Market Preview for the week starting January 13, 2020

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NOTE: Due to my speaking duties, and preparations for the international Saturn/Pluto conference in Zurich this weekend, this week’s column will be abbreviated. I apologize for that as I know this is a very important time, both in terms of geocosmic factors and world events.
 

Review

U.S. hiring cooled in December, as the economy added 145,000 jobs, ending the decade on a weaker-than-expected note. The final payroll number of 2019 missed the estimate of 164,000 from economists surveyed by Refinitiv. Unemployment remained at 3.5 percent, a half-century low, as more people were looking for work, the Labor Department said Friday. Average hourly earnings, meanwhile, rose by 2.9 percent over the past year to $28.32. - Megan Henney, US Job Growth Slows in December, Ending 2019 on Weaker-Than-Expected Note,” www.foxbusiness.com/, January 10, 2020.

Advanced economies were facing a tough year, the World Bank predicted, with the US growth rate slipping from 2.3% in 2019 to 1.8% in 2020, undermining Mr. Trump’s hope of re-election on the back of an economic expansion rate of over 3% per year. The US outlook has “decelerated” with rising tariffs, “increasing trade costs,” and uncertainty about economic relations abroad weighing “on investment and confidence.”- Chris Giles, “World Bank Gloomy Despite US-China Hopes,” Financial Times, January 9, 2020.

We are here. This is the weekend of the 32-37-year Saturn/Pluto conjunction. It is also the time of a powerful lunar eclipse with the Sun exactly conjoining Saturn and Pluto, as well as Uranus changing directions. We got a glimpse of what these powerful geocosmic signatures are about in the last week as this Capricorn Stellium approached.

It was a volatile week, dominated first by the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, ordered by the U.S. President late the prior week, and then followed by Iranian missile strikes on American forces based in Iraq early last week, followed by reports of no casualties and then a “stand down in tensions” as both sides elected to finally exhibit restraint. On those rapidly changing news stories, the world stock markets first sold off sharply into January 6-8, then rose sharply right afterwards. On the decline, several markets of the world made primary cycle lows, and on the rally right afterwards, several markets made new all-time highs, such as in the U.S. It was that kind of week. But then again, these are not just any ordinary geocosmic signatures unfolding in the heavens. They are very extraordinary, as discussed in detail in the Forecast 2020 Book.

These events had exactly the opposite effect on Gold, which soared above $1600 for the first time in over 6 years, but then fell sharply right afterwards. The same pattern as Gold was noted in Crude Oil and Silver. Both exploded to new multi-month highs on the retaliatory attack by Iran on American bases in Iraq, but quickly retreated the very next day, Thursday, January 9. 

Longer-Term Thoughts – The U.S. Election  

World War I began with the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in 1914... Once again, we see that during the 1914-1915 period there were uprisings and a political assassination in an effort to affect a regime change. In this case, it led to World War I... Throughout the world, including in the U.S., there are groups whose goal is to start uprisings and/or major changes in governments. These could become more visible, and perhaps more active, in 2020. Will their efforts result in attempted or actual political assassinations? It is possible under the Saturn and Pluto conjunction in Capricorn, for Pluto can express itself in violent acts in an effort to remove perceived enemies, and both Saturn and Capricorn pertain to government and its leaders. – excerpt from the Forecast 2020 Book, written in November 2019, regarding the Saturn/Pluto conjunction of January 12, 2020.

The idea of an increase in political (or even underworld) assassinations goes along with one set of dynamics symbolized by the Saturn and Pluto conjunction in Capricorn. This is a 32-27-year long-term planetary cycle that is exact this weekend, but which has an orb of influence up to two years either side of its occurrence. And so, this means of dealing with one’s enemies – assassinations – is rising again. But who would have thought the initiator of an assassination of a political enemy on foreign soil (Iraq) would be the United States of America?

This is one side of Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn. It’s like you can commit an assassination, justify it as an act of national security (or deny it and begin a coverup), and believe it will soon disappear, as it has in other cases of assassinations recently (think Russia, think Saudi Arabia). The problem is that is now justifies similar acts by other world leaders. If the U.S. can do it, why can’t other nations do it under the same pretext?

However, there is another layer (in fact, many layers) to Saturn and Pluto that can also evolve here. Saturn and Pluto together represent the urge to investigate, to dig deeply, and reveal the truth behind acts that are committed. This may be an age of assassinations, but it is also the age of relentless investigations, as the layers of coverups are slowly peeled away, revealing a truth that is stunning, and causes the populace to demand accountability and a consequence. That too is Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn. Anyone who thinks they can outwit accountability under Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn is likely to be unpleasantly surprised. They will try, of course, for that is the nature of one side of Pluto – to coverup and make disappear those things, those people, that threaten you. But the other side of Pluto in Capricorn – especially with Saturn there too – is to get to the bottom of the issue and find the truth. Capricorn wants justice, but with transparency and accountability. Hence, we continue living in the period of investigations – of the president (leader) and of the president’s (leader’s) enemies. And slowly but steadily the truth comes out as the coverups and the untruths are exposed.

But how do these dynamics affect markets? The world economy has continued to expand and grow, in spite of these “walls of worry and anxiety” indicated by Saturn in Capricorn. As stated several times in this column, the greatest risk to world equity markets, the world economy, is the political risk. The events of the past week just underscore this point. When political tensions reach a breaking point and leaders take dramatic and unexpected action, the markets sell off. But when the tensions recede, equity markets soar again. How long can this continue? That is hard to predict, but geocosmics suggest that a major reversal of this long-term, record-breaking bullish trend will end sometime around the first quarter of 2021, when Saturn squares Uranus, or possibly within 5 months of the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction in December 2020. But a reversal before those two periods, even in the next the months, is also a possibility, based on Jupiter’s transit of the first two decants (20°) of Capricorn, and natural cycle studies related to the history of stock markets. Typically, the rate of change in a rising market is very strong with Jupiter in Sagittarius (2019). But that rate of change usually slows down when it enters Capricorn, and the ultimate high mark in price is just as often in the last 20° Sagittarius as the first 20° of Capricorn, which will end by October 2020. Short-term, the next few market days may be dominated by reactions to the Iran-U.S. conflict of the last week. But keep in mind that Mars is still in Sagittarius, January 3-February 16, which correlates with extreme behaviors and actions. Readers will want to pay special attention to January 27-February 11, when Mars will transit President Trump’s natal lunar eclipse (Sun/Uranus in Gemini oppose his natal Moon in Sagittarius), which also activates the Mars/Neptune squares in the charts of both the U.S. and Iran. If the greatest risk to this record economic expansion and all-time high in stock markets is in the political arena, then we have to pay attention to such periods.

The tensions created in the past week are receding right now. Let’s hope this continues. But let’s not be so naïve as to think that the impulsive and “over-the-top” nature of Mars in Sagittarius is done. Mars in Sagittarius may have a bullish correlation to equity markets, but it isn’t historically correlated with a period of calm and peace, which some world leaders are now declaring.

LATE BREAKING PERSONAL NEWS: It is with great sadness that I report that a giant in Financial Astrology, Jeanne Long, has made her transition to the cloud. Jeanne was very instrumental in the burgeoning of Financial Astrology as a valuable market timing tool, and worked closely with me in this pioneering work. She did more to correlate the methods of legendary trader W.D. Gann with modern-day astrology than any other person, ever. Her books on Astro Tec and The Universal Clock are classics. I will miss her dearly. She was also instrumental in helping me to build ISAR, the International Society for Astrological Research, into one of the (if not the very) top astrological associations in the world today when we both asked to join the Board of Directors in 1992. She was a classic throughout her own life, one of a kind, and the godmother of my youngest daughter, Alie. And her daughter, Linda, who runs PAS (Jeanne’s financial astrology service), continues to be a close affiliate of MMA, as has been the case for over 30 years. A truly stunning, intelligent, and wonderful person.

Announcements

	NEW MMA CRUDE OIL REPORT-SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICE! MMA is launching a new Crude Oil Report by MMA Analyst and MMTA Graduate Gianni Di Poce. And for those who sign up before February 10th, an introductory rate will apply. Crude Oil is once again becoming a very hot market. This is no surprise to readers of MMA reports over the past several years, for Mars is now entering Sagittarius and Capricorn, a time when our studies have shown Crude Oil prices tend to be most volatile and vulnerable to large price swings. This time band began again on January 3, concurrent with the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani that sent Crude Oil to a new multi-month high. We see more steep price changes coming up in the next three months while Mars transits these two signs. This new report by Gianni di Poce replaces the former report, “A Time for Crude Oil,” written by MMTA Graduate Nitin Bhandari of India. In this new report, Gianni will analyze Crude Oil from a daily, weekly and monthly perspective, and each report will conclude with trading strategies for each type of trader or investor.
	Special 2020 Bundle Offer The MMA Forecast 2020 Webinar will take place on Sunday February 9, 2020 at 2:00 PM EST (that’s 11:00 AM PST and 7:00 PM GMT). Start the New Year, 2020, by saving $20 on a January Monthly Report of your choice + Forecast 2020 Webinar. Chose from the MMA Monthly Cycles + Webinar Bundle, ICR: Financials + Webinar Bundle, ICR: Commodities + Webinar Bundle - or the SMT Cyclus Nieuwsbrief + Webinar Bundle. If unable to attend live, you can still sign up, as everyone who orders the Webinar will receive the MP4 recording, following the live event.
	New: Special Annual Dutch Report on Netherlands' AEX- Index from SMT- Sibling of: Special Annual Reports on Japanese, Chinese and German Stock Indices - by MMA It’s going to be a big year in terms of the cosmic patterns. The Annual Report on the Netherlands' AEX, focuses on the market cycles, and synodical cycles in relation to the horoscope of the AEX Index. For those of you who are interested in finding out in which way the rare aspects unfoldong in 2020 might strongly effect this market that once started as the first shares market on earth, continue here>>. In addition to the English edition of Forecast 2020, and three special 9-page yearly market reports/forecasts for the Japanese Nikkei, Chinese Shanghai Composite, and the German DAX stock indices, a Yearly Analysis of the Netherlands' AEX Index has been released. Written by MMA Analyst Irma Schogt, in Dutch language. These reports are analyzing each of these markets from the perspective of their long- and intermediate-term cycles, as well as citing their correlations to planetary cycles in effect in 2020, such as the history of the three major synodic cycles that will unfold next year
	Asset Management according to the Market Timing Method Made possible in The Netherlands: Investments of the Cycles Analysis & Planetary Synschronicities' managed Portfolio (CAPS) are based on analysis of market history, by a team of MMTA-Graduates. Read more>>
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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.