Week of November 2

Review and Preview

World equity markets made a complete about face as the Sun left Libra last week, and started its month-long trek through Scorpio this week. They sold off, and even the benevolent Venus trine Jupiter Wednesday night could only lift the market up strongly for the one day that followed. Even that was on the back of the positive GDP numbers in the United States, the first in several quarters, which signals the end to this recession that started in December 2007. By Friday, stock markets shrugged off those favorable GDP numbers and Venus-Jupiter love fest of Thursday, as many fell to their lowest level in three weeks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, for instance, was up 200 points on Thursday, but down 250 on Friday, closing nearly 300 points below 10,000. Weren’t they just celebrating 10,000 as finally having been conquered again on the TV market stations? This is not a good sign.

In tandem with stocks, precious metals and foreign currencies also fell against the US Dollar. So did Crude Oil. None of these markets made new highs last week, after doing so the week or two before. In fact, they all sold off to multi-week lows by the end of the week. As suggested before, we are in Scorpio now, and the focus is all about debt. It’s hard to be optimistic about the future when you have to think about the heavy load of debt still present today.

Short-Term Geocosmics

The Sun’s month long ingress into Scorpio wasn’t the only geocosmic factor of importance last week. Saturn also moved into Libra on Thursday, October 29, where it will remain until April 7, when it retrogrades back into Virgo for a little more than three months. Saturn is exalted in Libra, and both Saturn and Libra pertain to issues of fairness and justice. In classical astrology, Saturn in Libra is a strong and potentially positive position. It inclines one to measure all sides of an issue, and to make a choice that is well-considered and wise. It favors leaders who are calm, mature, and take their time to come to a decision that is just. But Libra is also a cardinal sign, and cardinal signs rule action. In fact, four of the five furthest-out planets in our solar system (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto, not to mention the Moon’s North Node), will all be in the early degrees of cardinal signs sometime in 2010, having recently left the “thinking” mutable signs. What does this mean? Well, I think it means that the US president will move from a stage when he takes a lot of time to consider all things (well, many things), and will soon move into a phase of great action, for better or worse, depending on your point of view. He won’t be “dithering” much longer, as suggested by his critic the former Vice-President Dick Cheney. But he may not act in a manner that pleases his far left supporters either, for Saturn in Libra is about as “centrist” a position as can be imagined in Mundane Astrology. It is, after all, the halfway point through the zodiac. Saturn here is apt to be more pragmatic, and less ideological. But with Pluto in Capricorn squared by this Saturn in Libra, it is also very political and savvy. I think the next few months will witness a remarkable transformation in the leadership style of Barack Obama, one from contemplation (or “dithering”) to action, one from the perception of a very liberal ideologue (to conservatives and independents) to a surprisingly more centrist leader who wants to move things forward with more broad-based support. In the process, he may lose some of his current supporters, and they won’t go out gently..

But back to short-term geocosmics. The translation of Venus trine the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction, October 28-November 2, did not produce a top as suggested. In fact, the markets are selling off into this translation zone, which is not a good omen for the future. But the translation ends with Monday’s Full Moon, followed by Neptune’s station from retrograde to direct motion on Wednesday. That could produce a reversal—unless the strong presence of Neptune correlates with hysteria and panic. If it does, the markets could be in trouble all the way into the first passage of the Saturn-Pluto waning square, which takes place November 15. Since Neptune is one of the co-rulers of crude oil, this may be a market to watch closely this week too for clues. Neptune also rules rains and floods, and this is one of the problems for farmers trying to harvest their crops late in the season. They can’t get the machinery out in the fields, and there is danger of losing much of this year’s crop, which would be consistent with Saturn square Pluto.

Longer-Term Thoughts

Last week’s column discussed the insider trading and market manipulation themes of transiting Neptune over the NYSE chart. In that column, we stated, “It is no coincidence, according to the principles of Financial Astrology, that the biggest insider trading scandal in decades was alleged last week against hedge fund giant Galleon Group. What may be more surprising is that this maybe just the tip of an iceberg, for usually under such transits, the revelations are not exposed until 1-2 years afterwards.”

Indeed that seems to be the case, as the front page of Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal headlined “Ex-Chief of AMD is linked to Galleon.” The article states, “A criminal case… alleged an unnamed Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. executive shared confidential information about the chip maker with a defendant in the case. The AMD executive is Hector Ruiz, then AMD’s chairman and previously the company’s chief executive.” This probe is starting to widen. With Saturn coming up to its first of three waning square aspects in mid-November, there may be more high ranking leaders of the business community pulled out and pulled down.

But this is just part of an even bigger problem related with Pluto in Capricorn, 2008-2024. Pluto rules debt, but debt is really nothing more than money in today’s world. You can’t have one without the other, but the hope is that they are somewhat balanced. Pluto also rules “deals behind the scenes.” They are “behind the scene” for a reason. Those involved don’t want others to know what they are doing. Thus Pluto relates to secrecy. In the mundane world, Pluto rules banks, investment houses, and taxing agencies of the government (i.e., IRS). Basically it represents those institutions that deal in OPM—Other People’s Money. Thus again we have debt issues, which are associated with Pluto.

Capricorn and its ruler Saturn, on the other hand, pertain to the Government, as well as big business in general. So what can happen when Pluto is in Capricorn, and squared by Saturn? Well you can create instances where the line between government, banks, and big business becomes very unclear. They can be all connected, rather than separate, and “deals behind the scenes” can take place by representatives in each of these areas. We see this today, for instance, as the US Government now has taken a controlling stake in banks, insurance companies, and automobile companies, with health insurance companies possibly next on the docket. The government has also appointed a pay czar to set compensation schedules for executives of these firms that are now partly owned by the government, but really owned by the taxpayers of this country. The problem is that these cases (and these positions) become potential conflicts of interest, as the temptation to corruption—ala bribery, or payment for financial favors—increases immensely. There is a reason why there is separation of church and government, and the same should possibly be true with business and banking with the government. But today, for instance, a case can be made that the USA Central Bank—the Federal Reserve Board—has now become the fourth branch of government, as suggested by David Wessel in the sub-title of his excellent book “In FED We Trust” (2009, Crown Publishing Group). Another example of the blurring of lines this creates is in the form of campaign contributions, or lobbying efforts, by large banks and corporations with elected government representatives. Literally, votes and/or political influence can be bought, and that is something Pluto in Capricorn won’t tolerate for long.

With Pluto in Capricorn, there is bound to be an increasingly intense demand for honesty and integrity by all of these parties, and a demand for a more formal separation of influence of government leaders from big business and banks. As Pluto moves further and further into Capricorn, first squaring Saturn for the next nine months, and then square to Uranus 2012-2015, this issue is apt to become the basis for many more exposures of corruption. What will be surprising is how far up the corporate ladder, and how deep into the U.S. Government, this conflict of interest goes. Heads will roll, because when Uranus squares Pluto, it will fall in an exact T-square with the USA’s own Sun square Saturn, at 11-14 degrees of Cancer and Libra respectively. However, that’s about four years away. In the meantime, it’s like a tidal wave that is just beginning. Once again, the only way to survive in business, banking, or government, is to be totally honest—and maybe a little lucky. Pluto in Capricorn is not a good time to be dishonest or corrupt. Everything comes out, and no one gets away with anything in the end.

Announcements

The first “Forecasts for 2010” presentation will take place on on Sunday, December 20, 2009, starting at 1:00 PM EST (that’s 6:00 PM, GMT, or 10:00 AM in Los Angeles). Ity will be a world-wide webcast, much like last year’s, only this time you will be able to see the speaker, the slides, and hear the questions asked of attendees. This “Virtual On-line Discussion and Forecasts for 2010 with Ray Merriman!” will take place via the modern technology of Vibation, Inc. You can log onto this discussion on current markets (both long-term and short-term outlooks) and the political-psychological climate for 2010, in the comfort of your home or office. All you need is a computer with speakers. The cost for this private discussion is $45.00. If you are interested in being part of this unique live webcast, go to our website at www.mmacycles.com (it may not be up for couple of weeks or so). Or drop us an email (ordersmma@msn.com) or fax (248-538-5296), or call us at 1-248-626-3034. Instructions to log into this event will be sent upon making reservations. Reserve early (before December 15), for space is limited!!!

You can still pre-order next year’s Forecast 2010 book before it comes out December 15. And it is a good idea to order it before then because you will want to be in the first mailing that goes out, in order to make sure you receive it before Christmas. After the first week of December, new orders received may not get processed and distributed until the first mailing is completed, which usually takes 3-4 days. Additionally, these books have sold out by February in three of the last 4 years, and there are no reprints. When they are gone, they are gone, although you may be able to purchase them on “after market” web sites for about three times the retail price. Now that 2009 is nearly over, we can look back and see that the 2009 book has been one of 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.

For all of our subscribers in the New York and Boston areas, you may want to mark down two dates coming up: December 22, 2009 and March 1. These will be the next private meetings with MMA subscribers in the United States. The one in New York City will take place from 6:00 – 8:30 PM. The location will be given upon placing your reservation. The one in Cambridge (near Boston) will take place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, starting at either 11:00 AM or 1:00 PM (TBD), and again lasting about 2-1/2 hours. It will follow the NCGR conference on “Planetary Revolution: Geocosmic Alchemy II, taking place February 25-28. There is no cost to attend these special MMA discussions if you subscribe to a weekly or daily report, or if you have a yearly subscription to either MMA Cycles Report or the SOS Report. For all others, the cost to sit in will be $295.00. Attendance at each is limited to 10-15 persons, and yes, there is still room available. Each are about half full as of today. There is nothing as exciting and informative as a gathering with MMA subscribers (to me), because they come from very interesting walks of life, from the fields of finance, banking, government, military, intelligence agencies, academia, and astrology. There will also be discussion meetings with subscribers in Amsterdam (January 16) and Zurich (January 24).

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. 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, T-Notes, Corn, Soybeans, Wheat, Gold and Silver. 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 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.”

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 Capstone Capital Wealth Management, 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.

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?ïs 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?ïs 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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