Next week’s Astrological market outlook from Susan Gidel.

Mercury, the trickster, appropriately begins its final retrograde period of the year on Halloween (Oct. 31) at 11:41 am EDT. Because Mercury rules both trading and stock index markets, be extra careful with both through Nov. 20, when the planet turns direct in motion.

When Mercury, ruler of communication, is retrograde, it is not operating at full strength and gets confused. Double-check trading order details (especially those online) and watch your statements for potential errors during these three weeks. Computers, phones, cars and travel can also go haywire.

The most significant transit of the week is on Monday, Oct. 28, when the Sun is opposite Uranus in the sky. The Sun represents leaders and Uranus represents the sudden or unexpected upset. So, leaders anywhere could be gob smacked by change.

The week’s fun begins after Friday’s close, when money planet Venus enters Sagittarius at 4:25 pm EDT, just in time to portend a great weekend of international horse racing (ruled by Sagittarius) at the Breeders’ Cup. With Mercury retrograde, make sure you’ve got the right numbers for both race and horse before you place your bet. Enjoy!

Monday, Oct.  28-Tuesday, Oct. 29

  • High in Gold: Of the three Capricorn planets in the first-trade gold futures horoscope chart, Mercury tends to be activated at market highs. It currently is under pressure from transiting Saturn, which is not only just one degree away, but also exactly opposite the market’s first-trade Saturn. On these two days, transiting Mars (an action-taker) turns up the pressure on this Mercury/Saturn axis that could prevent prices from climbing higher. On Monday, transiting Mars is exactly 90 degrees from first-trade Saturn; on Tuesday, it is exactly 90 degrees from first-trade Mercury. Either day could be important, but the stronger astrological energy is on Monday. Resistance in December gold based on planetary price conversions is $1,508 per oz., then $1,545.

Tuesday, Oct. 29

  • High in Euro FX: Like previous highs in Euro FX futures, both the first-trade Mars and Moon are activated by transiting planets. Transiting Venus, Mercury and Moon are opposite first-trade Mars, while transiting Sun is in an easy 120-degree trine to the first-trade Moon. Resistance from planetary price conversions exists at 1.11700, then 1.13600.

 Friday, Nov. 1

  • High in Soybeans: The transiting Sun is exactly aligned with the soybean market’s first-trade Venus/Uranus axis at 08 Scorpio/Taurus, the same one activated in mid-October when prices rallied to the market’s latest high. Also, on Nov. 1, the transiting Moon completes an easy, supportive Grand Trine in Earth with the market’s first-trade Mars and Uranus. Look for resistance in the January contract at planetary price conversion levels of $9.50 per bu., then $9.78.

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

Off the Mark

  • Low in 10-year Treasury note on Friday, Oct. 18: Meh. In the middle of a low on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 129-16.5 in the December contract and a low on Tuesday, October 22 at 129-150. Both lows were mid-range of the planetary price conversion levels of 129-04 and 128-05. 
  • High in Crude Oil on Monday, Oct. 21: This was a low instead of a high. The December contract bottomed at $52.85 per barrel and rallied to $56.51 by Thursday, Oct. 24. However, that was below the noted planetary price conversion resistance mark of $56.80.

The position of planets in the sky as they relate to their positions when a market first began trading can provide clues to potential trend changes. The energy is strongest on the days noted in this post, but it is not unusual for the effect to be seen a day or two either side. See backgrounder “Market Analysis with Astrology” for further information. 

Susan Gidel is editor of the Red Letter Trading Days newsletter.