Market Preview for the week beginning April 16, 2018

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Review and Preview 

Mercury retrograde, the “Trickster,” has had its usual impact of coinciding with conflicting signals in the world political arena. This, in turn, has resulted in road-runner-like financial markets during the last three weeks. First off, equity markets have exhibited large price swings back and forth every 1-4 trading days. Secondly, when stock indices fell hard in the middle of the retrograde zone, they exhibited strong technical bearish signals, which were abruptly negated as prices unexpectedly reversed and rallied to new 3-week or greater highs by the end of last week.

But the path for equity markets wasn’t straight up, not with Mercury retrograde. Instead it was more like two steps forward, one step back, and then another to the left or right, and not depending upon your political persuasion, for even there, what was once liberal is becoming conservative, and what was once conservative is becoming … extinct. Did anyone really imagine that Republicans, aka conservatives, would negotiate a budget deal with Democrats, aka liberals, that would result in another $1 trillion plus deficit to the USA debt? Did anyone ever think that conservatives, aka Republicans, would engage in trade protectionist policies, accompanied with threats of tariffs against many of America’s own trading partners? All of that started, and then stopped, and then resumed against new objects of unfair trade practices (China), combined with new military threats against Syria, that has now morphed into further contentious conflicts with Russia, which itself followed the expulsion of Russia diplomats from embassies around the world for allegedly poisoning one of their own spies, who worked as a double agent for the UK, and… well, I think you get the drift of all this drama, all this sudden head-turning and whiplash in world affairs that accompanies the Trickster when he enters his special time band known as retrograde (March 22-April 15). Yes, retrograde Mercury ends April 15, but the climate of chaos that has ensued this time will likely take several days and maybe weeks or months, to sort out.

In the meantime, many stock indices, like the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) started higher last week, topping out on Tuesday, April 10, and then plunging into Wednesday, only to recover once again and rally to new multi-week highs by Friday.

Equites were not the only market to experience sudden reversals and new multi-week highs last week. Gold woke up from its recent pattern of lower lows and lower highs to suddenly bolt up to test 1370 on Wednesday, April 11, for the first time in two months. However, once again, it failed to sustain that rally and break above our critical resistance area of 1375, as described in our last MMA webinar. We will be reviewing the importance of that area again in our next webinar, April 28, and what it will mean once it does break above there. Crude Oil also had an exciting week as it soared to 67.60 on Friday, a level not seen since December 2014. Even Bitcoin got into the act. It started the week at $6610, and by Friday, it has surged nearly 25%, to 8228.

Short-Term Geocosmics and Longer-Term Thoughts

“When you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing and when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors and when you see that these men get richer by graft and by their pull - not by their work. When your laws don’t protect you against them but protect them against you and when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice...You may now know that your society is doomed.” - Ayn Rand, as quoted in “Observations” by market analyst Garrett Jones, email. garrett111@comcast.net.

Yes, Mercury retrograde ends this Sunday, April 15. It is also the start of a new moon in Aries. You would think this means the return to normalcy. But not quite. Heliocentric Mercury starts its passage through the financially (and politically) hyper-exaggerative sign of Sagittarius on Monday evening, April 16, lasting through April 27. You would think that would result in more volatility, and it might, except the next day Saturn turns retrograde in Capricorn. If anyone other than Superman can stop a speeding freight train dead in its tracks, it is Saturn retrograde in Capricorn. But wait! The next day, April 18, the Sun will make its last conjunction to Uranus in Aries. If anyone can move Saturn in Capricorn off its rigid, cement-like foundation, it is the fiery Sun and Uranus “planets” in the fire sign of Aries. One is a missile and the other is the defense shield designed to stop the missile. And so, the USA administration threatens a strike against Syria for gassing its citizens, while Russia boasts that it has new defensive weapons that can intercept and stop such an attack. Does this not sound like Sun and Uranus conjunct in Aries – for that last time in this lifetime? Which begs the question: if this is the end of a long-term cycle, what is going to come next?

It is a very good question, and a challenging one to astrologers, especially Financial and/or Mundane Astrologers. We know the answer, the timing, and the themes that will be involved from a cosmic point of view. We can even point to sectors of the economy and financial markets that are likely to be affected. However, like everyone else, we can only make an educated guess as to what, and how, these matters will specifically manifest. But let’s try, in the space remaining in this week’s column.

The big cosmic event coming up is Uranus moving from the aggressive/assertive sign of Aries (2010-2018), where manufacturers of guns and weapons were in great demand (boom) but have recently actually gone bust. As Uranus moves into Taurus for the first time (in this cycle) on May 15, it does so under a new moon, which also symbolizes the start of something new. This foray into Taurus doesn’t last long. Uranus turns retrograde and goes back into Aries on November 6. The next day just happens to be another new moon, this time in Scorpio. So, we fall back to that Mars/Aries energy again, as Mars rules both Aries (where Uranus is retreating back into) and Scorpio (which is where the new moon occurs). Again, Uranus stays only a short time in Aries before returning for a much longer stay – seven years – in Taurus, beginning March 6, which just happens to be another new moon, this time in Pisces. What is with all of these new moons occurring on the days that Uranus transits back and forth between Aries and Taurus? It is just the cosmos’ way of telling us that we are about to enter the next stage of “The Great Reset,” 2017-2020, an important theme that was covered in our last webinar and the Forecast 2018 Book. By the way, this observation of new moons combined with Uranus ingresses, comes from Aleksandar Imsiragic, president of ISAR (the International Society for Astrological Research).

We also know that Taurus rules money, currencies, cryptocurrencies, and banks, which is why I have dubbed the 2018-2025 year as a period when “Bankers Go Bonkers.” First, they benefit immensely (profitably) from the turn to higher interest rates (part of the “Great Reset”). But then, before Uranus leaves Taurus, banks may be subject to a dramatic reversal and many may go bust. At the same time, the idea of changing world currency values gathers momentum, which may jeopardize the U.S. Dollar as the world’s standard currency exchange. Already, we see China de-pegging its currency value from the U.S. dollar, in favor of pegging it to Gold, which should tell you something about how I think the future of Gold will unfold.

Yet, through most of this turmoil, Pluto continues its 16-year journey through Capricorn (2008-2024). This is symbolic of the urge to purge corruption from governments around the world as “power (slowly) returns to the people.” Over the next seven years, given that money and greed pertain to Taurus, the temptation for those in finance to take advantage of others, or for those who engage in corrupt activities to get vast sums of money at the expense of those who earn it, is akin to asking for severe penalties and even imprisonment. The message of Saturn in Capricorn is the realization of the virtue of being accountable and honest. The message of Pluto in Capricorn is the realization of the consequence, the penalties, that are likely for violating the trust that others have placed in you, and for not being accountable and honest. The message of Uranus in Taurus is to avoid the temptation of the problems that self-centered greed and lust for money are apt to bring into your life. It’s not like you cannot earn money again with Uranus in Taurus. It is more about whether you can keep it. Everybody seems to make money when Uranus moves into Taurus – just look at how the USA and world economies are growing now. But how do you make that money? How do you use that money? Is it accountable and responsible, which is what Capricorn demands in order to be secure and safe? These themes have already begun to emerge in the collective consciousness. They will only become stronger and more evident as the world proceeds further into the transit of Uranus in Taurus, especially while Saturn and Pluto approach one another in Capricorn, in 2020. It will become increasingly important to find one’s path in life, a path that is personally valued. It will be even more important to not allow oneself to be tempted to veer off that path, once it is found.

Announcements

	Only two weeks away! Will you be ready for the 15.5-month cycle in stocks, and 17-month cycle in Crude Oil, currencies, and other-related markets like precious metals that are due to unfold this summer? The next MMA Webinar will focus on these and other financial markets, related to the final passages of the Saturn/Uranus and Jupiter/Neptune waning trines that have led to all-time highs in many world equity markets over the past several months. It will take place on Saturday, April 28, at noon, MST (3 PM EDT) with a Q&A at the end. Attendees who have questions are encouraged to send them in at least three days prior to the Webinar. The Webinar will last two hours. Cost is $45/€ 37,50* and includes a copy of the slides that are used as well as a recording of the Webinar that will be available two days following the live event. Read more>>
	It is time for the next monthly edition of the MMA Cycles Report! It will be issued this week, Monday-Tuesday, April 16-17 to all subscribers. This month’s report will cover the outlook for U.S. stock indices (DJIA and S&P futures), Gold, Silver, Treasuries, Euro Currency, Crude Oil and Soybeans, plus MMA’s original geocosmic critical reversal dates (CRDs) and Solar/Lunar reversal dates over the next several weeks. (The Cycles Report Dutch edition, including AEX analysis, the monthlyMMA European Cycles Report covering the German DAX, Swiss SMI, and Netherlands AEX, the MMA Japan Cycles report, covering the Nikkei, JGB Bonds, and Dollar-Yen also come out this week.
	The new MMA Bitcoin Daily Report has started! This report is included in the MMA Daily Market Comments and Trade Recommendations Report, along with ten other markets (Stock Indices, Gold, Silver, Euro, Yen, and T-Notes). The reasons we like Bitcoin for traders is because 50+% moves seem to happen every couple of weeks and because it seems to have its favorite solar/lunar combinations for reversals! It is a great market for speculators and aggressive traders, who understand how to manage the risk (don’t trade more than your life style can afford to lose). We use the current nearby futures contract as the basis for our analysis, which can easily be used by those who want to actually own bitcoins (or its relatives, like Ethereum and Litecoin). For those who sign up, we will also provide a FREE COPY of our recent March 8 webinar for subscribers (“Q&A with Ray”), which includes the tables on our initial research results of daily bitcoin reversals of 10% or more related to lunar movements since July 2014. The initial results are impressive! Read more here>>

Disclaimer & State 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 Schogt Market Timing & 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.