Stocks rebound as inflation worries ease

(5 October 2022) US stocks have staged an impressive 5% rebound so far this week after easing inflation concerns saw bond yields and the dollar move sharply lower.  Investors are fixated on inflation since the falling inflation translates into lower bond yields, cheaper credit and greater economic activity.  The Federal Reserve is something of a wild card in this equation, however, as its ultra-hawkish stance this year has arguably made the sell-off worse.  Of course, the Fed's inaction in 2021 allowed inflation and the asset bubble get out of control in the first place.

There are several astrological reasons for this week's rebound.  First, Mercury ended its three-week retrograde cycle over the weekend and returned to direct motion on Sunday.  Mercury, the planet of trading and commerce, tends to be more bullish when it moves forward, although we should note this is usually not a strong influence. More important perhaps was the fact that Mercury began to separate from its opposition with Neptune.  Mercury-Neptune oppositions are usually bearish, especially if Mercury stations retrograde or direct around the time of the opposition.  That was very much the case here as stocks fell through much of last week just before the direct station while Mercury was still approaching its opposition with Neptune.  Sentiment began to improve once the opposition aspect began to separate on Monday.

One other significant reason for this week's gains is due to a bullish midpoint alignment involving Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Chiron.  While midpoints are not part of traditional Vedic astrology, I have found them to be a useful add-on to more fundamental techniques of analysis.  Specifically, I have found that midpoints that are defined in terms of angular separation are worth paying attention to.  When two pairs of planets are separated by an equal number of degrees, their energies are more likely to resonate, for good or ill.  So if Jupiter is one of the four planets, then there is a better chance for gains.  If Saturn is one of the four planets, then declines become more likely. 

One way to eyeball these planetary resonances is to focus first on slow-moving pairs involving distant planets. We can see that Jupiter and Chiron, a bullish planetary pair, are separated by about 12 degrees.  And we can see that Mercury and Venus were also separated by about 12 degrees in the first half the week.  Since both Mercury and Venus are considered benefic planets, there are arguably three bullish planets involved in this alignment and Chiron is also usually bullish unless it is aligned with Saturn.  In terms of midpoints, we can say that the midpoint of Mercury and Chiron (10 Gemini) equals or resonates with the midpoint of Venus and Jupiter (10 Sagittarius).

But since Mercury has a very slow velocity in the aftermath of its direct station on Sunday, this 12-degree separation was quite short-lived. By today's session, it had widened to 13 degrees while the slow-moving Jupiter-Chiron pairing was still near 12 degrees.  That was one reason why we may have seen a modest decline on Wednesday. 

While these four-planet angular separations do not override other, more direct aspects, they should be integrated into a broader analysis of market influences. In fact, we can see another four-planet alignment could negatively shape sentiment in the coming days.  The slow-moving bearish Saturn-Neptune pairing is separated by 34-35 degrees.  On Friday, Mars and Uranus will also be separated by 34 degrees.  Since both Saturn and Mars are malefic planets, this four-planet resonant alignment increases the odds of declines later this week.  Although the angular separation of Mars and Uranus widens to 35 degrees next Monday, this could still be within range of the ongoing Saturn-Neptune pairing.  While there are no hard and fast rules about the effective range of these resonate pairings, I would think anything within one degree or less is potentially significant. 

Of course, the approaching Mars-Neptune square (exact late on Tuesday), is bearish in its own right and significantly boosts downside risk next week.  While this is not a full-strength forward square Mars aspect, it is nonetheless worthy of consideration due to its exactitude.

For more details, check out my weekly subscriber newsletter which is published every Saturday afternoon (EST).   In addition to reviewing the key planetary and technical influences on US and Indian stocks for the short and medium term, I also provide an astrological analysis of potential upcoming moves in currencies, gold and oil.

Photo Credit: Scott Beale

Ukraine crisis escalates after sabotage of Nord Stream pipeline

 (28 September 2022) The Ukraine crisis has taken a dangerous, new turn this week after the apparent sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines that carries Russian gas to Europe.  At this point, is it unclear who is responsible for the damage to the underwater pipeline which prompted more early week selling in the stock market and another swift rise in energy prices. The pipeline attack follows an eventful week in which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization of 300,000 additional soldiers to bolster his flagging war efforts in the Ukraine, while referendums were held in the disputed provinces in eastern Ukraine which would facilitate a formal union with Russia. 

While most Western media seems convinced that Putin is in trouble following the recent retreat from Kharkiv, the astrological picture suggests otherwise.  If the Ukraine horoscope is correct (Aug 24 1991, 5.31 pm, Kyiv), the planets look difficult for Ukraine in the weeks ahead.  The transit of the Sun and Venus through Leo in September has generally been favourable to Ukraine's war effort.  This is not unexpected since Leo is in the 9th house of good fortune along with Jupiter, Mercury, Venus and the Sun.  It was a excellent transit set up for promising outcomes.  In addition, Mercury stationed retrograde on Sep 9 at 14 Virgo -- exactly conjunct the equal 10th house cusp and thus aligned with the natal Ascendant.  This was even more likely to coincide with positive events related to government since Mercury is strong in its own sign of Virgo. 

But those faster-moving transits have since passed out of the picture and the fighting continues across a wide front with little new movement.  As I see it, the bigger problems for Ukraine's efforts is that Saturn will station direct on Oct 23 at 24 Capricorn in an exact square with Pluto (24 Cancer).  This Saturn-Pluto alignment is symbolic of intense and brutal power struggles often entail damage and hardship,particularly when they occur when one of the planets is stationary. 

In addition, Ketu (South Lunar Node) is conjunct the Midheaven (unequal 10th house cusp) throughout the month of October.  This increases the risk of sudden events that could force government (10th house) to react quickly and perhaps irrationally. 

More immediately, Mercury is due to station direct at 0 Virgo on Oct 2 -- just one degree from a conjunction with natal Mars.  This combination suggests frustration and anger, especially related to leaders, and the station tends to have a more negative connotation. Therefore, we could see some important developments in the first days of October that ratchet up the tension even further.  While this Mercury-Mars conjunction isn't always a "bad" influence, it does tend to reflect difficult situations which may or may not have favourable outcomes.  

The bigger problem is that Mars is due to station retrograde on Oct 30 at 1 Gemini while in a close square aspect with natal Mars at 1 Virgo.  This is invariably a negative influence in matters related to government and leaders, perhaps directly concerned with the military.  There are rumours now that the additional Russian reserves could well be moved to the front lines at that time and that these reinforcements could pose a threat to existing Ukrainian positions.   More ominously, the Mars station at 1 Gemini will almost exactly conjoin the natal Mars in the USA horoscope at 0 degrees of sidereal Gemini.  This is an indication that the US could get more directly involved as the conflict escalates further.  All scenarios are on the table here given the volatile and violent Mars-Uranus conjunction in the Biden 2021 inauguration horoscope.


Weekly Market Forecast

Stocks rebounded today after falling further on Monday and Tuesday.  The blue chip indexes slipped a bit below their June lows before recovering sharply today after the Bank of England abruptly restarted its QE bond buying program in response to the controversial Truss-Kwarteng Budget. Markets took it as a sign that other central banks may follow suit soon enough as economic and military storm clouds are gathering.  Despite the recent spate of interest rate hikes, it seems increasingly likely that the ECB will also be forced to ease its monetary policy if the economic outlook deteriorates.  Eventually, even the Fed could also be forced to pivot as higher rates will make large numbers of the home owners insolvent amid falling house prices.

Today's gain could be seen in terms of both less negative influence and more positive influence.  The Mars-Saturn-Uranus alignment was near exact early this week just as stocks slumped towards their June lows.  By Wednesday, however, Mars had moved a bit past its alignment with Saturn and thus could signal a diminution of bearish influence.  At the same time, Jupiter (9 Pisces) is nicely placed in an approaching Grand Trine alignment (i.e. each factor separated by 120 degrees) with the natal Moon (7 Cancer) and the natal Jupiter-Neptune conjunction at 9-10 Scorpio.  Since Jupiter is moving quite slowly, I would not be surprised if this positive influence lasted a bit longer. 

And yet with retrograde Saturn (24 Cap) parked in a conjunction with the natal Sun (25 Cap) within just one degree, it's hard to get too bullish about the Nasdaq and about stocks in general in the near term.  

For more details, check out my weekly subscriber newsletter which is published every Saturday afternoon (EST).   In addition to reviewing the key planetary and technical influences on US and Indian stocks for the short and medium term, I also provide an astrological analysis of potential upcoming moves in currencies, gold and oil.

Stocks fall as Fed hikes rates another 75 points

(21 September 2022) The Federal Reserve surprised no one today by hiking interest rates another 75 basis points in its ongoing efforts to curb inflation.  The Fed's overnight lending rate now stands at 3.25% with a strong likelihood of rising to 4% at its next meeting in early November.  With inflation remaining stubbornly high, the Fed has little choice but to maintain its aggressive stance as markets are now expecting the tightening cycle to stay in place into 2023. 

In his remarks today, Fed Chair Jerome Powell confirmed that the Fed will continue to raise rates as long as necessary to bring inflation back down to its 2% target.   All this hawkish talk was bad news for risk assets as stocks reversed course this afternoon and ended the day sharply lower.  Higher rates are typically anathema to investors as borrowing costs rise and choke off economic growth.  Powell also cautioned that house prices are likely to fall further while unemployment is almost certain to rise as the speculative froth comes out of the economy.

This week's decline appears to reflect the current afflictions the horoscope of the Federal Reserve.  Last month, I noted that the Fed's chart looked significantly afflicted for September and October.  Given the close correlation between the Fed's actions and the stock market, afflictions to the Fed chart tend to signal periods of weakness in stocks.   While the Fed generally wants stocks to rise in order to generate the "wealth effect" and boost the economy, their first priority is keeping inflation in check, even if that means sacrificing the stock market.

The afflictions of the conjunction of Saturn with the equal 8th house cusp and the conjunction of Ketu with the Moon appear to be in full force here.   The 8th house is traditionally considered the most malefic house so the Saturn conjunction is one of the worst influences imaginable.  The Saturn-8th house conjunction is likely made worse since Saturn is slowing down ahead of its direct station in late October.  In addition, since Saturn is now forming a very close square alignment with Uranus, both planets are resonating with the Fed's natal Ascendant at 25 Gemini.  This planetary alignment can almost be considered a "perfect storm" that is hitting the Fed.    Moreover, the Ketu-Moon conjunction intensifies these effects and may make the Fed's actions less popular to the point of being incomprehensible to the public.  The Moon symbolizes the public at large.

Interestingly, today's rate hike and subsequent stock sell-off comes just as Mars was conjunct natal Saturn and opposite Mercury and just a few degrees away from the 12th house cusp representing loss.   The involvement of malefic Mars here only serves to amplify the ongoing effects of Saturn and Uranus.   Both the Fed and financial markets may therefore remain under pressure in the coming days as Mars approaches the 12th cusp at 25 degrees of sidereal Taurus.  

Even though Ketu is starting to move away from its difficult conjunction with the Moon, the outlook is challenging in the short term since the Saturn-Uranus square will remain essentially stuck in that difficult place in the Fed horoscope until October.
 
For more details, check out my weekly subscriber newsletter which is published every Saturday afternoon (EST).   In addition to reviewing the key planetary and technical influences on US and Indian stocks for the short and medium term, I also provide an astrological analysis of potential upcoming moves in currencies, gold and oil.


Photo credit:  Kurtis Garbutt

Stocks plunge on rising US inflation

(14 September 2022) Stocks have fallen sharply this week as Tuesday's CPI number for August came in higher than expected.  The S&P 500 fell 4% while the Nasdaq lost 5% as the annual inflation rate rose to 8.3% and the closely watched Core inflation rate also rose to 6.3%.  Today's wholesale PPI rate didn't provide much relief as the Core rate rose to 7.3% in August even if the headline PPI slipped a bit to 8.7% from 8.8%. 

Investors had been hoping for evidence that inflation was starting to come down, thereby giving the Fed room to pause its rate hike cycle.  Instead, this latest data will likely force the Fed to continue to hike aggressively in the months ahead, as the Fed Watch tool how sees a 76% probability of a 75-basis point hike at next week's FOMC meeting.

This week's stock market decline is not surprising.  There were several factors in play this week that pointed towards some downside.  First, Mercury turned retrograde last Friday, Sep 9.  Mercury retrograde has a well-deserved bearish reputation, even if it has a significant error rate.  Indeed, Monday's gain appeared to negate the effect of Mercury's backward motion, if only for a day.  The retrograde cycle is more than just a single day, however, and highlights a period of about three weeks when markets are more vulnerable to declines and unexpected reversals.

Second, Mars is afflicting Venus this week by 90-degree square aspect.  While the aspect is closest on Friday, Sep 16, the Mars-Venus square is within range all week and increased the probability of some negative market outcomes. 

Third, Saturn (25 Capricorn) is quickly approaching its square alignment with Uranus (24 Aries).  This still has a few weeks to go before its closest alignment but it is well within range to have some negative effects on sentiment.  As a rule, all hard aspects involving Saturn are bearish, especially those involving slow moving planets such as Uranus.

If we take a look at the horoscope of the NASDAQ (Feb 8, 1971), we can see that there were other afflictions this week.  Transiting Saturn is almost exactly conjunct with the natal Sun at 25 Capricorn. This is a terrible influence which is strongly associated with negative outcomes.  We should note, however, that due to the slow speed of Saturn, the conjunction with the Sun is within an effective range for several weeks.   Nonetheless, Tuesday's 5% decline did occur when Saturn was just 7 minutes of arc past its exactly conjunction with the natal Sun  It was exact on Sunday, Sep 11.  Saturn will continue to back up to 24 Capricorn during the final weeks of its current retrograde cycle when it will station direct in late October.  Even then, it will remain be a potentially negative influence on the Sun and thus, the NASDAQ as a whole. 

And we can see that the Mars-Venus square aligned with the natal Mars (17 Scorpio) in the NASDAQ chart.  This is another high probability bearish alignment since aspects of Mars to its natal position tend to be bearish, especially the square, opposition and conjunction.  Mars is a day or two past an exact opposition with natal Mars but Venus is still a day short of an exact square.  Together, their influences may have averaged out and coincided with a sharp decline on Tuesday.

Looking ahead, it is very possible we could see further downside later this week as the Mars-Venus square will tighten on Thursday and Friday. 

It seems likely that we will see some positive effects from Jupiter's aspect with the natal Jupiter-Neptune conjunction (9-10 Scorpio) sometime over the next week or two.  And yet with the Saturn-Uranus square firmly anchored to the Sun in this chart, a strong rebound in October looks quite unlikely. 

For more details, check out my weekly subscriber newsletter which is published every Saturday afternoon (EST).   In addition to reviewing the key planetary and technical influences on US and Indian stocks for the short and medium term, I also provide an astrological analysis of potential upcoming moves in currencies, gold and oil.

Stocks rally as oil tumbles on China slowdown worries

(7 September 2022) Following their August decline, stocks have traded mostly higher so far this week following the Labor Day holiday in the US.  Markets rebounded on Wednesday as plunging oil prices took the pressure off bond yields as borrowing costs fell.  The stock market needs lower yields if it is to have any hope of mounting a sustained recovery, a difficult task to be sure in this inflationary environment. 

Of course, lower yields aren't always good news, especially if they are falling because markets are worried about a recession.  That could well be the case here as slowing data out of China due to Covid lockdowns are forcing traders to re-evaluate their economic projections.  As long as China's zero-Covid policy continues to randomly lockdown major cities for the foreseeable future, it will become harder for the world to avoid recession. 

But it is unclear how long the rebound in stocks can last since Mercury is due to turn retrograde just before midnight Friday, September 9.  Mercury retrograde has a deserved reputation as a bearish influence on the collective sentiment that drives the ups and downs of the stock market.  As the planet that governs trading and commerce, Mercury's condition in the sky is one of the key determinants to stock market movements.  When Mercury is well-placed by sign and aspect, markets are likely to rise, at least for the short term.  But if Mercury is associated with malefic planets like Saturn or is retrograde, it becomes that much harder for markets to rise, especially around the 2-4 day window around its retrograde and direct stations when it is reversing its direction. 

Of course, it is important to keep the influence Mercury retrograde in perspective.  While it is an important influence, there are other planets placements can also sometimes limit or offset its affliction.  And not all Mercury retrograde stations are created equal.  If Mercury is in hard aspect with malefics, then its retrograde and direct stations are likely to be very bearish indeed.  But if Mercury turns retrograde while in alignment with, say, Jupiter, then positive outcomes become more likely. 

The Mercury retrograde station this Saturday looks fairly benign as these things go.  First off, the fact that it stations over the weekend while markets are closed means its negative impact will be mitigated.  We could see some bearish fallout to end the week, but this does not look overly strong.  Monday will therefore be the first trading day with Mercury retrograde and the aspects that day actually don't look that bad.  And its close opposition with Jupiter is somewhat bullish. 

While some bearishness must be assumed by virtue of Mercury's apparent backward motion, there are no other strongly bearish influences upon Mercury to start the week.  Other planets are more bearish, however, such as the Sun-Saturn alignment and the Mars-Uranus alignment.  Moreover, the Mars square aspect to Venus is another bearish influence to be reckoned with, although it will be still three degrees from exact on Monday.  Overall, the start of next week is more likely to bring some downside even if retrograde Mercury is only part of the reason for it. 

For more details, check out my weekly subscriber newsletter which is published every Saturday afternoon (EST).   In addition to reviewing the key planetary and technical influences on US and Indian stocks for the short and medium term, I also provide an astrological analysis of potential upcoming moves in currencies, gold and oil.

Europe's energy crisis deepens as Russia halts gas flow

(31 August 2022) The crisis in Europe only seems to go from bad to worse.  Russia's invasion of Ukraine initiated a cascade of events that has resulted in an unprecedented energy crisis in Europe.  The February invasion prompted Western countries to impose strict sanctions on Russia, including the banning of Russian oil and gas upon which Europe was almost wholly dependent.  The sanctions have led to severe shortages and sky-high prices as governments have enforced austere restrictions on its populations.  This week Russia upped the stakes again as it halted all flows of gas through its Nord Stream 1 pipeline, ostensibly for pipeline maintenance.  However, it is unclear if Russia will resume the gas flows on Saturday, September 3 as scheduled.  

The shortages have led to crippling five- to ten-fold price increases for both business and consumers and threaten the proper functioning of the European economy.  And with winter not far off, some governments are worried that there won't be enough energy to heat homes and keep plants running.  Whatever the military and geopolitical implications of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, this energy crisis has the potential to completely devastate Europe's economy.  Will Europe be able to avoid a cold, bleak winter?

The horoscope of the European Union (Nov 1, 1993) offers some insight on this question.   We can see the multiple afflictions to the EU chart at the time of the invasion in February.  Not surprisingly, malefics Saturn and the Lunar Nodes, Rahu and Ketu are very prominent in the chart at that time.  From its placement in the 7th house, Saturn 24 (Capricorn) was approaching its Saturn return and was within one degree of opposing the Ascendant (23 Cancer), which underlined the oppressive and unwanted nature of the invasion.  Since the 7th house symbolizes partners (both business and marital), Saturn's transit to the 7th house cusp represented a major setback with Russia, Europe's energy exporter and partner. 

The nodal transit to the complex alignment of Mars-Pluto-Moon reflected the sudden and explosive nature of the invasion.  Typically, transits of Rahu and Ketu to Mars are synonymous with violent or unsettled situations, and even more so when they simultaneously align with the Moon (population, emotions) and Pluto (power, coercion).   The fact that these transits occur with important chart points is a very big reason why Europe suddenly fell into its worst crisis since World War Two.

It is also worth noting that the EU horoscope was running the very difficult Rahu-Saturn dasha at the time.  Dasha lord Rahu is conjunct Mars and Pluto thus reflecting the greater likelihood of intense, coercive situations while Saturn is in a very close 90-degree alignment with Mars, Pluto and the Moon.  Saturn's minor dasha period therefore was more likely to feature hardship and war due to its nasty alignment with those three tense planets.

The transits for this week's pipeline shutdown also show significant affliction.  After stationing retrograde in June at 1 Aquarius, Saturn is now on its way back to exactly opposing the Ascendant, just two degrees from its position in February at 24 Capricorn.   Saturn (26 Capricorn) exactly squares Mercury (26 Libra) in the 4th house and reflects the current economic disruption in Europe.  The transit path of Saturn here was especially destructive.  After opposing the Ascendant at the time of invasion, it stationed exactly square the Mars-Pluto-Moon alignment in June in the first degree of Aquarius.  It doesn't get much worse than that.   While it is certainly possible that Russia may not fully resume gas supplies to Europe after this scheduled halt expires on Sep 3, the short term aspects (esp. involving Mars) don't look bad enough for that kind of nightmare scenario.   Perhaps supplies will be reinstated but with the ongoing threat of being cut again. 

The larger problem is that Saturn is due to station direct at 24 Capricorn in late October.   The Uranus and Rahu conjunction at the top of the chart also form hard aspects to the Ascendant and are no doubt also part of this scenario of difficulty.  With Saturn and Uranus due to form a close square in October, it seems quite likely that the situation in Europe will remain precarious for several more weeks, and it could well get worse on this difficult square aspect.  We could finally see some improvement by November after Saturn resumes its normal forward motion, however, as it moves away from its alignment with the EU Ascendant.  . 


Weekly Market Forecast

Stocks are drifting lower this week as the market realizes the Fed is unlikely to reverse its rate hikes this year.  While the outlook doesn't look very encouraging in the near term, we should not be surprised if this week's Mercury-Jupiter alignment coincides with a rally attempt at some point.  While it seems unlikely to alter the down trend, it could bring some upside in the coming days.

For more details, check out my weekly subscriber newsletter which is published every Saturday afternoon (EST).   In addition to reviewing the key planetary and technical influences on US and Indian stocks for the short and medium term, I also provide an astrological analysis of potential upcoming moves in currencies, gold and oil.

Markets await Powell's Jackson Hole speech

(24 August 2022) Stocks look more vulnerable here in the waning dog days of summer as inflation remains a primary concern, especially in Europe.   Much of the summer rally had been predicated on the assumption that inflation may have peaked in the US and that this could pave the way to a more dovish Fed that would be less hawkish in its commitment to interest rate hikes.  While US inflation has eased off somewhat, European inflation continues to rise as energy prices have reached a crisis level given the ongoing disruption from the Ukraine-Russia war.

But all eyes will be on Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Friday as he delivers his annual speech from Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  Powell is expected to reveal his current plan to tackle inflation and whether or not the Fed will to slow the pace of rate hikes starting with its next FOMC meeting on September 21.   Being creatures of liquidity, investors will be hoping for any dovish signals from Powell, perhaps as a response to some recent data that suggest the economy may be slowing.  If, however, Powell reiterates his commitment to reducing inflation to the Fed's long term target of 2%, the market could sell-off on the prospect of significantly higher interest rates down the road.

A look at the horoscope of the Federal Reserve reflects the potential precariousness of the current economic situation.  Typically, the economy tends to do well this chart is strengthened by Jupiter and other benefics as it reflects a Fed that is successfully managing an economic expansion.  When the chart is afflicted by Saturn or other malefics, however, that can mean a more stressful time for the Fed and greater economic uncertainty.

The main problem here is that Saturn (27 Capricorn) conjoins the 8th house cusp (25 Capricorn) representing obstacles, setbacks and scandals.  Saturn is usually a difficult energy whenever it closely aligns with a planet or cusp and that is very much the case here since the 8th house is considered the most malefic house in the chart.  Saturn is currently retrograde and is due to station direct on October 23 at 24 degrees of sidereal Capricorn.  This will be just one degree past an exact conjunction with the 8th house cusp and a 150-degree alignment with the Ascendant.  Regardless of the immediate aftermath of the Jackson Hole speech, it does suggest the Fed is entering a period of higher stress for the next two months or so while the Saturn alignment is in range. 

The outlook isn't entirely negative, however, as retrograde Jupiter will be approaching a conjunction with the 10th house cusp (MC) in October and November.  This is a very positive influence and suggests the Fed will eventually assume a more positive leadership role where it could be praised for its actions.  While the Jupiter influence is very strong here, it does not override the likely damage from Saturn.  No doubt, the Fed will encounter both positive and negative situations as a result of these dueling influences.  I do suspect that Saturn's negative influence is more likely to manifest first since Saturn will resume normal forward motion first, while Jupiter will resume its forward motion on November 23. 

 

In terms of the immediate reaction to Friday's Jackson Hole speech, the Mars-Sun square looks quite tense and suggests an atmosphere of caution is more likely to prevail.  Along with the Moon-Mars conjunction, this alignment increases the likelihood of a negative market reaction to Powell's speech.   Also, we should note the presence of benefics Mercury and Venus in the chart on Friday.  Although usually positive, Mercury is placed at the very bottom of the chart opposite the 10th house and hints at "unfortunate communication" while the Venus opposition to Saturn signifies restraint and loss.  It therefore seems less likely that Powell will suddenly turn dovish and pause the rate hikes.  We shall see how it all unfolds.

For more details, check out my weekly subscriber newsletter which is published every Saturday afternoon (EST).   In addition to reviewing the key planetary and technical influences on US and Indian stocks for the short and medium term, I also provide an astrological analysis of potential upcoming moves in currencies, gold and oil.