FINANCIAL CYCLES WEEKLY UPDATE #0411 – March 14-20, 2004 with TIM BOST

COMMENT: In last week’s newsletter we noted that in equities we should “see the overall momentum likely to flatten out this week as the market looks for opportunities to give back some of its recent gains.” More specifically, we pointed to the ”Saturn direct station and a Mars/Admetos conjunction” adding “some restrictive energy which may inhibit market action and create a downward bias” with “a heliocentric Venus/Chiron opposition and a heliocentric Venus/Vulcanus conjunction, a geocentric Venus/Poseidon opposition, a Cupido retrograde station, and a Kronos direct station” also contributing to the negative mix. We also commented that “Thursday’s lunar perigee could trigger a short-term trend reversal on Friday.”
As things turned out, of course, this forecast was wonderfully accurate, thanks to planetary signatures that were in absolute lockstep with our expectations. The market headed south in a dramatic way, and the market pundits were left blaming the sinking prices on weak economic news (which isn’t really news right now) and the terrorist bombings in Spain. The tape which took credit for the bombings pointed out that they had come exactly a year and a half after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the U.S. in 2001; however it was the Times of India (always a numeralogically astute publication) which pointed out that the events in Spain took place exactly 911 days after the events in the U.S.
All this was serious stuff, and the consternation that accompanied it certainly had some impact on Wall Street prices. But as far as we’re concerned, the real action driving the markets was taking place in the heavens. Saturn stations don’t happen every day, and the current Mars/Admetos kicker to Saturn’s action makes for major events that feel a little bit like slamming into a brick wall. When we add two more planetary stations from Kronos and Cupido (hypothetical bodies that even most astrologers ignore), the picture gets even more dramatic.
This kind of big-time astrological action carries an influence that doesn’t dissipate in a hurry. We expect to see some residual effects, and a continuing push to the downside, as trading gets underway this week.
Be sure to check the “Latest News” section of our website at www.TimBost.com each day. We’re updating it daily now, with a recap of the day’s astro-calendar and a summary of the trades we’ve taken. It’s information you won’t want to miss, especially if you’re tracking the stocks in our Model Portfolio and Watch List on a daily basis.

THE WEEK AHEAD

We have yet another lightweight week for earnings reports, with less than 400 of them hitting analysts’ inboxes this week. Some of the reports we’ll be looking forward for include United Global (UCOMA), Cintas (CTAS), Dollar General (DG), Paychex (PAYX), Liberty Media (L), General Mills (GS), Nike (NKE), Morgan Stanley (MWD), Adobe Systems (ADBE), Lehman Brothers (LEH), Lennar (LEN), Jabil Circuit (JBL), Federal Express (FDX), Bear Stearns (BSC), and Biomet (BMET).
The week’s economic news is likely to be dominated by the Fed, the Fed, and the Fed. The Federal Reserve Open Market Committee meets to discuss interest rates on Tuesday, and we’ll be looking for a report around 2:15 Tuesday afternoon that essentially leaves rates unchanged, but that may contain nuances which impact stock prices. On Wednesday Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan talks to a San Diego banking conference via satellite, with the markets watching closely for more hidden meanings and innuendos. Then on Thursday the Fed will release the minutes from its January meeting, which will provide more background on the possible future direction of interest rates. In short, the market pundits will be having a field day, since Mr. Greenspan’s statements, always filled with plenty of Piscean ambiguities, leave plenty of room for spin and speculation.
The Fed won’t be the only source of economic news, however. We’ll also get some numbers worth watching, including the March Empire State Index, February Industrial Production and Industrial Capacity Utilization, February Housing Starts and Building Permits, the February Consumer Price Index, and the Conference Board’s Leading Indicators for February.
There are also some economic numbers which are noteworthy for their absence: although the February Consumer Price numbers are scheduled for release this week, the government has postponed the release of both the January and February numbers for the Producer Price Index. After all, the official line goes, except for gasoline prices (which are currently at record highs, in case you haven’t noticed), prices for consumers remain stable, with inflation nowhere to be seen. When it comes to the cost of doing business, however, a look at producer prices soon leads to a discussion of other even more uncomfortable subjects, like the lack of new jobs. But the fact of the matter is, it’s a very expensive proposition to hire a new employee, not only because of the wages involved, but also because of costly employee benefits. The benefits provided for workers in China cost 12.6% less than they do in the U.S.; Mexican workers get benefits that cost 9.4% less than those provided for their U.S. counterparts.
Astrologically we have a week that lacks much of the drama we have seen in recent days, although we expect some spill-over from last week’s planetary stations. This week’s emphasis is planets changing signs, an event which often accompanies trend changes in the market. Heliocentric Venus enters Leo on 3/14, Heliocentric Mars enters Cancer on 3/15, and Heliocentric Mercury enters Gemini on 3/18. The Mercury/Saturn square on Monday is likely to keep the sellers in control, but the trine of Venus to Jupiter as it conjoins the True Lunar Node on Tuesday evening could bring a sharp upward pop to prices at the opening bell on Wednesday, especially with the extra energy of a heliocentric Mars/Kronos conjunction added to the mix. Thursday is a day that calls for extra caution—a void-of-course Moon will be in sway until mid-morning (avoid getting into trades too early that day), and Venus will be activating a Lunar Eclipse and squaring Neptune, making for a volatile and somewhat confusing scenario for traders to keep up with. There’s another eclipse activation from Jupiter on Friday as we move into the weekend, which brings the Spring Equinox, a New Moon, a Mercury perihelion, a Venus perihelion, the Moon at maximum declination, and Mars changing signs geocentrically. However things end up on Friday, we can be pretty certain that there will be a big shift as the following week gets underway!
I’m looking forward to seeing many of you at the Astro-Economics Conference at Marco Island next weekend, where I’ll be one of the featured speakers. In the meantime, have a wonderful week!

*****


GLOBAL EQUITIES MARKETS LAST WEEK

Markets around the world responded to the Saturn station last week by moving lower. The equities markets in Japan, Germany and the U.S. showed the biggest reversals.

Dow Jones Industrial Average – down 3.35%
Dow Jones Transportation Average – down 1.04%
Dow Jones Utilities Average – down 2.22%
S& P 500 – down 3.14%
NASDAQ Composite Index – down 3.07%
Russell 2000 – down 2.79%
London FTSE-100 – down 1.75%
Paris CAC-40 – down 2.64%
Frankfurt DAX – down 5.11%
Sydney All Ordinaries – down 0.42%
Tokyo Nikkei – down 3.25%
Hong Kong Hang Seng Index – down 3.88%
Singapore Straits Times Index – down 3.06%


FINANCIAL CYCLES MODEL PORTFOLIO


POSITIONS CLOSED DURING THE PREVIOUS WEEK: ADI, MXO, AKAM, GLK, IPAR, LIN, PETM.

We closed seven portfolio positions during the previous week, with four winners and three losers producing a net profit of $1,437.00.

On March 8 we sold 200 shares of Analog Devices (ADI) at 49.25, taking a loss of $100.00 (a 1.01% loss in 5 trading days).

On March 8 we sold 1,000 shares of Maxtor Corporation (MXO) at 9.99, taking a profit of $690.00 (a 7.42% gain in 9 trading days).

On March 10 we sold 600 shares of Akamai Technologies, Inc. (AKAM) at 15.02, taking a profit of $552.00 (a 6.52% gain in 11 trading days).

On March 10 we sold 400 shares of Great Lakes Chemical (GLK) at 24.60, taking a loss of $420.00 (a 4.09% loss in 6 trading days).

On March 10 we sold 300 shares of Inter Parfums Inc. (IPAR) at 28.75, taking a profit of $465.00 (a 5.70% gain in 19 trading days).

On March 10 we sold 300 shares of Linens N Things Inc. (LIN) at 34.25, taking a profit of $270.00 (a 2.70% gain in 15 trading days).

On March 10 we sold 400 shares of Petsmart (PETM) at 25.55, taking a loss of $20.00 (a 0.20% loss in 6 trading days).

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POSITIONS ADDED TO THE PORTFOLIO DURING THE PREVIOUS WEEK: ADI, GLK, PETM, AMTD.

We added four long positions during the previous week.

We bought 500 shares of M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers (FLSH) at 20.50 on 03/08/04, setting our initial stop at 18.25.

We bought 400 shares of ConMed Corporation (CNMD) at 28.64 on 03/10/04, setting our initial stop at 27.58.

We bought 500 shares of Medical Action Industries, Inc. (MDCI) at 20.00 on 03/10/04, setting our initial stop at 16.91.

We bought 200 shares of Gtech Holdings Corporation (GTK) at 57.25 on 03/11/04, setting our initial stop at 55.64.

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YEAR-IN-REVIEW MODEL PORTFOLIO ACTIVITY

Based on the Model Portfolio’s composition at the beginning of 2004, featuring positions with an acquisition cost basis of $53,947.50 ($66,022.50 in long positions less short liabilities of $12,075.00), we reduced our cash holdings in the Model Portfolio to $46,052.50 on January 1. This returned the total portfolio value to $100.000.00 as we began trading in 2004.

So far this year we have had a total of 43 completed trades, with 18 winners and 25 losers bringing us a total net profit of $1,763.50. The largest profit for a single trade has been $1,522.50; the largest single-trade loss has been $504.00; the average profit per trade has been $41.01. The mean duration of our trades has been 9.0 trading days.

During 2003 we had a total of 176 completed trades, with 99 winners and 77 losers bringing us a total net profit of $51,717.00. The largest profit for a single trade was $9,240.00; the largest single-trade loss was $1,170.00; the average profit per trade was $293.85. The mean duration of our trades was 10.1 trading days.

During 2002 we had a total of 195 completed trades, with 119 winners, 74 losers, and 2 break-even trades bringing us a total net profit of $50,956.00. The largest profit for a single trade was $5,100.00; the largest single-trade loss was $1,055.00; the average profit per trade was $261.31. The mean duration of our trades was 12.7 trading days.

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CURRENT POSITIONS IN THE MODEL PORTFOLIO

Ameritrade Holding Corporation (AMTD) – sold short 500 shares at 17.00 on 03/04/04; currently 15.00. Lower buy stop to 15.25.

Centex Corporation (CTX) – bought 100 shares at 94.50 on 02/05/04; currently 112.76. Raise stop to 110.00; will reduce stop level to 54.00 following anticipated 2-for-1 split.

ConMed Corporation (CNMD) – bought 400 shares at 28.64 on 03/10/04; currently 28.56. Raise stop to 27.75.

Gtech Holdings Corporation (GTK) – bought 200 shares at 57.25 on 03/11/04; currently 58.61. Raise stop to 57.35.

M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers (FLSH) – bought 500 shares at 20.50 on 03/08/04; currently 19.92. Raise stop to 19.00.

Medical Action Industries, Inc. (MDCI) – bought 500 shares at 20.00 on 03/10/04; currently 19.82. Raise stop to 19.25.

*****


STRONGEST MARKET SECTORS LAST WEEK

Personal Computers; Confectioners; Trucking; Wholesale Food; Processed and Packaged Goods.

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WEAKEST MARKET SECTORS LAST WEEK

Grocery Stores; Toys & Games; Major Airlines; Education & Training Services; Processing Systems & Products.

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KEY ASTROLOGICAL EVENTS THIS WEEK

March 14
Kronos direct station 01:07 EST
Void-of-Course Moon ends 02:51 EST
Heliocentric Mercury sesquiquadrate Heliocentric Pluto 03:45 EST
Mercury semisextile Uranus 05:49 EST
Heliocentric Venus semisextile Heliocentric Mars 06:19 EST
Heliocentric Mercury opposition Heliocentric Poseidon 06:24 EST
Venus contraparallel Neptune 06:32 EST
Mercury semisquare Admetos in right ascension 09:28 EST
Mercury quincunx Poseidon in right ascension 09:55 EST
Sun semisquare True Lunar Node in right ascension 10:59 EST
Heliocentric Venus semisquare Heliocentric Jupiter 10:59 EST
Heliocentric Mercury in 24th harmonic to Heliocentric Admetos 11:21 EST
Heliocentric Mercury quincunx Heliocentric Zeus 14:02 EST
Heliocentric Mercury semisquare Heliocentric Hades 14:07 EST
Moon at maximum south declination 14:18 EST
Heliocentric Venus enters Leo 14:32 EST
Venus sextile Saturn in right ascension 15:55 EST
Sun sextile Chiron 16:55 EST
Heliocentric Mercury contraparallel Heliocentric Mars 17:21 EST
Heliocentric Mercury contraparallel Heliocentric Jupiter 17:56 EST
Heliocentric Mercury quincunx Heliocentric Cupido 18:36 EST
Venus sesquiquadrate Pluto in right ascension 20:13 EST
Heliocentric Earth sesquiquadrate Heliocentric Mercury 22:31 EST
Heliocentric Mercury parallel Heliocentric Hades 23:06 EST
Venus quincunx Cupido 23:20 EST

March 15
Sun sextile Chiron in right ascension 00:29 EST
Sun contraparallel Mercury 01:18 EST
Heliocentric Mercury contraparallel Heliocentric Cupido 01:35 EST
Sun contraparallel Mercury in right ascension 01:36 EST
Venus quincunx Zeus in right ascension 03:45 EST
Heliocentric Venus semisextile Heliocentric Kronos 04:14 EST
Mars sextile Vulcanus in right ascension 07:13 EST
Heliocentric Mercury parallel Heliocentric Uranus 07:56 EST
Heliocentric Mercury sextile Heliocentric Saturn 09:23 EST
Heliocentric Mars enters Cancer 09:26 EST
Mercury square Saturn 10:57 EST
Heliocentric Mercury square Heliocentric Neptune 11:46 EST
Mercury quincunx Poseidon 12:03 EST
Mercury semisquare Admetos 13:07 EST
Mercury semisextile Uranus in right ascension 15:44 EST
Heliocentric Mercury parallel Heliocentric Saturn 17:09 EST
Heliocentric Mercury trine Heliocentric Jupiter 18:43 EST
Heliocentric Mercury semisquare Heliocentric Mars 20:09 EST
Heliocentric Mercury semisquare Heliocentric Kronos 23:00 EST

March 16
Void-of-Course Moon 00:34 – 06:10 EST
Mercury square Saturn in right ascension 01:12 EST

Heliocentric Mercury parallel Heliocentric Neptune 07:29 EST
Mercury opposition Zeus in right ascension 07:57 EST
Mercury opposition Zeus 07:59 EST
Mercury contraparallel Zeus 08:14 EST
Heliocentric Earth parallel Heliocentric Mercury 08:48 EST
Heliocentric Venus quincunx Heliocentric Uranus 11:33 EST
Venus quincunx Cupido in right ascension 12:57 EST
Heliocentric Mercury quincunx Heliocentric Pluto 16:40 EST
Heliocentric Mercury trine Heliocentric Chiron 18:19 EST
Venus in 24th harmonic to Mars 19:30 EST
Venus conjunct True Lunar Node 19:38 EST
Mars in 24th harmonic to True Lunar Node 19:41 EST
Venus trine Jupiter 21:00 EST
Heliocentric Mercury conjunct Heliocentric Admetos 23:47 EST

March 17
Heliocentric Mercury contraparallel Heliocentric Saturn 00:12 EST
Heliocentric Mercury sextile Heliocentric Vulcanus 01:28 EST
Heliocentric Mercury sesquiquadrate Heliocentric Zeus 02:22 EST
Heliocentric Mercury semisextile Heliocentric Hades 02:27 EST
Heliocentric Mercury quincunx Heliocentric Apollon 03:39 EST
Mercury trine Cupido in right ascension 04:46 EST
Sun semisquare True Lunar Node 06:22 EST
Heliocentric Mars conjunct Heliocentric Kronos 06:57 EST
Venus conjunct True Lunar Node in right ascension 08:59 EST
Heliocentric Mercury contraparallel Heliocentric Uranus 09:13 EST
Mercury trine Cupido 12:42 EST
Heliocentric Mercury parallel Heliocentric Cupido 15:16 EST
Mercury semisextile True Lunar Node in right ascension 16:51 EST
Heliocentric Mercury contraparallel Heliocentric Hades 17:38 EST
Heliocentric Mercury semisquare Heliocentric Saturn 21:12 EST
Heliocentric Venus sesquiquadrate Heliocentric Pluto 21:53 EST
Heliocentric Earth trine Heliocentric Mercury 22:02 EST
Heliocentric Mercury parallel Heliocentric Jupiter 22:39 EST

March 18
Heliocentric Mercury parallel Heliocentric Mars 00:24 EST
Mars trine Chiron in right ascension 02:12 EST
Venus parallel Admetos in right ascension 03:44 EST
Venus parallel Admetos 04:26 EST
Sun sextile Mars 04:47 EST
Heliocentric Earth sesquiquadrate Heliocentric Neptune 05:00 EST
Heliocentric Mercury enters Gemini 06:22 EST
Venus square 11/08/03 Lunar Eclipse Antiscion 06:22 EST
Heliocentric Venus square Heliocentric Poseidon 07:01 EST
Void-of-Course Moon 07:15 – 10:26 EST
Mercury semisextile Venus in right ascension 07:55 EST
Mercury semisquare Mars in right ascension 09:13 EST
Heliocentric Mercury semisextile Heliocentric Kronos 09:59 EST
Mercury semisextile True Lunar Node 11:50 EST
Heliocentric Mercury semisextile Heliocentric Mars 12:18 EST
Mercury quincunx Jupiter 12:31 EST
Heliocentric Mercury square Heliocentric Uranus 18:12 EST
Saturn trine Poseidon 21:20 EST
Venus square Neptune 22:02 EST

March 19
Heliocentric Mercury sesquiquadrate Heliocentric Chiron 04:48 EST
Heliocentric Mercury quincunx Heliocentric Poseidon 05:25 EST
Heliocentric Venus in 24th harmonic to Heliocentric Vulcanus 06:50 EST
Heliocentric Mercury in 24th harmonic to Heliocentric Admetos 09:57 EST
Heliocentric Venus sextile Heliocentric Zeus 10:12 EST
Heliocentric Venus semisquare Heliocentric Hades 10:31 EST
Venus semisquare Kronos 11:25 EST
Heliocentric Mercury semisquare Heliocentric Vulcanus 11:36 EST
Heliocentric Mercury trine Heliocentric Zeus 12:28 EST
Heliocentric Mercury in 24th harmonic to Heliocentric Hades 12:33 EST
Heliocentric Mercury sextile Heliocentric Venus 13:15 EST
Sun semisquare Neptune 13:28 EST
Heliocentric Mercury sesquiquadrate Heliocentric Apollon 13:43 EST
Mercury semisquare Mars 13:55 EST
Heliocentric Mercury opposition Heliocentric Cupido 16:45 EST
Jupiter square 12/04/02 Solar Eclipse Point 17:19 EST
Mercury sextile Neptune 20:26 EST
Mars contraparallel Cupido in right ascension 20:37 EST
Mars contraparallel Cupido 22:44 EST
Heliocentric Mercury parallel Heliocentric Venus 23:43 EST

March 20
Spring Equinox - Sun enters Aries 01:48 EST
Heliocentric Venus trine Heliocentric Cupido 02:51 EST
Sun square Kronos 03:11 EST
Sun square Kronos in right ascension 03:37 EST
Sun in 24th harmonic to Mercury 05:15 EST
Heliocentric Earth in 24th harmonic to Heliocentric Jupiter 06:46 EST
Heliocentric Mercury semisextile Heliocentric Saturn 07:09 EST
Mercury quincunx Jupiter in right ascension 08:25 EST
Heliocentric Mercury trine Heliocentric Neptune 08:47 EST
Venus conjunct 11/08/03 Lunar Eclipse Point 14:04 EST
Void-of-Course Moon 15:57 – 16:29 EST
Heliocentric Mercury square Heliocentric Jupiter 16:41 EST
New Moon 17:41 EST
Heliocentric Mercury in 24th harmonic to Heliocentric Kronos 19:21 EST

March 21
Heliocentric Earth square Heliocentric Kronos 00:28 EST
Mercury perihelion 00:39 EST
Heliocentric Mercury in 24th harmonic to Heliocentric Mars 02:24 EST
Mars enters Gemini 02:39 EST
Mars semisextile Kronos 04:52 EST
Moon at 0° north declination 05:12 EST
Mercury semisextile Venus 05:46 EST
Sun trine Jupiter in right ascension 07:41 EST
Mars square 04/19/04 Solar Eclipse Antiscion 09:31 EST
Heliocentric Mercury opposition Heliocentric Pluto 12:15 EST
Heliocentric Mercury quincunx Heliocentric Chiron 14:07 EST
Heliocentric Mercury sesquiquadrate Heliocentric Poseidon 14:32 EST
Venus perihelion 17:11 EST
Heliocentric Mars trine Heliocentric Uranus 17:35 EST
Heliocentric Mercury semisextile Heliocentric Admetos 19:02 EST
Heliocentric Mercury semisextile Heliocentric Vulcanus 20:40 EST
Heliocentric Mercury conjunct Heliocentric Hades 21:37 EST
Mercury square 12/04/02 Solar Eclipse Antiscion 22:11 EST
Heliocentric Mercury trine Heliocentric Apollon 22:46 EST

*****


STOCKS TO WATCH: CCBI, DNA, HRS, LIOX, PTNR, SHRP.

Commercial Capital Bancorp (CCBI)
NASDAQ
First Trade Date: 12/19/2002; 09:30 a.m.
Trading Strategy: This stock has been “traveling at the speed of Mars” for quite some time, with a Mars planetary line at geocentric 22.16 defining support and resistance and setting the pace for the price advances. We’re also tracking an Admetos line at geocentric 51.0 as a key to understanding the current price action for this stock. Most of the current energy has been associated with the semisquare of transiting Saturn to First-Trade Admetos; CCBI has pulled back from its newly-made 52-week high but kept well above its 50-day moving average. In our book this is a great buying opportunity; we’ll add a long position in CCBI to the Model Portfolio early this week and set our initial stop at 19.44.

Genentech Inc. (DNA)
NYSE; Optionable
First Trade Date: 07/20/1999; 9:30 a.m.
Trading Strategy: Transiting Jupiter is not only conjunct the DNA First-Trade Ascendant right now, it’s also square the DNA solar arc directed First-Trade Pluto. This is a very positive combination, especially with transiting Pluto also activating the DNA First-Trade Mercury. A geocentric 21.30 Poseidon line defines significant price resistance for this stock, but we believe it has sufficient energy to break through that level and keep on going, possibly penetrating a geocentric 24.80 Pluto line as well. We will be adding a long position in DNA to the Model Portfolio this week, setting our initial stop at 103.15.

Harris Corporation (HRS)
NYSE; Optionable
First Trade Date: 07/15/1955; 10:00 a.m.
Trading Strategy: Jupiter moving toward the First-Trade Ascendant has nicely timed the recent price surge for HRS; as Jupiter has backed off from the Ascendant in retrograde motion; HRS has retraced some of its recent gains, even dipping briefly below its 50-day moving average. Solar arc directed First-Trade Apollon has been picking up an opposition from transiting Venus and a semi-sextile from transiting Zeus, a combination which has added to the positive potential for this stock. These transits won’t stick around long, however, and that’s what has us interested in a short position. We’ll add one this week. Since we anticipate a geocentric 57.5 Kronos line to be the dominant factor in defining support zones, we’ll use an initial buy stop set at 49.27.

Lionbridge Technologies Inc. (LIOX)
NASDAQ
First Trade Date: 08/20/1999; 09:30 a.m.
Trading Strategy: It has been interesting to watch the impact of transiting Cupido as it has conjoined the LIOX First-Trade Pluto during the past 15 months or so. After the first contact in late 2002, this stock began a solid price climb, and picked up speed with the second contact in June, 2003. After Cupido hit Pluto for the third and final time in November, 2003, though, the LIOX rally abruptly came to an end. Currently transiting Neptune is conjunct First-Trade Uranus, adding some speculative energy to the mix. The bottom line here, however, is that with transiting Saturn virtually stationary on the LIOX First-Trade Midheaven, and with slow-moving Admetos semisquare the First-Trade Midheaven, things look pretty tough for this stock. A Zeus line at 18.36 is a factor we’re watching here for support and resistance; the LIOX advance reversed off the heliocentric line in November, and last week its efforts to move above a lower increment of both the geocentric and heliocentric projections were met with failure as well. Our plan is to sell LIOX short this week, setting our initial buy stop at 9.60.

Partner Communications (PTNR)
NASDAQ
First Trade Date: 10/27/1999; 09:30 a.m.
Trading Strategy: How about a nice foreign telecom stock as a candidate for a short sale? Transiting Jupiter is currently conjunct the PTNR First-Trade Midheaven, but that positive influence will soon go away. The underlying astrological dynamics for this stock are a bit complex, but an active support/resistance component seems to be a heliocentric 12.18 Chiron line, which PTNR hasn’t been able to penetrate in its recent rally attempts. We think this resistance will hold, so we are going to sell short a modest position in PTNR this week, setting our initial buy stop at 8.37.

Sharper Image Corporation (SHRP)
NASDAQ; Optionable
First Trade Date: 04/28/1987; 09:30 a.m.
Trading Strategy: We put SHRP on the Watch List last week, noting that we would enter a long position if it was confirmed by further prices advances in harmony with a geocentric 78.31 Chiron line. As it turned out, however, that Chiron line turned into resistance for SHRP instead, and the stock followed the broad market in losing ground for the week. We’re leaving SHRP on the Watch List this week, but will be reversing our potential position—our plan is sell this stock short early this week, setting our initial buy stop at 37.38.


FINANCIAL CYCLES (ISSN 1055-8527) is published by Taylor-Bost Consulting and edited by Tim Bost at 2831 Ringling Boulevard, Suite B-108, Sarasota, FL 34237 USA. Phone: 941-953-3545. Fax: 941-953-3732. Web: http://www.TimBost.com. Entire contents copyright 2004 Timothy L. Bost. No portion of this Weekly Email Update or its printed version may be reproduced without the publisher's written permission. Subscriptions to FINANCIAL CYCLES are $39.00 per month for weekly updates by email, payable by monthly billing to a major credit card. Advance payment options (by credit card, check, or money order) are $228 for 6 months, $432 for 1 year or $815 for two years. All subscriptions are payable in US funds only— Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club, and Discover/Novus accepted; please make checks or money orders payable to Taylor-Bost. PayPal is also accepted for online orders; send payment to PayPal@TimBost.com.

By providing a source of independent market analysis, the purpose of FINANCIAL CYCLES is to foster the growth of person-centered business and investment astrology; to enhance the development and dissemination of financial literacy and prosperity consciousness; and to explore the use of technical analysis and financial astrology in promoting an esoteric spiritual understanding of economic trends, geocosmic cycles, geopolitical events, and market movements. FINANCIAL CYCLES is a general interest publication which is prepared from astrological information, news reports, cycle projections, and market observations which are believed to be accurate and reliable, but which cannot be guaranteed. Portfolio and trading reports in this publication do not include taxes and transaction fees, which should be taken into consideration by prospective traders and investors. Even with accurate information, past performance is no guarantee of future results. Speculation in securities and commodities involves considerable financial risk, and readers who plan to invest or speculate in securities or commodities mentioned in FINANCIAL CYCLES have the complete responsibility for making themselves fully aware of all the risks involved before they invest. The editor may or may not have positions in the securities and commodities discussed in this newsletter, and the information in FINANCIAL CYCLES should in no way be understood or construed as a solicitation or an offer to buy or sell any products or securities, nor should the material published in this newsletter be considered buy/sell advice.

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posted by Tim Bost @ 3/14/2004 04:59:51 PM