MMA FREE WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING MARCH 3, 2025

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NOTE: There will be no weekly column next week due to the “Convergence 2025” conference taking place in Orlando, Florida. Most of our analysts will be attending. However, we will reprint a section of the Forecast 2025 book that is very pertinent to what is happening in the world right now.

 REVIEW

 Emerging markets were swept up in the global equities storm Friday, set for the biggest daily drop since August as investor concerns over US President Donald Trump’s trade threats and the fading prospect of a Ukraine ceasefire put pressure on risk assets.

— Zijia Song, “Emerging Markets Rattled on Threats to Trade, Ukraine Deal,” Bloomberg News, February 28, 2025.

 It’s never easy when a personal planet turns retrograde, as Venus is doing this weekend. In these instances, trend, chart, and technical indicators often reverse – price structures break down or up sharply. Yet approximately half of the time, these turn out to be false breakouts or breakdowns.

Last week, a number of global stock indices broke down, falling below the levels that started their primary cycle, which means the trend has turned bearish. This also fits with the intermediate-term cycles message, which points to a 50-week and 3-year cycle low due this year. Yet this breakdown is happening within the time band of Venus turning retrograde, which has a higher than usual correspondence to false signals. What will it be this time? A breakout or a fake out? This predicament is discussed in a special update report just issued Friday, February 28, by Wiebke Held to all subscribers of the new MMA Cycles Tech Report. It will also be covered in depth in our weekly subscription reports that are going out on Saturday.

What moved the global stock markets to behave so schizoid last week? The “on-again, off-again, back-on-again” proposed tariffs for some countries but not others. The markets that fell hard were those in the U.S., where the tariffs were on again, as this stokes fears of higher inflation and disruption of supplies of goods. The markets that did well were those not subject to tariffs as of the last pronouncement. But under “retrograde chaos,” that could change at any moment again.

European indices were the main beneficiary of rallies last week. The Zurich SMI soared to a new all-time high on February 26, while the German DAX, Netherlands AEX, and London FTSE came close.

It was also a positive week for the Hang Seng of Hong Kong, which rallied to its highest level in three years. China’s Shanghai Composite was also in positive territory until the U.S. tariffs against China were announced on Friday. But Australia’s ASX, Japanese Nikkei, and especially India’s NIFTY indices took a pounding, with NIFTY collapsing to its lowest mark in over 8 months.

In the U.S., where tariffs are the equivalent of new taxes (higher prices) on consumers, the results were dramatic. The NASDAQ broke below the start of its primary cycle, which is a strong sign of a new bear market beginning. The S&P and DJIA are still above their January lows, and one might argue this is setting up as a case of bullish intermarket divergence. However, all indices are currently undergoing a case of intermarket bearish divergence off of the all-time high in the S&P back on February 19, which was not matched by the other indices. That seems to be the leading indicator that is valid at the moment, though it is possible Venus turning retrograde could soon support the more bullish divergence signal. However, it may only be short-term.

Gold followed a similar path. It made a new all-time of 2974 on Monday, February 21, but by Friday it was nearly $100 lower. The decline was even steeper in Silver, where prices tanked to 31.36 on Friday, well off its recent high of 34.56 on February 14. Another loser last week was  Bitcoin, which fell as low as 78,723 on Friday, a loss of over 28.2% from its all-time high of 109,071 made on January 20. This is right into the zone given for a decline in our recent Forecast 2025 webinar presented on February 16. That webinar has described the recent declines in metals and BTC almost perfectly. The recording is still available and valuable if you haven’t seen it yet.

Two other markets that declined last week but showed signs of a Venus retrograde reversal readying are Crude Oil and Soybeans.

 SHORT-TERM GEOCOSMICS

 A Trump blather blaming Ukraine for not negotiating segued into something he didn’t clearly mean, yet now his team must mumblingly agree Ukraine started the war.

— Holman W. Jenkins, Jr., “Trump’s Trumpy Ukraine Gambit,” Wall Street Journal, February 25, 2025.

Trump tempered some of his harshest criticisms of Ukraine, saying he “can’t believe” he once called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator” and vowing to help Kyiv reclaim as much seized territory from Russia as possible.

— Alexander Ward, Natalie Andrews, and Siobhan Hughes, “Trump Softens His Tone on Kyiv but Won’t Give Security Pledge,” Wall Street Journal, February 28, 2025.

“By universal custom, your enemy is never more polite than when he is planning or has planned your destruction.”

— James Clavell, Shōgun.

First of all, here is a correction to last week’s report. Adam Sommer, who wrote the excellent article on the Chiron Return in the USA chart I quoted, did not create the first astrology podcast as written. I was mistaken. Adam was one of the firsts. So was Gary Caton (Hermetic Astrology Podcast), a year before Sommer, and the late Kelley Lee Phipps, about four years earlier. It is good to get the history right, something I wish would take place more often in the world, such as how world leaders recount the history of who actually started the current war between Russia and Ukraine.

In the financial market news, President Trump proves once again that he is the master at solving problems that only he can create. In typical “retrograde chaos” fashion, diplomacy starts, then regresses, then starts again, then regresses again. Markets react to each initiative and then backstep, creating an ongoing and deepening sense of confusion that borders on a crisis threatening to wreak havoc on global stock markets.

With Venus turning retrograde, don’t expect this pattern to change quickly. In fact, Mercury will also turn retrograde on March 15, and both will cross over the 0° Aries “world point,” along with Neptune during the last week of March. This just also happens to fall on the Midheaven of the Federal Reserve Board chart, forming a T-square to its Sun/Pluto opposition. March through early April is also the period when transiting Saturn will T-square President Trump’s Sun/Moon opposition (with his Lunar Nodes). Not to mention there will be both a solar and lunar eclipse in March as well.

Still, some markets may actually benefit from these cosmic conditions, especially those that are due for primary or half-primary cycle lows, such as grains, metals, and cryptos.

This is a wild and whacky time with both Venus and soon Mercury retrograding together. It can make for excellent short-term trading. But it can also correspond to great frustration for both traders and political world leaders who are either not nimble and able to adjust positions quickly or too nimble and change positions too often. Timing is an issue that will make the difference between successfully navigating this period or going crazy.

If ever there was a time to practice meditation and deep breathing before acting out, this is one of those instances. Fortunately, Neptune, the planet supporting the pursuit of inner peace, will also be highlighted in March.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

 NOTE 1: STARTING THIS FRIDAY! 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, including 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 2: A SPECIAL UPDATE ON THE NEW MMA TECH REPORT WAS JUST ISSUED ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2025, BY WIEBKE HELD. The launch of the new MMA Cycles Tech Report took place on February 18. In it, Wiebke wrote that a decline to the 3-year and 50-week cycle lows was due to begin if certain trend indicators were violated, which they were last week. Read Wiebke’s updated analysis, now featuring revised strategies for traders and investors in NASDAQ, Microsoft, Google, Tesla, Nvidia, and Apple now that the signal has emerged! To subscribe to this report and receive the newly released special update, click here. Once subscribed, you have instant access to the downloadable Special NASDAQ Update.

 NOTE 3: THE FEBRUARY ISSUE OF THE MMA MONTHLY GRAIN CYCLES REPORT, edited by Wyatt Fellows, was issued last week. If you trade grains (and you should if you love trading), this is an issue you need to read as Grains are at a cyclical point that could lead to a massive bull run related to the Saturn/Neptune conjunction approaching in 2025-2026. The setup is already being triggered as grains are pulling back for an excellent risk/reward opportunity. To our knowledge, nobody has been as accurate in calling grain cycles as Wyatt. The report covers Corn, Wheat, and Soybeans, each of which appears to be in the early stages of new long-term cycles. ETFs are available for each if you do not trade futures. To sign up for this month’s MMA Grain Cycles report, click here.

NOTE 4: THE FEBRUARY ISSUE OF THE MMA Monthly Cycles Report Plus+, edited by Pouyan Zolfagharnia, was issued last 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, NASADAQ, 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 February issue of the MMA Cycles Report and the monthly MMA Cycles Report Plus+ addendum that was released last week. For further information and ordering instructions, please click here.

NOTE 5: Recordings of MMA’s Annual Forecast 2025 Worldwide Webinar with Raymond Merriman and Wiebke Held are now available — and still highly valuable. The event took place on Sunday, February 16, 2025, and was our most well-attended annual webinar to date. Many 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 longer-term cycles and their trends. We focused on the longer-term cycles due this year, with specific strategies for 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 them with our outlook on the period of “irrational exuberance” and “hysteria” (potential market panics due this year).

I watched the 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 event recording 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 Cycles Tech Report launched on February 18!

NOTE 6: 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 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: 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 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. His guest this past week was Wiebke Held, the editor of the newly released MMA Tech Cycles Report, which was just launched on February 18.

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, 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!

EVENTS:

 MARCH 7-9, 2025: This week! 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 a track 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.