REVIEWAND PREVIEW

“Nonfarm payrolls increased by 215,000 in March, providing a positive sign for an economy that otherwise has been slowing lately. The jobs growth came as the headline unemployment rate rose to 5.0 percent, the first month-over-month increase since May 2015. The level of unemployed Americans considered part of the workforce rose to 7.97 million, from 7.82 million in February. A separate measure of unemployment that includes those not looking for work as well as those working part-time for economic reasons also rose one-tenth to 9.8 percent.” Jeff Cox, CNBC.com, April 1, 2016.

On that unemployment number, stocks sold off sharply, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down over 100 points shortly after opening. About an hour later, it had recovered all of its losses. By the close, it was up over 100 points and making a new high for 2016. In fact, the 17,811 high on Friday was its highest level since December 7. This is typical of a market opening with the Moon in late Capricorn. As stated on our Friday daily report, issued the evening before, “Today, the lunar cycle may start bearish but end bullish.” It may have been April Fool’s Day, but it was a perfect lunar cycle day for stocks.

However, April Fool’s Day was not so pleasant in other parts of the world. In Asia and the Pacific Rim, large stock market sell offs were noted in Australia and Japan. Both fell to their lowest level in four weeks. However, the same sort of carnage was not present in other markets, like China’s Shanghai, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng, or India’s Nifty indices, These markets were mostly up last week, for a case of regional divergence.

European markets also exhibited divergence last week. The Netherlands AEX, Germany’s DAX, and Switzerland’s SMI indices all “gapped down” on Friday, falling to new multi-week lows. The London FTSE, however, did not even make a low for the week on Friday.

Other markets performed rather strangely. For instance, the Euro currency soared to its highest level since October 15. You would think Gold and Silver would rally with the weaker Dollar, but instead both fell hard last week. Silver was especially weak, falling from a cycle high of 16.17 on March 22 to an intraday low of 14.78 on Friday. The damage was even greater in Crude Oil, which declined to 36.63 on Friday, a loss of 12.5% from its recent high of 41.90 the prior week.

It was truly a mixed up week. Normal relationships between markets broke down, just as they are doing between nations and people over recent agreements. It is all consistent, however, with this incredible Mutable T-square in force between Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune.

 

SHORT-TERM GEOCOMICS

We are now in between the first and second stages (of four stages) described in our recent YouTube video on “The Incredible Spring Lineup of Geocosmic Signatures.” The second stage will manifest April 17-18, +/- ten days, when Mars and Pluto both turn retrograde. This is a particularly challenging combination, for both represent principles that are forceful and relentless. Mars is a war-like force, and can be very aggressive, especially in Sagittarius where it is near Saturn. Sagittarius represents ideologies, like religious ideologies. It also pertains to heightened conflicts in the Middle East. It can be explosive. It can represent a time of threats where human lives are again endangered by violent actions, for together, these two planets are not interested in compromise. It is more like death to the loser. There is no interest in finding a win-win solution here. Someone has to fall, pay a price - a heavy price. Sagittarius also rules travel. One should be extra cautious when traveling during this period.

We are now in between the first and second stages (of four stages) described in our recent YouTube video on “The Incredible Spring Lineup of Geocosmic Signatures.” The second stage will manifest April 17-18, +/- ten days, when Mars and Pluto both turn retrograde. This is a particularly challenging combination, for both represent principles that are forceful and relentless. Mars is a war-like force, and can be very aggressive, especially in Sagittarius where it is near Saturn. Sagittarius represents ideologies, like religious ideologies. It also pertains to heightened conflicts in the Middle East. It can be explosive. It can represent a time of threats where human lives are again endangered by violent actions, for together, these two planets are not interested in compromise. It is more like death to the loser. There is no interest in finding a win-win solution here. Someone has to fall, pay a price - a heavy price. Sagittarius also rules travel. One should be extra cautious when traveling during this period.

Is there anything positive possible? Of course, there is always a positive outlet for these energies, especially for those who are researchers and on the verge of an important discovery that can help humanity. It can also be positive for athletes who can break world records. Some financial markets may soar or fall to record highs or lows. In the field of finances, this combination pertains to disputes over debt, taxes, and spending. Here we go again. Are we on the verge of another government shutdown somewhere? A bankruptcy and/or the need for a major financial bailout? Do not be surprised if central banks once again stun the world with a surprise announcement over their monetary policies, which may represent a flip-flop (again) of what they implied recently. Some financial markets may react - reverse – accordingly.

We will try to release a part three of our YouTube video series on this amazing spring season just before that time.

 

LONGER-TERM GEOCOSMIC SIGNATURES AND FINANCIAL/MUNDANE ASTROLOGY

“Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen signaled in no uncertain terms Tuesday that she is in control of U.S. interest rate policy…. That almost certainly means no April hike, and June is a question mark… Markets had been jittery since two key Fed officials said last week the central bank could raise its benchmark interest rate as early as April after financial markets settled down recently following a sell-off early in the year… It was noteworthy that Yellen said the Fed has tools if the economy falters, such as buying bonds to push down long-term rates.” Paul Davidson, “Yellen Rides to the Rescue of Markets,” USA Today, March 30, 2016.

“Iran’s Supreme leader said the country wouldn’t abandon its ballistic missile program despite growing international pressure following last year’s agreement limiting its nuclear program.”- Aresu Eqbali and Asa Fitch, “Ayatollah Stands by Iran Missile Program,” Wall Street Journal, March 31, 2016 .

Once again, the Mutable T-square (involving Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune) strikes. As discussed several times in this column over the past months, “mutable” means changeable. What is important today will change tomorrow. With Neptune and Saturn involved, you cannot believe anything you read, hear, or see under this configuration, which last into September, but is peaking March-June 2016. Last week, Fed governors were speaking out in favor of raising rates, per the Fed’s pronouncements in December (they expected to raise rates 4 times 2016). This was one week after the Fed decided not to raise rates in March, and instead downgraded their estimate of rate hikes in 2016 from four to two. And now, on Wednesday, Yellen made it clear that she is no hurry to raise rates.

But the Fed is not the only entity changing its mind, or struggling with previously expressed agreements or positions. The Supreme Court has deadlocked on two cases. Iran is going against its recent agreement to“…refrain from developing missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads for eight years.”

You cannot believe anything you read, hear, or see under these aspects. Saturn seeks truth, integrity, and accountability. Neptune tends to reinterpret the literal words into something completely different than was intended, and this can be construed as deception, betrayal, or intentionally misdirecting. The result is that what you think you agreed to – at least in principle and spirit – has no standing when it conflicts with what one of the parties wants that is outside of that agreement. Loyalty and honor do not count. Opportunity to advance one’s underlying agenda does. And this does not even begin to address the issues of Mrs. Clinton and her email server claims, or Donald Trump’s constantly changing positons on things such as abortion and potential punishments to women who seek abortions, and now - wait a minute – today it is really doctors who provide abortions that may be subject to penalties and not the women.

You see, the thing about Neptune is that it rules illusion, delusion, and confusion. We are experiencing it from the world of central banks, supreme courts, politics, to geopolitical differences everywhere. Everyone thinks they know where they are going, but no one has a map with the correct directions (or an understanding of consequences of their actions). No one is responsible and everyone else is to blame (liberals, conservatives, and the media). It is no wonder that the fastest growing political association in America is Independents. Everyone is disillusioned at the (lack of) quality choices for leadership everywhere.

What to do? Well, Neptune is always happiest when it can just sit back, relax, be a spectator, and enjoy the entertainment. Or just breathe. That is the cure. If you get too involved in it all, it is more likely to create stress and a quagmire of unresolved issues that just grow larger in their complexity. Let it go. Watch the show. And know that after September 9 and 10, Jupiter will move from Virgo to Libra for the next year, and Saturn will make its last passage of its waning square aspect to Neptune. Sanity and trust may begin to return, the Supreme Court will gets its next jurist and move past the dreaded deadlock, and the value of one’s word will once again become more important that the greed and whims of opportunists. This is not the time to make or take agreements seriously. That comes after September. For now, lay low and try to avoid trouble and danger – maybe do some research, or tax and estate planning, if you have any assets left after tax season ends April 15.


 

Disclaimer and statement of purpose: The purpose of this column is not to predict 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 oftentimes report 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 will likely affect human activity in the times to come. The author (Merriman) will do this from a 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 hence financial markets of the day. 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 assume any responsibility at all for those individual decisions. Reader should understand that futures and options trading are considered high risk.

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