Market Preview for the week beginning December 24, 2018

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NOTE: There will be no normal weekly column during the next two weeks of holidays. We will, however, post articles that will be interest from past Forecast Books. To all readers of this column, we thank you for your support over the past years, and wish you and yours a very happy Holiday season and a most prosperous New Year!

Below is the opening chapter in this year’s FORECAST 2019 BOOK. Enjoy!

THE COSMIC SETUP: MODERN DAY ASTROLOGY LOOKS AT 2019

Setup: 1. The way in which something is organized, planned, or arranged. 2. A scheme, or a trick, intended to incriminate or deceive someone. - Dictionary, google.com.

“What you are getting is a stimulus at the very wrong moment. The economy is already at full employment. (The stimulus) is going to hit the economy in a big way this year and next year, and then in 2020 Wile E. Coyote is going to go off the cliff,” – Ben Bernanke at a policy discussion at the American Enterprise Institute, written by Craig Torres, “Bernanke Says U.S. Economy Faces a Wile E. Coyote Moment in 2020,” Bloomberg News, June 7, 2018.

It’s the cosmic set up of a decade. And it may take a modern-day Financial and/or Mundane Astrologer to figure out what it means before it unfolds. Yet, almost anyone with a working knowledge of astrology is aware that the alignment of planets approaching in 2020 is quite a unique and powerful set up: a stellium of Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto in late Capricorn through 0° Aquarius. It is symbolic of a huge shift for humankind. And 2019 is the setup for this shift.

But what kind of setup is it?

According to the Google dictionary, a “setup” can have multiple meanings, and take several forms. There is the physical setup, the way in which something is organized, or arranged. The arrangement of the planets in the solar system, in relationship to planet earth, exemplifies this type of setup. We see this in the chart of the year 2020. The chart, or horoscope, which is a representation of the heavens, is in a sense, a physical, astronomical, or cosmological arrangement, or setup. It reflects the manner in which the planets are “set up” in the chart of the times. That is, the cosmic setup of 2019 is leading humanity into the Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto stellium that will take place when all three will move through the sign of Capricorn in 2020. In other words, the year 2020 will be another “Capricorn Climax.” But to understand and prepare adequately for the 2020 version of a Capricorn Climax, we need to first of all understand the cosmic setup leading into it from 2019.

The last time we witnessed a gathering of three of the five outermost planets in Capricorn was 1988-1993, a period we labeled as “The Capricorn Climax.” As was the case in 1988-1993, when Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune were all in Capricorn and conjoined one another, the Moon’s Nodes are again involved. From November 1990 through August 1992, the Moon’s North Node was also in Capricorn. From December 2019 through December 2020, Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto will travel through Capricorn. However, from November 2018 through May 2020, the Moon’s South Node will transit through Capricorn, too. It will be another Capricorn Climax involving the Moon’s Nodes.

There is another kind of “setup” defined in Google’s dictionary. This one is defined as, “A scheme, or a trick, intended to incriminate or deceive someone.” This could be pertinent to understanding the times we are living in as well, for just prior to the three outer planets moving through Capricorn in the same year, 2020, one of these planets – Jupiter – will form a three-passage square aspect to a fourth outer planet – Neptune – in 2019. This is not just an ordinary 13-year planetary pair cycle between these two planets. This particular square is unusual because both planets will be in their ruling signs. That is, Jupiter will be in its home sign of Sagittarius, while Neptune will be in its home sign of Pisces. On top of that, Jupiter also co-rules Pisces. Two outer planets, each in the sign that they rule (plus co-rule), and in a hard, waning square, aspect to one another. That doesn’t happen all that often. In fact, it only happens about every 166-167 years. The last time it occurred was in 1852. We will revisit that period for analysis shortly, for an examination of prior times when astrological patterns occurred that are returning in current times, offers great insight into the themes and choices of the current time.

The year 2019 will highlight one major aspect formation between the outer planets, and one semi-major aspect. The major aspect will be the three-passage series of Jupiter in its ruling sign of Sagittarius, forming a waning square aspect to Neptune, in its ruling sign of Pisces. The semi-major aspect will be a three-passage waning sextile aspect from Saturn, in its ruling sign of Capricorn, to Neptune, in its ruling sign of Pisces. This will be the cosmic setup that leads us into the more powerful triple conjunction of Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto in 2020, which is an even more unusual and rare combination than the Jupiter/Neptune square, each in its own ruling sign.

Why might 2019 be a setup in the sense of “… a scheme, or a trick, intended to incriminate or deceive someone? Because, of all the planets used in astrology, Neptune and Pisces together have most reference to the concept of a trick or scheme where the intention or consequence may be to deceive. Not that deception is the only characteristic one can use to describe Neptune and Pisces, for each can also represent a state of trust and elevated consciousness, and an ability to experience inner bliss and a world of beauty. Neptune and Pisces can also indicate an active effort to facilitate a world of peace. These are certainly very altruistic, idealistic, and virtuous goals. But in a square aspect, the possibilities of a trick or scheme, or an effort that turns out to be more idealistic and altruistic than realistic, the probabilities are much greater than normal. And these are not “normal” times that we live in. We are living in times where there is great confusion and uncertainty about the future. The current times are fertile ground for an increase in schemes or tricks that are intended to incriminate or deceive someone.

Which brings up the question: what are we setting ourselves up for? What is being set up that might end with great disillusionment? The answer might be in the Ben Bernanke quote. We could easily see the collective moving from a state of economic and financial market overconfidence, a state of “irrational exuberance,” as indicated by Jupiter in Sagittarius in square to Neptune in Pisces in 2019, to the sudden realization afterwards that it is too late as we next enter the too-realistic nature of Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn. The difference in these two states of being is like the difference between bathing in a luxurious, warm body of water, like in a spa, to being pushed into a raging river of frozen ice in the middle of winter. You get sober really quick, and not at your convenience. It is like going from the frenetic and exciting pace of a Wile E Coyote, doing everything and anything you have always wanted because now you have the money to do so, running off a cliff because you think you can fly forever. It’s a wonderful trip, a grand party – until you wake up the next morning with the splitting headache and hangover. But as with all things astrological, you don’t have to have that unfortunate ending. You don’t have to be too comfortable and complacent and fall off the cliff if you are aware that you are headed for a cliff. The key is to be aware of where that cliff is, and aware that others – leaders of the world – are moving towards that cliff and leading their followers to that edge that no one really believes is there at all. The advice is really quite simple: don’t be unconscious of where you are and where you are headed and where others are trying to lead you. See the cliff and don’t go over it.

This year’s Forecast 2019 Book is designed to help you recognize who the Wile E Coyotes are and where he/she/they are headed. It is to help you recognize who is watching the campfire against the background of the beautiful night sky, as illustrated on the cover of this year’s book, and to make sure you don’t let that campfire remain unattended and grow out of control in your own life. It is to help you transfer your trust in those outside of your own being to a trust within your own inner being.

There is a setup taking place in the cosmos in 2019, leading humankind into 2020 and beyond. And, as the cycles in the cosmos have a correlation to cycles in human activity, it is important to understand the nature of the setup that is unfolding in the reality of the collective. Is it real? Or is it an illusion? Collectively, the square of Jupiter in Sagittarius and Neptune in Pisces indicates that this could be a period of a setup for a great disillusionment. The wake up from this disillusionment could come down very harshly, very quickly, during or near the time that the second Capricorn Climax, in 2020, gets underway.

The year 2019 is the astrological setup. It is also the setup for the very powerful collective transformation that is likely to follow in 2020-2022, and beyond.

Announcements

	Congress Outlook 2019 & Beyond, The reversal of the current economic cycle - highlighted by experts The rarest combination in more than 2,000 years of planets with an enormous connection to financial and economic affairs on earth. What effects can this have on which currencies, financial markets and institutions? This is the main topic on The Congress Forecast 2019 & Beyond which will take place Saturday January 19, 2019 at the Hotel Breukelen outside of Amsterdam, and feature Karen Hamaker-Zondag, Antonia Langsdorf, Raymond Merriman and Irma Schogt. And of course, based on the Forecast 2019 Book, Ray will also share his forecast for several financial markets, including Gold, Bitcoin, the USA and other stock markets, crude oil, and Euro/U.S. Dollar. If you are an investor or trader, or just interested in the correlation between cycles in human activity and the cosmos, this is a congress you will not want to miss! Read more>>
	February 9, 2019: MMA’S FORECAST 2019 LIVE WEBINAR, will take place on Saturday, February 9, 2019 at 11:00 AM (MST). This is 1:00 PM EST, 6:00 PM GMT. In the comfort of your own home or office, you can tune into Raymond Merriman’s annual worldwide webinar on Forecast 2019. This broadcast will address subjects from this year’s Forecast 2019 Book, with updates on financial markets since the book was written in November 2018. Outlooks for the U.S. stock market, Gold and Silver, crude oil, and currencies will be discussed. Cost is $45.00, and includes the slides of the presentation, plus a downloadable MP4 recording of the event.Send us an email>>
	MP4 of Webinar on Gold and Silver Long-Term Cycles Last week I gave a 2- hour webinar class on Gold and Silver Long-Term Cycles, that I believe went extremely well. If you are interested in this class, the cost is $95 for the MP4 recording, which is now available. Yes, it contains Chinese translation, but that won’t affect the understanding of the material, which comes with a 14-page workbook with illustrations (charts), tables, and slides of the presentation. It is well-worth the cost given where we are right now in the long-term cycles of each. Send us an email>>
	The Forecast 2019 Book is done and delivery is underway.   For a fast as possible delivery, the Forecast 2019 book has been printed in The Netherlands this time. The book will also be availble as Ebook. This could be our best book yet. For more information on this annual best seller, read more here>> All pre-orders received before December 7th have been mailed and you should be receiving them now. Please note: we only ordered 20% additional copies. Most of those are now gone and less than 100 books remain as of today, December 21st. When those remaining copies are sold out, they are gone. There will be no second printing. At that point, the only way to read Forecast 2019 will be through the eBook, which is available now to delivery to your inbox! MMA's annual Forecast Book, written by Raymond A. Merriman since 1976, is unique and one of the most affordable and accurate glimpses into the coming year. Utilizing the study of cycles and geocosmic factors, this annual Forecast book outlines forthcoming trends pertaining to political, economic, and financial markets throughout the world. Specific markets analyzed for the next year(s) include: T-Notes and interest rates, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Gold, Silver, Currencies (U.S. Dollar, Euro, Yen, Swiss Franc, and British Pound), Crude Oil, Grains and Weather. Each market contains the important geocosmic three-star critical reversal dates for 2019. Special sections also include the USA and world economy, the USA and world politics, the USA and its President. A 2019 ephemeris and calendar (one month per page) with geocosmic signatures is included, as well as descriptions of the Mercury retrograde periods for 2019. This book has an impressive background for insightful accuracy into world economic and financial market conditions that you will not want to miss! -The annual Forecast Book provides an excellent roadmap for the year and years ahead, this allows the reader to identify various trends and time of those trends to make investment and trading decisions. I've found the identification of these timings uncanny, especially if you combine it with normal risk management fundamental and technical trading systems. Uranus in Taurus is a particularly exciting time to be setting longer term investments. MJ, Sydney, Australia, CFO/Investor/Day Trader – indexes, currencies, and soft commodities.
	The monthly MMTA International Cycles Report (ICR) was issued last week.. This report is probably the best kept secret for the timing and cyclical analysis of several international markets available today. It is an excellent report, written by several graduates and students of MMA’s unique methodology on market timing, including Mark Shtayerman (San Diego), Izabella Suleymanova (San Diego), Ulric Aspegren (Sweden). Each issue of ICR 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). Read more>>
	Another Great Holiday Gift Idea! The best way to start your learning of cycles and geocosmic correlations to market cycles is with the MP4 recording on “Cosmic Cycles Are Forever.” This workshop by Raymond Merriman features valuable tools for understanding market cycles, identifying trends, and timing changes of trends in financial markets using cycle studies and geocosmic studies along with technical tools and charting analysis. In this masterclass, the historical correlation of stock markets, currencies, precious metals and bitcoin to certain planetary and solar/lunar cycles present in today’s cosmos are examined, with an eye on what to anticipate between 2018 and 2020, both in terms of world politics and financial markets, as well as shorter-term forecasting projections. Read more>>
	I have been asked by several readers how to invest in Live Cattle, based on Uranus moving into Taurus. There are no ETF’s or stocks that I can recommend. The only way I know to trade Live Cattle is via the futures markets. Many of you know that futures markets are very high leverage and hence high risk. It also presents considerable profit opportunities. If you want guidance from a commodities futures expert and broker that I respect highly, and have used for over 30 years, I would point you to Jimmy Jones at 1-800-274-5333. Jimmy is an excellent cycles’ analyst who worked with Walter Bressert, my own mentor in cycles analysis. In fact, Jimmy, Walter, and I used to present cycle studies at major commodity futures conferences together. Jimmy and Walter have done excellent research on various commodity markets related to cycles and technical studies, and Jimmy has great respect for Financial Astrology as a valuable market timing tool (so did Walter, who, as many of you know, is a legend in cycle studies).
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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.