Major planetary shifts in the upcoming week could create disruptions across markets and geopolitics, reports Susan Gidel.

The trading week kicks off on Sunday, Aug. 11 with a pair of planets shifting directions that could create a disturbance in The Force. Jupiter, the solar system’s largest planet, turns direct in motion at 9:37 am EDT Sunday after four months of being retrograde. That gets good things moving forward in a positive direction in a big way. Then, Uranus does the exact opposite and turns retrograde at 10:27 pm EDT where it stays until Jan. 10. Uranus is the planet of change and surprises, so when retrograde, could revisit actions that have already been shocking.

One of those shocking items up for a renewed look is the US/North Korean nuclear weapons discussion. Starting Friday, Aug. 16, that could be in the news again through month’s end as five planets cross 28 Leo, the degree of the total solar eclipse that went across the United States in 2017 as well as the degree of North Korea’s natal Saturn. At the time of the eclipse, North Korea was threatening the United States with bombing Guam, and the President Trump promised “fire and fury” in return. As the degree of the eclipse is activated, the headlines from that period could be renewed. That is especially so on Friday, Aug. 16 as Mercury squares Uranus, an aspect that could result in surprising news on the same day that Mars hits the eclipse degree.

Also of note is the Full Moon on Thursday, Aug. 15 which could shed light on the Federal Reserve’s decision to cut interest rates on July 31, on the day of the New Moon, or on additional U.S. tariffs on China, announced the following day.

We have only one specific high for the week.

Monday, August 12

  • High in Gold: One of the most-often activated planets at the time of a high in gold prices — Mercury in the first-trade horoscope for gold futures — is touched by both the Moon and Saturn. The Moon is often the final trigger for any type of astrologically induced action. Meanwhile Saturn also is opposite the position of Saturn in the market’s first-trade horoscope for a double whammy of importance. For a final kicker, the planet Mercury is at 0 degrees of Leo, the zodiac sign that rules gold. In nearby futures and cash, look for planetary price conversion resistance at $1,508 per oz., then $1,545 and $1,573 to $1,581.

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

Pretty Darn Good

  • Low in Crude Oil on Thursday, Aug. 1: This was a big down day for crude oil, trading in a range of $4.40 per barrel in nearby September and closing at the lows near $53.59 for its biggest drop in three years. The next day, crude oil rallied to a high of $56.05, a gain of more than $2. However, the big low was set on Aug. 7 at $50.52, less than 30¢ below planetary price support at $50.80.
  • High in Gold on Monday, Aug. 5: Indeed, emotions ran high in the gold market, propelling prices through chart resistance levels to highs at $1,469.70 per oz. in the nearby August contract (for weekly charting purposes) that ultimately reached $1,509.90 on Wednesday, just beyond planetary price resistance at $1,508. In the active December contract, Monday’s rally tested the $1,450 level on the low side to climb to $1,481.80; prices topped on Wednesday at $1,522.70.
  • Low in 10-year Treasury note on Monday, Aug. 5: The market’s big low was on Thursday, Aug. 1, at 127-04.5 in the nearby September contract, near the planetary price conversion level of 127-07. The market did open on its low on Monday, Aug. 5 at 128-27 and rallied to a high of 130-27.5 on Wednesday.  
  • High in Crude Oil on Tuesday, Aug. 6: This day’s high of $55.42 per barrel in nearby September didn’t look like much of a high on a price chart, but it sure did when compared to the next day’s low at $50.52.

  Off the Mark

  • High in S&P 500 on Monday, Aug. 5: Oops. A low, not a high. In fact, a big low at 2822, down 110 points from the previous Friday’s close; the S&P 500 closed down 87 points at 2844. The “Gann Day” change of trend did appear to be in play, however, as the market recovered to as high as 2938 on Thursday, Aug. 8. 

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.