(24 May 2023)  Financial markets are showing signs of nervousness this week as the debt ceiling drama unfolds in Washington, DC.  Stocks have posted declines over the past two days as the White House and the GOP-controlled House attempt to find areas of compromise to avoid a potentially disastrous debt default.  Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has stated that June 1 is the X-date after which the US will not be able to meet is debt obligations, while the Congressional Budget Office has suggested it may actually be sometime later in the June. Even if the CBO is correct and US gov ..read more

(17 May 2023)  The New York Stock Exchange celebrated a birthday today as the world’s largest securities market is now 231 years old.  The NYSE was founded as the Sun transited the 6th degree of sidereal Taurus, perhaps not coincidentally, the sign of the bull.  Due to the precession of the equinoxes, the Sun didn’t actually transit that degree today but will instead mark its exact solar return to 6 Taurus on May 21.  The resulting solar return chart is said to provide an overview of some of the central themes that will shape the fortunes of the NYSE for the coming year. T ..read more

(3 May 2023) As expected, the Fed hiked interest rates another 25 basis points today as part of their ongoing effort to curb inflation.  While Fed Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged the possibility of pausing the tightening cycle in June if it was warranted by the data, he remained somewhat non-committal about the direction of interest rates for the rest of the year.  While mere mention of a possible pause was welcome news to investors, the market eventually sold off late this afternoon as the uncertainty surrounding the Fed’s future rate path began to sink in. Markets have been looki ..read more

(26 April 2023) Stocks have moved lower so far this week on renewed banking sector fears after First Republic Bank reported a shocking loss of 40% of its deposits in the first quarter.  Not even earnings beats from tech giants Microsoft and Google were enough to offset the banking jitters and the pessimistic forward guidance of transportation bellwether UPS.  As Dow theory tells us, underperformance by transportation stocks suggests the broader markets will likely trend lower over time.  It’s not a good omen. This week’s decline is a clear manifestation of a double affliction t ..read more

(29 March 2023) US stocks have bounced in recent days as the banking crisis has faded from the headlines after a series of carefully-orchestrated bailouts and buyouts.  The major indexes have been slowly pushing their way back up towards their early February highs.  While the rebound has temporarily put on hold all the doom and gloom talk about the economy, we should note that stocks have basically moved sideways since November. Following on my previous examination of the use of progressed cycles in natal charts, I thought we would explore how this timing technique can be used in th ..read more

(22 March 2023)  Investors hit the sell button today after Fed Chair Jerome Powell delivered hawkish comments in his FOMC press conference after raising interest rates another 25 basis points.  Despite lingering uncertainty from recent bank failures, Powell remained committed to fighting inflation and ruled out any rate cuts in 2023.  Powell’s bucket of cold water came a surprise to some as markets had been pricing in at least two rate cuts in the second half of 2023 in the wake of the collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank. The decline coincided with a exact 45-degree alignment o ..read more

  (15 March 2023) One indispensable tool in the astrologer's toolkit is the planetary progression.  Progressed cycles, or progressions, are a Western astrological technique which yields unique information about future trends, both for financial markets and for individual life outcomes.  Briefly stated, a progression moves a horoscope symbolically forward through time at particular rates that are based on the motion of the Sun and Moon.  The more common secondary progression moves a horoscope forward at a rate of one calendar day for a year of life.  So to determine th ..read more

  (8 March 2023) The war continues in Ukraine will no end in sight.  The first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine two weeks ago was marked by little fanfare by either side as the war has entered a more punishing, attritional phase.  Ukraine regained some of its lost territory in the fall but the winter has seen Russia counterattack as Putin’s armies remain in control of much of the four contested provinces in the east. Fighting has been particularly intense in the strategic town of Bakhmut and it now looks as though Russia is on the verge of capturing it.  Both ..read more

  (1 March 2023) Despite the Fed’s concerted efforts to tighten monetary policy over the past year, inflation remains a major problem for the economy.  Today’s ISM manufacturing price report came in stronger than expected, renewing fears that we may be facing a fresh wave of price increases.  Not surprisingly, stocks fell and bond yields moved higher as investors recalibrated their expectations regarding further interest rate hikes.  With the benchmark 10-year Treasury now trading above the psychologically important 4% level, it now seems certain that the Fed will be forc ..read more

  (22 February 2023) US stocks moved lower for a fourth straight day after the Fed minutes reaffirmed the central bank's commitment to higher rates for the rest of the year.  Investors have become more cautious in recent weeks as stubbornly high inflation may force the Fed to maintain a more restrictive monetary policy.  Higher rates are generally bad news for stocks since they make borrowing more expensive which reduces spending and puts pressure on the corporate bottom line. Thus far, this week's pullback has coincided with a bearish alignment of Mercury, Mars and Uranus. &nb ..read more