Weekly column: Celestial signatures and their impact on market performance

Review

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday refuted China’s claims that there were no ongoing trade discussions between Beijing and Washington.

— Evelyn Cheng, “Trump asserts trade talks with China are underway after Beijing denies any ongoing negotiations,” www.cnbc.com, April 24, 2025.

Last week started off with some hard selling, but by Tuesday, U.S. stocks were back to bidding, with the Nasdaq leading the way. Perhaps the most noteworthy characteristic of the stock rally in the past few weeks is the tech sector leading out of the low. It’s therefore no surprise that the NASDAQ saw the biggest gain last week. This is an encouraging sign in the near-term, but we still look for more confirmation of a bottom in the coming weeks.

European markets also recovered and were led higher by the DAX over in Germany. The Zurich SMI, the AEX in Amsterdam, and the FTSE also rallied nicely. Both the DAX and the FTSE aren’t far from hitting new all-time highs already.

In the Pacific region of the world, the Hang Seng index was the top performer to the upside. The Australian ASX wasn’t that far behind, while the Japanese Nikkei and Shanghai Composite also saw modest gains.

Once again, Gold hit a new all-time high last week right as heliocentric Mercury left Sagittarius and entered Capricorn. But it ended up finishing lower as traders captured some profits on this impressive move year-to-date. Silver finished higher on the week but still hasn’t exceeded its high from late March. Let’s see if the upcoming Neptune signatures help bring some positive momentum back again this week.

The biggest bullish story was in crypto, however, as Bitcoin cleared a key technical resistance zone and rallied to its highest level since late February. Ethereum also saw a solid rally but has much more work to do in terms of repairing the technical damage suffered in the past couple of months.

Over in commodities, Crude Oil finished slightly lower on the week, but be mindful of a notable move with Neptune signatures coming back into the picture this week. Grain markets finished mixed, with Corn and Wheat closing lower on the week, but Soybeans finishing higher.

In debt and currency markets, both T-Notes and the Dollar managed to achieve modest gains. But both the Euro and the Yen rallied to new highs before finishing lower on the week, again consistent with bullish helio Mercury in Sagittarius.

Short-term geocosmics

It’s truly amazing when one considers how the stock market potentially bottomed on April 7, right at the end of the “retrograde chaos” period that was in effect since late November. It’s also remarkable how so much of the tariff bravado took place while Venus (agreements) was retrograde, and then just days before the end of that motion, a 90-day pause was announced with certain countries.

But just this last week, we had the second pass of Venus conjunct Saturn. The first was on April 7, the very day of the market bottom (Venus was still Rx), and the second was on April 24 (Venus was direct). Just three days before, on April 21, we saw a secondary, higher-low form in stocks, which gave bulls some ground to stand on in the near term. This was in one of MMA’s critical reversal dates (CRD) periods, too.

This week, we have a couple more noteworthy Venus signatures. It begins with Venus moving into the sign of Aries on April 30, followed by a conjunction with Neptune in Aries on May 2.

Although stocks are on the upswing going into the new week, don’t be surprised to see some renewed hostilities regarding trade within the next two weeks. Remember, Neptune has a lot to do with international trade as well, given its position as ruler of the seas.

And with Venus in a fire sign, there is no shortage of wants or desires. But what exactly is wanted? With Neptune in the picture, it’s not exactly clear. Some call it the “art of the deal,” while others consider it a really bad poker bluff. Are any negotiations even taking place as claimed? At some point, the cards need to be shown on the table.

With Pluto set to go retrograde on May 4, there are themes of coercion and manipulation added to the geocosmic mix short-term. Is it really only about tariffs, a form of tax revenue, or is it more about interest rates? Naturally, both taxes and rates are ruled by Pluto. It doesn’t seem like the Fed is going to move short-term rates at the next meeting on May 7, but longer-term rates, which are set by market forces, could still drop as a result.

To be clear, attempting to bend the economy according to one’s will is no small matter. The good news is that the longer-term geocosmic picture suggests brighter days on the economic horizon. But right now, it still seems to be a case of short-term pain for long-term gain.

Longer-term thoughts (and opinion)

You never count your money

When you’re sittin’ at the table

There’ll be time enough for countin’

When the dealin’s done

—Kenny Rogers, “The Gambler,” 1978, United Artists

“In advancing President Trump’s commitment to meet our growing demand for affordable, reliable and secure electricity, America needs to utilize all forms of energy that grow our economy, create new jobs, and secure energy independence,” said U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright in the announcement. “With projects like the Palisades Nuclear Plant, the Energy Department is working to ensure America’s nuclear renaissance is just around the corner.”

— Suzanne O’Halloran, “Michigan nuclear plant set to restart, first for U.S.,”Fox Business, April 25, 2025.

One of the things we teach in the Merriman Market Timing Academy is how long-term market cycles tend to correlate to long-term planetary cycles. Last month, when Ray asked me to cover the free weekly column, I highlighted Jupiter and Saturn’s synodic cycle, which lasts around 20 years. It’s still looking like the third and final square in June could correspond to the next round of rate cuts from the Fed.

But this week, I would like to bring your attention to another synodic cycle, and it’s between two planets that are set to move into a direct trine aspect in July 2026, although we will start feeling its impact due to the orb of the trine starting in just a few months in July when Uranus ingresses into Gemini. These two planets are Uranus and Pluto, and to borrow a phrase from renowned economist Joseph Schumpeter, I would label this synodic cycle as the one that drives the economic force of “creative destruction.”

The last conjunction between these two planets occurred in Virgo in the mid-1960s. There were two passages, one in 1965 and one in 1966. This is a very interesting synodic cycle because it alternates its length between 111 and 143 years. It averages out to around 127 years.

In any event, Schumpeter was around the last time we had the trine signature between these two creatively destructive planets, which was in the 1920s. Note that this coincided with the infamous “roaring twenties” that eventually led to the great stock market crash of 1929 and, eventually, the Great Depression.

However, there’s another piece to this puzzle that is often overlooked, and it has to do with the “mini depression” of 1920-1921. This economic period was characterized by deflation, high unemployment, and a sharp decline in industrial production. It was basically a post-WWI hangover. Interestingly, this economic period corresponded almost exactly with the last Uranus-Pluto trine.

It also corresponded with the rise of various forms of extremist governments, but more importantly, it helped lay the foundations for the market mania that eventually led to the stock market crash of 1929.

Before anyone draws any immediate conclusions here, let’s not overlook the fact that the Uranus-Pluto trine of 1920-1921 was a waning trine in water signs, whereas the upcoming Uranus-Pluto trine will be waxing and in air signs. As a result, we’ll see some rhyming themes but not necessarily a full repetition.

This 1920-1921 period, however, did kick off the interest rate cuts that helped fuel the speculative bubble throughout the Roaring Twenties. Some of the best investment opportunities in that decade came from innovations in automobiles, technology (radio), and household appliance stocks.

Currently, there are major concerns about the potential of an economic slowdown or even a recession due to the global order being disrupted for trade. As a result, there is a lot of pressure on the Fed to join their other central banking counterparts and cut rates again.

Could the next round of Fed easing lay the foundation for the market’s next speculative bubble? It’s certainly a possibility, and it would even seem that “creatively destructive” investments in the tech space are back in play this time around.

Anyone paying attention knows about the transformative effects artificial intelligence is having on the economy by now. Governments are especially interested in its capacity and, as a result, have shifted their stances on nuclear power, especially to help power all of the data centers needed for the technology.

But AI has already been around. What comes next? For starters, companies in the nuclear energy space could do well under this Uranus-Pluto trine signature. After all, uranium and plutonium are both radioactive elements.

It also seems that quantum computing technology is attracting more attention these days. There are also autonomous vehicles to consider, along with advanced robotics technology. Ultimately, this could all help advance the tech needed for deeper space exploration, too.

Keep in mind that the conjunction between Uranus and Pluto took place in Virgo, a sign of labor. We may indeed see manufacturing make a comeback in the United States, but it’s unlikely to be in its traditional format. That is, increased automation and robotics driven by artificial intelligence could play a major role in this “reshoring” of American industry.

As we’ve been told before, be careful what you wish for; you might just get it.