Market Preview for the week starting September 17, 2018

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Review and Preview 

Seventy percent of voters describe the U.S. economy as "excellent" or "good" in a new Quinnipiac University poll, matching the survey's all-time high. But the strong outlook on the economy has not lifted Trump. Only 38 percent of voters approve of the job he is doing, versus 54 percent who disapprove, according to the survey. Jacob Pramuck, “Trump's Approval Rating is Poor Despite Glowing Views on the Economy,” www.cnbc.com, September 10, 2018.

Despite the excellent poll numbers for Mr. Trump’s economic programs, he still can’t get respect from the people of the Untied States, or for that matter, much of the rest of the world. It really isn’t a case of “It’s the economy, stupid” that drives the American voter as politicians like to think. Nor is “loyalty” a very important factor, as Mr. Trump himself likes to espouse. Like it or not, most Americans value “character,” “honesty,” and/or “truthfulness” even more than the economy or one’s loyalty. In geocosmic terms, we ascribe these latter qualities to the planet Saturn. But Saturn has much more to do with our experiences in life than only virtues like character and honor. It also has a lot to do with market timing.

We have a rule for Saturn that goes like this: any market declining into a strong transiting Saturn signature is a candidate for a low from which prices will stop falling and start rallying. We have rules for other planets too, but the Saturn rule worked out quite well last week. That is, on September 6, Saturn ended its retrograde motion and turned direct. This is known as a Saturn station, and is considered a very strong geocosmic signature. In fact, it is a Level 1 geocosmic signature, per the research studies reported in “The Ultimate Book on Stock Market Timing Volume 3: Geocosmic Correlations to Trading Cycles.” In any event, many of the world’s stock indices made a cycle high around the time that Mars turned direct (we have a rule for that too, which we discussed last month). They then declined sharply into the September 6-7 station. A couple of indices, like the DJIA, DAX, and the China Shanghai Composite, continued lower into Tuesday, September 11, which created a case of intermarket bullish divergence right in the middle of our three-star critical reversal date (CRD) of September 10-12. And then, most of the stock indices of the world that we follow reversed strongly upwards, just like the Saturn rule suggested would happen. By the way, Saturn rules “rules.” So, it is especially gratifying when his rules work out.

We would like to say the same about Uranus. We have rules for Uranus too, but those rules are that Uranus violates all rules. It rules the unexpected, unpredictable, and unconventional. If there is a support or resistance zone nearby, it will often explode through it. But only if it doesn’t reverse instead. And in many cases, it will explode through support or resistance, and then reverse anyway. That may be what is happening now in other markets. That is, Uranus is also highlighted at the present time, receiving a square aspect from Venus on September 12, and another next week, on September 18 when Mars will square the master of mavericks.

On September 11, Silver dropped briefly below $14.00 for the first time since December 2015. Gold did not. So here was another case of bullish intermarket divergence right in the middle of MMA’s three-star CRD of September 10-12. The next day, both Gold and Silver shot up higher. But then the following day it started to pull back again, after breaking both support (in Silver) and resistance in Gold, but not enough resistance to give a confirmation signal that metals are in the throes of a major long-term trend reversal. Gold, for instance, traded down to 1192 on September 11. But September 13, it was testing 1220. By Friday, September 14, it was trading below 1200 again. That’s very Uranian. However, the activity last week did not deny the possibility that a new bull market has begun, at least not in Gold, but it hasn’t confirmed it yet either. We continue to monitor it (and trade it) every day for our daily subscribers, for both Gold and Silver are in a very important juncture as described in our recent special reports (see Announcements below).

In other markets, Bitcoin also made a cycle low last week at 6098 on September 9 (the big selloff, however, happened right as Saturn turned direct on September 6). By Friday, Bitcoin had continued rallying to a weekly high at 6584. It will be interesting to see if it can continue higher much past the Mars/Uranus square on September 18. In the two prior passages of May 16 and August 1, Bitcoin made two important cycle crests nearby, and then sold off.

Short-Term Geocosmics and Longer-Term Mundane Thoughts 

The growing U.S.-China trade war may well push the world's second-largest economy to work toward winning even more global clout, according to an economist at a widely followed investment group. As for the origins of the trade war, Eric Fishwick said politics played an important role. The ongoing negotiations were kicked off, he said, partly due to the U.S. becoming uncomfortable with China's growing power. "This is really because China is the next geo-economic and geopolitical rival to the U.S., and the U.S. is uncomfortable with that," he said. "I do not believe that either side will particularly (be) willing to compromise given that it's more a political issue rather than simply a trade issue." China's trade surplus with the U.S. widened to a record in August, even as the country's export growth slowed slightly. Weizhen Ten, “Trump’s Trade War Against China May Have a Perverse Reaction,” www.cnbc.com, September 10, 2018.

“When you combine a roaring economy, which we do have, with new tariffs, you get a toxic inflationary brew that the Fed must feel compelled to stop, and the way they do that, of course, is [by] rais[ing] interest rates," Cramer warned.”- Elizabeth Gurdus, “(Jim) Cramer’s Game Plan: Be Ready for Another Trump Tariff-Fueled Sell-Off,” www.cnbc.com, September 7, 2018.

I am spending my last week on this monthly tour of Europe in Malaga, Spain. What an interesting place this is. Sometimes I feel like I am in a slum, but probably the most comfortable slum I have ever been in because the people here are so authentic. But then I get on a bicycle and ride along the miles-long beach, and I realize that this is no slum. This is a rather unique and unconventional paradise. This is a tropical, Mediterranean area with tremendous investment potential, and probably the next big property market that I can imagine for investors. But now, having said that, I am sure (and hopeful) that investors will look elsewhere. I don’t think the people of Malaga want to change their turf after hundreds of centuries being relatively undiscovered.

But enough of my travelogue, even though I know that many readers love it when I veer off markets and talk about my travels. But you tune in to this weekly because you want to know what I am looking at in terms of cosmic correlations to the human experience, especially when that experience deals with financial markets.

So, what I am looking at is getting past the third passage of the Mars/Uranus square this week (September 18). And then heading into Venus turning retrograde, in Scorpio, on October 5. As written many times before, Venus retrograde (and direct) are two of the most powerful geocosmic correlations to primary cycle lows and highs, with an orb of 10-12 days. What do we know about Venus retrograde and Scorpio? Well, we know that both pertain to activities involving central banks, and possible changes in interest rate polices. My concern is that the Fed, or some other central bank, may change its course, and that can rattle financial markets, like stock indices. Whatever you think is a given or conventional wisdom regarding interest rates is anything but the way things are likely to unfold during the time of Venus retrograde (October 5-November 16).

In terms of personal matters, don’t be surprised if lovers from the past show up in your life, or on your Facebook page. Just remember: there was a reason it didn’t work out before, and it probably wasn’t due to misapplied Scorpio interests. Scorpio matters may, however, be the reason why you are intrigued again. That is, if you don’t mind being trapped in a spider web by a beautiful creature from your past.

Announcements

	LAST CHANCE, LAST DAY. ONE MONTH TRIAL SPECIAL OFFER! Schogt Market Timing is offering a special one-month trial to the MMA Weekly Gold and Silver Report for only $95.00. You will have until September 17, to sign up for this one-month trial to the MMA Weekly Gold and Silver Report. This trial will also include the two special reports issued in the past two weeks that provide the charts and background to our outlook. If you are interested, read more here>>
	Yearly Special is now! The annual pre-publication specials for next year’s Forecast Book has begun! This year, the book will be printed in The Netherlands for a faster shipment to all purchasers. All those who order now, receive discounts for pre ordering the book and newsletters, until November 1, 2018. Read more>>
	The September Issue of the MMA Cycles Report was sent out last week This month started with a Special Update on Gold sent to subscribers on September 4. The MMA Cycles report also covers the outlook for U.S. stock indices (DJIA and S&P futures), 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. If you don’t already subscribe to this report, this would be an excellent time to take out a trial subscription ($66.00) if you are interested in Gold or Silver. It is also available in Dutch language, read more here>> The monthly MMA Japan Cycles report also came out last week, and covers the Nikkei, JGB Bonds, and the Dollar-Yen.
	Just three more weeks to reserve! MMA's hosting a special webinar on Silver and Soybeans ... led by MMTA graduate and MMA analyst Kat Powell on Thursday, October 4, at 6 PM EDT. Ray Merriman will act as moderator and interviewer for this special event. Powell has proven to be an excellent market analyst on these two markets. In Forecast 2018, written in November 2017, she stated “My bias is that the market may need to re-test support in the range of 800-900 before a substantial rally can begin. The current range for the descending pattern is 842 +/- 43… Venus in Virgo will form a grand trine involving Saturn in Capricorn and Uranus in Taurus at the time of the solar eclipse of July 13.” The low of the year, as of today, was right on July 13 (another CRD zone given in Forecast 2018) at 810.  Read more>>
	Last year’s Forecast 2018 Book rocked! Check out the scorecard as of July 19 on our website via the link below. Some of the calls by our MMTA graduates were phenomenal, including Kat Powell on Soybeans, Nitin Bhandari on Crude Oil, Ulric Aspegren on the British Pound, as well as Mark Shtayerman and Izabella Suleymanova on Wheat, not to mention Merriman’s own calls on other markets and the world/national political and economic arenas. Read more>>
	Privacy Statement In accordance with the commencing of the General Data Protection Regulation (AVG), we have included our privacy statement on our website. We do not place cookies. We do not keep any records of you except for name and address details that are necessary in the event that you order something that needs to be paid for and sent out. Read more>>

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.