The position of planets as they relate to when a market first began trading can provide clues to trend changes, writes Susan Gidel. The energy is strongest on the days noted below.

March leaves like a relative lamb, with just two significant astrological shifts in the month’s final trading week.

First, Venus enters Pisces on Tuesday, March 26, at 3:43 pm EDT. In Pisces, Venus is “exalted,” which means it operates at its absolute best. Thus, the money planet will be extremely strong as it makes connections with other planets through April 20.

Second, the Mercury retrograde period, which began on March 5, comes to a close on Thursday, March 28 at 9:59 am EDT. Until then, keep double-checking your orders, particularly those entered online, in order to avoid any fat finger mistakes. 

Crude oil futures are in the spotlight this week because the contract celebrates its 36th birthday on Saturday, March 30. Thus, the contract’s first-trade Sun is activated on both Monday (a potential low) and Friday (a potential high).

The S&P 500 is flirting with an extremely important end-of-cycle planetary price conversion area, from 2863-2865, that has marked significant market highs and lows back to 1987.

Monday, March 25

  • Low in Crude Oil: Both the transiting Sun and Moon are in aspect to the first-trade Sun, which can indicate a potential price low. The Sun is just five days away from where it was when the contract first began trading. Meanwhile the Moon is 120 degrees away. The $60.90 to $61.00 planetary price conversion area from Uranus and Jupiter provided resistance last week. Support should be strong at $57.20, the planetary price conversion for both the Moon and Saturn. The next two levels of support are $56.80 and $50.80.
  • High in Euro FX: The planet of action, Mars, is exactly aligned with its position when the Euro FX futures contract began trading, so raises an eyebrow to be on the lookout for a potential price high. Also, the transiting Moon is aligned with the contract’s first-trade Pluto, which could stimulate some powerful international players as the Brexit deadline looms. In nearby June, the planetary price conversion from the first-trade midheaven, at 116.20, is significant resistance. The next stop up is 125.30. Support is between 113.60-113.80, the price conversions of Mars and the Sun, respectively.
  • High in S&P 500: Three transiting planets align with three sensitive spots in the S&P 500 index formation horoscope that can indicate a potential high. First, transiting Mercury is conjunct the S&P 500 Sun. Second, money planet Venus is conjunct natal Mercury (and will get even more intense as it enters Pisces on Wednesday). Finally, the Moon is conjunct the S&P 500 index horoscope descendant.

Pay very close attention to the 2863-2865 level, which the S&P 500 almost hit on Thursday, March 21. That is an end-of-cycle planetary price conversion for the S&P 500 index Sun as well as Venus and Midheaven of the S&P 500 futures contract first trade horoscope. This end-of-cycle area marked the highs in 1987, 1999 and 2015 as well as the lows in 2015 and 2016. The next-high clusters of planetary price resistance are 2911-2914, then 3010-3011. On the downside, the next lower end-of-cycle support is 2503-2505.

Tuesday, March 26

  • Low in Soybeans: Potential for a low exists as the transiting Sun opposes the futures contract’s first-trade Mercury and the transiting Moon is opposite the natal Moon. Nearby May continues to have planetary price resistance at $9.12 and $9.38, with support at $9.03 and $8.77. On a fundamental basis, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s quarterly grain stocks and prospective plantings reports are released on Friday at 3 pm EDT. The plantings report is the first significant one of the new-crop year as it estimates how much acreage will be planted to soybeans, corn and other crops this spring.

Friday, March 29

  • High in Crude Oil: With the crude oil futures contract’s birthday just one day away, the Sun is in a stronger position than it was on Monday. In addition, the Moon has moved to a fairly strong aspect with both Mars and Pluto. Both indicate a potential high in price. If the Uranus/Jupiter planetary price conversions of $60.90-$61.00 are breached to the upside, the next resistance from the planets is at $62.30 and $62.90.

Last Week’s Scorecard (through Thursday’s close)

Bullseye!

  • High in 10-year T-note on Wednesday: The 10-year Treasury-note futures rallied strongly as the Fed announced no change in interest rates and maintained its dovish posture. Nearby June had a wide range of 26/32 and closed 20.5/32 higher. On Thursday, prices exceeded Wednesday’s high by 5/32, climbing to 123-220, before closing lower.

Pretty Darn Good

  • Low in Gold on Wednesday: April gold made a low at $1,298.10 on Wednesday, then rallied nearly $22 to Thursday’s high of $1,320.20.
  • Low in Soybeans on Thursday: The planetary price resistance area of $9.12 was tested all week, with the week’s low on Wednesday at $8.99 ¼.

Off the Mark

  • Low in Crude Oil on Thursday: Crude oil approached planetary price resistance above $60, but had a small range and lower close on Thursday vs. Wednesday’s big-range day.