Nonfarm payrolls grew by 227,000

REVIEW

Nonfarm payrolls grew by 227,000 in January while the unemployment rate edged higher to 4.8 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. Economists surveyed by Reuters expected payrolls to grow by 175,000, compared with 57,000 in December… There was little wage pressure, however, with average hourly earnings up just 3 cents and 2.5 percent on an annualized basis. The average work week was unchanged at 34.4 hours. The declining wage growth came even though 19 states increased minimum wage laws this month. “US Created 227,000 Jobs in January, vs 175,000 Jobs Expected,” Jeff Cox, CNBC February 3, 2017.

On that news, stock prices in the USA opened sharply higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up triple digits (186 points) after being lackluster prior to Friday’ reports. Several other world indices were down most of the week following multi-month and even multi-year highs going into the prior week’s Venus/Saturn square of January 27.

Gold and Silver continued strong last week, with both reaching their highest levels since November, on Thursday, February 2. They pulled back slightly after Friday’s payroll reports came out. The Euro currency behaved in similar fashion, reaching 1.0828 on February 2, its highest level since December 8. Crude oil also achieved its highest price since the first trading day of the New Year, on January 3, a three-star MMA geocosmic critical reversal date (CRD).

All in all, it was good week for markets for the start of the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Rooster.

SHORT-TERM GEOCOSMICS AND LONGER-TERM THOUGHTS

However, it wasn’t such a good week for the USA’s new president, who is giving new meaning to the Uranian concept of “chaos.” The week before, he amazed many with his incredible productivity and energy. However, there can be a downside to such a blitz of effort if it is not completely thought-out and executed well, with an eye towards the consequences of the decisions. Thus, last week began with massive confusion over his travel ban rollout against specific Muslim nations, which left “… hundreds of visa holders in limbo,” according to Karl Rove in Thursday’s Wall Street Journal.  Rove, a staunch Republican who worked in the George W. Bush administration, titled his article “Amateur Hour at the White House.” This chaos may have contributed to the soft market prior to Friday’s employment reports.

The stock market ended the week strong, and it now heads into Jupiter turning stationary retrograde on February 6, followed by the Sun trine Jupiter on February 11 (a weekend). In normal times, this would suggest rising equity prices, forming a top of some importance during this period. However, these are not normal times in terms of cosmic alignments because in three weeks, we have developing one of the most powerful geocosmic lineups of the year. To understand this better, we repeat our comment of last week, which stated, “This period kicks off with a powerful solar eclipse (south node eclipse) on February 27, which is usually more challenging than the north node eclipses, right in the middle of Mars conjoining Uranus and making a T-square with Jupiter and Pluto…. this is symbolic of a major eruption or disruption in world affairs, and it may also coincide with the same dynamic in Mother Nature. This is not the best time to take risks where potential danger is concerned.”

The cosmic storm doesn’t end just there. The second passage of Jupiter/Uranus opposition (chaos) occurs March 2 and then Venus turns retrograde on March 4. Jupiter in opposition to Uranus is the strongest aspect we have uncovered in terms of a correspondence to primary or greater cycles in US stocks, within 12 trading days. Venus retrograde is nearly as strong, certainly one of the top five geocosmic correlations to primary or greater cycles, also within 12 trading days. These two signatures occur very close in time to one another, and within the week of the Solar Eclipse conjunct Neptune (February 26-March 1), which is yet another Level 1 signature. If we have chaos and confusion now, one can only imagine what might occur then. However, it may not only be caused by the White House. It could be initiated by an announcement from a central bank, like the Fed, as well. We also note that this Venus retrograde is part of an 8-year orbital cycle to the same part of the zodiac. It last occurred March 6, 2009, which was the low point (in stocks) of the Great Recession, from which the current bull market began. It would quite a case in symmetry if the bull market ended near March 4, 2017, which is its next instance.

LONGER-TERM THOUGHTS AND MUNDANE ASTROLOGY

The Trump Administration is set to impose fresh sanctions on dozens of Iranian entities for their alleged role in missile development and terrorism, in a move likely to escalate U.S. tensions with Tehran… “U.S. to Hit Iran With New Sanctions,” Jay Solomon, Wall Street Journal, February 3, 2017.

This is an issue we covered greatly in the Forecast 2017 Book and last week’s special webinar. The inauguration of President Trump on January 20, 2017, at noon, occurred under a Mars/Saturn square at 23-24° of Sagittarius and Pisces (mutable signs). Mars is the god of war, and Saturn is resistance. Together, they are known as the planets of geopolitical tensions and possible military confrontations. Since it is an inauguration chart, it is in effect for the next four years. This Mars/Saturn squared made a grand square with the USA natal Mars/Neptune square at 20-22° of Gemini and Virgo, the other two mutable signs. Mars in a nation’s chart reflects its capacity for war and aggression. So immediately, we see the greater than usual prospects of a war during this administration’s first term. But with whom?

The current government of Iran was “born” April 1, 1979. On that day, Mars was at 25° Pisces and Neptune at 20° Sagittarius – within orb of the same mutable sign degrees as the 2017 inauguration chart and the USA natal chart. Once again, we see Mars highlighted, and forming a grand square to the USA chart. As if that isn’t enough, president Trump’s natal chart shows he was born under a lunar eclipse at 21-22° of Gemini-Sagittarius, the same mutable degrees. But wait! The solar eclipse of August 21, 2017, cuts across the center of the United States and is conjunct Mars in the skies – AND it falls on Donald Trump’s natal Mars/Ascendant conjunction in 26-29° of Leo.

It is a lot of charts with a lot of Mars highlights. It doesn’t have to result in war, or course. But both Mr. Trump and the leadership of Iran would be wise to understand that neither party is going to back down. If tensions and a spirit of combativeness increase, it could easily come to a boiling point, and then military action is a strong possibility. The only entities that benefit from that are the producers of war machinery and black market profiteers who play one side against the other.