Weekly column: How celestial alignments shape political and financial volatility

Review

President Trump’s attempt to fire Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook is the most dramatic step yet in his effort to take control of the independent central bank and its vast authority over interest rates.

—Matt Grossman and Greg Ip, “‘Uncharted Waters’: Trump’s Attempt to Take Charge of the Fed,” Aug 26, 2025, www.wsj.com.

 Many global stock indices continued making new highs early last week despite being late and overdue in their primary cycles. This distortion of non-stop bullishness may be related to the unusual planetary configuration involving the Saturn/Neptune conjunction in harmonious sextile to both Uranus and Pluto, the latter two of which form a favorable trine aspect to one another. When aspects involving longer-term outer planets form, longer-than-usual rallies or declines in financial markets can also unfold. It appears that many global indices have been enjoying prolonged rallies since April 7 despite growing anxieties regarding the uncertainty connected to global economic and political events. There seems to be no breakage of the underlying trend. The explosions to new highs may also be related to the August 24 cosmic setup with Jupiter midway in a semisquare to both the Sun and Uranus, which were square to one another. Whenever Jupiter and Uranus are involved in a tight orb aspect, breakouts of nearby support or resistance are common and tend to last up to 8 trading days.

In Asia and the Pacific Rim, a new all-time high was notched in Australia’s ASX index. China’s Shanghai Composite soared to its highest level in ten years, while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong soared to its highest mark since October 2021. Japan’s Nikkei had made a new all-time high on August 19. India’s stock market, the NIFTY, was not so fortunate following President Trump’s levy of 50% tariffs on U.S. companies importing goods from India.

The week was mixed for European stocks. Most ended modest rallies right into our August 22-25 CRD (critical reversal date and the midpoint of a TUMDI signal). The Zurich SMI index was the most bullish, rising to a ten-week high. But each of the European indices then declined into the end of the week, which is the norm under a strong geocosmic CRD, which is why they are valuable market timing indicators.

The indices of the Americas exhibited very interesting performances last week. Brazil’s Bovespa has just exploded out of its primary cycle trough of July 28 and made a new all-time high at the end of last week. In the US., the S&P made a new all-time high on Thursday, August 28. However, the all-time high in the DJIA was the prior week, on August 22, and right in the middle of the powerful CRD. In the NASDAQ, the all-time high (ATH) was two weeks ago, creating a rolling case of intermarket bearish divergence surrounding the August 22-25 CRD zone. This could be a sign that a serious correction might be starting. It is overdue, as indicated in the introduction, and intermarket divergence is often a trigger preceding sharp reversals.

The highly charged geocosmic month of August was not limited to stocks. Bitcoin, for instance, made a new ATH right in the middle of the month, on August 14, at $124,480. But two weeks later, on Friday, August 29, it was below 108,000, a loss of over 13% and its lowest mark in a month. Ethereum, however, made its ATH one week later on August 24, once again right in our most recent three-star CRD zone, for yet another case of intermarket bearish divergence in a related market. Like Bitcoin, Ethereum also sold off into the end of last week, but not yet below the low of the prior week. Given that a major cycle low is due, and the Moon is currently in Scorpio (more often bearish for BTC), this could become a case of intermarket bullish divergence in an important geocosmic zone (a lunar cycle correlate in this case).

In precious metals, the nearby December Silver contract blasted off to $40.85, another new 13+ year high. Gold was also quite bullish, with the December contract rising once again above $3500, but still slightly below its all-time high of 3534 registered during our prior CRD of August 8-11.

Short-term geocosmics

Inflation uncertainty risk increases the real borrowing cost for the government, which makes reducing deficits and debt levels more difficult. It increases real borrowing costs for the corporate sector, affecting investment and thus growth. It also increases real borrowing costs for households, affecting consumer spending (and potentially housing). Finally, because investors are naturally risk-averse, once introduced, inflation uncertainty risk can take years to remove from the economy. The inflation uncertainty originating in the 1970s took over 20 years to be removed.

—Dr. Paul Donovan, “Why is Inflation Uncertainty Important?” UBS Weekly Blog, www.ubs.com/, August 29, 2025.

Any short-term inflation effect from higher tariffs will likely not be sustainable, given the longer-term effect is deflationary, in the sense of the negative impact on consumers of what is effectively a tax hike. Meanwhile, the primarily retail-driven 33.8% rally in the S&P500 off the tariff-triggered 7 April low makes it clearer than ever that the stock market has become almost more important for the consumption-driven US economy than the economy itself.

—Christopher (Chris) Wood, “The Stock Market is Eating the Economy,” August 27, 2025, [email protected].

We are right in the midst of TUMDI, our newly introduced market timing signal. “TUMDI” stands for the “Trump Uranus Market Disruption Indicator”. It occurs whenever Uranus is prominent in aspect to other planets or stationary, and tends to coincide with sudden, unexpected policy announcements, decisions, or statements by President Trump that rile financial markets. On August 24, the Sun squared Uranus, and midway between the two was Uranus, forming a semisquare with both. On September 6, Uranus will turn retrograde at 1° Gemini, another powerful TUMDI signal. The entire period is highlighted as a potential time band of disruptive announcements. So far, TUMDI has not disappointed.

In the past week, Trump announced a 50% tariff on India, a major trading partner and the most populous country in the world. He fired Fed Governor Lisa Cook for a technical violation of banking (mortgage) laws, similar to allegedly false statements he himself has made in applications for bank loans involving his own real estate dealings. He has threatened to send the National Guard into Chicago and New York City to quell violence when city leaders argue that crime is already declining. He is courting the idea of imposing tariffs on furniture and mail deliveries of goods into the United States from abroad, which will escalate regulatory chaos for U.S. businesses. And then there is the John Bolton house raid. Why, really?

Financial markets are reacting. The rally in the DJIA halted as of the August 22 CRD. A sharp decline in Bitcoin is underway. Gold and Silver are rising sharply from trading cycle lows of August 20.

This time band of disruption (TUMDI) is not over. It continues this week as Uranus turns retrograde on September 6, two days after Mars squares Jupiter and one day before a powerful lunar eclipse. This combination can be potent, as in a major reversal in trends, and a culmination of primary cycles  (low or high, depending on the market). Consider: Uranus is the planet of sudden and unexpected events or decisions. Jupiter is the planet of exaggeration. Mars is the planet that activates, or triggers actions. A lunar eclipse (Full Moon where the Earth blocks out the view of the Moon), which in mutable signs, corresponds to emotional outbursts, pettiness, and flip-flops on past promises. And for the next two weeks, transiting Chiron (the wounded healer) will be retrograde and in conjunction with Saturn on the NYSE chart, opposite its Neptune. When Chiron activates a chart, there is often pain that is followed by healing.

The bottom line indicated by the geocosmic picture is this: the U.S. and other world stock markets are vulnerable to a sharp decline. It is possible their primary cycles are also in late stages when reversals are due. But so far, the chart patterns remain strong, suggesting that the longer-term trend still remains bullish. This may be one of those times when aggressive contrarian traders can make a substantial profit from the short side quickly. But as of yet, it is not a sign that the longer-term bull market is over.

Longer-term thoughts (and opinion)

The Trump era is marked by concentrating federal power in the Oval Office. “I have the right to do anything I want to do,” Trump said Monday.

—Josh Dowsey and Annie Linskey. “In Trump’s Second Term, a Bolder President Charges Ahead Unchecked,” www.wsj.com, August 28, 2025.

Mr. Trump even suggested reinvestigating former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie over the 2013-14 hoopla of Bridgegate, “…for the sake of JUSTICE” and because “NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW!”  … This Trump “skill” not only is nothing to be proud of, it’s a broken campaign promise. Mr. Trump passionately decried the legal campaigns against him and vowed to put an end to lawfare if elected. He insisted that his “retribution” would be through winning office and making “our country successful.” What turns it into lawfare is the singling out, the public broadcasting of accusation and investigation to pressure, threaten, disgrace, force concessions or require massive financial outlay to defend against. That, and making a “crime” out of what is actually a political offense. The rejoinder from Trump loyalists is always one word: “accountability.”

—Kimberly Strassel, “Trump Triples Down on Lawfare,” www.wsj.com, Aug 28, 2025.

I am in Europe now for the summer. This is the 30th consecutive year I have traveled/lived in Europe for much of the summer. And, I must say, the degree of fear about the current world situation here is at a level I have never experienced before. This year is different. And the source of this fear is clearly the change in direction conducted by the current U.S. leadership. Europe, it seems to me, feels betrayed, abandoned, and bullied, no longer supported or trusted by the U.S. In turn, Europe no longer trusts the U.S. on its word and “goodwill.” The U.S. is losing a valuable strategic partner, both politically and economically. The U.S. administration has stated that many world leaders have expressed their admiration and awe at what its leadership has accomplished since the beginning of the year. But that is not the reality I am experiencing on the ground here. To the contrary, the overwhelming sense is one of fear to speak out, and apprehension about the future related to the new policies being enacted, rather than admiration. Europe has seen elements of this play many times in its history. The U.S. has not.

This eruption of fear and insecurity is classic Saturn conjunct Neptune, especially as it crosses the world point of 0° Aries, ingressing from the last sign to the first sign of a new celestial order. Specifically, Saturn is associated with fear, and Neptune with imagination and fantasy, even hopes and dreams. So, one is justified in asking: Are these fears real or imagined? Is this a dream of hope for the new world emerging, or a nightmare that will cause immense suffering for the multitudes of people throughout the world?

I have an astrological theory on this question. When two planets are headed into a conjunction, the faster-moving body assumes dominance in the fight to integrate – to express – the two principles. In this theory, Saturn is now the dominant planet as it approaches and will soon cross in front of Neptune, which technically will happen on February 20, 2026, in the geocentric model (as seen from Earth). In this stage, Saturn (fear) “blocks out” the presence (expression) of Neptune (hope). Everybody knows something is awry, unreal, but no one is able to stop it. Neptune “blocked” behaves like paralysis. It becomes passive out of fear (Saturn) of what might happen if it isn’t allowed to be kind, gentle, compassionate, and caring for others (Neptune). It is interesting that some well-known leaders now consider empathy (Neptune) a weakness, even a form of psychological dysfunction. This is especially pronounced as Saturn is in Aries, a combination lending to the idea that “might is right,” and can often express itself as “the bully,” coercing others who are less powerful to its will. “I have the right to do anything I want to do” is a classic expression of this signature by those in power who are detached from reality. The corollary to that is that “Only I am above the law. Everyone else must be held accountable.”

However, in the theory I have presented here, Saturn will soon pass, or separate, from its conjunction to Neptune. Its shadow over Neptune will give way, and Neptune’s qualities will again begin to regain their power. It won’t happen all at once and may not even be apparent until Saturn leaves Aries, the sign it shares with Neptune, until April 2028. The question then is: Can the world order and global alliances as we know it, and which is being radically altered now while Saturn in Aries is so dominant, last until then?