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

This year's printed version of Forecast 2016 will also available in five other languages, as follows :

Each of these will also offer the English version of Forecast 2016, 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 HARD COPY, ENGLISH EDITION OF FORECAST 2016, HAS SOLD OUT! There will not be a second printing. However, eBook copies may still be purchased. That's the beauty of this new electronic age and books. You never sell out of eBooks.

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

Review and Preview :

"In any great organization it is far, far safer to be wrong with the majority than to be right alone" - John Kenneth Galbraith, economist and diplomat (1908-2006) quoted in Arizona Republic, April 2, 2016.

Here comes the trickster at his most mischievous expression. Mercury turned retrograde on April 28, and right on cue, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) surprised the financial world by not lowering rates. On that announcement, the Japanese Nikkei stock index fell from a daily high of 17,572 to 16,652, before closing at 16,666 just before beginning its long holiday. The news stopped a secondary rally that was starting in other world equity markets, and most fell the last two days of last week after posting new cycle highs on April 21, right in the midst of the Venus translation to Uranus/Pluto, April 19-22, as described in the past two columns as an important reversal signature. It proved to be so once again, as many world stock indices continued to fall into Friday, April 29, to their lowest levels since April 21. It has many analysts claiming "this is the big one". Could they be right ? I do not know, but as long as Saturn squares Neptune, do not believe anything you read, hear, or see.

Saturn square Neptune can be a particularly strong "gloom and doom" projection, but not usually accurate. Nothing is as great as world leaders proclaim, and nothing is as horrible as their opposition claims and the rest of us fear. The problem is figuring out what is the truth, for under Saturn square Neptune, the truth is hard to find. This is a signature for cover-ups and blaming others, in effect into at least September. The biggest casualty under this aspect is trust in others, especially those in positions of authority and leadership. Just ask Brazilians, where a strange phenomenon is underway. As their President is on the verge of impeachment, and their economy is tanking, the Bovespa stock index is racing to its highest level in nearly a year. Go figure. On second thought, don't bother stressing yourself out trying to make sense out of this. We are in "The Incredible Spring Lineup of Geocosmic Signatures", and now Mercury joins Mars, Pluto, Jupiter, and Saturn in retrograde motion. That's a lot of backward movement going on in the cosmos. Thus, it is no surprise that it feels exactly like that on Earth right now too.

Commodity markets soared on the news from Japan. Gold, Silver, and Crude Oil were especially strong, surging to new multi-month highs. Gold is now testing $1300, a mark not seen since January 22-23, 2015, which was also Mercury retrograde. July Silver briefly poked above $18.00/ounce for the first time since late January 2015. Crude Oil rallied to $46.78/barrel, its highest mark since November 4. This has more to do with Mars retrograde than Mercury.

Short-Term Geocosmics ~~& LONG-TERM THOUGHTS~~ :

This is an especially active time in the heavens. Not only are five planets in retrograde (that is a lot), including the trickster Mercury, but next week we will find a harmonious grand trine playing out between the Sun and Venus (in Taurus) to Jupiter and Pluto (in Virgo and Capricorn). That is an earth sign grand trine, which usually means "money". This favorable configuration starts May 3 and lasts through May 13. This may account for the strong rally in Crude Oil, since Jupiter will also turn direct on May 9 and is part of these two grand trines (three is we count Mercury doing the same right after that and into early June).

This is one reason why it is not wise to get too bearish on the stock market. Yes, equities can fall into this period, especially given that Mercury is retrograding at 23 degrees of Taurus, which makes a hard aspect to the New York Stock Exchange chart (May 17, 1792, known as "The Buttonwood" chart). If they do continue to fall into this period, it suggests a strong rally will follow. Another reason is that Mercury and Mars are retrograde. These are notorious "fake out" signatures where financial markets are concerned. The stock market may look bearish today, but that can change around the middle of this period (May 10), which is also nearby to when Mercury's transit will eclipse the Sun (a rather rare event) on May 9. Any market that does not reverse its recent trend around the time Mercury turns retrograde, tends to do so near the midpoint of that retrograde journey. Mercury is retrograde April 28-May 22. Plan accordingly.

Longer-Term Geocosmic Signatures :

"When did Americans decide that 1% or 2% economic growth is acceptable, that puny wage increases are inevitable, and that we should all shrug and get used to the country's diminished expectations ?... The reality is that the first quarter (0.5% GDP) is further evidence of what has been the weakest economic expansion in the post-war era. The usual definition of a recession is two consecutive quarters of negative growth, which we barely ducked". "Make America Grow Again", Wall Street Journal editorial, April 29, 2016.

"I actually compare our economic performance to how, historically, countries that have wrenching financial crises perform. By that measure, we probably managed this better than any large economy on Earth in modern history". President Barack Obama, same article as above.

Former President Bill Clinton took a dig at President Barack Obama Tuesday, saying the economy has not improved much during his seven-plus years in office. "But the problem is, 80 percent of the American people are still living on what they were living on the day before the [2008 financial] crash", Clinton told a crowd. "And about half the American people, after you adjust for inflation, are living on what they were living on the last day I was president 15 years ago. So that's what's the matter." The former president has criticized Obama in recent months, most notably in March when he called Obama's presidency an "awful legacy." - Bill Clinton Throws Jab at Obama Economy", Jason Devaney, www.newsmax.com, April 26, 2016.

Legacies. That's comes under the domain of Saturn and the sign it rules, Capricorn. However, Saturn is now in a difficult square aspect to Neptune, which has this knack of dissolving anything associated with Saturn, whether it is rules, traditions, or even legacies. This year, 2016, is a time when legacies can be ruined.

Here is the dilemma : Saturn rules reality and Neptune rules fantasy and delusions (among other things). The reality is that the USA economy is weak by historical standards. The USA is barely staying just above the mark that defines recessions. Yes, it is at a time when many nations are suffering from recessions, like Brazil, Russia, Japan and much of Europe, South America and Africa. And yet, seven years after the "Great Recession", the president continues to believe the economy is doing well because it didn't fall harder then, largely due to the extraordinary actions of the Federal Reserve Board and Ben Bernanke. But seven years of woeful growth doesn't bode well for Obama's legacy or even that of Ben Bernanke - unless the economy suddenly explodes in the next 8 months.

In my opinion, that is exactly what the president and the Federal Reserve will try to do, for entirely different reasons. Obama wants his legacy to be positive, and the Federal Reserve Board doesn't want a president who threatens to shut it down. However, if Bill Clinton is taking a stand against Obama, then Obama has a bigger problem than the Federal Reserve. The Fed may not be able to engineer the economy into the kind of explosiveness it would take to eliminate the Republicans greatest campaign pitch - that the economy is weak. Take that out of the election and the Republicans lose their best argument against Clinton and the Democrats. However, without the support of the Clintons, Obama may not have anyone in the White House who is going to protect his belief (illusion ?) that he has been a great president.

Given that both the White House and the US Central Bank are working overtime to try to create a booming economy going into the election, I think it would be unwise to be too pessimistic on either the economy or the USA stock market through this year. Saturn square Neptune indicates that the economy is not that fundamentally strong, and under normal conditions, it probably would fall into a recession. But Saturn square Neptune, with Pluto in Capricorn, also indicates that "behind the scenes" maneuvers are likely taking place that will project an entirely different image than what is real.

As we said before, you cannot believe anything your read, hear, or see this year. It is almost all entirely a lie with underlying motives. The real stories are not being told. So, just sit back and try to enjoy the entertainment value of Neptune, for surely there will be several missteps and miscalculations along the way by those who try to engineer this illusion. If you can think of those in power, trying to massage their image to the public, as the modern-day version of the Keystone Cops, it will be much easier to float through this peculiar and "Incredible Spring Lineup of Geocosmic Signatures".

Regarding America, take a lesson from Aquarians: "I love you, but don't take it personally".

To be continued (next week).

Announcements :

The next Raymond Merriman webinar will take place Sunday, June 5, at 11:45 AM, Eastern Daylight time. It will last a little less than two hours, and will cover the outlook for interest rates, real estate market, grains and foods, Gold, Silver, the USA stock market, Crude Oil, and the U.S. Dollar. The cost will be $45.00. A power point of the slides will be included with your reservation. TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT AT THIS EVENT, call MMA at 1-248-626-3034, or email ordersmma@msn.com. In about three weeks, you will be able to reserve on line. Live attendance will be limited to 100 people. All of these webinars have sold out in the past, so reserve early and guarantee your slot

We are pleased to announce announce the release of a new book titled "Mundane Astrology 2016" by Toshi Nippou, our MMA sponsor (agent) in Japan. This book is compilation of many of my Mundane Astrology articles from Forecasts Books and weekly columns, put together by Hiyoka Akiyama, who translated these works into Japanese. For our Japanese audience, you can go to and learn more about this exciting new publication. I only wish I could read Japanese. I would love to see this new book.

Our fourth interview on "The Incredible Spring Lineup of Geocosmic Signatures", has now been posted on our YouTube station at https://youtu.be/XoWP_ku6Pus. This latest video focuses on the importance of the current Mercury retrograde and contains a special section on the recent explosion upwards in Silver prices. All four interviews are available for viewing. Part 1 can be seen at : https://youtu.be/KmaySvng0dk, and Part 2 at https://youtu.be/JTCO9JlCnB8. Part 3 may also be viewed now at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7YGVkmlSew. These videos are getting great reviews and are very relevant right now. Hosted by German Journalist and Astrologer Antonia Langsdorf, interviewing Raymond Merriman, these YouTube videos describe the incredible spring geocosmic lineup now in force, and its association with financial markets and world affairs. You will not be disappointed. You will be surprised. .

We have just completed a fascinating interview with Ted Lee Fisher, the keynote speaker at the 2017 MMA Investment Retreat taking place March 10-13, 2017, in sunny San Diego, California. Go there to read about this remarkable trader and analyst.

We are pleased to announce that the second MMA Investment Retreat will take place at the beautiful Kona Kai Resort on Shelter Island in San Diego, California, March 10-13, 2017. One of our guest speakers will be Ted Lee Fisher, money manager, retired member of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) and a legend in Commodity Futures for his pioneering work on creating Treasury futures. He is one of the most profound thinkers I have met on the current situation in world financial markets - a brilliant man and savvy trader, who has also been an ordained Buddhist Monk, and for 40 years, a diligent practicing lay person. We will open up early registration for this event shortly. Stay tuned, and don't miss this powerfully enlightening event!

New interview! It seems like we are in demand for interviews lately, which is a good thing. It probably also illuminates the fact that the investment world is in a state of uncertainty right now, and given our accurate forecasts of late, and outlook for 2016, they want to know what we think, how we view the current state of affairs financially and politically. The highly regarded FXstreet.com just conducted an interview/review of Forecast 2016 Book by yours truly.
It is very good, discussing major political, economic, and financial market themes of 2016. To view please go to http://www.fxstreet.com/analysis/conversations-with-forex-experts/2016/02/18. It is in English here, but will soon be translated into Spanish. For our Spanish-speaking friends, FXstreet.com will be posting our free weekly column in Spanish shortly.

The monthly edition of the MMA International Cycles Report (ICR) will be released this week. Each issue contains an in-depth analysis of: the XAU index (Gold and Silver Mining stocks), the U.S. Dollar (DXY), British Pound (GBP), Australian Dollar (AUD), the Australian stock index (ASX), the London FTSE stock index, the Russell 2000 U.S. stock index (RUT), Corn (C) and Wheat (W). The analysis of these markets is written by three of the top graduates of the Merriman Market Timing Academy (MMTA), including Mark Shtayerman (San Diego), Izabella Suleymanova (San Diego), Ulric Aspegren (Sweden), along with myself on the Australian markets, starting with this issue. One of the several good calls in last issue was in Wheat, where Izabella wrote "Let's get out of half our (long) positions at 499.25+/-5.19 in the next two or three weeks. We expect the market to top April 19-20 or 22-25 as there will be strong aspects including Mars and Pluto turning retrograde". BINGO as the high was 510.75 on April 21, 2016. Nice call Izabella! If you do not subscribe to this report and would like to, please go to www.mmacycles.com, and select SERVICES or SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES and look up the MMTA International Cycles report.

MMA's annual Forecast Book, written by Raymond A. Merriman since 1976, is now completed and HAS SOLD OUT! There will not be a second printing. However, eBook copies may still be purchased. That is the beauty of this new electronic age and books. You never sell out of eBooks.

This year's printed version of Forecast 2016 will also available in four other languages, as follows :
Dutch : at www.markettiming.nl
German : at http://www.mma-europe.ch
Japanese : at http://merriman.jp
Russian : at http://www.mmafinance.ru

MMA's weekly and daily reports have been extremely accurate and profitable lately, catching the lows in metals, stocks, crude oil, soybeans, and currencies. 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 Daily Market reports. It is the only way I keep in touch with traders on a daily or weekly basis. These weekly reports give in-depth analysis of the DJIA, S&P and NASDAQ futures, Euro currency (cash and futures), Dollar/Yen cash and Yen futures, Euro-Yen cash, T-Notes, Crude Oil, Soybeans, Gold and Silver. The daily reports cover all stock indices listed above, as well as futures in Euro, T-Notes, Gold and Silver, plus GLD and SLV (the Gold and Silver ETF's). 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. For more information, or call our offices at 1-248-626-3034. These reports are extremely valuable to those who trade ETF's (Exchange Traded Funds). And since early December, these reports have been extremely profitable. As subscriber and trader R.B. of Albuquerque, NM writes",You have been on an incredible run for a while ; I have never seen anything like it". Well, when everything lines up just right...

Our 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.
Two-issue trial subscriptions are available for this service for $50.00, which includes the current issue and the next month's as well.
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.

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.

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 :

June 5, 2016, 11:45 AM, EST: Mid-year Review of Financial Markets with Raymond Merriman. Our next webinar. Reservations to the live event online is limited to the first 100 people who apply. Cost is @45.00, and will last slightly less than 2 hours.

October 13-17, 2016 : ISAR 2016 - "The Power of Forecasting Meets the Consequence of Choice". Costa Mesa, California (near LA). The climax will be a panel of expert Mundane Astrologers giving their Forecast of the USA 2016 Presidential Election. An "Application to Speak" process is currently underway. More details at www.isarastrology.com, and via the ISAR ezine that is sent out to all members of the organization. This event will include tracks on Mundane and Financial Astrology as Forecasting Tools, plus others on Psychological Shifts in Life, Timing of Spiritual Transformations, and Timing of Significant Relationships.

March 9-13, 2017 : Second MMA Investment Retreat, tentatively planned for Southern California or Hawaii now (no Sedona). Details soon.

The MMA Catalogue of products and services for 2015 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.

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 theBest 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.

It is with great pleasure that I announce the addition of Egon von Greyerz to MMA Investment Retreat faculty of presenters. I met Egon last week in Girona, Spain, at a special gathering attended by MMTA Graduates Nitin Bhandari (India), Philipp Beyer (Germany), Henry Canciglia (USA) and myself. Egon is an expert on Gold. He owns Matterhorn Asset Management, a Swiss Asset Management company specializing in wealth preservation, located in Zurich ( www.goldswitzerland.com). He was also the person who initiated the "Save Our Swiss Gold" Act in Switzerland late last year, which would have required the Swiss National Bank to back up their assets with 20% Gold holdings. The initiative failed, but his reasons for initiating this effort are still valid. Egon is very interested in MMA cycles' work, and will share his outlook on Gold and the world debt. This is a real treat!

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 identifiesBig 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 thatextra edge. And Silver is a great market to trade now. The cost is $125.00. For ordering on line.

The new book titled Solar-Lunar Keys to Gold Prices : Secrets of a Gold Trader , is now out. The long awaited sequel to the Secrets of a Silver Trader is due out in late October (maybe before)!!!
Now, GOLD as you have never seen it by night or day. The studies for the soon-to-be-released book are now completed and the results are now being used in the weekly and daily MMA subscription reports for short-term trading strategies in Gold. That's right... historically tested Solar-Lunar Correlations to trading reversals in the Gold Market - as only available from Raymond Merriman. The studies cover over 40 years of daily Gold, starting from December 31, 1974 through April 2015. The book will change how you approach trading Gold using these leading solar-lunar indicators, with very clear instructions as to "when" to expect 3%, 4%, or greater reversals in Gold prices and how to trade them. It will be a valuable guide for short-term traders of Gold, GLD, and other ETF's involving Gold prices. You may call 1-248-626-3034 or email ordersmma@gmail.com and place your pre-order now. It is also now available for purchase on the MMA web site at www.mmacycles.com. Order now and get the first printing of this new book on trading Gold!

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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