REVIEW
Rate cuts are coming. Economically, the dissenters on the (ECB) governing council are probably correct and rate cuts would be better now—but precise timing on monetary policy is less important when the objective is cyclical (precision matters when the aim is liquidity or managing disorderly markets).
—Dr. Paul Donovan, “Prices, Policy, and Politics,” UBS Morning Comment, www.ubs.com, April 12, 2024.
U.S. consumer sentiment and Americans’ view on the economy both fell more than expected in April, as inflation expectations rose…American households are turning more pessimistic as higher prices for everyday items take their toll. The latest University of Michigan read on consumer sentiment for April fell to 79.3 after coming in at 82.5 last month. Economists only expected that index to fall to 82.2.
—Breck Dumas, “US Consumer Sentiment Falls More than Expected as Inflation Fears Rise,” www.foxbusiness.com, April 12, 2024.
Wow. Now, that was a week to remember, whether you are a trader, investor, cycles analyst, or astrologer. The geocosmic climate doesn’t get much hotter than a solar eclipse conjunct Chiron in Aries (April 8), followed by a Mars/Saturn conjunction two days later.
For traders and investors, it was an anti-gravity week in Gold—until it wasn’t. The yellow metal soared to an all-time high of 2448.80 in the June contract midday on Friday. By 4:00 PM, it was nearly $100 lower. Silver was equally volatile, exploding to nearly $30.00/oz just before noon on Friday (its highest level since February 2021 at 30.35, which was then its highest level since early 2013), only to fall back to under $28.00 by the close. For several months, our bias has been that we would see $30.00 Silver again by the end of 2024 with the Moon’s North Node still in Aries.
Those are huge moves in precious metals and suggest that something is not right in the world today. No surprise there, for the news broke on Friday, “The U.S. rushed warships into position to protect Israel and American forces in the region, hoping to head off a direct attack from Iran on Israel that could come as soon as Friday or Saturday,” according to the article written by Gordon Lubold,” The U.S. Moves Warships to Defend Israel in Case of Iranian Attack,” The Wall Street Journal, www.wsj.com, April 12. This is no surprise to mundane and financial astrologers, for Aries (and its ruler Mars) are associated with war threats or aggressions, and Chiron is known as the “wounded healer.” You have to be hurt–wounded first—before you can heal. Having the solar eclipse in Aries followed by Mars conjunct Saturn just accelerates the friction.
The afternoon plunge was not limited to Gold and Silver. Bitcoin was trading at around 71,000 at midday. But a few hours later, it tested 65,000.
Stocks also plummeted and never really got off the ground last week. For the week, the DJIA was down 920 points, falling as low as 37,877 on Friday, its lowest mark since January 25, and right in line for a developing primary cycle trough whose time is due. We can’t rule out lower prices yet as we are still heading into the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction of next weekend, April 20–21. But given that the midpoint of Mercury retrograde (April 1–25) is this weekend, we can’t rule out that a low is happening right now either.
For traders looking for some hope in financial markets, you may want to check the last two days of trading activity in T-Notes and Soybeans. Crude Oil is another intriguing market with further upside breakout possibilities. However, it’s hard to get too excited about a market that rallies because innocent human lives are in danger from warmongers pretending to be warriors.
SHORT-TERM GEOCOSMICS
Mercury retrograde, affectionately also known as “The Trickster,” continues to correlate with chaos, volatility, and uncertainty in financial markets. It is also associated with decision-making and policies that are not well-thought-out, with an absence of awareness of the consequences of those decisions and policy changes.
Take the sudden reversal on the narrative of three rate cuts this year by the Federal Reserve Bank, which was the dominant driver of financial markets before the Trickster came into the ring. Suddenly the data shows inflation in the U.S. is rising, not falling, as expected (it’s falling in Europe and the U.K.). Now, Fed watchers are predicting anywhere from none to (at the most) two rate cuts. The idea of fewer rate cuts—even rate hikes—was front and center this week as the transiting Mars/Saturn conjunction formed a T-Square to the Fed’s natal Mercury/Saturn opposition. When Saturn is highlighted, easing is no longer popular. Tightening narratives take over. But that aspect is leaving now, and Mercury will soon turn direct on April 25. And by May 13, Mercury will leave its retrograde “shadow zone.” There is reason to think the narrative will shift again to lowering rates.
There is more. If Saturn represents tightening, then Jupiter portends easing. Jupiter will trine the Fed’s natal Jupiter as Mercury turns direct in late April, which bodes well for a possible renewed easing narrative. Furthermore, transiting Uranus will trine the Fed’s natal Jupiter in May and June. In December through March, Uranus will turn stationary direct in trine to the Fed’s Jupiter. Uranus suggests a sudden turn again and another unexpected policy change, and once again, the aspects suggest easing. The question we have to ask is: why would the Fed be lowering interest rates then? Isn’t the economy strong? Maybe it has to do with the conjunction of the Moon’s North Node with Chiron, a combination that has a rather high correlation to recessions (more than 50%) in the U.S. within nine months. Maybe it has to do with the 4-year cycle trough in U.S. stocks that is also due this year. Maybe it has to do with reaction to the U.S. presidential election. It may have to do with a powerful cocktail of all these ingredients mixed together.
There is an abundance of activity happening in the cosmos all at once this month and even through the end of this year. Maybe we need AI to sort this all out. That’s in the not-too-distant future either, as Uranus (technology) will enter Gemini (intellect) next year and begin a favorable trine aspect to Pluto (transformative) in Aquarius (technology, too) through 2027. The hope for humanity lies in the symbology of this very rare celestial combination. It depends greatly on the successful launch and sane application of the technological renaissance that is now underway.
LAST MINUTE ANNOUNCEMENT:
This is coming from the organizers of next week’s live event in Fort Lauderdale on April 20. It will be a hybrid! That is LIVE! IN PERSON! “FORECASTS 2024 AND THE APPROACHING ARIES VORTEX” at Nova Southwestern University, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, with Ray Merriman, and will also be broadcast via Zoom! The event will take place (live and online) from 10:30 AM – 5:00 PM EDT, with a 90-minute lunch break. I will also update the financial markets of Gold, Silver, Interest Rates, Stocks, Crude Oil, and Bitcoin, which are pertinent since next weekend will also be the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction date! The cost is $95. For further information and registration, please click here.
Also, you may wish to view these excerpts from an interview the organizers conducted with me last week:
Ray Merriman—Excerpt—Ray’s Approach to Financial Astrology
4:40 minutes
Ray Merriman—Excerpt on the Jupiter Uranus Dynamic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRfy8j4xkYA
Hope to see many of you there! Online or in person!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
NOTE 1: Forecast 2024 Flash Sale: Paperback Book On Sale Now!!! For a limited time, we are running a Forecast FLASH SALE. Order Forecast 2024 Print for only $40+ FREE DOMESTIC SHIPPING with coupon code: Freeship. Order your print copy today while we still have copies. This sale won’t last long. Order Forecast 2024 HERE for only $40 (This is a savings of $26!)
NOTE 2: The MMA 2024 Investment Retreat Is Now Open For Registration!!! 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, Copper, Bitcoin, Wheat, Crude Oil, Real Estate, and interest rates. There is nothing quite like a life-altering MMA Investment Retreat! The cost is $3500, but only $3000 if you register before August 1, live, in person, or online. 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 April Issue Of The MMA Monthly Cycles Report Was Released Last Week. As we approach the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction on April 20–21, Gold is soaring to new all-time highs, while stocks and Bitcoin have started to pull back. We are now entering the orb of this aspect’s greatest influence. What does it hold for these financial markets as we will soon pass out of this aspect? Each monthly MMA Cycles Report covers the outlook in the U.S. Stock Market, Gold, Silver, Copper, Treasuries, Euro currency, Crude Oil, and Soybeans. The MMA Monthly Cycles Report also provides MMA’s original geocosmic critical reversal dates (CRDs) and solar/lunar reversal dates over the next several weeks, as well as trading strategies for position and aggressive traders. If you would like to try out one month of the MMA Monthly Cycles Report, you can sign up for the April Report for only $35! Or save by ordering a 30-month or one-year subscription.
NOTE 4: 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 5: 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, 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. For further information and registration, please click here.
May 18, 2024: Noon-3 PM EDT, The Annual MMA Mid-Year Market Update With MMA Market Analysts!!! Save the Date! This is the once-a-year midterm market update hosted by Raymond Merriman and covering the following markets: Stocks and Gold (Merriman), T-Notes and Bitcoin (Gianni Di Poce), Euro and U.S. Dollar (Ulric Aspegren), Copper, Mat Kaiser), Crude Oil and Silver (Pouyan Zolfagharnia), Soybeans (Wyatt Fellows. Registration details will be available in about one week. Get your intermediate-term position trading plan in order for the middle of 2024!
September 19–22, 2024: MMA’s 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! The location is the beautiful Lake Bled in Slovenia, a premier (and affordable) destination in the Julian Alps, with a historic castle nestled in the mountains where the Saturday evening banquet will take place. 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 Rikli Balance Hotel, which 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.