MMA FREE WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING APRIL 7, 2025

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NOTE: MMA analyst Wyatt Fellows is the author of this week’s free weekly column. Wyatt is the editor of the monthly MMA Cycles Grain report, which was issued this week and covers Corn, Wheat, and Soybeans. He is also the lead MMA analyst, along with Ray Merriman, for the MMA weekly and monthly updates on the Gold market. Ray will return to write next week’s column on April 11. He was scheduled to do this week’s column but instead will be preparing for Sunday’s April 6 micro-webinar on “WHAT THE &%#@?! IS HAPPENING, PART 2?” starting at 1:00 PM, EDT.

REVIEW

 Financial markets expected a significant tax increase from US President Trump. Yesterday’s reaction shows the tax increase was worse than anticipated. US dollar weakness is telling. We often hear that when the US sneezes the global economy catches cold. This is not the US sneezing. This is the US cutting off its own arm. The self-inflicted economic cost naturally weakens the dollar. .. For now, US recession risks have risen.

— Dr. Paul Donovan, UBS Morning Comment, www.ubs.com/ci, April 4, 2025.

 There is no delicate way to say it. Last week was an utter blood bath. Almost nothing was spared as traders (and governments) came to grips with the potential implications of Trump’s tariff plan. Stock markets around the world sold off sharply, and NASDAQ got hit particularly hard. This week’s sell-off has it down over 21% from its February high. Gold tried to hang in there but eventually fell almost $170 from early week highs. Silver faired much worse, experiencing a $6 move lower from Wednesday’s intraday high to Friday’s low. This has now taken Silver back to below $30 an ounce for the first time since the start of the year.

It wasn’t much better for commodities, either. Crude Oil plunged almost $12 a barrel from Wednesday’s high to a low of 60.45 on Friday. This is now below the May 2023 low, which raises some very bearish concerns moving forward. If you name any commodity, it was probably lower on the week. Even the unrelenting bull run in Live Cattle (pun definitely intended) showed some cracks by finishing limit down on Friday. However, there was one shining beacon of hope, and that was the Corn market. Against the backdrop of market mayhem, Corn finished the week with a modest 3-cent gain! (don’t laugh; after a week like this, a win is a win!).

In other markets, Bonds seemed to catch a little bit of that old-school “flight to safety” bid and finished the week strong. Bitcoin held up reasonably well, finishing mostly unchanged for the week. The Dollar sold off sharply on Wednesday and Thursday but recouped some of those losses with a strong reversal on Friday. The most interesting currency was probably the Australian dollar which plunged almost 5% on Friday alone. This is a massive one-day move for a major currency.

SHORT-TERM GEOCOSMICS

How it started:

“April 2nd, 2025, will forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn,” Trump said in remarks from the Rose Garden. ” This is one of the most important days, in my opinion, in American history. It’s our declaration of economic independence…. But now it’s our turn to prosper, and in so doing, use trillions and trillions of dollars to reduce our taxes and pay down our national debt, and it’ll all happen very quickly.”

_— Eric Revell, “What to Know About President Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs,” www.cnbc.com, April 3, 2025.

How it’s going:

President Trump said there would be “a little disturbance” from his tariffs, but how does he define little?

… Congress has circumscribed the President’s power to impose tariffs, allowing it on imports that threaten national security (Section 232) or in response to “large and serious” balance-of-payments deficits (Section 122), a surge of imports that harms U.S. industry (201), and discriminatory trade practices (301). None of these trade provisions empowers Mr. Trump to impose tariffs on all imports from all countries based on an arbitrary formula. Section 122 lets a President impose tariffs of up to 15% in response to trade deficits, but Congress must approve them after 150 days. Someone should sue to block his abuse of power.

—The Editorial Board, Wall Street Journal, “ Trump and His ‘Little Disturbance From Tariffs,” April 3, 2025.

When Ray first used the term “Retrograde Chaos” to describe the period from December 6, 2024, to April 12, 2025 (a period of time when all three personal planets were in retrograde motion), he sure wasn’t kidding! The newly elected leadership of the US seems to be taking on less of a leadership role on the global stage. This has undoubtedly caused confusion and uncertainty for parts of the world, forcing countries into action to fill this newly created void. Now, with the implementation of Trump’s tariff policy, there truly seems to be a sense of “chaos” with the natural order of things. Or at least with how things were once thought to be. Alliances seem to be breaking down. Global trade is breaking down. Financial markets are melting. It truly is a chaotic time.

But now we find ourselves closer to the end of this chaotic retrograde period than the beginning. Mercury will be returning to direct motion on April 7 with Venus set to turn back direct on April 12. It is never wise to start something or implement a new strategy during a retrograde period like this (Trump really could use an astrologer on his team). It wouldn’t shock me to see lawsuits filed against the Trump administration, as stated in the editorial quote above. We may even see the repeal of some or all of Trump’s tariffs in the not-too-distant future because of it. In this case, one would hope there isn’t too much damage already done.

As for markets, we will be watching this period (April 7-12) for potential sharp reversals. Something similar happened between Mars turning direct on February 23 and Venus stationing retrograde on March 1. Many markets bottomed during this time and produced healthy rallies. Ray will be covering these possibilities in this weekend’s webinar. See below for details.

 LONGER-TERM THOUGHTS

In the previous column, I was asked to author (yup, I got another “tap on the shoulder”); I mentioned the coming Saturn/Neptune conjunction and its correlation to droughts over major grain-producing regions of the World (US, Russia/Ukraine, Australia, etc.). The study I presented at the MMA Investment Retreat in Lake Bled, Slovenia, was particularly focused on the Wheat market, but it can possibly be extrapolated into other consumable agricultural commodities such as Corn, Soybeans, Cotton, etc. as well.

My findings were that during Saturn/Neptune conjunctions and oppositions, a supply-reducing drought occurred over a major wheat-producing area of the world within a reasonable amount of time surrounding the aspect. Because of this, the price of Wheat would embark on a robust rally, usually topping out 0-2 years later.

The correlation goes back to the 1800s, but let’s start with the 1930s. Saturn and Neptune formed three oppositions between 1936 and 1937. This was during the “Dust Bowl” in which successive drought years decimated crops in the United States. The Wheat price hit a high in 1937. Saturn then formed three conjunctions with Neptune between 1952 and 1953. Similar to the 1930s, this was a time of successive drought in the US that led to a top in Wheat in 1955. The Saturn/Neptune oppositions that formed in 1971-1972 were different in the fact that drought took hold over the old Soviet Union at the time. This drought was particularly bad and forced the Soviet Union to hit the world market, where it bought up all the grain reserves it could find. This would later become known as “The Great Grain Robbery.” As a direct result, Wheat prices spiked violently, topping in 1974. The 1989 Saturn/Neptune conjunctions correlated with the 1988 US drought (the worst since the 1930s) which led to a top in Wheat prices early in 1989. The most recent Saturn/Neptune oppositions occurred during 2006-2007. Whilst not a severe drought, enough areas were impacted by lack of rainfall to bring overall yields down. This was also during the time when the commodity bubble was in full swing before being pricked by the great financial crisis. Wheat then hit an all-time high in 2008.

The next Saturn/Neptune conjunction takes place in February 2026. While it only transpires as a single pass this time around, it should be noted that the two planets will come to within a degree of exactness in June-August 2025. What’s also interesting about this coming conjunction is that it takes place with both planets positioned at 1 degree of fiery Aries. Does this fact add to the possibility of another drought developing over a major grain hub? Or does this mean the supply of Wheat (food) could be impacted in some other way, perhaps by an escalation of war or a perceived threat to food security?

The answers to these questions will come in time. All we can do now is be aware of possible outcomes. With Wheat and other grain/ag markets near multi-year lows, it might not be a bad idea to add those markets to your quote page, even if it’s at the very bottom. As Saturn and Neptune do their dance in the sky, those markets just might make it to the top of your list in a few years!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

 NOTE 1: “WHAT THE &%#@ IS HAPPENING? PART 2: An Astrological Interpretation of the Planetary Movements Now Underway” will take place on SUNDAY, APRIL 6, 2025, at 1 PM EDT. On January 25, MMA conducted a snap mini-webinar by Ray Merriman describing the geocosmic conditions unfolding at the time that correlated with the acceleration of confusion and uncertainty in the political and financial worlds. All the personal planets were in the beginning stages of what Ray called “retrograde chaos.” Those back-to-back retrograde cycles would continue into mid-April. That period of retrograde chaos was an eerily accurate vision of what life would be like in the first 3-4 months of 2025. Now, the retrograde chaos interval is coming to an end, and we enter into stage 2 of a different type of turbulence when all the outer planets move into new signs between March 30 and July 7. This is the first time such a cosmic phenomenon has happened in 300 years — and before that, it occurred another 300 years ago.

What do these rare cosmic periods imply for individuals, world leaders, and the world at large? And what do they portend for certain financial markets? For instance, Gold and Silver made important lows just as Venus turned retrograde on March 2. Now, Gold is making new all-time highs and Silver is making new yearly highs, only for it to collapse as Venus prepares to end its retrograde cycle in the next two weeks. We will spend an extra amount of time going over Silver’s intermediate-term cycle in this webinar!!!

This 60- to 90-minute-long webinar will also look at the charts of Gold and the U.S. stock market. It will also examine the horoscope of President Donald Trump. Understanding these cosmic challenges can make the difference between stress or excitement about new opportunities looming ahead. Join Ray Merriman for an insightful look at these times. The cost is only $35. To register, click here.

NOTE 2: A SPECIAL MMA OPTIONS WEBINAR with Derek Panaia, hosted by Raymond Merriman, will take place next week on Sunday, April 13, which coincides with Venus turning direct. Given that markets are in a heightened state of uncertainty, and Venus Direct is one of the most significant geocosmic indicators of a reversal in financial markets, this may be an exceptional time to trade options.

Here’s how it works: Ray will give his outlook on the status of cycles and geocosmic turning points in 3-5 markets that appear to be setting up for primary cycle lows or highs. Derek will then give the option strategies that have the best risk/reward possibilities based on Ray’s outlook and Derek’s own interpretation of other factors that support the outlook.

As we will be right in the middle of Venus turning direct (ending the “retrograde chaos” period of November 25-April 13) and headed into an MMA 3-star Critical Reversal Date (CRD) of April 18-21, we want to be prepared with limited-risk option strategies on Gold, Silver, the S&P, and possibly Crude Oil, Copper, and/or Soybeans, as primary cycle (or secondary) lows or highs may occur then.

The cost is $95 for this 2.5-hour webinar (it may go over that time). We will also offer an Options+ package that will include additional follow-ups from Derek on the interactive Discord chat room. These interactive discussions will include refined timing of entry and exit points that evolve after the webinar itself and resulted in huge profits in our last Options presentation in early December. The cost of “Options+” is $250. And yes, we are well aware that this type of webinar and follow-up would cost ten times that amount on other platforms with far less impressive results than attendees achieved from the December Options+ webinar.

SAVE THE DATE: Sunday, April 13, at 1 PM EST (that’s 7 PM in Zurich, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, and Paris, and 10 AM in Los Angeles). Click here to register!

Note: Keep in mind that options trading is speculative, and this webinar is designed for speculators who have some basic knowledge of options. For those who don’t have that basic knowledge, MMA offers a recording of Derek’s webinar on option principles on its website.

 NOTE 3: GET READY FOR MMTA4 REGISTRATION, WHICH STARTS APRIL 15!!! This is our highly regarded two-year educational and training experience — one that will change your life and the way you view financial markets. Yes, the course is challenging, but it is also incredibly exciting! With this course, you will learn how to identify where the market is at any given point in time — and which trading or investing strategy to employ.

The eight-course program includes six or seven Zoom meetings per course (over 100 hours of live instruction and interaction) with instructor Wiebke Held and MMA analysts such as Pouyan Zolfagharnia, Gianni Di Poce, Ulric Aspgren, Kat Powell, Wyatt Fellows, and, of course, Raymond Merriman.

The classes will meet on Saturdays, 25 times per year, at noon EST, beginning September 13. There are one-month breaks between each course and a two- to three-month summer break. The program also includes at least one live, in-person (or optional online) weekend session, plus a voluntary review session after each course, held prior to the exam. There is nothing else as comprehensive in the field of market timing as the MMTA program! It covers MMA’s market timing methodology for long- and intermediate-term investing as well as position and aggressive short-term trading.

Acceptance into MMTA requires an interview prior to enrollment. If you are interested in exploring whether MMTA is right for you, let us know, and we will schedule a time to talk.

Here are just a few of the many very positive reviews from graduates of the last MMTA3 program (2023-2024):

I wanted to express my deepest gratitude for generously sharing your knowledge and teaching it. As you know, I am fairly new to trading and joined MMTA3 to learn a system to approach the stock market. Starting the year, I set myself the goal of doubling the money that I had in my trading account, thinking, at the time, that this was impossible to do. Thanks to the knowledge and tools MMTA3 teaches, I was actually able to accomplish this goal! In fact, I even exceeded it. WH, Germany

 So thank you, Ray and Gianni, for the fantastic course material and support, because that’s why I have made money and every dollar for the courses was paid back and more! JL, Netherlands

 This course was truly mind-blowing! I learned in abundance. Thank you all for sharing the excellent trading data and knowledge. This course is worth more than a college degree and at a fraction of the price, too. KL, Australia

NOTE 4: The Monthly MMA Grain Cycles Report was issued this week. Written by top MMA Grains Analyst Wyatt Fellows, this monthly report is a must for those who trade or farm Soybeans, Corn, and/or Wheat, as Wyatt himself does. These reports are very important now because of the approaching 36-year synodic (conjunction) cycle of Saturn and Neptune, which has a strong historical correlation to long-term cycles in all grain markets. This is considered a drought cycle. To subscribe to this excellent monthly report, click here.

 NOTE 5: THE MARCH ISSUE OF THE MMA Monthly Cycles Report Plus+, edited by Pouyan Zolfagharnia, was 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 covers Pouyan’s outlook on Gold, Silver, NASDAQ, and Crude Oil. It 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. 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 6: THE “JUPITER REPORT“ — YOUR MOMENTS OF OPPORTUNITY — IS NOW AVAILABLE. This newest product, written by Raymond Merriman, is a 30- to 40-page report that all traders (and even non-traders) will find highly valuable. It identifies the times during the year when Jupiter transits are highlighted in your natal chart. It delineates the meaning of Jupiter’s transits to your natal planets and angles over a 14-month period (including one month before your order and one month after the year ends). As an added bonus, each transit is ranked on a scale from –3 to +3 in terms of favorability for trading. Traders may find this especially valuable! Would you like to know when you are under a +3 transit and, therefore, most likely to experience trading successes? Or a –3 transit with stronger-than-usual potential for misjudgments and losses? You betcha! The cost for your 14-month Jupiter Report is $69. Click here to order!!!

NOTE 7: THE MMA Solar-Lunar App now offers reversal signals on the NASDAQ to all subscribers! The app now provides daily weighted values for four markets: DJIA, NASDAQ, Gold, and Silver.

This app is an ideal tool to have in your back pocket if you are a short-term swing trader looking for high-probability dates that identify isolated lows and highs in the DJIA, NASDAQ, Gold, and Silver markets. It is available only on Apple products (iPhone and iPad) at this time, although we are getting close to developing it for Android phones as well, possibly by the end of this year.

To learn more about the MMA App, click here. To order it, go to the Apple App Store and search for Merriman Solar/Lunar Reversals.

 NOTE 8: 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 9: MMA’s Free Weekly Column Podcast Is Available on SPOTIFY, APPLE, and AMAZON! Now, you can listen to a podcast of this weekly column, narrated by Thomas Miller, each Saturday! Thomas has an excellent voice and brings the weekly column to life in a personable and, at times, humorous fashion. 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 6: WHAT THE &%#@ IS HAPPENING? PART 2: An Astrological Interpretation of the Planetary Movements Now Underway, a 60- to 90-minute-long special webinar on SUNDAY, APRIL 6, 2025, at 1 PM EDT. The cost is $35. To register, click here.

APRIL 13: SPECIAL MMA OPTIONS WEBINAR with Derek Panaia, hosted by Raymond Merriman. It starts at noon EDT. The cost is $95, or $250 for Options Plus, which includes follow-up interactive posts with Derek.

APRIL 15, 2025: Registration opens for MMTA4, our two-year training program beginning September 13, 2025. The first course, Cycles – Market Cycles, will run for eight weeks and cover the most important principles that traders and investors need to know when identifying the optimal time bands for cycle highs and lows in most financial markets. This material forms the foundation of all MMA’s trading and investment strategies. There is no astrology in Course 1; that begins in Course 2. The coordinator for MMTA4 will be Wiebke Held, and we will soon announce our impressive faculty lineup. Stay tuned!

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 of educating the reader on the relationship between astrological factors and collective human activities as they occur. 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 those movements 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, 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.