Amber. Or go to our website link. We have also posted a "Scorecard" of this year's forecasts.
By the way, 2013 should be very interesting as there will be a super-rare configuration in effect by the summer. We are doing our research on the frequency of this pattern now, along with its historical corresponding themes.

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.

We are pleased to announce the completion of "The Ultimate Book on Stock Market Timing, Volume 2 : Geocosmic Correlations to Investment Cycles". We expect this book to be in print sometime in September - hopefully in time for the September 15-16 workshop. This means that the special $75.00 pre-order rate will end August 15. At that point, the normal rate of $125 (plus postage) will go into effect. To take advantage of the special pre-order discount price, please go to.

Recently I announced that I will be starting a new direction in life over the next two years, involving a mentor-apprenticeship program on Financial Market Timing and Analysis, according to the unique methodology I have developed over the past 30+ years. I didn't expect any response yet, as we are still developing the format. But… there has been a huge response! We know we are behind the curve on getting out information on this rapidly developing project, but we are working out the details and more announcements will be made shortly. So far we have determined that the training will take place over eight weekends stretching from 2013-2014. The dates for 2013 have now been selected. They are : April 6-8, June 15-17, Aug 10-12, and Oct 12-14. The 2014 schedule will be determined in 2013 . These 8 sessions will be the only time that Raymond Merriman will give this entire training in person. Applications for the "On Line Market Timing Academy" (OLMTA) are being accepted now. There will be an introductory training session, September 15-16 in Troy, Michigan (see below). For more information, or an application form, please contact Amber Lundsten, call 1-248-626-3034, or go to or scroll down the opening page (next page) of www.mmacycles.com. Raymond Merriman's "Market Timing Academy" (MMTA) will offer a pre-training course on "Beginning Principles of Financial Astrology for Financial Market Timing", September 15-16, in Troy, Michigan, at the Management Education Center of Michigan State University. This 10-12 hour course may be attended live, in person, or via webcast televised to your computer. An archive of this workshop will be available for 30 days afterwards to those who sign up. This workshop will basically train non-astrologers in the use of reading an ephemeris, the table of planetary positions for any given day. This is essential to anyone who wishes to understand how to find a geocosmic critical reversal date for financial markets. This course (or audit of it) is a pre-requisite for anyone entering the MMTA market training course, as developed and instructed by Raymond Merriman. The MMTA two-year training course will begin in April 2013, and will involve 8 weekends of study - 4 weekends each in 2013 and 2014. For more information and registration, please go to www.mmacycles.com (front page, near bottom). We will make announcements as this training program unfolds. The cost for the September 15-16 pre-training workshop is $395.00 ($300 for MMA subscribers). This cost will be deducted from the fee of the two-year training course to those who apply and are accepted into MMTA by October 15, 2012.
The DVD of the MMTA pre-training workshop on "How to Read an Ephemeris" is now out! The cost of the 8-set, 10+ hour DVD packet, is $395.00 plus postage, and will include the workbook. If you are a trader, analyst, or student interested in enhancing your skills in market timing, or if you are considering applying for admittance to the MMA Market Timing Academy (MMTA), then this DVD is highly recommended.

Speaking of our weekly subscription reports, we now offer a new one titled : MMA Weekly Treasuries, Soybeans, and Crude Oil Report. This will be a 3-5 page report offering comments, analysis, forecasts, and trading strategy for next week's market activity in the U.S. 10-Year T-Notes (Treasuries), Soybeans, and Crude Oil futures only. List of support/resistance areas, trend indicator points, geocosmic and lunar reversal points for the week, cycles phasing, and recommended buy and sell strategies. The cost is $750/yr or $250/3 months. We will offer a one-month trial subscription for $50.00, available only until August 15, as part of our introduction to this new service. Subscriptions are delivered by downloadable postings on the MMA Website, which is entered via your personal password. It is also delivered via an email attachment to all subscribers over the weekend before the market opens.

The DVD of the Denver Workshop on Financial Market Timing is still 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, and

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 to 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 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.

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.

Upcoming Events :

January 11-12, 2012 : Zurich Switzerland".Forecast 2013 Symposia" sponsored by AstroData.
January 11 lecture on Forecasts 2013. January 12 will be a special 5-hour workshop on "The Gold Market : Forecasting the Future Price of Gold and Silver". 10:00 AM - 4:30 PM. This is a special workshop on precious metals you will not want to miss !!! For further information, follow this link or contact ASTRODATA AG, Tel. 41 (0) 43 343 33 66, or email info@mma-europe.ch. 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!.

For more information, go to www.mma-europe.ch or contact ASTRODATA AG, Tel. 41 (0) 43 343 33 66, or email info@mma-europe.ch. There will be a special MMA subscribers' meeting afterwards. We are also trying to work out a recording arrangement of this workshop for those who cannot make it. We will let you know if and when it is possible, for this will be an important and timely workshop.

January 17, 2013 : Amsterdam, Netherlands".Forecast 2013", Sponsored by Schogt Market Timing. Call 31-(0) 294-415-917 for further more information, Or there.

March 8, 2013 : Scottsdale, AZ "Forecast 2013", Sponsored by ASA - the Arizona Society of Astrology. Call 602-952-1526 for further more information, or go to www.AzAstrologers.org.

April 6-8, 2013 : MMTA Course 1 : "Cycles and Chart Patterns in Financial Markets" with Raymond Merriman. Location: MEC Technical Center of Michigan State University, Troy, Michigan. This will be the first of eight courses given by The Merriman Market Timing Academy (MMTA). It is available to those who attend onsite, or via a live webcast that will take place from 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM Saturday and Sunday, as well as Monday from 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM, followed by a two-hour exam for those wishing to receive a certificate upon the completion of the MMTA entire 8 course program. The raw footage will be available for review for attendees for the 30 days following this course.

June 15-17, 2013 : MMTA Course 2 : "Geocosmic Correlations to Long-Term Cycles in Financial Markets" with Raymond Merriman. Location: MEC Technical Center of Michigan State University, Troy, Michigan.

August 10-12, 2013 : MMTA Course 3 : "Geocosmic Correlations to Primary and Trading Cycles in Financial Markets" with Raymond Merriman. Location : MEC Technical Center of Michigan State University, Troy, Michigan.

October 12-14, 2013 : MMTA Course 4 : "Solar-Lunar Correlations to Short-Term Reversals in Financial Markets" with Raymond Merriman. Location: MEC Technical Center of Michigan State University, Troy, Michigan.

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.

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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