Looming government debt and political uprisings part of market drama stage next three weeks: Raymond Merriman's preview for 2/7 week

Whew, the stock market drop didn't play out yet - fortunately last weekend we posted analyses showing that a rally was more likely for the week! But the next three weeks are likely to be dramatic including some volatility, according to this fascinating commentary by Raymond Merriman with his financial astrology. He discusses the unrest abroad of course, which he foresaw as a cyclical and even global issue since years ago. Also the US government debt looming over us. Ray's financial forecasting analysis also including market cycles, economy, and even the political climate. He also uses cycles analysis with his financial astrology for equities, bonds, currencies and commodities - for commentaries that are always fascinating. His paid subscription services are more precise in terms of predictions; but, that's fair of course! These weekly free preview comments are more intended to be general commentaries although they can often provide illumination or perspective on what's happening. Here's Ray Merriman's set of public preview comments for the upcoming week, from his site at Merriman Market Analyst MMACycles Weekly Preview Comments:
=============

MMA Comments for the Week Beginning February 7, 2011

Written by Raymond Merriman

REVIEW AND PREVIEW There is just no stopping this "Asset Inflation Express" in stocks. As stated so many times in this column over the past year, as well as both the Forecast 2010 and 2011 books, the Jupiter and Uranus transit into Aries is likely to bullish for stocks into the middle of this year. It started when both planets first moved into Aries in late May, early June 2010. Most of the world stock indices bottomed in late May 2010, whereas the USA stock market had one more new low to make in the first week of July. Since that time – and especially after Saturn left the oppositions and squares in the Cardinal Climax in the last week of August - most world stock indices have been on an upward tear. This is entirely consistent with the principles of Financial Astrology, and also correlates with the history of Jupiter-Uranus conjunctions. Stock markets don't usually top out until 4-7 months after that conjunction. The final Jupiter-Uranus conjunction passage in the current series took place January 4, 2011. Everything continues in its proper order related to this combination. Of course there are other combinations that are also in effect, and which must also be accounted for, such as the 26-month Sun-Mars conjunction that just took place on Friday, February 4. Last week witnessed more new 30-month highs in several stock indices of the world, including the Dow Jones Industrial Average, NASDAQ Composite. Argentine Merval, German DAX, and Netherlands AEX. All made these new highs between the Aquarian new moon of Wednesday, February 2, and Friday's Sun-Mars conjunction (February 4). The run to higher prices may not be over. That is, there is no technical sign of a top yet, even though the market timing qualities of Financial Astrology suggests that at least a corrective reversal could start at any time now. This is what is known as a critical reversal period, per the criteria given in "The Ultimate Book on Stock Market Timing, Volume 3: Geocosmic Correlations to Trading Cycles." The Asset Inflation Express extended to several commodity markets last week too. Gold and Silver, for example, were up all week. The grain markets (Corn, Soybeans, and Wheat) all made new 2-year highs last week, as did Crude Oil. However, in the case of Crude Oil, prices fell back sharply into the end of the week. Many currencies were strong last week too against the U.S. Dollar, though they started to pull back Thursday and Friday following these multi-week highs. To be sure, last week was quite dynamic. It was a very good reflection of the planetary picture, particularly the new moon in Aquarius on February 2 and the Sun-Mars conjunction of February 4. As Financial Astrologers everywhere would have expected, it was a week of aggressive behavior and the urge to fight for one's beliefs as to what is right. Short-Term Geocosmics But now the geocosmic picture begins to change. And this is not just a little change in the eyes of Financial Astrologers. Let me explain. In the study of astrology, the most energetic signs are known as fire signs (Aries, Leo, and especially Sagittarius). When several planets are in these signs, investors are aggressive, confident, and stock prices tend to go up. It is similar when they are in air signs (Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius), though not so much due to aggressiveness as due to positive news. On the other hand the earth signs tend to be more cautious, even fearful. When several planets are in earth signs (Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn), equity markets tend to pause, or even retreat, as investors reassess the economic and political climate. We already discussed the bullish impact of Jupiter and Uranus in the fire sign of Aries. That's not going to change for awhile, although Uranus has retrograded back into Pisces, but will return to Aries on March 11. But heliocentric Mercury and geocentric Venus have also been in Sagittarius lately, thus adding fuel to the bullish engine in stocks. Those later two conditions will now change. Both will move from the overly optimistic sign of Sagittarius to the much more realistic and cautionary sign of Capricorn, starting this weekend. The implication is that a correction will begin, or at least the market will likely pause in its upswing during this period. It doesn't negate the bull market, for after all, the larger planets of Jupiter and Uranus are still in their bullish phases. But it could indicate a time of contraction, or a correction, to the recent trend. Then there is the matter of planets. Just as fire signs tend to stimulate market activity – and usually in a bullish manner – so too can the fiery Sun and planet Mars. They are together in the skies now. Symbolically this just stokes the flames of excitement, whether it is for higher stock prices and greater profits, or the universal quest for freedom and the overthrow of perceived repressive regimes. The Sun-Mars conjunction takes place in the revolutionary-minded sign of Aquarius. Interestingly enough, Uranus rules Aquarius, and Uranus is about to re-enter Aries for the next seven years. What has been unfolding in Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan, and to some extent Syria and Iran, is just the beginning. This unrest is apt to threaten the overthrow many regimes, and even the United States is not likely to be spared from this threat by the time Uranus reaches its middle degrees in 2013-2014, and forms its 90 degree square aspect to Pluto, all in the same degrees as the USA natal Sun-Saturn square. The Sun rules the president, Saturn its government. Either all parties move into this new future together, as partners, or they separate and new structures are formed as old structures are torn down. But back to this week, and the next couple of weeks to follow. This turn of attention, away from the confidence builders of Sagittarius and Sun-Mars, towards the worrisome Capricorn and the approaching Jupiter-Pluto 90 degree square on February 25, all has to do with debt and governance. The world is still swimming in debt, and it seems the only entities that were truly helped with the aggressive monetary policies of the past two years were banks and their bankers. The disdain that the populace currently feels towards many world leaders that are viewed as tyrannical, dictatorial and repressive, is matched only by the growing awareness of how recent monetary policies and political decisions have favored banks at the expense of ordinary taxpayers, when the announced purpose was just the opposite. Here is a report you might want to check out that illustrates part of the problem: http://www.youtube.com/user/fiercefreeleancer. The month of January was favorable for stocks, and so far the first week of February has been too. In fact, it is possible the investment community looks favorably upon stocks for the first half of this year. Bu there is the matter of the history of the Sun-Mars conjunction. As stated before, it oftentimes ends trends of 10+% in stock markets, and quite often begins 10% counter-trend moves. The orb of time can be as much as 4 weeks. If the USA doesn't soon raise its debt ceiling, the hysteria of default will quickly engulf the investment community, and stock prices could fall 10% very fast, just the way the Sun-Mars likes it. This week it was announced that the USA debt ceiling would be hit by the first week of April, if nothing is done first. Judging by everything that has occurred with the White House and Congress over the past two years, it is likely that this important decision will also come down to the wire. But if you look at what is happening in the heavens during the last week of March and first week of April, the picture isn't rosy to the view of a Financial Astrologer. On March 28, Jupiter will be in a 180-degree opposition to Saturn, and the Sun a 90-degree square to Pluto. Two days later, on March 30, Mercury goes retrograde (until April 22). On April 3, Mars will have just entered Aries and form a conjunction to Uranus, on the same day that the Sun will be in opposition to Saturn. What does this all mean? It suggests that the threat of a default is very real, as politicians stand-off with one another. They probably come to a last minute agreement that no one likes, and for which there will once again be unintended (and even unimagined) consequences, requiring them to change (negate) their sloppily-attained agreements soon after, For us, the question will be: how can stock markets go up during this period of political and governmental folly (incompetence)? That is why we could have a 10% decline, but immediately afterwards, another 10% rally. Let's see how it plays out, as the countdown to drama is now likely to begin in the next three weeks, Maybe this new Congress will show us a better and more efficient way to get things done that need to be achieved in a timely manner.

Announcements

If you are an active short-term trader, you may be interested in our Weekly or even Daily Market reports with short-term trading recommendations. 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 short-term aggressive traders. 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 fact, since September 2011, both the daily and weekly reports have been extremely accurate and profitable for both position traders and short-term aggressive traders. Position traders in stocks indices, for instance, were put long back in November 2010 when the DJIA traded slightly below 11,000. They have remained long through the entire rally since then (over 1200 points, and over 12%). These reports are extremely valuable to those who trade ETF's (Exchange Traded Funds). 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."

The "Forecasts for 2011 Webcast" with Raymond Merriman that took place on Sunday, January 9, 2011 is now available by DVD (for computers, not TV) or CD this week. It was a great presentation, filled with many investment ideas with timing insights. The cost of the CD (audio only) is $45.00, + postage. The cost of the DVD (via computers only, with slide show) is $59.99 + postage. The market charts used in the presentation will be emailed to you separately in a PDF format. To purchase your copy of this Forecast 2011 webcast, just register at the MMA Website (www.mmacycles.com). Or drop us an email (ordersmma@msn.com) or fax (248-538-5296), or call us at 1-248-626-3034.

The Forecast 2011 Book is now out in both printed edition and electronic book edition, via I Pad, the I Phone 4, and Amazon Kindle electronic book format too!!! The Amazon Kindle edition is available to anyone anywhere who has a Kindle in the world Just go to their bookstore and type in "Raymond Merriman" or "Forecast 2011." It is available in Spanish as well. It is also available to via ITunes if you have the Apple I Pad or I Phone 4. Both the English and Spanish versions are available to any resident of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, United Kingdom, or the United States. If you are not a resident of these countries, you can still order it if you have an email address registered via one of these countries. Just go to ITunes, and then "Library," then "Store," then in the field titled "Search," type in "Forecast 2011" or "Raymond Merriman" (without quotation marks).

The printed version of Forecast 2011 is out in Chinese, Swiss, Dutch, Japanese, Spanish, and Russian versions. The Chinese book contains an analysis of the Hang Seng stock market. The Japanese Book contains an analysis of the Nikkei index. We are pleased to announce that that this year's book may be purchased at these websites, and in these languages: Chinese: at http://www.zzdcycles.com Dutch: at www.markettiming.nl German: at http://www.mma-europe.ch/ Japanese: at http://merriman.jp Russian: at http://www.mmafinance.ru/ Spanish: at www.mmacycles-spanish.com

I had the pleasure of reading Manfred Zimmel's economic outlook for 2011 recently. I would highly recommend this fascinating overview through the eyes of another Financial Astrologer that I respect very much. Manfred can be a bit radical in the eyes of some, but he has been so right on the world economic scene so far ahead of everyone else, that he cannot be ignored. His record bears respect. And I greatly appreciate his discussion on inflation in this report. It is exceptional in my opinion. This report can be ordered at http://www.amanita.at/docs/open/newsletter-e.pdf.

Upcoming Events:

February 6, 2011: Lansing, MI. "Forecasts for 2011" with Raymond Merriman, sponsored by the LCAS. 1-4:00 PM, Hampton Inn in Okemos (near I-96, exit 110). Contact 517-664-2665 for information. Or www.LCASastrology.com. I look forward to seeing many readers of this column there.

April 14 and 16, 2011: Kansas City, Mo. Update on "Forecasts for 2011" and a "Financial Astrology Workshop" with Raymond Merriman. Sponsored by AOA. For more information, please go to http://www.astrologykansascity.com/, or contact allenblasco@yahoo.com, or call 816-774-4514. The workshop will cover projections for the U.S. stock market, precious metals, and other markets of interest to attendees. This will probably be the only Financial Astrology workshop in the United States this year. There will also be a special dinner party arranged for Friday evening, with Merriman, for those who attend the workshop (there will be a $55.00 fee for the dinner, but it will still be a special occasion to meet one another). You can also see the flyer for this weekend by going to www.mmacycles.com, under EVENTS.

Our next private meeting with subscribers will take place after the all-day workshop in Kansas City, on Saturday, April 16. This is a very exciting gathering, for both myself (Merriman) and subscribers, as all kinds of interesting topics and ideas usually come up. Various market topics will be discussed and you may ask questions in this lively exchange. But you need to reserve a spot in this meeting with us ahead of time. There is no cost to subscribers, or $95.00 if not a subscriber to any daily or weekly report, or a one-year subscription to any MMA Cycles Report. To make your reservation for this special meeting, call us at 1-248-626-3034 or email Amber atordersmma@msn.com.

May 6-8, and May 14, 2011: Ljubljana, Slovenia and Belgrade, Serbia. Contact bern@astrology.si for details on Slovenia conference and aleksandar@keplerunited.org for Belgrade conference. The subject matter at both conferences will be Financial Astrology.

May-June 2011: I will be hosting at least one dinner meeting with MMA subscribers in Europe during this period, as I complete the final chapters of "The Ultimate Book on Stock Market Timing, Volume 5: Forecasting Prices." This meeting will take place in either Munich, Hamburg, or Berlin, and may follow a one-day Financial Astrology and Market Timing Workshop on current market forecasts in stocks, precious metals, and currencies. Reservations will be required for the dinner as you will be my guests (no charge to you, but there will be a charge for non-subscribers). At this dinner meeting, I will share one chart that I think deserves special consideration as a position trade for this season. Stay tuned for details in these announcements.

September 1-8, 2011: Bali! "Financial Astrology" Intensive workshop with Raymond Merriman, and "Mundane Astrology" with Claude Weiss. For more information on this unique week-long intensive and incredible South Pacific paradise adventure, please go tohttp://www.heavenandearthworkshops.com/financial.html. I am going to have to start talking about this soon because it will be a big event for me. I haven't had a multi-day conference on my work for several years now. This will be a joy and a challenge to put together what I have learned since 2006, both as a market timing analyst and a trader. I hope several of you can join us. I believe it will be well worth it, if you wish to learn these methods of analysis, and talk to others who also seriously study these subjects. Sign up early to get an advanced registration discount. I have never been to Bali, but I hear it is lovely. I may stay there a few additional weeks and write.

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 2007-2011; you may link to this site or page, but you may not distribute these texts in any way (by email or otherwise).

Archives

Previous weeklies (2006) are archived at www.olmta.com

For other language editions of MMA´s weekly comments:

• Chinese : www.zzdcycles.com
• Dutch : www.markettiming.nl (Nederlands)
• German : www.mma-europe.ch (Deutch)
• Japanese : www.merriman.jp
• Polish : www.astrobiznes.pl (Polska)
• Russian : www.urania.ru
• Serbian : www.mma-balkan.com
• Spanish : www.mmacycles-spanish.com (Español)