Weekly column: Cosmic cacophony wreaks havoc on the markets

Review

US job growth blew past expectations last month, while the unemployment rate rose to 4%, presenting a mixed picture of a job market that has generally been cooling without much concern for workers. Total U.S. nonfarm payrolls rose by a seasonally adjusted 272,000 jobs in May, more than in April and well above the 190,000 economists expected.

—Sam Goldfarb, “Employment defied expectations in May, with 272,000 new jobs,” Wall Street Journal Online, June 7, 2024.

Fed officials will keep interest rates steady at their two-day meeting next week. Central banks in Canada and Europe started cutting rates last week, but the rise has been stronger in the US. The Fed is trying to balance the risk of tapering too soon and allowing stubborn inflation to continue with the risk of keeping rates too high and triggering a slowdown that may not be necessary to end their fight with inflation.

—Nick Timiraos, “Why the Recession Isn’t Here Yet,” Wall Street Journal Online, June 7, 2024.

The US jobs report came out on Friday, which was much bigger than expected. On the same day, Gold and Silver started making weekly highs, but suddenly turned around and suffered heavy losses at the close. From high to low, gold had a range of over $100 and silver nearly $2.50. This is great! Bitcoin also sold off after posting a weekly high earlier in the day.

In stock indices, it was a mixed bag across the board. In Asia and the Pacific, Jupiter (exaggeration) in Gemini (wild price volatility) was in full swing in India as the elections were held. On Monday, June 3, the NIFTY index hit a new all-time high. The next day, it fell over 2,000 points from that high. By Friday, it was retesting the all-time high. China’s SSE Composite fell throughout the week, continuing the downtrend since its 8-month high on May 20. Other markets in the region were up modestly after the recent lows on May 30.

In Europe, the Netherlands AEX continued its relentless march towards new all-time highs by the end of the week. The Zurich LSI was also explosive, climbing to a new 2-year high. But it was much less exciting in London and Frankfurt, where stock markets were limited and slightly below last month’s all-time highs. However, they also appear poised to hit new highs following the start of the EU’s key interest rate cuts last week.

In the US, both the S&P and NASDAQ hit new all-time highs on Friday, but the DJIA did not, in a continuing case of cross-market bearish divergence. However, although each index also hit a weekly high on Friday, each also closed lower on the day in a “major reversal down” signal. This followed Thursday’s New Moon in Gemini, an air sign that has a slight historical bias for heights. Could this be the sound of the gong signaling a reversal? It’s always a possibility until the end of the 4-year cycle with the end expected by November, but still far (price-wise) from a confirmation. However, keep in mind that Jupiter in Gemini is a one-year period that can coincide with the highs and lows of the long-term cycle. Gemini likes both.

Short-term geospace

MDMA treatment for PTSD and other mental illnesses has a major drawback – only one treatment is effective. This means little profit potential compared to lifelong treatment with conventional pharmaceuticals. Maybe that’s why an FDA advisory committee shot it down. One of the committee members actually works for Johnson & Johnson.

—Robert Kennedy, Jr., ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) posted on June 5.

The purpose of this column is to educate readers on the correspondence of cosmic activity to the behavior of financial markets and sometimes political and personal behavior. So let me share a few lessons I’ve learned from my personal experience as a trader and analyst over the past few decades.

I don’t know about other financial astrologers, but I find the most exciting yet challenging Sun sign periods for trading are Gemini and Aquarius. These are almost as challenging (but less exciting) as Mercury Retrograde (“The Trickster”) or those times close to difficult transiting aspects involving Uranus. In fact, trading under Uranus aspects can also be exciting, but it is difficult to predict whether it will coincide with a reversal or exit to yearly highs or lows.

In the case of the Sun in Gemini (May 20 – June 20 this year) or Aquarius, the challenge involves predicting large price swings overnight. This is probably exaggerated at this time because Jupiter (exaggeration) is also transiting Gemini (May 25, 2024 to June 9, 2025). For example, a big drop may have been predicted in gold and silver based on cycle studies and solar/lunar combinations between the end of last week and this coming week. But seeing Gold hit its weekly high of 2,406 at 1:00 a.m. Friday morning EDT and then plunge to 2,350 at 7:00 a.m. (well before the list reports came out of wages) would be a tough call to trade. Or, in Silver’s case, the weekly high of 31.67 came at 12:45 p.m. EDT. As of 7:00 a.m., it was already $1.30 lower. Silver fell another $1.00 after the payroll reports.

Big moves are typical with the Sun and Jupiter in the dualistic sign of Gemini – not to mention Mercury and Venus are there too. I’m not sure why the air signs of Gemini and Aquarius have to have such sudden and major reversals. But it’s something I’ve observed over the years and learned to respect in regards to my trading strategies.

These large price swings are great for swing trading if you’re on the right side. And, according to the new MMA Solar/Lunar Forecasting app, we may see another price swing coming this week as the Sun and Mercury square Saturn (June 9 and 12), circling Mars square Pluto in early Taurus / Aquarius (June 11) . This last aspect also means that the risk will be related to either natural disasters or military initiatives within a week.

There are so many planets in Gemini, and as an air sign it is associated with strong winds. Therefore, it is not surprising that there has been a rush of devastating tornadoes (air signs) that have invaded the wheat belt of the United States, which in turn caused a sudden increase in wheat prices. With Pluto square Mars, it is also significant that Russia is reportedly sending naval vessels for military exercises to the Caribbean (Cuba), likely in retaliation to the US allowing Ukraine to engage in a level playing field in the war its with Russia. The Big Bear is upset that Ukraine may now be allowed to launch offensives against strategic military installations inside Russia that are used to attack Ukraine, whereas, over the past two years, Russia could launch missiles into Ukraine without returning fire. Ukraine has been forced to fight the war only from a defensive position (Biden’s rules), while only Russia could take the offensive. It’s like playing football, where only one team is allowed to play in attack. The other side must win, but is never allowed to get the ball. Putin rules. It won’t be easier with Saturn in the orb to form a T-square with the natal Mars/Neptune square in the US.

So what is all this Gemini energy good for? Advances in technology and AI. It brings a lot of new ideas (perhaps an overload of too many ideas all at once, which is difficult to prioritize). However, with Saturn (government and restrictions) in Pisces and square to these Gemini planets, the pace of advances in technology may slow due to the fear or reality of new regulations. That is, innovations are exploding in these areas, but their application may be limited and/or delayed while government officials figure out the pros and cons. These delays and regulations, expected over the next three months, could put a damper on the euphoria in these stock sectors. This is what can happen when Jupiter moves from favorable aspects to Uranus, Neptune and Pluto (March-June 2024) into a strong series of three-transit squares with Saturn (August 2024 to June 2025). Global governments may act with a heavy hand during this transit.

It will be like going from pleasure drugs to addictive drugs overseen by big pharma in concert with big government. Or, for most of us, it will be like switching from a diet of fruit to potatoes.