Mercury in retrograde blaming the trickster for stock market plunge

Review

Rate cuts are coming. Economically, the dissenters on the (ECB) governing council are probably correct and rate cuts would be better now—but precise timing on monetary policy is less important when the objective is cyclical (precision matters when the aim is liquidity or managing disorderly markets).

—Dr. Paul Donovan, “Prices, Policy, and Politics,” UBS Morning Comment, www.ubs.com, April 12, 2024.

U.S. consumer sentiment and Americans’ view on the economy both fell more than expected in April, as inflation expectations rose…American households are turning more pessimistic as higher prices for everyday items take their toll. The latest University of Michigan read on consumer sentiment for April fell to 79.3 after coming in at 82.5 last month. Economists only expected that index to fall to 82.2.

—Breck Dumas, “US Consumer Sentiment Falls More than Expected as Inflation Fears Rise,” www.foxbusiness.com, April 12, 2024.

Wow. Now, that was a week to remember, whether you are a trader, investor, cycles analyst, or astrologer. The geocosmic climate doesn’t get much hotter than a solar eclipse conjunct Chiron in Aries (April 8), followed by a Mars/Saturn conjunction two days later.

For traders and investors, it was an anti-gravity week in Gold—until it wasn’t. The yellow metal soared to an all-time high of 2448.80 in the June contract midday on Friday. By 4:00 PM, it was nearly $100 lower. Silver was equally volatile, exploding to nearly $30.00/oz just before noon on Friday (its highest level since February 2021 at 30.35, which was then its highest level since early 2013), only to fall back to under $28.00 by the close. For several months, our bias has been that we would see $30.00 Silver again by the end of 2024 with the Moon’s North Node still in Aries.

Those are huge moves in precious metals and suggest that something is not right in the world today. No surprise there, for the news broke on Friday, “The U.S. rushed warships into position to protect Israel and American forces in the region, hoping to head off a direct attack from Iran on Israel that could come as soon as Friday or Saturday,” according to the article written by Gordon Lubold,” The U.S. Moves Warships to Defend Israel in Case of Iranian Attack,” The Wall Street Journal, www.wsj.com, April 12. This is no surprise to mundane and financial astrologers, for Aries (and its ruler Mars) are associated with war threats or aggressions, and Chiron is known as the “wounded healer.” You have to be hurt–wounded first—before you can heal. Having the solar eclipse in Aries followed by Mars conjunct Saturn just accelerates the friction.

The afternoon plunge was not limited to Gold and Silver. Bitcoin was trading at around 71,000 at midday. But a few hours later, it tested 65,000.

Stocks also plummeted and never really got off the ground last week. For the week, the DJIA was down 920 points, falling as low as 37,877 on Friday, its lowest mark since January 25, and right in line for a developing primary cycle trough whose time is due. We can’t rule out lower prices yet as we are still heading into the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction of next weekend, April 20–21. But given that the midpoint of Mercury retrograde (April 1–25) is this weekend, we can’t rule out that a low is happening right now either.

For traders looking for some hope in financial markets, you may want to check the last two days of trading activity in T-Notes and Soybeans. Crude Oil is another intriguing market with further upside breakout possibilities. However, it’s hard to get too excited about a market that rallies because innocent human lives are in danger from warmongers pretending to be warriors.

Short-term geocosmics

Mercury retrograde, affectionately also known as “The Trickster,” continues to correlate with chaos, volatility, and uncertainty in financial markets. It is also associated with decision-making and policies that are not well-thought-out, with an absence of awareness of the consequences of those decisions and policy changes.

Take the sudden reversal on the narrative of three rate cuts this year by the Federal Reserve Bank, which was the dominant driver of financial markets before the Trickster came into the ring. Suddenly the data shows inflation in the U.S. is rising, not falling, as expected (it’s falling in Europe and the U.K.). Now, Fed watchers are predicting anywhere from none to (at the most) two rate cuts. The idea of fewer rate cuts—even rate hikes—was front and center this week as the transiting Mars/Saturn conjunction formed a T-Square to the Fed’s natal Mercury/Saturn opposition. When Saturn is highlighted, easing is no longer popular. Tightening narratives take over. But that aspect is leaving now, and Mercury will soon turn direct on April 25. And by May 13, Mercury will leave its retrograde “shadow zone.” There is reason to think the narrative will shift again to lowering rates.

There is more. If Saturn represents tightening, then Jupiter portends easing. Jupiter will trine the Fed’s natal Jupiter as Mercury turns direct in late April, which bodes well for a possible renewed easing narrative. Furthermore, transiting Uranus will trine the Fed’s natal Jupiter in May and June. In December through March, Uranus will turn stationary direct in trine to the Fed’s Jupiter. Uranus suggests a sudden turn again and another unexpected policy change, and once again, the aspects suggest easing. The question we have to ask is: why would the Fed be lowering interest rates then? Isn’t the economy strong? Maybe it has to do with the conjunction of the Moon’s North Node with Chiron, a combination that has a rather high correlation to recessions (more than 50%) in the U.S. within nine months. Maybe it has to do with the 4-year cycle trough in U.S. stocks that is also due this year. Maybe it has to do with reaction to the U.S. presidential election. It may have to do with a powerful cocktail of all these ingredients mixed together.

There is an abundance of activity happening in the cosmos all at once this month and even through the end of this year. Maybe we need AI to sort this all out. That’s in the not-too-distant future either, as Uranus (technology) will enter Gemini (intellect) next year and begin a favorable trine aspect to Pluto (transformative) in Aquarius (technology, too) through 2027. The hope for humanity lies in the symbology of this very rare celestial combination. It depends greatly on the successful launch and sane application of the technological renaissance that is now underway.