Commodity markets soared on the news from Japan

REVIEW AND PREVIEW

“In any great organization it is far, far safer to be wrong with the majority than to be right alone” – John Kenneth Galbraith, economist and diplomat (1908-2006) quoted in Arizona Republic, April 2, 2016

Here comes the trickster at his most mischievous expression. Mercury turned retrograde on April 28, and right on cue, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) surprised the financial world by not lowering rates. On that announcement, the Japanese Nikkei stock index fell from a daily high of 17,572 to 16,652, before closing at 16,666 just before beginning its long holiday. The news stopped a secondary rally that was starting in other world equity markets, and most fell the last two days of last week after posting new cycle highs on April 21, right in the midst of the Venus translation to Uranus/Pluto, April 19-22, as described in the past two columns as an important reversal signature. It proved to be so once again, as many world stock indices continued to fall into Friday, April 29, to their lowest levels since April 21. It has many analysts claiming “this is the big one.” Could they be right? I do not know, but as long as Saturn squares Neptune, do not believe anything you read, hear, or see.

Saturn square Neptune can be a particularly strong “gloom and doom” projection, but not usually accurate. Nothing is as great as world leaders proclaim, and nothing is as horrible as their opposition claims and the rest of us fear. The problem is figuring out what is the truth, for under Saturn square Neptune, the truth is hard to find. This is a signature for cover-ups and blaming others, in effect into at least September. The biggest casualty under this aspect is trust in others, especially those in positions of authority and leadership. Just ask Brazilians, where a strange phenomenon is underway. As their President is on the verge of impeachment, and their economy is tanking, the Bovespa stock index is racing to its highest level in nearly a year. Go figure. On second thought, don’t bother stressing yourself out trying to make sense out of this. We are in “The Incredible Spring Lineup of Geocosmic Signatures,” and now Mercury joins Mars, Pluto, Jupiter, and Saturn in retrograde motion. That’s a lot of backward movement going on in the cosmos. Thus, it is no surprise that it feels exactly like that on Earth right now too.

Commodity markets soared on the news from Japan. Gold, Silver, and Crude Oil were especially strong, surging to new multi-month highs. Gold is now testing $1300, a mark not seen since January 22-23, 2015, which was also Mercury retrograde. July Silver briefly poked above $18.00/ounce for the first time since late January 2015. Crude Oil rallied to $46.78/barrel, its highest mark since November 4. This has more to do with Mars retrograde than Mercury.

 

SHORT-TERM GEOCOMICS

This is an especially active time in the heavens. Not only are five planets in retrograde (that is a lot), including the trickster Mercury, but next week we will find a harmonious grand trine playing out between the Sun and Venus (in Taurus) to Jupiter and Pluto (in Virgo and Capricorn). That is an earth sign grand trine, which usually means “money.” This favorable configuration starts May 3 and lasts through May 13. This may account for the strong rally in Crude Oil, since Jupiter will also turn direct on May 9 and is part of these two grand trines (three is we count Mercury doing the same right after that and into early June).

This is one reason why it is not wise to get too bearish on the stock market. Yes, equities can fall into this period, especially given that Mercury is retrograding at 23 degrees of Taurus, which makes a hard aspect to the New York Stock Exchange chart (May 17, 1792, known as “The Buttonwood” chart). If they do continue to fall into this period, it suggests a strong rally will follow. Another reason is that Mercury and Mars are retrograde. These are notorious “fake out” signatures where financial markets are concerned. The stock market may look bearish today, but that can change around the middle of this period (May 10), which is also nearby to when Mercury’s transit will eclipse the Sun (a rather rare event) on May 9. Any market that does not reverse its recent trend around the time Mercury turns retrograde, tends to do so near the midpoint of that retrograde journey. Mercury is retrograde April 28-May 22. Plan accordingly.

 

LONGER-TERM THOUGHTS AND MUNDANE ASTROLOGY

“When did Americans decide that 1% or 2% economic growth is acceptable, that puny wage increases are inevitable, and that we should all shrug and get used to the country’s diminished expectations?... The reality is that the first quarter (0.5% GDP) is further evidence of what has been the weakest economic expansion in the post-war era. The usual definition of a recession is two consecutive quarters of negative growth, which we barely ducked.” “Make America Grow Again,” Wall Street Journal editorial, April 29, 2016.

“I actually compare our economic performance to how, historically, countries that have wrenching financial crises perform. By that measure, we probably managed this better than any large economy on Earth in modern history.” President Barack Obama, same article as above.

Former President Bill Clinton took a dig at President Barack Obama Tuesday, saying the economy has not improved much during his seven-plus years in office. "But the problem is, 80 percent of the American people are still living on what they were living on the day before the [2008 financial] crash," Clinton told a crowd. "And about half the American people, after you adjust for inflation, are living on what they were living on the last day I was president 15 years ago. So that's what's the matter." The former president has criticized Obama in recent months, most notably in March when he called Obama's presidency an "awful legacy." – Bill Clinton Throws Jab at Obama Economy,” Jason Devaney, www.newsmax.com, April 26, 2016.

Legacies. That’s comes under the domain of Saturn and the sign it rules, Capricorn. However, Saturn is now in a difficult square aspect to Neptune, which has this knack of dissolving anything associated with Saturn, whether it is rules, traditions, or even legacies. This year, 2016, is a time when legacies can be ruined.

Here is the dilemma: Saturn rules reality and Neptune rules fantasy and delusions (among other things). The reality is that the USA economy is weak by historical standards. The USA is barely staying just above the mark that defines recessions. Yes, it is at a time when many nations are suffering from recessions, like Brazil, Russia, Japan and much of Europe, South America and Africa. And yet, seven years after the “Great Recession,” the president continues to believe the economy is doing well because it didn’t fall harder then, largely due to the extraordinary actions of the Federal Reserve Board and Ben Bernanke. But seven years of woeful growth doesn’t bode well for Obama’s legacy or even that of Ben Bernanke – unless the economy suddenly explodes in the next 8 months.

In my opinion, that is exactly what the president and the Federal Reserve will try to do, for entirely different reasons. Obama wants his legacy to be positive, and the Federal Reserve Board doesn’t want a president who threatens to shut it down. However, if Bill Clinton is taking a stand against Obama, then Obama has a bigger problem than the Federal Reserve. The Fed may not be able to engineer the economy into the kind of explosiveness it would take to eliminate the Republicans greatest campaign pitch – that the economy is weak. Take that out of the election and the Republicans lose their best argument against Clinton and the Democrats. However, without the support of the Clintons, Obama may not have anyone in the White House who is going to protect his belief (illusion?) that he has been a great president.

Given that both the White House and the US Central Bank are working overtime to try to create a booming economy going into the election, I think it would be unwise to be too pessimistic on either the economy or the USA stock market through this year. Saturn square Neptune indicates that the economy is not that fundamentally strong, and under normal conditions, it probably would fall into a recession. But Saturn square Neptune, with Pluto in Capricorn, also indicates that “behind the scenes” maneuvers are likely taking place that will project an entirely different image than what is real.

As we said before, you cannot believe anything your read, hear, or see this year. It is almost all entirely a lie with underlying motives. The real stories are not being told. So, just sit back and try to enjoy the entertainment value of Neptune, for surely there will be several missteps and miscalculations along the way by those who try to engineer this illusion. If you can think of those in power, trying to massage their image to the public, as the modern-day version of the Keystone Cops, it will be much easier to float through this peculiar and “Incredible Spring Lineup of Geocosmic Signatures.”

Regarding America, take a lesson from Aquarians: “I love you, but don’t take it personally.”