Gold, Stars & Friday the 13th Spotlight

Gold has two strong opportunities to make a high next week, reports Susan Gidel.

In contrast to folklore about unlucky Friday the 13th, the astrological setup for Friday, Sept.13 is pretty powerful ahead of that evening’s full moon in Pisces, which sheds light on new visions of the future. Just before Friday’s close, the Sun and Pluto connect in an easy aspect that provides powerful support for people and activities that provide value to others. Earlier in the trading session, Mercury and Venus are exactly aligned in the sign of Virgo, which supports rewards for meticulous trading and analysis.

The gold market has two candidates for highs, Monday and Friday. Which one prevails may provide some insight into which planets are most important in price movement. In my research, prices tend to thread the needle and make tops when Mercury is activated, while lows appear more often when the Sun and Venus (on either side of Mercury) get some attention. This week, the Sun and Mars activate Mercury. However, other planets are working on the Sun and Venus.

Monday, September 9

• High in Gold: The first potential high in the gold market occurs as the transiting Sun is exactly trine the market’s first-trade Mercury at 16 degrees of Virgo and Capricorn, respectively. Gold’s first-trade Mercury is most-often activated at highs. However, the transiting Moon, Mercury and Venus are activating the market’s natal Venus, which weighs in on making a low. Regardless, the $1,545 per oz. price conversion level in the December contract remains the battleground, then $1,573 to $1,581. (See Friday’s comment for another potential high.)

• Low in Soybeans: Astrological pressure is high on one of two main axes in the first-trade horoscope for soybeans. Transiting Mars, Sun, Mercury and Venus are all putting pressure on the soybean market’s first-trade Neptune at 17 Virgo. At the same time, they are pressuring first-trade Saturn exactly opposite at 17 Pisces. Meanwhile transiting Neptune is also at 17 Pisces. For the final push, transiting Moon is opposite the soybean market’s first-trade Pluto. Planetary price conversion support resides at $8.38 per bu.

Friday, Sept. 13

• High in Gold: By Friday, transiting Mars is the planet making an exact trine with the gold market’s first-trade Mercury. In addition, transiting Moon and Neptune are aligned with the market’s first-trade Jupiter, signaling a potentially inflationary period. On the bearish side is that the transiting Sun is now trine the market’s natal Venus. Like on Monday, look for how prices behave on the $1,545 battleground in the December contract, then $1,573 to $1,581.

• High in S&P 500: The Sun and Jupiter in the S&P 500 natal horoscope—two of the most important planets in the chart — are each being activated by transiting-planet conjunctions. The heaviest hit is from the money planet Venus and trading planet Mercury, which are in the same degree and sign as the market’s natal Jupiter and could be signaling it is as good as it gets. Simultaneously, the transiting Moon is exactly conjunct the market’s first-trade Sun at 13 Pisces, while transiting Mars and Sun are opposite. Now that the S&P 500 jumped over planetary price resistance at 2944 that held throughout August, the next significant planetary price conversion is at the current record high at 3028, with some potential hesitation at 3003-3010 conversion levels. Ultimately, the end-of-cycle conversion level of 3233 could provide the stiffest headwind.

• High in 10-year Treasury note: One corner of this market’s first-trade “mystic rectangle” is getting hit hard, which means planets at all four connected corners are feeling the pressure, too. The most potent is that transiting Venus and Mars, together at 28 Virgo, are conjunct the first-trade Mars and opposite first-trade Venus. Nearby, Mars and the Sun are approaching the first-trade Moon at 21 Virgo. Planetary price conversion resistance remains between 132-03 and 132-30 in the December contract.

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

Bullseye!

• Low in Gold on Friday, Aug. 30: December gold’s low of $1,525.60 per oz. supported a rally to $1,566.20—a gain of more than $40 — by Wednesday, Sept. 4. 

Pretty Darn Good

• High in Euro FX on Friday, Aug. 30: Not a price-chart high, but a “high” of $1.10725 in the September contract that was ahead of the big-volume drop into the next trading day low of $1.09360 on Tuesday, Sept. 3.

• High in S&P 500 on Friday, Aug. 30: Not a record high by any stretch, as would have been the case if the déjà vu astrology from August 25, 1987 suggested. But, the market did hit stiff resistance at the planetary conversion level of 2944, with the day’s high of just 2940.43.

• Low in 10-year Treasury note on Friday, Aug. 30: The September contract low of 130-240 supported a rally of nearly a full point into the next trading day’s high of 131-230.

• Low in Gold on Tuesday, Sept. 3: December gold made a low of $1,528, then closed $26.50 higher on the day. It topped on Wednesday at $1,566.20.

• High in 10-year Treasury note on Thursday, Sept. 5: The December contract made a big drop from the day’s high at 132-075 to a low of 131-025. The week’s high through Thursday was on Tuesday at 132-130, in the middle of planetary price resistance of 132-03 to 132-30.  

Off the Mark

• Low in Soybeans on Friday, Aug. 30: More of a high than a low as November beans hit $8.77 ¾ per bu. only to drop to $8.59 ¼ on Tuesday, September 3.

• High in Euro FX on Wednesday, Sept.  4: The market was rallying but climbed higher yet on Thursday.

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.