Weekly Column: Nasdaq Composite surged to a record high

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The Nasdaq Composite surged to a record high Friday after the U.S. economy unexpectedly added jobs in May as businesses began reopening their doors following lockdowns ordered to slow the spread of COVID-19. The U.S. economy added 2.51 million jobs in May as the unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent, according to a report released Friday morning by the Labor Department. Wall Street analysts surveyed by Refinitv were expecting the economy to lose 8 million jobs as the unemployment rate spiked to 19.8 percent. – Jonathan Garber, “NASDAQ Soars to Record High After Job Market’s Surprise Bonanza,” https://www.foxbusiness.com/, June 5, 2020.

“There is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft. When you kill a man, you steal a life… you steal his wife’s right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness… there is no act more wretched than stealing.” ¬ Khaled Hosseni, “The Kite Runner,” Riverhead Books, 2003.

The president was right. He said that the market and economy would bounce back very strongly and very quickly from its March-April lows. So why is Donald Trump trailing Joe Biden by an average of 7 points in the recent Real Clear Politics poll averages?

In a week that saw major anti-police brutality protests across the U.S. erupt into vandalism, looting, and riots that destroyed many businesses that were already reeling from the lock down brought about in response to the Coronavirus pandemic, the stock markets of the world continued their explosive rallies to new post-crash highs. In fact, the NASDAQ soared to a new all-time high on Friday, the day of a lunar eclipse, and just one day past the midpoint of the Venus retrograde cycle (May 13-June 25).

This explosion of equity prices has not abated since the major cycle low of May 14, one day after Venus turned retrograde. Nearly all of the world equity indices soared to their highest levels on June 4-5 since their long-term cycle lows of March 19-23. However, so far, the only index to make a new all-time high was the NASDAQ Composite, which reached 9845 on Friday, slightly above its previous all-time high of 9838 recorded on February 19.Whether the NASDAQ is the leader of the pack and others will soon follow, or this ends up becoming a case of inter-market bearish divergence, remains to be seen.

Friday’s lunar eclipse and the June 3-4 midpoint of Venus retrograde can act as geocosmic reversal signatures, especially for those markets that did not reverse around the time Venus turned retrograde (May 13). But in this case, equity markets did reverse when Venus turned retrograde, which means the odds now favor the rally continuing into the period nearby to Venus turning direct (June 25). In about 1/3 of cases, markets that make cycle highs or lows near the time of Venus or Mars turning retrograde, will make the opposite type of cycle around the time it turns direct. That seems to be the case here, unless global stock markets immediately start declining on Monday, which is still within the three-day trading orb of the Venus retrograde midpoint. Additionally, transiting Jupiter is still within one degree of its square to Neptune in the founding chart of the New York Stock Exchange (May 17, 1792) – a signature discussed last week as a return to “irrational exuberance.” That transit begins to separate now, but there are more examples of Jupiter/Neptune being prominent coming up June 11-30.

The excitement of major price moves was not only apparent in equity markets. Last week the Euro currency soared to its highest level against the U.S. Dollar in nearly three months. Crude Oil continues its huge rally and is now testing $40/barrel, up sharply from its historic low of 6.50 on April 21, which was another important geocosmic reversal date. Bitcoin soared to 10,407 last Tuesday, June 2, its highest price since February 13. But the news was not so good for investors in precious metals. August Gold fell to 1671 on Friday, down over $100 from its recent high of 1787 on May 18, just two trading days after Venus turned retrograde. Like stocks, it could either reverse right here, in the middle of Venus retrograde, or continue lower into Venus direct, June 25, +/- 1 week. Silver soared to a new 3-month high of 18.95 on Monday, June 2, but by Friday, it was down to 17.37. All in all, it was a very significant lunar eclipse week. The solar eclipse coming up on June 21 may be just as interesting, maybe more.

Short-term geocosmics and longer-term thoughts

Since the 1960’s, essentially little has changed in the neighborhoods at the center of those long-ago urban riots. That means five decades of stasis and stagnation in America’s most marginalized places, virtually all of it under Democratic – now “progressive” – political control. The failure of the liberal model is by now so embarrassing that the current owners of that model have created an alternative universe of explanations such as blaming it on American settlers in the early 17th century or nonexistence of “justice.” – Daniel Henninger, “America’s New Nihilism,” Wall Street Journal, June 4, 2020.

“Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people – does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us,” said General Mattis. “We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership.” His (Trump’s) demand for personal loyalty and his thin skin clash with people who care about larger causes and have strong views. Mr. Trump’s habit of blaming others for policy decisions or events that go wrong also builds resentment. This was bound to boomerang as he ran for re-election. “The Revenge of Jim Mattis,” Wall Street Journal Opinion Page, June 5, 2020.

The vice is tightening, the pressure is increasing. Either the leaders of the world voluntarily begin a period restructuring and restoring trust and confidence where their governments and economies are concerned or the collective starts uprising, first tearing down, and then rebuilding many of those structures, physically and figuratively. The year 2020 is therefore a crossover point in history… It’s either Evolution or Revolution. In fact, it is probably both, for with Saturn and Pluto (conjunct in Capricorn), structural changes are very likely, even if forced. And such changes will require a period of rebuilding, and that is where the forces of evolution will take hold – Forecast 2020 Book, “Evolution or Revolution,” MMA, Inc. November 2019.

We are coming out of a lunar eclipse week and moving towards a powerful summer solstice solar eclipse on June 21. Solar eclipses are very important because they represent periods where the Sun’s light (future) is blocked out by the Moon (past). On a personal level, it coincides with a period (up to one year afterwards) where individuals whose birth chart contains planets in the same degree of the same sign (or opposite) as the eclipse tend to experience radical departures from their past behavior and circumstances, either voluntarily or by force. These can affect one’s residence, jobs, or relationships, and sometimes health. When the eclipse takes place on (or opposite) the degree of a planet in the founding chart of a nation, it represents a divergence on the projected path of that country. The lunar eclipse last week fell close to the U.S. natal Mars square Neptune, coinciding with the activation of the nation’s military to quell the violence unleashed by some rioters who weren’t really interested in peaceful protests.

The solar eclipse of June 21, however, will be even more significant from the cosmic perspective. It falls right on the natal Venus in the U.S. chart of July 2, 1776 (the “vote” for independence). Venus rules love and money. One of the likely ironies of this cosmic combination may be: why is President Trump so unpopular given that so many people are doing so much better financially than before? Another may be: why is the stock market doing so well when so many small businesses are in jeopardy of going bankrupt?

There is a huge amount of geocosmic activity that will be in unfolding through June 30. The peak appears to be around June 21, the solar eclipse itself. For one thing, this is the midpoint of three planets changing directions in their orbit around the Sun as seen from earth. These include Mercury retrograde (June 18-July 12), Neptune retrograde (June 22, with the solar eclipse), and Venus turning direct (June 25). As with May 10-14, this triple planetary station period can coincide with major reversals in all markets. It will not be surprising if the stock market takes a break then. What is unclear is how big that break could be. It could be very big, given that Jupiter will conjunct Pluto June 30.

The June 21 solar eclipse is preceded by the Sun square Neptune (June 11), Mars conjunct Neptune (June 13) and followed by Jupiter conjunct Pluto (June 30). Along with Neptune turning retrograde on June 22, these planetary combinations can have a powerful correlation to changes of trend in Crude Oil prices, for Jupiter and Neptune are the co-rulers of black gold.

Looking at this period more deeply from an astrological point, the prominence of so much Neptune in the heavens in June underscores the theme of not trusting anything you see, hear, or read. It can also represent the peak of “irrational exuberance” (Jupiter and Neptune), from which reality begins to become more apparent – that is, unless reality really is an illusion, as Albert Einstein purported. With Saturn moving back into Capricorn on July 1, I am inclined to think that fears reminiscent of the first three months of this year return (the well-being on the collective’s health and economies). With Neptune, beliefs are fueled by optimism and even fantasy. With Saturn and Capricorn, beliefs are more likely fueled by fears and hard data. Announcements from science begin to replace the illusion of photo ops, once again, as a key metric of importance to the world. They want to see behavior and real understanding of the serious issues of the day (Saturn), not symbolic gestures that serve little purpose other than satisfying one’s insatiable need for recognition hunger and acceptance (Venus and Neptune).