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, says Susan Gidel. The use of Astrology to measure market tops and bottoms is another form of technical analysis that can be exploited

The start of each season was always an important marker for a potential change in trend to legendary trader and financial astrologer, W.D. Gann. The spring equinox—when the Sun enters the sign of Aries and begins a new astrological year occurs at 5:58 pm EDT on Wednesday, March 20. 

The S&P 500 topped last year on the fall equinox. This year, the spring equinox is especially powerful because there is a full moon at 00 degrees of Libra less than four hours later, at 9:43 pm EDT on Wednesday. What’s more, the full moon is at a “world point” (00 degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn), which carries significance for the entire planet in Libra-ruled areas such as fairness and peace. 

Planetary Ties to the Fed

On March 20, the most astrologically significant day of the month, the Federal Reserve will announce its most recent FOMC results, and that day’s planetary lineup has specific tie-ins to the Fed itself as well as 10-year Treasury-note futures. At similar, previous tie-ins, the Fed’s structure changed dramatically, 10-year T-notes topped and economic expansion ended. 

A full moon shines light on what it touches, and in this case, it could shed light on the inner workings of the Fed, its structure, and its decision-making process that are coming under powerful scrutiny. Keep your ears open for rumblings about a Fed revamp as significant change could occur easily. 

That’s because on the spring equinox this year the planet Uranus, with an 84-year cycle, is in a 120-degree aspect to the position of the Sun when the Fed was formed in 1913. The last time this occurred, in spring 1935, the Banking Act of 1935 created the FOMC as we know it today, gave the Fed more independence from the executive branch, removed the Treasury Secretary from its board, and created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). 

As for the markets, the March 20 planetary positions indicate a potential high in the 10-year Treasury note futures market, which suggests the Fed announcement that afternoon, might indicate that interest rates could move higher. 

Interestingly, Jupiter is approaching the position of Neptune when the 10-year T-note contract began trading; this connection is exact in November. The last time this occurred, in late 2007, marked the end of the economic expansion that began in November 2001, with recession officially declared to have begun in December 2007 (announced a year later, on Dec. 1, 2008, by the National Bureau of Economic Research).

Wednesday, March 20

  • Low in Gold: The transiting Moon and Mars form a big equal-sided triangle with the gold market’s first-trade Venus, a planet that often is activated at price lows. Also, planets at 00 degrees of a zodiac sign can be present at trend changes; on Wednesday, Uranus is at 00 Taurus, with the Sun at 00 Aries. April gold has major resistance at the Venus conversion price of $1,372 per oz., with support at $1,328-$1,330 (midheaven and Neptune conversions), then $1,291 (Uranus). 
  • High in 10-year T-note: The day of the Fed’s meeting announcement, 10-year T-notes show a pattern that could point to a high. First, the transiting Sun is aligned with the first-trade horoscope’s natal Venus and opposite its natal Mars. Second, the transiting Moon (often a trigger planet) is aligned with the market’s natal Moon. The June contract has planetary price support at 118-08 (Ascendant), with nearest resistance at 125-01 (Moon).

Thursday, March 21

  • Low in Crude Oil: The full moon late Wednesday is opposite the crude oil market’s first-trade Sun, which may provide a short-term reaction. Watch the $57.20 area closely in April crude oil, which is the planetary price conversion of both the natal Moon and Saturn of the contract’s natal horoscope. If prices can maintain that level as support, the next planetary price resistance is $60.90-$61.00. If not, then the next two levels of support lower are $56.80 and $50.80. 
  • Low in Soybeans: Three planets in the sky are connecting with three natal planets in the soybean first-trade horoscope chart. The transiting moon is conjunct the market’s Sun; transiting Sun is opposite the market’s Mercury; and transiting Mercury is aligned with the market’s natal Saturn. Nearby May has planetary price resistance at $9.03, $9.12 and $9.38, with support at $8.77.

Keep Double-Checking Orders

The planet that rules communications, computers, phones and transportation, Mercury, began its first of three retrograde periods this year on Tuesday, March 5 at 1:19 pm EDT. When Mercury is retrograde, it appears to be moving backward in the sky, and the things its rules can go haywire. It turns direct in motion on March 28 at 9:59 am EDT. 

This could be an especially nasty Mercury retrograde because it is in the sign of Pisces, the planet’s absolute least favorite. Pisces is good for day-dreaming, but not so much for details. Keep double-checking your trading orders, particularly those entered online, in order to avoid any fat finger disasters!  

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

Bullseye!

• May soybeans made the week’s highest close on Wednesday, the day of the projected high, just one tick above the planetary price resistance of $9.03. On Thursday, beans rallied to $9.06, but closed at $8.98. The May contract bottomed on Tuesday at the Neptune price conversion of $8.87. 

Pretty Darn Good

• The 10-year T-note set a low on Tuesday, not Monday as projected, on a wide-range day that defined the week’s range. 

• As of Thursday’s close, it looked like gold made a high on Wednesday vs. the projection of Friday. Still, April gold held planetary price support from Uranus at $1291 on Thursday’s big down day.