MMA FREE WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING FEBRUARY 24, 2025
February 21, 2025
REVIEW
The Constitution assigns power of the purse to Congress. But in his early actions and words, President Trump is taking more of that power for himself…. [The] U.S. Constitution says, “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.”
— Greg Ip, “This Spending Fight Is Actually About the Constitution,” Wall Street Journal, February 21, 2025.
Some of [Trump’s] actions are exhilarating. Some of them make you ask: Are these people clinically insane?
— Peggy Noonan, “A Stiff Drink From the Trump Fire Hose,” Wall Street Journal, February 20, 2025.
Chinese AI sensation DeepSeek plans to release key AI model codes and data to the public starting next week, an unusual step to share far more of its core technology than rivals such as OpenAI have done.
— Saritha Rai, Bloomberg, February 21, 2025.
The Era of Disruption continues. And with it, so does this period of uncertainty about the present and future, which markets generally don’t like. The next disruption in market behavior may have started as we enter the orb of both Mars and Venus changing directions.
Most global stock indices followed a similar pattern last week. Many were doing fine until mid-week, then sold off. The NASDAQ, for instance, made a new all-time high on February 18, and the S&P tested its all-time high the next day. Then, all fell hard into Friday, with the DJIA taking the brunt of the losses.
In Europe, the AEX and DAX made new all-time highs on February 18-19, then sold off. The Zurich SMI bucked the trend by rising sharply all week and tested its all-time high on Friday. The London FTSE failed to take out its all-time high from the prior week but sold off into the end of the week.
In Asia, it was a mixed bag, with the Hang Seng soaring to its highest mark in three years. But in India, the NIFTY fell to its lowest level since June 2024. All in all, it was a very unsettling week for many global indices as well as commodities and cryptos. Promises of rallies that mostly fizzled out, symbolic of Mars about to change directions. They huffed and puffed, then blew themselves down.
SHORT-TERM GEOCOSMICS
There are myriad examples of people unwilling to accept certain realities and we suffer because of it. We feel righteous because we think we have the right information, and everyone who doesn’t agree with the opinions we have gathered is the enemy. We feel vindicated because the experience we have online validates our feelings, but we forget that hidden algo’s have also crafted this perspective for us. We are afraid to go places where we may encounter the opposition because they are just so wrong that we cannot even think to insert ourselves there. It’s a terrible state, yet it’s a perfect state to be in for some Chiron medicine..… Oh dear god, look, there’s Elon doing the Sieg heil, but wait one second, look over there, isn’t that AOC doing it too? (and let’s be honest: neither of them were doing it).
— Adam Sommer, “The Final Chiron Return,” kosmognosis@substack.com, February 17, 2025.
There is despair among Europeans as President Donald Trump upends the post-1945 transatlantic alliance and falsely blames Ukraine for initiating the war. “You should have never started it,” he said on February 18th.
— “How Vladimir Putin Plans to Play Donald Trump,” The Editorial Board of The Economist, February 18, 2025.
Adam Sommer, who I believe created the first astrological podcast several years ago, has written an excellent article on the Chiron Return taking placed in the chart of the United States right now (see quote above). This is a 50-year cycle that seems to coincide with something akin to a “mid-life crisis” in the chart of individuals, a “fork-in-the-road” period where one has to decide whether to continue on the path in life that they have built thus far, or if there is really something else they want to do that would make life more interesting and meaningful (to them, but often at the expense of security to others). It can be a painful period, but at the same time, it can lead to a healing and eventually to a liberation if one is willing to heal and be healed. But here we are in the U.S. It is our Chiron return, a “crisis” that potentially leads to a “healing” period.
In the immediate period ahead, Mars retrograde, in effect since December 7, comes to an end this weekend on February 23. But by the end of next week, on March 1-2, Venus will turn retrograde. This is part of the “retrograde chaos” we have identified between November 25, 2024, and April 12, 2025, when all the personal planets (Mercury, Mars, Venus, then Mercury again) enter their retrograde cycles, back-to-back. The result is a series of start-stop actions as new information comes to light, causing a revision of initiatives that have recently started. It creates the appearance that leaders are disorganized and don’t really know what they are doing or why. Typically, markets are put off by these abrupt changes of direction.
With Mars and Venus both changing directions in the next week, a sizeable reversal in many financial markets could commence, if they haven’t just started. Both of these planetary stations have a very high correlation to primary cycles or their phases, especially with stocks. With Mars, the correlation is about 75% within an orb of 10 trading days. With Venus, it is even higher within an orb of 12 trading days. The overlap is February 13-March 14, with the center of influence being the midpoint next week, on February 26. So, pay special attention to any market making a primary cycle high or low or a strong corrective retracement into this period.
One market to watch closely will be Gold. This will begin the 15th week of its 15-21 week primary cycle, and as of last week, February 20, it made a new all-time high at 2973.40 in the nearby April contract. In bull markets, rallies lasting 8-13 weeks are the norm. It is rare that any financial market makes a primary cycle crest past the 18th week. Gold is in rare territory now and a candidate for a reversal, especially as it nears our upside price target range for this primary cycle, as discussed in last weekend’s annual Forecast webinar. Recordings are now available for those who missed it. It is well worth it as a reference for financial markets over the next six months.
LONGER-TERM THOUGHTS and OPINIONS (I have a lot to say this week)
On Elon Musk … All my adult life, the answer to “let’s find waste, fraud and abuse within the federal government” has been, “Whatever you find will be a rounding error, it isn’t worth the pursuit.” I never thought that true and never saw it only as a question of saving money but of assuring citizens that their government can be trusted. It is heartening to see DOGE attempt reform—exciting, actually. But judgments about the definition of good spending seem to be up to Mr. Musk and his young men, who are assumed to know fat from muscle. Do they? We don’t know… Everyone knows DOGE will make mistakes, but that isn’t the point. To take on seemingly all parts of government at the same time is to unsettle and confuse the entire government at the same moment. That is dangerous.
—Peggy Noonan, “A Stiff Drink from the Trump Fire Hose,” Wall Street Journal, February 22-23, 2025.
The Department of Government Efficiency faced renewed calls for independent oversight after news broke that DOGE boss Elon Musk had callously cut off Social Security benefits for thousands of Revolutionary War veterans…. At publishing time, DOGE was reportedly seeking a way to verify the ages and identities of the Revolutionary War veterans by asking Senator Mitch McConnell if he knew any of them from back then.
—”Cruel: Elon Musk Cuts Off Social Security Benefits For Thousands of Revolutionary War Veterans,” The Babylon Bee, February 19, 2025.
This choice between “fear of the unbelievable” versus “hope” that this is all simply theatrics that will lead to peace and prosperity is reflective of the nature of Saturn (seriousness and fear) conjoining Neptune (acting and misdirection) going into Aries (let’s not dither with concerns about possible consequences later on because we may miss the chance to succeed now). But let us face straight-on the elephant in the room of Saturn conjunct Neptune in Aries. It has to do with fear of the unknown and lack of trust in leaders who make choices that affect our collective psyche, even the very existence of many in the world.
Saturn wants to know what to expect in the external world of phenomena. Neptune already knows but in the world of the imagination and spiritual beliefs (or conspiracy theories). It hasn’t a clue how to navigate in the “real” world without the help of Saturn, so it makes things up (propaganda and beliefs based on assumptions or information that is often false) to create a narrative to make itself look like it is all-knowing, that it cares. In reality, it’s usually more “con” than care.
Think of Neptune and Saturn in their highest manifestation as the drive and vision to make “dreams come true” to create a reality of blissful peace through imagination, clear-headed planning, and hard work. The downside is that the dream may turn out to be a nightmare, and you hope that it will end soon.
Neither reality (hope or despair) is likely for long. You eventually wake up, and the dream – for better or worse – ends. Yet, with “retrograde chaos” also underway right now, it starts up all over again. It’s like the movie “Groundhog Day” with Bill Murray, where he keeps waking up and reliving the same day over and over again. You start something new, stop, then re-start again, then stop again, and you are right back at the same place you started, only now with a whole lot of drama accompanied by a loss of trust and goodwill (i.e., political capital).
If you want to succeed and be respected under these cosmic conditions, it’s very simple: use this period of time to develop well-thought-out strategies and then implement them with awareness and sensitivity to the needs of others. Or, as Elvis Pressley sang, “Don’t be cruel.” Being cruel will diminish trust, the all-important characteristic that determines the support (and success) you will receive in the future and define your legacy in the end. Rushing under a Saturn aspect, and one that is about to enter the impatient sign of Aries (with Neptune), is bound to be fraught with contradictions, mistakes, and unanticipated results that could make matters more complicated, less easily resolvable.
How does this relate to markets? At some point, the floor can give way, and a feeling of falling into an abyss arises. In other words, if a rally to new all-time highs in equities happens, it may get frothy. And there can also be a very sharp decline to follow. Both of these market actions could happen by August. The dream of bliss, first, can quickly turn into a mini-panic as a result of rushing into actions that are not fully thought out too quickly. Or by behaving as a bully (a typical Saturn in Aries misjudgment), pushing others into a corner without time to work out compromises or voluntary acceptance.
This can be avoided. All one has to do is develop the plan and take the needed time to enact it, accruing support from others who will be needed, rather than losing them by pushing too hard against their will and before they understand how this really is. a possible win-win situation. Speaking of which, Mars retrograde and stationary (especially in Cancer), as well as Saturn entering Aries, is not usually successful unless proposals are win-win types. Mars, Aries, Cancer, and Saturn are each part of the “Cardinal Dilemma” grouping developed by psychologist-astrologer Dr. Zipporah Dobyns. It represents the challenge of integrating psychological states of “me first” and independence (Mars, Aries) with “you first” and co-dependence (Moon) and control (Saturn). If you can do it yourself, that would be fine and good. But if you need others, it pays to avoid asserting your control and forcing others against their will. Control issues are the crux of make-it or break-it deals. Bullies and aggressors don’t have favorable long-term outcomes here.
This is not the time to push and coerce, as if you are running out of time. Aries may think that. But Saturn won’t let that happen. Aries is a force. Saturn is a wall. Forcing against a wall can be frustrating, and frustration can lead to anger and broken trust, something that Saturn and Neptune together need to avoid if they wish to have successful results where all parties keep intact their trust in one another. Better to have a plan and build with one brick at a time so it stands the test of time. Saturn in Aries can work, and it can be very successful. It just takes time, perhaps more time than one wishes. Saturn and Neptune in Aries can work, too. It just requires trust, truth, and honoring one’s words and agreements or those of others you represent who preceded you.
Yes, this is a challenging time and one of great turbulence. But it can be navigated well if all needs of the “Cardinal Dilemma” are integrated and balanced, which is really the key to “The art of a deal.” Otherwise, as Peggy Noonan said above, we may feel like we are dealing with the “clinically insane.”
ANNOUNCEMENTS
NOTE 1: Recordings of MMA’s Annual Forecast 2025 Worldwide Webinar with Raymond Merriman and Wiebke Held are now available. The event took place last Sunday, February 16, 2025, and was our most well-attended annual webinar ever. People are concerned and perhaps a bit confused about what is happening. This event addressed many of those concerns.
One of the most fascinating features was the correlation of transits to the charts of Sam Altman, Jensen Huang, and Nvidia with the cycles Wiebke and I see emerging in the NASDAQ and DJIA over the next six months.
The webinar discussed the uncertainty of the short-term outlook in light of the current “retrograde chaos” of personal planets and the need to zoom out and maintain perspective on the longer-term cycles and their trends. We focused on the longer-term cycles due this year with specific strategies of when and in what price range to look for buying opportunities in stock indices, precious metals, Crude Oil, and Bitcoin. We also analyzed the charts of the Federal Reserve, the People’s Bank of China, and the European Central Bank (head about to roll) and correlated those with our outlook on the period of “irrational exuberance” and “hysteria” (potential market panics due this year).
I watched the subject webinar this morning. It was fantastic. Wiebke Held’s NASDAQ presentation was detailed and easy to follow. She is articulate, and her cadence, like yours, is just right. — Rick B.
The entire presentation lasted 3 hours and 15 minutes with two ten-minute breaks. The cost for the recording of this event is $60, and it will be a valuable resource to refer to over the next six months. Click here to order. All those who order will also receive a free introductory copy of Wiebke’s new MMA Monthly Tech Report, which was launched on February 18!
NOTE 2: THE FIRST ISSUE OF THE NEW MMA Monthly Tech Report was launched last week on February 18!!! This new monthly report is written by one of MMTA’s top graduate students, Wiebke Held of Cologne, Germany, whose excellent two-year research papers were based on extensive studies of long-, intermediate-, and short-term cycles in the NASDAQ spot index (not futures). This report differs in style and substance from the other MMA monthly reports (it is more condensed and less technical). It provides an outlook not only for the NASDAQ but also for the QQQ (ETF) and specific technology stocks such as NVIDIA, TSLA, and Apple. It also includes unique CRDs (critical reversal dates) specific to the NASDAQ, based on Held’s meticulous research. Focusing on the NASDAQ is crucial because of the outsized role technology will play in financial markets — especially with Pluto already in Aquarius for the next 20 years and Uranus about to enter Gemini for seven years starting in July 2025. Additionally, much of this report will be generated by Wiebke’s own AI applications. Truly, this is an exciting report, highlighting many new features of our technological renaissance. This is the future of market timing applications in this “New Aira.” To subscribe to this new monthly report for as little as $35/month, click here.
NOTE 3: THE FEBRUARY ISSUE OF THE MMA Monthly Cycles Report Plus+, edited by Pouyan Zolfagharnia, will be released 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. A subscription for a monthly copy of both reports is $55. That will give you both the most recent January issue 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 4: MEET MMA ANALYSTS AT THE MARCH 7-9, 2025, COSMIC PATTERNS ASTROLOGY CONFERENCE IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA, FEATURING A SPECIAL FINANCIAL MARKET TIMING TRACK!!!
The Financial Track will include Raymond Merriman (USA), Christeen Skinner (UK), Gianni Di Poce (USA), Wiebke Held (Germany), Pouyan Zolfagharnia (UK), and Ulric Aspegrén (Switzerland). For more information on the event, as well as speakers’ topics and bios, click here. We look forward to seeing many of you there! To book a room at The Florida Hotel & Conference Center, where the event takes place, click here.
NOTE 5: THE “JUPITER REPORT“ — YOUR MOMENTS OF OPPORTUNITY — IS NOW AVAILABLE. This newest product is written by Raymond Merriman. It 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 a 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 6: 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: the 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 7: 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 8: 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, every 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!
NOTE 9: FORECAST 2025 IS NOW AVAILABLE in paperback, eBook, and audiobook!!!
MMA’s annual Forecast book is the standard of astrological-themed almanacs that has served students of cycles and markets since 1976. It provides a cyclical outlook on collective world psychology, the national economy, geopolitical overview, socio-cultural trends, weather and natural calamities, as well as financial market projections for the U.S. stock market, U.S. Treasury market, interest rates, Gold and Silver, currencies (the Euro, U.S. Dollar, Swiss Franc, and Japanese Yen), Bitcoin, Crude Oil, and Grain markets. Additionally, it provides the three-star critical reversal dates for each market for 2025, which have historically achieved over 80% accuracy for trading cycles within an orb of three trading days.
The printed book is 200 pages, 8.5″ x 11″, and costs $66, but copies are limited. There are no second printings. When they are out, they are out. The eBook version is available for $55 and has no limit. The Forecast 2025 Audiobook is also now available for $29.99, has no limit, and can be ordered by clicking here. This audio version excludes the financial markets section and the ephemeris and geocosmic calendar for each month, which are included in the print and eBook versions. It covers only the first part of the book. The audio version is an excellent companion for workouts or driving, allowing you to listen at your convenience.
MMA also offers a special bundle discount for those who wish to order both the eBook and printed editions of Forecast 2025 for $86.
To order Forecast 2025 now, please click here.
EVENTS
FEBRUARY 28 (USA), MARCH 1 (CHINA). Nodoor Astrology School, China’s largest astrology school, presents Ray Merriman’s “Forecast 2025” webinar for China starting at 8 PM EST on February 28, which is 9 AM in Beijing on March 1. This will cover many of the subjects presented in the February 16 presentation in the U.S., but this time, Merriman’s words will be simultaneously translated into Chinese. The focus will be on the charts of China, the People’s Bank of China, and the Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite (SSE). Updates will also be provided on Gold, the DJIA, and Bitcoin, with the possibility of covering other markets, as attendees usually ask many questions, and the translators are excellent. This is an opportunity for our subscribers in China, Singapore, and Australia (and, in fact, all of Asia and the Pacific Rim) to hear us live. To register, please visit Nodoor’s website at https://www.nodoor.com/course/detail/10729 or click here.
MARCH 7-9, 2025: Cosmic Patterns Inc. presents its “Convergence 2025” conference in Orlando, Florida. This will be one of the top astrological conferences of 2025 and will include tracks on Research and Financial Markets. MMA market analysts Ray Merriman, Gianni Di Poce, Pouyan Zolfagharnia, Ulric Aspegrén, and Wiebke Held will speak, along with well-known financial astrologer Christeen Skinner from the U.K. There will also be several other well-known professional astrologers speaking, including Lynn Bell, Charlotte Benson, Georgia Stathis, Öner Döşer, Pam Gallagher, Demetra George, Aleksandar Imsiragic, Dr. Lea Imsiragic, Rick Levine, Darri Low Murphy, Anne Ortelee, Joni Patry, Kathy Rose, Gisele Terry, and Fei Cochrane. For further information, please go to https://cosmicpatternsconference.com/. You can also hear and read about this exciting gathering on YouTube (click here).
APRIL 15, 2025: Registration opens for MMTA4, our two-year training program that will begin September 13, 2025. 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.