Raymond Merriman at his Merriman Market Analysis site (always included in the list at right here) has made remarkably prescient calls including the tops in oil and bonds, and the January 2008 stock market demise, with his uncanny blend of cycles and astrology. Coupled with perceptive commentary on our lives and times in economics, politics, world events and more. Recently he'd been talking about "packing parachutes" which sounded rather ominous. And then the market rose, dropped sharply, and now rallied again. Hmmm! So let's see what he's saying tonight:
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MMA Comments for the Week Beginning October 12, 2009
Written by Raymond Merriman
Review and Preview
You might say that Financial Astrology is giving a “red alert” signal. As stated in the past two columns, “(…we are in) another tight time band of heavily populated geocosmic signatures, in effect September 29-October 16… in those 18 days, there are eight important aspects. Of most importance, however, may be the translation of Venus to the Saturn-Uranus-Pluto T-square of October 9-15. But then a closer look at that period will reveal that the Sun will trine the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction October 10-16, while Jupiter ends its retrograde motion and goes stationary direct date on October 12.”
So what happened last week? Besides the fact that many stock indices moved higher while Gold posted an all-time high, Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize and NASA bombed the Moon. Jupiter and Neptune are still in conjunction and have correspondence to the theme of peace. Jupiter is going stationary direct within one degree of Obama’s Ascendant, corresponding with personal good fortune, recognition, or opportunity. It fits with the symbolism of astrology. But what is the symbolism of bombing the Moon? The Moon is a satellite of the Earth, and in the study of astrology it represents the home and family. In this sense, we could say that the Moon represents Earth and its human family, and the bombing could be symbolic of bombs on Earth. It is interesting to note that just prior to the Moon shot, the Indian Embassy in Kabul was bombed. The Taliban claimed responsibility. If there is a symbolic correspondence, it suggests the War in Afghanistan, between the USA (which launched the bombing of the Moon) and the Taliban, will escalate in the next year. It might become more serious than most analysts expect. The purpose of the Moon shot, according to NASA and the USA, was scientific in nature. The hope is to find water on the Moon for…. what purpose? To consider colonies there in the future? Excuse my naïveté, but it sounds a little like Iran’s claim of enriching Uranium for peaceful purposes. To astrologers everywhere, the bombing of the Moon is not a positive symbolism. But then again, that’s difference between astrology and science, which has no interest in symbolism.
In financial markets, equity prices rose around the world throughout the week. Once again, some made new highs for the year, such as the Netherlands AEX in Western Europe. The Russian MICEX in Eastern Europe, the All Ordinaries in Australia, and the Bovespa and Merval in South America. None of the other indices we follow made new highs – yet. If they close in the lower third of this week’s range without making new highs, then we have a case of intermarket bearish divergence in all regions of the world, within a geocosmic critical reversal zone.
Gold made a new all-time high last week, and Silver performed exceptionally well too, as the Dollar fell to its lowest level against a basket of currencies for the year. Corn prices took off last week, while crude oil experienced only modest gains
Short-Term Geocosmics
We are right in the middle of those two planetary translations referred in the opening paragraph. But as the market is rising, it appears it is more a function of the Sun trine Jupiter October 10 and Jupiter turning stationary direct on Monday, October 12. The translation of the Sun in trine to the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction continues through October 16. On October 14, Venus will enter Libra where it will remain through November 7. Crests can occur during that time frame too. The point is, there are several mixed signatures in effect right now. Some point to an imminent high and others could support a rally continuing throughout the month. The early part of this week is critical because of the Jupiter transits.
Longer-Term Thoughts
Last week I discussed potential political themes related to the 16-year transit of Pluto through Capricorn (2008-2014). There are also monetary and economic themes related to this passage. Let’s start with the idea that Pluto rules taxes, as proposed several times in this column as a major theme of the 32-27 year Saturn-Pluto cycle. With the waning square of these two planets fast approaching November 15 (and lasting approximately 9 months), the issue of taxes and their possible consequences on the economy will likely be a very sensitive topic. As outlined before, the entire waning phase of this cycle (opposition to conjunction, 2001-2020) is likely to see greater government spending, increased government and individual debt, increased budget deficits, higher taxes, and a stagnant economy that will see deeper and deeper recessions that are longer and longer lasting. The waning square between Saturn and Pluto is the midpoint of this down cycle, which means either 1) it is the bottom of the cycle or 2) possibly the major change within the cycle that will accelerate its economic down phase until it ends in 10 years.
Higher taxes are coming, and we could say that you read here first. To quote from our column of December 29, 2008, just before Obama assumed office, “As we move from deflation to inflation, two things may happen, first politically and then monetarily. First, the new administration may raise taxes. Not income taxes, for that would be a violation of the campaign promise to reduce taxes for 95% of the population. That would be political suicide for Obama, just as it was for George Bush Sr. after the election of 1988. Obama will not make that same mistake (I don’t think he will, anyway). Instead we may see what Europe and other nations have already instituted, which is a consumption tax (VAT, or Value Added Tax). This allows Mr. Obama to keep his campaign promise. However, by creating a new consumption tax, the net result is to raise more monies to pay for the increased spending programs and give the appearance of tackling the out-of-control budget deficit. By the time all the numbers are added up, people may realize that their taxes just went up a lot more than if the income tax was raised.”
No one believed this possibility at the time. But now flash forward to an article titled “Mrs. Pelosi’s VAT,” which appeared in Thursday’s Wall Street Journal editorial page. It states, “… on Monday, Mrs. Pelosi (Speaker of the House of Representatives) mused publicly about the rising possibility of enacting a value-added tax, or VAT, as part of a broader tax reform. ‘Somewhere along the way, a value-added tax plays into this,’ she said…. Mrs. Pelosi is the second prominent Democrat to call for a VAT in recent weeks. John Podesta, an advisor to President Obama… called in September for a ‘small and more progressive’ VAT. Mrs. Pelosi and Mr. Podesta argue that a new tax is necessary to address the nation’s exploding financial liabilities...”
Now, a tax reform that includes a VAT may not be such a bad idea, and possibly could be a positive step (under Pluto in Capricorn and Saturn square Pluto) towards reigning in the exploding federal deficit. The advantage of a VAT, or consumption tax, is that everyone pays, and it greatly eliminates the tax revenues that are lost by those who avoid, hide, or cheat on reporting their taxes. The disadvantage of implementing a consumption tax entirely in place of a progressive income tax is that it becomes an excessive hardship on those who don’t work or have much money. Today, that involves a lot of people. A positive solution might be a combination of each: that is, incorporating a VAT, but then lowering income and corporate taxes by a similar amount. That would fit the Saturn-Pluto concept of tax reform, and it would be a way to reclaim much of the taxes that are lost through unreported tax reporting or tax avoidance. The government would still be able to raise more monies to reduce its debt and/or pay for its programs.
However, simply adding a VAT, without any reduction of current income and corporate taxes – especially of small businesses, who are the key to turning around the dismal employment situation – is an almost certain way to guarantee another Great Depression. This would not qualify as a reform of the tax system, but instead would simply be a huge tax increase. It would be a way to guarantee that our leaders once again repeat the same mistakes of the past, falsely thinking that this time those same failed policies of the waning phase of the Saturn-Pluto cycle would produce a better outcome. They won’t. They can’t.
Cyclical outcomes are not inevitable. If you alter the activity – policies and choices - that were present in these cyclical downturns, you can alter the outcome of the cycle. Mr. Obama is fond of lecturing world leaders that they have a choice to make right now in regards to the future well-being of our planet. He and his Congress also have a choice to make right now regarding the economic security of this nation. If history is any guideline, he (they) will likely make the choice that leads to prolonged economic stagnation - again. But on the other hand, this president has been remarkable in his tendency to surprise everyone by thinking independently. He is capable of thinking “outside the box” and breaking away from this cyclical pattern of economic policy.
By the way, did anyone notice that the U.S. Dollar continued to fall to new yearly lows, and Australia’s central bank raised interest rates last week, most likely in a move to thwart anticipated inflationary pressures? This also pertains to today’s position of Pluto (as well as Jupiter and Neptune in conjunction).
To be continued…
Announcements
One more week for the pre-publication discount on orders for next year’s annual Forecast 2010 Book. The discount ends October 15. The retail price of the Forecast 2010 Book will be $55.00 this year. However, for orders placed before October 15, the special pre-publication rate is still $45.00 (plus postage). Although 2009 is only approximately half over, the 2009 book has already been one the most accurate of all that have been written in the past 33 years. A list of many of those forecasts outlined in the 2009 book that have already come to pass is listed on our web site at www.mmacycles.com. And the critical reversal dates given for markets have been extremely accurate, including the high and low of the year in many. As always, the book is published and mailed out around December 15. Please note that the Forecast books have sold out by the end of February in three of the past 4 years. So, order now and save big bucks, and also make sure you reserve a copy before they sell out! Once they are gone, they are gone. There are no second printings. This year we are pleased to announce that you may order the Forecast 2010 book in five other languages besides English, as follows: Japanese (http://merriman.jp), Dutch (www.markettiming.nl), Spanish (www.mmacycles-spanish.com), German (www.mma-europe.ch), in Serbian (www.mma-balkan.com), and in Russian at www.urania.ru. These same sites also offer our weekly column in their respective languages.
And speaking of discounts and great offers…. All of our subscription reports will be increasing after October 15. Not only that, but right now our once-a-year fall special for some of the MMA subscription reports is currently going on! If you are an active short-term trader, you will be interested in the special offer now for MMA’s Weekly and/or Daily Market reports. If you order a year’s subscription to any of these reports with the 2010 Forecast Book prior to October 15, you will receive a 10% discount off the current price. After that, the prices for our daily and weekly reports will increase by 20-50% and the discount period will come to an end. The full MMA Weekly report, for example is currently $1000/year, and will increase to $1500/year after October 15. But prior to that, the cost will be 10% off $1000, or $900, if ordering with Forecast 2010. The MMA Daily Update report currently costs $2500.00/year. With the 10% discount, it is available for $2250.00. After October 15, the yearly subscription will increase to $3250.00. Additionally, by subscribing now, you will lock into these current rates for future renewals too! These reports represent the only way I keep in touch with traders on a daily or weekly basis. The weekly report provides in-depth analysis of the DJIA, S&P and NASDAQ futures, Euro currency (cash and futures), Swiss Franc, Dollar/Yen cash and Yen futures, T-Notes, Soybeans, Gold and Silver. On October 15, we will also add Crude Oil. The daily reports cover all stock indices listed above, as well as futures in Euro, T-Notes, Soybeans, Gold and Silver. Subscription to the daily report also includes the weekly report. For more information, go to http://www.mmacycles.com/services, or call our offices at 1-248-626-3034. In the words of one of our subscribers: “I recently subscribed to your weekly report and am finding it to be excellent and a very useful companion to the MMA Cycles Report. I can't imagine now managing my investments without them.” Save big bucks and order now, before the special offer ends in two weeks.
The DVD of the Financial Astrology workshop in Chicago is now available for purchase. The cost is $175.00 and includes a workbook of the graphics used in the class. Some people learn best with visuals like DVD’s, on courses like this one, and others learn best from books. But this workshop clearly lays out the basic methodology of combining cycles studies with geocosmic studies to forecast market trends as well as critical reversal dates for any market. The emphasis in this workshop was on the U.S. stock market and Gold. To order, contact our office at 1-248-626-3034 or email Amber at ordersmma@msn.com, or to go our web site at www.mmacycles.com.
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.
We are pleased to announce that the Spanish publication of “Basic Principles of Geocosmic Studies for Financial Market Timing” has just been completed. This first edition in Spanish will be in print in 10 days. For more information and ordering, please contact www.mmacycles-spanish.com.
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) 817-8263. 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.
Our weekly comments can now be read in Russian at www.urania.ru, Japanese (http://merriman.jp), Serbian (www.mma-balkan.com), Spanish (www.mmacycles-spanish.com), German (www.mma-europe.ch), French www.lecochonsideral.info, and Dutch at (www.markettiming.nl).
We are pleased to announce our new official Japanese web site at http://merriman.jp. Here you can read our free weekly report in Japanese every week. You can purchase several of our books and subscription reports in Japanese, including our new weekly Gold report, Cash Currencies report, and both the MMA Cycles and MMA Japanese Markets Cycles reports. If you read Japanese, please feel free to check out this new site, created by Toshi Nippou Ltd. of Tokyo.
We are also pleased to announce the formation of our new Weekly Cash Currencies Report in English. This report will cover our weekly analysis of cash Euro Currency, the Dollar-Yen, and the Euro-Dollar markets. For further in formation on this new subscription report, please visit www.mmacycles.com, and look under SERVICES.
The German version of “Merriman on Market Cycles: The Basics” is now in print. It is also a revision of the earlier work in English. For more information on this book, please go to our German web site at http://www.mma-europe.ch/.
We have added a valuable new feature to our web site. Now, on the very front page, you can get a daily update on the weighted values of the Solar-Lunar cycles for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Silver market, via the studies conducted in “The Ultimate Book on Stock Market Timing Vol 4: Solar-Lunar Correlations to Trading Cycles,” and “The Sun, Moon and Silver Market: Secrets of a Silver Trader.” These are the studies I use personally for short-term trading of stock index futures, ETFs (like DIA and Silver fund), and Silver futures. Anything over 100 means it has an above-average correlation to reversing from an isolated high or low if it forms that day. The higher the value, the more probable the reversal. To see these daily values, please go to http://www.mmacycles.com/, and just check it out on the top of the page.
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.
Copyright MMACycles 2007-2009; you may link to this site or page, but you may not distribute these texts in any way (by email or otherwise).
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