This week, two of the faster-moving planets, Mercury and Venus, move into new zodiac signs they don’t particularly care for, reports Susan Gidel.

This week, two of the faster-moving planets, Mercury and Venus, move into new zodiac signs they don’t particularly care for from signs they absolutely love. The downshift to markets and trading could be jarring in both cases.

Mercury, the planet that rules trading and stock indexes, moves into Pisces early Monday morning. Mercury likes to be quick and alert, characteristics exaggerated while in the sign of Aquarius, which it is just leaving. In Pisces, Mercury is in a fog, unable to discern details that it deems so important to function appropriately. What’s more, Mercury is slowing down and in its shadow period ahead of when it turns retrograde in motion on Feb. 16. Still, be on the lookout for some “aha” ideas on Wednesday, Feb. 5 as Mercury and Uranus are just 60 degrees apart.

Venus rules money and remains in its most-favorite sign of Pisces through most of the trading week. It enters Aries, one of its least favorite signs, at 3:02 p.m. EST Friday, in the last hour before the stock market closes for the week. On Monday, Venus and Saturn are connected in a way that supports long-term financial relationships.

Tuesday, Feb. 4 marks the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. This is one of 10 days each year that legendary trader W.D. Gann noted as precipitating a potential change in trend.

Friday, Feb. 7

  • High in Crude Oil: The transiting Moon, Saturn and Pluto form a strong Grand Square formation with the market’s first-trade Mars/Pluto opposition. What’s more, transiting Mars also connects with the first-trade Mars by also being in a fire sign and aligned with the first-trade horoscope’s horizontal axis. Look for resistance in nearby March at planetary price conversion levels of $56.80 per barrel, then $57.20.
  • High in 10-year Treasury note: In a transit that occurs just once every 19 months, Venus returns to the place it was in the sky when this futures contract launched in 1982. (Interestingly, this Venus transit also aligns with Saturn’s placement in the sky when the United States first issued 10-year notes in 1791.)

That alone is significant, but it is doubly important because the Venus/Mars axis on the first-trade horoscope chart is often activated at price highs. Other connections include the transiting Sun trine natal Saturn, transiting Mercury square natal Mercury and transiting Mars conjunct natal Neptune. Look for prices to hit resistance in nearby March at planetary price conversion levels of 132-03 to 132-30.

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

Bullseye!

  • Low in 10-year Treasury note on Friday, Jan. 24: The March contract set a low of 129-19 in a big-range day and closed near the highs. Prices gapped higher on Monday’s open and rallied to a high of 131-17 by Jan. 30.

Pretty Darn Good

  • High in Gold on Friday, Jan. 24: Gold prices popped into the planetary price resistance level of $1,573 to $1,581 per oz., with the day’s high at $1,581.60. However, prices climbed a bit further on Monday, to $1,594.70.
  • High in Gold on Tuesday, Jan. 28: The April contract topped at $1,594.70 the previous day, with Tuesday’s high at $1,588.50. By Wednesday, prices had fallen to $1567.90.

Off the Mark

  • Low in S&P 500 on Thursday, Jan. 23: Although the S&P 500 tested the 3300 level and closed near its highs that day, Friday’s trade saw a downward key reversal that led to a gap-lower open on Monday. Still, Monday’s low of 3234.50 was just above the planetary price levels for support of 3213-3223.
  • Low in Crude Oil on Friday, Jan. 24: The March contract closed at $54.19 per barrel, near the day’s low, but prices kept falling to less than $52 in the following week.
  • High in Euro FX on Monday, Jan. 27: The March contract did not make a high, and did not bottom until Jan. 29, at 1.10240.

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.