Weekly Column: It's getting increasingly risky in the investment world

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Inventories remain at a “very, very low level,” Jeffrey Gundlach, CEO and chief investment officer of Los Angeles-based DoubleLine Capital, which has $137 billion in assets under management, said during a conference call Tuesday evening. “This is not supportive of inflation being transitory.” Customer inventories plunged to an all-time low earlier this year as lockdowns aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19 shuttered factories, resulting in materials shortages and supply chain disruptions. Low customer inventories, especially during periods of elevated inflation, lead to even higher prices because retailers have to pay more for their merchandise. Those higher prices are then passed along to customers. Consumers are already grappling with the highest inflation in 13 years. –Jonathan Garber, “Billionaire Fund Manager Grunlach Debunks ‘Transitory’ Inflation,” www.foxbusinessnews.com. September 16, 2021.

It is getting increasingly risky in the investment world as the Sun approaches its powerful conjunction with Mars in Libra on October 7-8.

Global stock markets tried to rally after the prior week’s sell off, and there was some euphoria early in the week as the Sun formed its annual opposition to Neptune on Tuesday, September 14, the same day that the Japanese Nikkei soared to its highest level in 31 years and China’s Shanghai Composite tested its multi-year high again. The Netherlands AEX and India’s Nifty continued to new record highs on Friday, September 17. But other markets fell as the Neptune euphoria wore off and Venus headed towards its T-square with Saturn and Uranus. The square to Saturn was on Friday, September 17 and the opposition to Uranus will be next week on September 23. As stated last week, “Venus/Saturn square often coincides with an excellent buying opportunity. Any market that declines into this aspect is a candidate for a decent rally to follow.” Well, several of the world’s stock indices did in fact decline into Friday, September 17. Now we will see if they can find their bottoms and reverse as Venus opposes Uranus.

In other markets, Gold and Silver took another hit with Silver falling back to its lows of August 9 around 22.30. Gold fell to a low of 1745.50 on September 16, but that is well above its primary cycle bottom of 1677.90 on August 9. Gold and Silver are thus on the verge of an intermarket bullish divergence signal as Venus in Scorpio forms its T-square with Saturn and Uranus.

The Euro and Swiss Franc currencies also fell hard against the U.S. Dollar, along with Gold and Silver, in the belief that the FED will soon end its tapering and interest rates will rise. Maybe that will be the case, and fear of such a change was coincident with Mars ingressing into Libra last week, September 15,

making a T-square to the to the Sun/Pluto opposition in the Federal Reserve Board chart. Mars entering cardinal signs will also touch off that opposition, causing sharp news regarding the Fed and its intentions. But keep in mind that December 30,2021, Jupiter will re-enter Pisces. It did that once already from May 13-July 28. Everyone thought the Fed would raise rates or end its bond buying purchases and start a tapering policy then too. But instead, Chairman Powell surprised everyone by reaffirming his commitment to keep rates steady and low, and not end its treasury purchases. It could happen again in December -January, which is when everyone is expecting the Fed to tighten and taper. Jupiter’s transit suggests otherwise.

Thus, once again, investors struggle to figure out what is real versus what is believed without confirmation. And in the meantime, the markets look for a sustainable trend, while we continue to report the history of past correlations between financial markets, institutions, governments, and the cycles of the cosmos.

SHORT-TERM GEOCOSMICS AND LONGER-TERM THOUGHTS  

“Goldman Sachs Says Higher Taxes Are the Biggest Risk to U.S. Stocks” – Thomas Franck, www.cnbc.com, September 13, 2021,

Congress faces two massive tasks over the next month: funding the U.S. government and increasing the debt ceiling. Lawmakers have until the end of this month to fund the government, while Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned that extraordinary measures to stave off the debt limit are likely to run out in October. – Thomas Franck, “Debt Ceiling Versus Government Shutdown,” www.cnbc.com, September 17, 2021. 

The main geocosmic factor underway now is the T-square with Venus to the Saturn/Uranus square, in fixed signs. Venus is in Scorpio through October 7, the same day that the Sun will conjoin Mars in Libra, the ruling sign of Venus. This is a complex setup, with Venus in Scorpio, its detriment, and Mars in Libra, its detriment. Venus is money and credit, whereas Scorpio is debt and concern about new taxes, both of which generate worries about the future health of the economy. Mars in Libra is a time when everyone argues that no one wants to agree to anything. It’s like a quarrelsome household.

When the Sun catches up to Mars on October 7-8, the intensity of the need for agreement is high. But everyone wants to blame someone else for the failure to agree. The Democrats can’t agree on the next stimulus plan, and the Republicans disagree that any additional spending is even necessary. And during all this time, the clock ticks closer and closer to the final hour when the debt ceiling must be raised lest the U.S. defaults on its financial obligations to others and eventually the government must shut down. Does anyone think they will come to an agreement before this happens? Under Mercury retrograde in the indecisive sign of Libra (September 27-October 18)?

In addition to this, the Sun/Mars conjunction has a strong correlation to a sharp decline in U.S. stocks when it is near cycle highs within three weeks of the Sun/Mars synodic cycle. And of course, we cannot forget that Saturn is still in the throes of its waning square to Uranus, the most potent of all geocosmic signatures in effect this year, and a signature portending disturbance and the unexpected. No one believes the U.S. will default. But then again, very few give credence to the correlation of planetary cycles with financial market cycles, except those of you who read this column and know such correlations to cycles in human activity to be highly accurate. Maybe it’s not a default. The astrologer isn’t always right in the specifics of events that coincide with planetary cycles. But something tends to happen – an event, a policy change, an announcement that surprises – and the theme of those factors is usually consistent with the principles of the geocosmic signatures involved.

Thus, here we are. Several important planetary aspects are now in effect, and many difficult issues confront world governmental and economic/banking leaders. What will they do? With Mercury about to go retrograde in Libra and the Sun/Mars conjunct in Libra, and Libra always trying to find the middle ground and thus appearing to be indecisive, I don’t know. And unfortunately, neither do they or anyone else. I suspect what we will see is a lot of dithering and blaming of others the closer the deadlines for action and decisions approach for each of these matters. It will, however, be an excellent period for the talking heads of opinion shows and columns. Everyone has an opinion under these signatures. But few have solutions or the power and courage to make the necessary decisions, because whatever decision is made, there is apt to be a criticism without an accompanying solution. Libran energies can be very diplomatic and supportive when positive. But they don’t like criticism, and yet they can be very sharp in issuing it.

And so, as everyone dithers, stock markets wither.