US Stocks tread water in the last week of 2010 as economic data supplied mixed signals in quiet holiday trading. The Dow was unchanged at 11,577 while the S&P500 ended the week at 1257. Indian stocks fared somewhat better as the Sensex rebounded after early weakness and closed 2% higher at 20,509 with the Nifty finishing the year at 6134. I thought we might see more downside from the Mars-Saturn square but there was only a very mild hiccup in Mumbai, although Chinese equities did appear to suffer early in the week. The late week period was generally more bullish on the Moon-Venus conjunction, although not all global markets participated and the US in particular stayed mostly flat.
The continued market effervescence is perhaps more in keeping with the approaching Jupiter-Uranus conjunction. These two planets have been bullish dance partners in sidereal Pisces since mid-2010 as they have rarely been more than a few degrees away from each other. The optimism of Jupiter and the risk-seeking of Uranus have combined to fuel the substantial rally in the second half of the year. Once the conjunction culminates exactly on Tuesday, January 4, this bullish pairing will not conjoin again until 2024. Obviously, their distinctly bullish energies will interact much sooner than that through aspecting (e.g. early 2012), but another protracted period of conjunction will be a long time coming.
Curiously, a solar eclipse at 19 degrees of sidereal Sagittarius is also slated for 3.50 a.m. EST on Tuesday. This is an intriguing coincidence of phenomena which increases the possibility of major new developments, including the prospect for major trend changes in the days to come. Eclipses are famous for stirring things up and interrupting the status quo, so we will have to see what kind of effects may manifest here.
The week will also feature a number of close planetary aspects. Benefic Venus is aspected by Jupiter early in the week so that generally boosts confidence and encourages buying. But Mercury and Mars are also in fairly tight aspect through much of the midweek period so that may let some air out of the balloon, especially after the eclipse has passed. The Sun is in a partial strength square aspect with Saturn on Thursday and Friday and that should also be seen as a negative influence on sentiment. Sun-Saturn aspects often have a special relevance for gold, and prices often fall near their aspects.
