Weekly column: Jupiter, Uranus, and the dance of reversals in financial markets

Review

Inflation-adjusted gross domestic product grew at an annualized rate of 1.6% in the first quarter, according to an initial estimate the Bureau of Economic Analysis released Thursday. That was below the 2.2% growth that economists surveyed by FactSet had expected…. Thursday’s slower-than-expected growth could signal that the U.S. economy isn’t as strong as previously thought. It could prompt Fed officials to cut rates earlier.

—Megan Leonhardt, “GDP Growth Trails Behind Forecast, Hinting at Rate Cuts,” Barron’s, April 25, 2024

 In the post Jupiter/Uranus conjunction week that was, financial markets exhibited several possible reversals or secondary tests to their recent highs and lows. At the same time, last week was also the final week of the current Mercury retrograde cycle. Thus, the interest rate narratives that changed from lower to higher just before the retrograde, appear to be settling back towards less rate-hiking fears in the U.S. As a result, the momentum of the recent stock market “declines” is abating, and new rallies are starting. This fits well with our methodology of combining geocosmic studies with rhythmic market cycles.

 Several global stock indices made new all-time or multi-year highs from mid-March through the first week of April, and then declined sharply into April 19, one day before Jupiter conjoined Uranus. Most of them rallied last week. If April 19 was the primary cycle trough in several stock indices, it fits the time band very well via both cycles and geocosmic studies. And now we see if the bull market can continue to new all-time highs into the summer before the three-passage series of the Jupiter/Saturn square begins August 19, with Mars also triggering it that week. Our main focus for this current rally will be on the tech stocks (NASDAQ) as Uranus rules this market, and it was just conjoined with Jupiter (which indicates reversals and large price moves). Also, tech stocks may soar because as Jupiter soon enters Gemini (early June), it will pass over the same degrees at which Uranus in Gemini will trine Pluto in Aquarius, 2025-2026. This favors AI, tech, and communication stocks, as well as electric vehicles. All of these were worrisome under Mercury retrograde, and all are due to return as Mercury turns direct now.

 In other markets, Bitcoin is also following a path similar to equities. That is, Bitcoin may have completed a major cycle low on April 19. It needs to exceed 67,300 to support this view before dropping below 59,500. Gold and Silver may have also completed major cycle lows last week, on April 23, just two trading days after the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction and within the time band for a CRD (critical reversal date) low of April 26 +/– 3 trading days. Crude Oil dropped to a possible primary cycle low on Monday, April 22, the first trading day after the conjunction, as it tested the 80.00 mark and held.

However, the big story last week was the 34-year high in the U.S. Dollar against the Japanese Yen. Panic is setting in here, and the Dollar has gone parabolic to the Yen. However, it is late in its 5.5-year cycle, and one of our basic rules is that when a market is late in a longer-term cycle, the higher it goes, the harder it falls. MMA Analyst Gianni Di Poce has caught this entire move up in MMA’s weekly reports over the past year.

Short-term geocosmics and longer-term thoughts

Donald Trump’s allies are quietly drafting proposals that would attempt to erode the Federal Reserve’s independence if the former president wins a second term….Several people who have spoken with Trump about the Fed said he appears to want someone in charge of the institution who will, in effect, treat the president as an ex officio member of the central bank’s rate-setting committee. Under such an approach, the chair would regularly seek Trump’s views on interest-rate policy and then negotiate with the committee to steer policy on the president’s behalf.

—Andrew Restuccia, Nick Timiraos, and Alex Leary, “Trump Allies Draw Up Plans to Blunt Fed’s Independence,” Wall Street Journal, April 26, 2024.

Isn’t that almost exactly what was forecasted in the recent MMA webinars? The transits to the chart of the  Federal Reserve Board look favorable—and even accommodative—after Mercury leaves its retrograde shadow zone on May 11. Then, a multi-month transit of Uranus in favorable trine aspect to the FRB’s natal Jupiter at 23° Capricorn follows. This suggests some rather innovative new policies (and arguments) by the Fed that could be perceived as unusually accommodative given the data that is actually being reported.

However, after that, the “Aries Vortex” comes into play as Saturn and Neptune approach their conjunction at 0° Aries in February 2026, right on the FRB’s Midheaven and in a potent T-square to its Sun/Pluto opposition. This implies a fierce power struggle for control of the Fed, +/– one year. The “Aries Vortex” and its relationship to the Fed’s and USA’s chart was also discussed in detail during the February 18 “Forecast 2024” webinar, as well as last week’s “Aries Vortex” presentation in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

In the shorter term, we find Mars conjoining Neptune in late Pisces on Monday, April 29, which is a classic cosmic expression of “passive/aggressive” tendencies. People may act very boldly in criticizing their antagonists – to other people, but not directly confronting the person who is the source of their anger or jealousy. In financial markets, this aspect may correspond to reversals in Crude Oil prices. In politics, it symbolizes “all bark and no bite.”

The next day, April 30, Mars enters Aries for the following 5–6 weeks. Now the threat has “bite,” for Mars is home in its ruling sign of Aries. The only problem is that it may act and react impulsively, causing more mayhem than necessary and hurting support for its cause.

Wednesday and Thursday, May 1–2, stand out for their strong Pluto themes. First, Venus squares Pluto, and then Pluto turns retrograde. Pluto rules the four D’s: debt, deficit, downgrades, and default. This, in turn, corresponds to reversals in debt-related markets, like Treasuries and currencies. The panic in Tokyo over the falling Yen may become hyperbolic. News about the escalating U.S. debt may also command headlines, along with proposals to raise taxes that will only escalate divisions and differences between the two dysfunctional parties.

Pluto is in Aquarius, so expect more protests turning to riots and demands for free speech versus censoring hate speech. Aquarius demands freedoms and free speech, but Pluto excels in hate and threats of violence if it doesn’t get what it wants when it wants it. This leads up to the bigger geocosmic fireworks scheduled May 13–18, when both the Sun and Venus conjoin Jupiter and Uranus in Taurus. It’s all related because Uranus rules Aquarius, which is where Pluto will be roaming over the next 19 years. So protests and anti-authoritarian movements are in vogue and driven to disturbances against the status quo in mid-May. This can be a shocker socially and also can coincide with extreme price movements in several financial markets, including Bitcoin, NASDAQ, and grain (food) markets.