MMA FREE WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING MARCH 25, 2024 ©

REVIEW

The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped on Friday, but clinched its best week of the year after back-to-back record-setting sessions….One reason for the market optimism stems from this week’s Federal Reserve meeting. The central bank left rates unchanged, and commentary from Fed Chair Jerome Powell reinforced that cuts are coming despite a recent bout of hot inflation readings that led some investors to fear a postponed easing timeline

Samantha Subin, “Dow Closes 300 Points Lower Friday, but Notches Best Week since December,” www.cnbc.com, March 22, 2024.

That doesn’t mean the Jupiter/Uranus express headed to its major destination on April 20/21 has been derailed. It just means there is a pause as Venus will first conjoin Saturn on March 21, followed by a powerful solar eclipse, and Mars conjoining Saturn, April 8-10. It may get a bit rocky short-term, but the magnetic pull of Jupiter and Uranus is still poised to outweigh other cosmic forces.

—Ray Merriman, MMA Free Weekly Column, March 18, 2024.

The pause in global stock markets ended last week as many indices shot up to new highs. The rallies were especially strong on Wednesday and Thursday after the Fed announced it would not cut rates just yet (as expected), while the Bank of England actually did lower rates, and the European Central Bank stated it would soon follow. On that news, several European and U.S. stock markets shot up to new all-time highs.

However, on Friday, equities sold off sharply in the U.S. but they still ended the week higher. This confirms our thoughts that stock markets would pause, then become a bit ragged and choppy, but would continue their advance to new highs associated with the forthcoming Jupiter/Uranus conjunction on April 20/21.

Stocks were not the only beneficiary of the central bank’s dovish tone last week. Gold soared to a new all-time high late Wednesday at 2223. However, by Friday, it had fallen back to a low of 2158. Silver also rallied on the Fed’s announcement, to a high of 25.97 early Thursday. By Friday, it had fallen to 24.58.

Bitcoin and Ethereum had sharp sell-offs last week. From its all-time high of 73,803 on March 13, Bitcoin dropped all the way back to 60,760 one week later, a loss of 17.6%. Ethereum had a multi-year high of 4093 on March 13, followed by a selloff to 3058 one week later, for a loss of slightly over 25%. As subscribers know, we are looking for a decline of 20–50% for the 16-month cycle trough in Bitcoin. The criterion is being fulfilled in Ethereum already, after only one week.

Crude Oil made a new 4-month high last Tuesday, rallying to 83.12 before pulling back modestly as it remains above 80.00. Given that Jupiter is a co-ruler of Crude Oil, it could still break out into April 20/21 when Jupiter conjoins Uranus, the king of breakouts.

SHORT-TERM GEOCOSMICS

Home sales rose in February from the month prior, marking the first time in more than two years that sales increased for two consecutive months. Sales of existing homes, the majority of purchases, surged 9.5% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.38 million, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had estimated sales of previously owned homes to fall 1.3% in February.

Will Parker and Nicole Friedman, “U.S. Home Sales Jumped 9.5% in February,” Wall Street Journal, March 21, 2024.

Interest rates are likely to come down later this year, with the Federal Reserve on track to start cutting rates. But mortgage rates might not follow as quickly….In short, prospective homebuyers might get a little help from the Fed later this year. But not that much.

Telia Demos, “The New Normal for Mortgage Rates Will Be Higher Than Many Hope,” Wall Street Journal, March 22, 2024.

You can’t always get what you want.

But if you try sometimes, you just might find,

You get what you need.

Keith Richards/Mick Jagger, The Rolling Stones,

“You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” 1969

We now leave the gentle season of Pisces and start a new cycle, beginning with Aries and the spring (vernal) equinox of March 19/20, depending on where you live. It’s like going from a cozy, pleasant slumber to the rude awakening of an overly loud alarm clock. Get up! Pay attention! The house is on fire!

The first month of spring (Aries) might be a little more dramatic than usual this year because it contains both a lunar and solar eclipse on March 25 and April 8, respectively. Not only that, but the solar eclipse in Aries will also be conjunct Chiron, the “wounded healer.” This means there is a danger of harm, especially in war games (Aries territory). Once again, right on cue, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued yet another dire warning to the world. Not only did he reiterate another threat of possible nuclear weapons if NATO troops enter Ukraine, but he also announced 100,000 more troops would be sent to Kyiv for a new offensive this summer according to Reuters. This is not just April’s solar eclipse in Aries conjoining Chiron, but it reflects the even greater matter of the “Aries Vortex” coming up in 2025–2026, as covered in recent MMA webinars. We will revisit this topic and financial markets again on April 20 at a speech to be given live at Nova University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

In terms of financial markets, my observation is that solar eclipses tend to be more often positive than negative for stocks. However, they do not usually correspond to the culmination of primary cycles (lows or highs). They can reflect sharp gains and losses right before or after the eclipse. With the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction two weeks later, my view remains that stocks can still go higher and maybe continue even into May through June due to additional favorable Jupiter aspects arising then.

Yet, as previously mentioned, markets can get ragged here. Mercury will turn retrograde from April 1 through April 25. The “Trickster” can cause sharp price movements (up and down) in short spans of time, especially in its first 10–12 retrograde days. During the Mercury retrograde period, we will have the solar eclipse, which can also coincide with sharp price swings, followed by Mars conjunct Saturn on April 10. Combinations like this can also propel sharp price swings (reversals) in foods (watch grains, orange juice, and cocoa, and by association, also live cattle and meats). These are not likely easy markets to navigate, but until proven otherwise, keep the focus on the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction of April 20/21 as a marker for trends to continue in markets.

Key words to remember during this particular Aries season are “danger and aggression.” Key behaviors to exhibit for best results are “caution and avoidance of risk.” It’s fine to start new initiatives as long as one is fully aware of the consequences. In other words, backup plans will be important when things don’t immediately go quite the way one wants (Mars/Saturn = “frustration and delays”). Efforts can still be successful for those who are both patient and farsighted.

Note that this may be a “bully’s season.” Avoid the bully. There is nothing to gain by being a bully or giving in to a bully. There is much to gain, however, by being self-motivated and independent (not dependent on others who may frustrate and cause upset). It is useful to work hard on projects deemed as personally important, even if you have to work alone. In fact, it may be better to work alone than with others who fall behind in their commitments, especially during the week of April 10.

Mark it down. But don’t set your alarm clock to it.

 ANNOUNCEMENTS

 NOTE 1: THE MARCH ISSUE OF THE  MMA Monthly Cycles Report Plus+, edited by Pouyan Zolfagharnia, will be issued this week. This market letter has become a very popular addition to the MMA Cycles Report (it’s less technical, more visual, and contains horoscopes of current importance, high-quality analysis, and updates on MMA Cycles Report markets). The mid-month addendum to the MMA Cycles Report has stunning graphics and charts (people love it!) and is very readable. It contains more illustrations and references to geocosmics than most MMA Cycles reports and is only available for subscription to those who also subscribe to the MMA Monthly Cycles Report. If you wish to try this month’s addendum, along with the latest issue of the MMA Monthly Cycles Report, sign up online at the link above. A subscription for a monthly copy of both reports is $55. That will give you both the most recent March copy of the MMA Cycles Report and the monthly MMA Cycles Report Plus+ addendum coming out this week. For further information and ordering instructions, please click here.

 NOTE 2: REGISTRATION FOR THE MMA 2024 INVESTMENT RETREAT IS NOW OPEN!!! This special event will take place at the Rikli Balance Hotel, located in the Julian Alps region of beautiful Lake Bled, Slovenia. This will be MMA’s first investment retreat in Europe since 2015. You won’t want to miss this chance to hear the outlooks and wealth-building strategies using MMA market timing methods by top MMA analysts Raymond Merriman (USA), Gianni Di Poce (USA), Ulric Aspegrén (Switzerland), Pouyan Zolfagharnia (UK), Irma Schogt (Netherlands), Matthieu Kaiser (France), Rita Perea (USA), Vincent Wang (Singapore), Wyatt Fellows (USA), plus special guest speakers Claude Weiss (Switzerland) and Aleksandar Imsiragic (Serbia). Special attention will be given to the stock markets of the USA, Germany, China, and Japan, plus Gold, Silver, Bitcoin, Wheat, Crude Oil, Real Estate and interest rates, and Copper. There is nothing quite like a life-altering MMA Investment Retreat! The cost is $3500, but only $3000 if you register before August 1. Sign up early if you wish to attend in person to secure one of the limited rooms reserved for our group at the fabulous Rikli Balance Hotel right on Lake Bled. To register for this spectacular event, click here. To see the full brochure, schedule, topics, and speakers’ bios, click here.

NOTE 3: THE MMA WEEKLY YouTube show, Geocosmic Week in Review and Look Ahead, with Gianni Di Poce, is conducted on Wednesday evenings! Each 5- to 20-minute FREE episode reviews the previous week’s market activity and offers a preview of the geocosmic signatures in effect for the coming week and beyond.

 NOTE 4: MMA’S FREE WEEKLY COLUMN PODCAST IS AVAILABLE ON SPOTIFY, APPLE, AND AMAZON! Now you can listen to a podcast of this weekly column by Thomas Miller on Saturdays! Just follow Merriman Market Analyst on Spotify or Apple to listen to all our episodes. A new podcast episode will be released every weekend. This is a FREE service and is available to everyone. Check out our podcasts on Apple, Spotify, and Amazon Music. It makes for great listening!

 

EVENTS

 April 20, 2024: LIVE! IN PERSON! “FORECASTS 2024 AND THE APPROACHING ARIES VORTEX,” Nova Southwestern University, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, with Ray Merriman. An in-person, live event and workshop, 10:30 AM – 5:00 PM, with a 90-minute lunch break. We will also update financial markets that are likely to be at critical stages in their cycles then, which is pertinent since this is also the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction date! The cost is $95. This is one of the few live in-person events Ray will give this year. We will not stream this via Zoom, but recordings will be made available for sale a few days after the event. For further information and registration, please click here.

 September 19-22, 2024: MMA 2024 Investment Retreat. SAVE THE DATES!!! We will be hosting our 2024 investment retreat in Europe for the first time since 2015. You won’t want to miss this chance to meet with the top MMA analysts (plus special guest speakers Claude Weiss and Aleksandar Imsiragic) live and hear our long-term investment and wealth-building strategies using MMA market timing methods. There is nothing quite like a life-altering MMA Investment Retreat! This one will be very special, and it will be our first investment retreat in Europe since 2015! The location is the beautiful Lake Bled, Slovenia, a premier (and affordable) destination in the Julian Alps with a historic castle nestled in the mountains. The cost is $3500, but only $3000 if you register early. Registration is now open! The event will be available in person or online, but registration is limited for those who want to attend in person. Sign up early if you wish to attend in person to secure your room at the fabulous hotel that will be the site for this event. For a brochure of the event, click here.

Disclaimer and statement of purpose: The purpose of this column is not to forecast 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 often cite 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 may affect human activity in the times to come. The author (Merriman) will do this from the perspective of a cycles 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 the psychological dynamics that underlie (or coincide with) the news events and their potential effect on financial markets.

 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 of this column assume any responsibility whatsoever for anyone’s trading or investment decisions. Readers of this report should understand that commodity futures and options trading are considered high risk.