Weekly column: Strong jobs report defies rate hikes as NASDAQ breaks primary cycle lows

Review

The US added 165,000 jobs in October, blowing past economists’ expectations, as the labor market showed strength despite the Federal Reserve’s recent rate hikes. The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1% amid a slight increase in labor force participation.

—Claire Boston, “‘A Blowout’:The US Added 165,000 Jobs in October, Blowing Past Expectations,” Yahoo Finance, November 6, 2026.

But the big story last week was the U.S. election in which the Democrats swamped the Republicans, gaining control of both the Senate and the House. The other big story last week was the effect of the election on the stock markets of the world, as many celebrated with huge rallies into early November 5, only to see those rallies turn into even bigger declines into early Friday, November 6.

The Tricksters of the cosmos, Venus and Mercury retrograde, were in full bloom last week. The carnage in financial markets was every bit as dramatic as it was the last time the dynamic duo of Mercury and Venus were retrograde together, which was during the week of “Liberation Day” in early April 2025. Once again, investors were “liberated” from their profitable stock portfolios, this time as voters ratcheted up their displeasure with the decision-making miscalculations of the current U.S. administration on Election Day, November 3—which just happened to also be the midpoint of the Mercury retrograde cycle. With its typical whipsaw-like behavior, the stock market was at first sharply down during election night, then reversed sharply higher into November 4, only to be followed by one of the worst down days in over a year on Thursday, November 5.

In the U.S., the NASDAQ stood out as it fell below the low that started its primary cycle on July 30, which was one of the three important reversal zones given in our 2026 webinars. The others were in February–March, which so far represents the low of the year and the bottom of the current 50-week cycle. And the third is happening now, in October–November. It is not safe to ignore these geocosmic factors that have stood the test of time over the past 200 years, as demonstrated by our published research studies!

In Asia and the Pacific Rim, the market activity was very erratic and strange. India’s Nifty Index rose to its highest levels since February on Friday, November 6. The Hang Seng of Hong Kong and the ASX of Australia also had a great week. However, China’s Shanghai Composite dropped to a low of 3,580 last week, near its 52-week low. The Japanese Nikkei index also fell hard, down to 56,745, its lowest price in nearly six months and well off its all-time high made on June 22 at 72,831.

Europe was crazy as well. The German DAX and the Swiss Market Index (SMI) made new all-time highs on Thursday, November 5. The London FTSE made a double-top to its all-time high. But on Friday, all were down hard, and even the Netherlands AEX, which didn’t make a new all-time high last week, fell to its lowest level in four weeks. This was not an abnormal market week. It was a week of the Tricksters gone wild.

In other markets, Silver fell to 48.62 on November 3, the midpoint of Mercury retrograde, and its lowest price since November 2025. Gold, however, held its recent low made the prior week on October 30 at 3879, for a case of intermarket bullish divergence during a time band when long-term cycle lows are due. A week after its low, Gold was up about $175 to a high of 4155 on November 5. Bitcoin dropped to 74,869, its lowest mark since August 21, but Ethereum held above its low of the prior week. Crude Oil was stunning, dropping from a high of $105 on October 30 to a low of $86.65 on Thursday, November 5.

Short-term geocosmics

Israel, Trump, Bibi, and Bin Salman all have their Mars at 26 Leo. So now not only Mars but the Lunar South Node and Jupiter will be conjunct at 26 Leo. A “hot” 14–25 November ahead… Mars is at 26 Leo every 2 years, but to be conjunct Jupiter, only every 13 years, and to the SN only every 18 years.

—Gaby Mittelman, www.youtube.com/@GabyMittelman and [email protected], November 3, 2026. Also relates to a study done in the book “The Mars Hypothesis” as reported by Trudy Carol.

That’s just the start of what’s underway. The blizzard of consecutively powerful geocosmic signatures accelerates next week, on November 13, when both Mercury and Venus turn direct. The havoc really began when Venus turned retrograde in Scorpio, its detriment, on October 3, very close to the time when the NASDAQ and S&P made their all-time highs. The DJIA topped out two months earlier in August, in a pattern that is eerily similar to the last time Venus turned retrograde in Scorpio, which was on October 5, 2018. The DJIA made an all-time high at the October 2018 turn, then dropped nearly 20% to its Christmas low of that year. The NASDAQ made its all-time high in August 2018, then dropped 21% into late December of that year. Interestingly enough, that was not only the last time Venus made its retrograde motion in Scorpio (an eight-year recurrent event), but it was also during another midterm election defeat for President Trump’s Republican base.

This current geocosmic blizzard doesn’t end until January 28, 2027. This is a very long streak with no more than six calendar days between any two geocosmic signatures!

There is also a tight grouping of geocosmic factors taking place, described by Trudy Carol and Gaby Mittelman in the quote above. This is a rare conjunction between Mars, Jupiter, and the Lunar South Node taking place November 14–25. I would adjust this range slightly to November 10–19, given transits to the NYSE chart discussed below. Mars and Jupiter are conjunct on November 16. They alone are often present when the stock markets of the world experience huge price moves. In this case, it might be even more exaggerated because 1) the Lunar South Node is conjoined by Jupiter and Mars on November 11 and 14, respectively, 2) the transit of Mars in late Leo is opposing the eclipse point of February 17, 2026 on November 21–25 (Mars activating an eclipse point is a strong trigger for market volatility), and 3) Mars also forms a fixed T-square with the Sun–Mercury conjunction square Pluto in the NYSE chart, also known as the “Buttonwood chart,” November 10–19. There are plenty of cases where the U.S. stock market has fallen hard into this aspect.

Circling back to Venus in Libra, that is also a time when Silver often makes an important low. On November 3, right in the middle of Mercury retrograde and with Venus retrograde in Libra, Silver fell to 48.62, its lowest mark since November 2025. With the Moon’s North Node in Aquarius from August 18, 2026–March 7, 2028, and its association with long-term cycle lows in both Silver and stocks, we need to be alert for these lows to happen at any time in this period.

These are matters that will be discussed at length in the Forecast 2027 book, due out by December 15.

Longer-term thoughts and opinion

The events of last week’s election support the view expressed in these columns and last year’s Forecast Book and webinars that the Aries Vortex is ending, and we are now entering the post-Aries Vortex era. The key factor of the Aries Vortex was the Saturn–Neptune conjunction of February 20, which was also the midpoint of the Uranus–Pluto trine, which formed the funnel with its apex at 0° Aries.

The conjunction of Saturn–Neptune acts like an eclipse, where the faster-moving planet (Saturn) would be dominant as it blocked out the view (light) of the slower-moving Neptune. As such, Saturn (authoritarianism and control) would receive all the benefits of the Uranus–Pluto trine (reform, innovation, destruction), and Neptune’s qualities (peace, art, music, hope) would be muted. But after February 20, 2026, Saturn would slowly begin to separate from Neptune, leaving the latter as the sole occupant of the Uranus–Pluto trine midpoint into early 2028. Saturn would still be within orb of Neptune for a few months, perhaps until early 2027, when it finally separates by more than 8° and begins the post-Aries Vortex era.

We are seeing signs of the pendulum swinging to the other side with week’s election. Movement will be more and more towards the themes of Neptune and away from Saturn, although Saturn will still remain in the sign of Aries until early 2028.

The Aries Vortex, and its exact center on February 20, 2026, was described as the bottommost point of a divisive period that began with the “New Aira” of the winter solstice of December 2020. That “New Aira” beginning was a peak of hope, but it quickly gave way to disillusionment, propaganda, and a series of miscalculations and poor judgments by world leaders that led to wars, inflation, and a widening of divisions between people based on ideological and various discriminatory biases, fostering an atmosphere of “us versus them.” The Aries Vortex peaked on February 20, 2026, intensifying the polarization; one week later, on February 28, the Iran War was launched. However, the bottoming process can remain in force from mid-2025 and possibly last until March 2027.

We saw signs of Neptune’s influence beginning to appear in early April 2026 when the United States president threatened to annihilate Iran and destroy its civilization if it didn’t surrender the evening of April 7, 2026. This was a threat that fit the theme of Saturn at the midpoint of Uranus and Pluto (threat of destruction). He had been threatening such devastation since the beginning of the war in late February. But Saturn was already separating 4° from Neptune by April 7. Ninety minutes before the annihilation was to begin, President Trump backed off and called for peace talks, a clear sign that Neptune was coming to the forefront. The changing of the guard, from Saturn to Neptune, was underway. A change is happening, but it is not necessarily visible to everyone just yet, other than those who are celebrating victory last week.

And now, with last week’s election, it is even clearer that the public is rejecting iron-clad authoritarian behaviors related to Saturn in Aries and the start of a new movement towards a Neptunian reality, which will have its own issues to deal with involving entitlements, appeasement, socialist tendencies, and lack of accountability or responsibility for one’s own actions. It’s a different type of manipulation and control, but one that is not geared so much towards war. At its best, it is a movement towards unity and the understanding that we are one race, one people, and we do not benefit by fighting against one another. Saturn is boundaries. Neptune has no boundaries. Both have issues with trust, with Saturn being a bit paranoid and moved by fear, whereas Neptune is a bit naïve and moved by faith and hope without verification, and can be easily disillusioned and taken advantage of.

In the spirit of Neptune, let’s hope the pendulum does not go all the way to the opposite extreme again, and instead finds its “safe zone,” which is always in the middle ground. This is the real lesson of the “New Aira” that began with the Jupiter–Saturn cycle in 0° Aquarius on the winter solstice of 2020. Success and well-being come with the middle path and not extremism, the latter of which only leads to division and polarization. With Neptune, there is hope, which beats Saturn, which in this case pertains to doubt and fear. But in the end, Neptune needs Saturn in order to manifest its hopes and dreams into reality. Otherwise, it’s just ethereal and not real: a boat out to sea with no anchor, a time of temporary peace without an agreement or a treaty with conditions that can last. Here, we have an opportunity. Let’s hope our new leaders who are arising will read the room right this time and listen (Neptune) rather than dictate (Saturn). After all, Pluto is in Aquarius (sign of the world) for the next two decades, which means “Power TO the people,” not OVER the people.