FinancialCyclesWeekly.com #0503 – January 16-22, 02005 with Tim Bost

COMMENT: The presidential inauguration this Thursday will be a remarkable occasion, not only because of the expensive hoopla and extravagant degree of celebration surrounding the event, but also because of the unprecedented levels of security in place, with massive efforts underway on land, on sea, and in the air to protect Mr. Bush from his enemies. It’s not an understatement to say that the nation’s capitol is being turned into an armed camp, and we can only hope that the efforts to secure the area will prove more effective than the corresponding efforts in Baghdad have been.

As President Bush takes the oath of office for his second presidential term, the Moon will be applying to a trine of the transneptunian planet Zeus. The Moon/Zeus combination symbolizes a nation at war, and that’s likely to be very much in evidence, not only on Inauguration Day, but in the weeks ahead as well. As a matter of fact, we are moving into an extremely treacherous time period during the next couple of weeks, with Jupiter slowing down and moving towards its retrograde station, with Saturn continuing its tension-provoking, hyper-defensive conjunction with Vulcanus, and with an ominous Mars/Pluto conjunction on January 28.

While this is certainly a very challenging scenario, it’s not the first time that we have had to contend with dangerous circumstances. At a personal level, it’s a good time to exercise reasonable amounts of caution, but fearfulness or paranoia are not justified. At a national level, we have every reason to expect violence, repressive attitudes, and disruptions of normal processes. In the markets, however, times of extreme stress and divergences from the norm always represent major opportunities. If we can stay clearly established in higher consciousness and step out of the emotional turmoil that may surround us, we will discover many opportunities to profit both spiritually and financially.


I WONDER WHAT THEY DO IN THERE

“Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain,” the Wizard of Oz told his visitors, and his exhortation remains the lynchpin of economic and political realities today. Whenever there’s an overwhelming call for us to pay attention to spectacular or catastrophic events, or to the threat of or preparation for such events, the most relevant question we can ask ourselves is “what’s going in all the places we’re NOT looking?”

That certainly seems to be the relevant question right now. With the media zooming in on the inauguration festivities in Washington this week, what are we being distracted from? There is some real significance to the debt crisis in Argentina, for example, but President Nestor Kirchner’s attempts to deal with his country’s default are not likely to get nearly as much attention as Laura Bush’s ball gowns. And as for President Bush, we expect his inaugural address to be resolute, emotionally-charged, and semi-coherent at best, but we are confident that his words will make headlines, while the remarks of numerous Federal Reserve officials will go unnoticed by all but the most dedicated Fed watchers.

If we hope to keep abreast of the changing tides in the markets, however, we would do well to bring a very short attention span to the inaugural brouhaha. We’re much better peeking at the man behind the curtain whenever we can get the chance.


AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE GOLD BUGS

The volatile and potentially violent atmosphere that is likely to unfold during the next couple of weeks is particularly good news for gold speculators. There’s nothing like a little turmoil to stir the pot in the precious metals markets. On top of that, however, we also have heliocentric Mercury moving through Sagittarius right now. As Jeanne Long noted in her research some years ago, that particular transit often corresponds to a short-term run-up in the price of gold.

****


THE WEEK AHEAD

In spite of a trading week ahead truncated by the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday, we are in the thick of earnings season, and will be looking for a number of important reports. We expect to get news from IBM (IBM), Wells Fargo (WFC), Bank of America (BAC), Abbott Labs (ABT), 3M Company (MMM), U.S. Bancorp (USB), Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO), Motorola (MOT), Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB), Regions Financial (RF), National City Corporation (NCC), State Street Corporation (STT), Forest Laboratories (FRX), Linear Technology Corporation (LLTC), Johnson Controls (JCI), Kinder Morgan Inc. (KMR), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), AmSouth Bancorp (ASO), J.P. Morgan Chase (JPM), Pfizer Inc. (PFE), Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM), Wachovia Corporation (WB), eBay Inc. (EBAY), Washington Mutual (WM), SLM Corporation (SLM), Bank of New York (BK), General Motors (GM), Capital One Financial (COF), Lucent Technology (LU), Symantec Corporation (SYMC), Mellon Financial (MEL), Northern Trust (NTRS), Southwest Airlines (LUV), Comerica Inc. (CMA), and Citigroup Inc. (C).

The economic news for the week will be led by the December Consumer Price Index, December Housing Starts, and December Leading Indicators. We will also get the preliminary Consumer Sentiment report for January from the University of Michigan, as well as the January Survey from the Philadelphia Fed. Along the way, we will also be looking for an interest-rate decision from the Bank of Japan.

The Federal Reserve will be very much in the picture throughout the week, at least for those who are willing to pay attention, mainly because of speeches and public presentations by key Fed members. Minneapolis Fed President Gary Stern, Cleveland Fed President Sandra Pianalto, Philadelphia Fed President Anthony Santomero, Richmond Fed President Jeffrey Lacker, New York Fed President Timothy Geithner, and Fed Governor Ben Bernanke will all be at various podiums. If the Fed is trying to make a subtle statement about the future direction of monetary policy, it will certainly be hard to miss!

The Moon will be increasing in light throughout this trading week, and its square to Neptune on Tuesday, its square to Uranus and opposition to Cupido on Thursday, and its oppositions to Mars and Pluto along with its conjunction to Hades on Friday will all be worth keeping an eye on. The week gets underway with a Sun/Chiron conjunction, which may lead to some market disappointments, or at least to situations in which we don’t get exactly what we expect. The Sun will also be activating previous solar eclipses on Tuesday and Wednesday, so we could get some extra volatility during the afternoons of both trading sessions. And to top things off, the week ends with a retrograde station by the transneptunian planet Apollon, so we could see enormous price swings either late this week and/or early next week.

In general, however, we will primarily be concerned with heliocentric dynamics this week as we approach our trading. As we have already noted, heliocentric Mercury is transiting Sagittarius, so we can expect an added measure of market volatility. We also have a number of first- and second-harmonic heliocentric aspects this week, so we’ll be tracking planetary lines for Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Pluto, Cupido, Hades, Admetos, Zeus (H,180,N,-2) in our day-to-day analysis.

Have a great week!

*****


SPIRITUAL FOCUS FOR THE WEEK

The greatest traders have all understood that emotional balance is the key to successful trading. Through Practical Spiritual Astrology we have an opportunity to restore inner harmony, enhance emotional balance, and make wiser choices in the markets.

There are times in our personal growth, and in our growth as a conscious society, when we encounter severe limits. When we understand the true nature of those limits, however, we often discover that they are but definitions of new, more creative paradigms, opening the way to increasingly productive and enlightened action.

"The only limits are, as always, those of vision." - James Broughton

*****


GLOBAL EQUITIES MARKETS LAST WEEK

A few markets around the globe made tentative moves to the upside last week, but for the most part the equities action has a negative bias, with European stocks joining the sell-off.

Dow Jones Industrial Average – down 0.43%
Dow Jones Transportation Average – down 1.86%
Dow Jones Utilities Average – up 2.34%
S+P 500 – down 0.14%
NASDAQ Composite Index – down 0.03%
Russell 2000 – up 0.70%
London FTSE-100 – down 0.69%
Paris CAC-40 – down 0.60%
Frankfurt DAX – down 1.95%
Sydney All Ordinaries – up 0.00%
Tokyo Nikkei – up 0.05%
Hong Kong Hang Seng Index – down 0.59%
Singapore Straits Times Index – down 0.45%

*****


FINANCIAL CYCLES MODEL PORTFOLIO


POSITIONS CLOSED DURING THE PREVIOUS WEEK: BBV.

We closed one Model Portfolio position during the past week, with one loser producing a net loss of $150.00.

On January 14 we sold 600 shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA (BBV) at 16.75, taking a loss of $150.00 (a 1.47% loss in 7 trading days).

*****


POSITIONS ADDED TO THE PORTFOLIO DURING THE PREVIOUS WEEK: GWW, LMT, MHP, OLN, SMRT.

We added four long positions and one short position to the Model Portfolio during the previous week.

We bought 200 shares of W. W. Grainger Inc. (GWW) at 61.50 on 01/13/05, setting our initial stop at 61.00.

We sold short 200 shares of Lockheed Martin Inc. (LMT) at 55.85 on 01/13/05, setting our initial buy stop at 61.35.

We bought 100 shares of McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. (MHP) at 90.50 on 01/13/05, setting our initial stop at 87.50.

We bought 500 shares of Olin Corporation (OLN) at 20.30 on 01/13/05, setting our initial stop at 19.55.

We bought 500 shares of Stein Mart Inc. (SMRT) at 19.00 on 01/13/05, setting our initial stop at 17.35.

*****


YEAR-IN-REVIEW MODEL PORTFOLIO ACTIVITY

So far this year we have had a total of 10 completed trades, with 4 winners and 6 losers bringing us a total net profit of $2,794.00. The largest profit for a single trade has been $2,367.00, with our winners averaging $850.50; the largest single-trade loss has been $192.00, with our losers averaging $101.33. The overall average profit per trade has been $279.40, and the mean duration of our trades has been 16.0 trading days.

During 2004 we had a total of 213 completed trades, with 104 winners and 109 losers bringing us a total net profit of $48,913.50. The largest profit for a single trade was $5,645.00; the largest single-trade loss was $750.00; the average profit per trade was $229.64. The mean duration of our trades was 10.3 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.

*****


CURRENT POSITIONS IN THE MODEL PORTFOLIO

Beazer Homes USA (BZH) – bought 100 shares at 135.00 on 01/05/05; currently 146.90. Raise stop to 137.50.

Eastman Chemical Company (EMN) – bought 200 shares at 52.00 on 01/05/05; currently 51.40. Raise stop to 51.15.

W. W. Grainger Inc. (GWW) – bought 200 shares at 61.50 on 01/13/05; currently 62.70. Raise stop to 61.05.

Lockheed Martin Inc. (LMT) – sold short 200 shares at 55.85 on 01/13/05; currently 56.00. Lower buy stop to 57.00.

McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. (MHP) – bought 100 shares at 90.50 on 01/13/05; currently 90.84. Raise stop to 89.25.

Olin Corporation (OLN) – bought 500 shares at 20.30 on 01/13/05, currently 20.89. Raise stop to 20.20.

Omnicom Group Inc. (OMC) – bought 100 shares at 84.25 on 01/05/05; currently 86.65. Raise stop to 84.20.

Stein Mart Inc. (SMRT) – bought 500 shares at 19.00 on 01/13/05; currently 19.03. Raise stop to 18.25.

*****


STRONGEST MARKET SECTORS LAST WEEK

Steel and Iron; Hospitals; Residential Construction; Copper; Recreational Goods.

*****

WEAKEST MARKET SECTORS LAST WEEK

Air Delivery and Freight Services; Mid-Atlantic Regional Banks; Semiconductor Memory Chips; Security and Protection Services; Diversified Computer Systems.

*****


KEY ASTROLOGICAL EVENTS DURING THE COMING WEEK

January 16
Venus in 24th harmonic to Pluto 02:05 EST
Moon sextile Neptune 02:08 EST
Heliocentric Mercury parallel Heliocentric Cupido 02:52 EST
Moon trine Mars 03:13 EST
Heliocentric Mercury in 24th harmonic to Heliocentric Venus 03:18 EST
Mercury semisextile Cupido in right ascension 04:57 EST
Heliocentric Venus contraparallel Heliocentric Hades 05:35 EST
Moon contraparallel Jupiter 07:30 EST
Heliocentric Earth quintile Heliocentric Zeus 07:41 EST
Moon opposition Jupiter 09:33 EST
Heliocentric Mercury contraparallel Heliocentric Saturn 10:01 EST
Moon quintile Kronos 10:52 EST
Moon semisquare Uranus 11:42 EST
Heliocentric Mercury contraparallel Heliocentric Vulcanus 14:01 EST
Mercury square Zeus 14:08 EST
Venus semisextile Cupido in right ascension 14:12 EST
Heliocentric Mercury enters Sagittarius 15:20 EST
Moon semisextile Admetos 16:04 EST
Moon square Vulcanus 17:59 EST
Moon sextile Hades 18:07 EST
Moon trine Pluto 18:30 EST
Sun conjunct Chiron 18:42 EST
Heliocentric Earth opposition Heliocentric Chiron 18:51 EST
Moon square Saturn 19:09 EST
Moon crossing Universal Clock 24 Line 19:51 EST
Moon opposition Apollon 20:44 EST
Moon contraparallel Apollon 21:52 EST
Moon sesquiquadrate Cupido 23:47 EST

January 17
U.S. markets closed for Martin Luther King Jr. holiday
Venus square Zeus 00:03 EST
Heliocentric Venus sextile Heliocentric Neptune 00:13 EST
Moon quintile Neptune 00:22 EST
Moon square Chiron 01:26 EST
Moon square Sun 01:58 EST
Void-of-Course Moon 01:58 – 07:06 EST
Moon contraparallel Uranus 02:07 EST
Moon conjunct True Lunar Node 02:32 EST
Moon parallel True Lunar Node 02:35 EST
Heliocentric Mercury quincunx Heliocentric Kronos 04:23 EST
Moon enters Taurus 07:06 EST
Sun semisquare Mars in right ascension 07:24 EST
Moon sesquiquadrate Mars 08:41 EST
Sun square True Lunar Node 09:02 EST
Moon sextile Kronos 09:16 EST
Heliocentric Mercury contraparallel Heliocentric Hades 10:55 EST
Mercury square 04/08/05 Solar Eclipse Antiscion 14:34 EST
Moon sextile Uranus 15:57 EST
Moon biquintile Cupido 16:49 EST
Moon contraparallel Poseidon 16:58 EST
Heliocentric Mercury quintile Heliocentric Neptune 16:57 EST
Mercury semisextile Cupido 18:06 EST
Moon contraparallel Chiron 19:27 EST
Moon in 24th harmonic to Admetos 20:21 EST
Moon opposition Poseidon 20:33 EST
Moon semisquare Hades 22:28 EST
Moon sesquiquadrate Pluto 22:58 EST
Moon contraparallel Pluto 23:20 EST

January 18
Heliocentric Mercury parallel Heliocentric Venus 00:19 EST
Moon quincunx Zeus 01:03 EST
Heliocentric Earth biquintile Heliocentric Pluto 01:32 EST
Moon biquintile Mars 02:54 EST
Moon trine Venus 03:51 EST
Moon quintile Vulcanus 04:07 EST
Moon quincunx Cupido 04:22 EST
Venus square 04/08/05 Solar Eclipse Antiscion 04:42 EST
Moon quintile Saturn 05:07 EST
Moon trine Mercury 05:43 EST
Moon contraparallel Neptune 05:49 EST
Moon in 24th harmonic to True Lunar Node 07:09 EST
Heliocentric Venus biquintile Heliocentric Vulcanus 07:40 EST
Venus semisextile Cupido 09:06 EST
Mercury in 24th harmonic to Chiron 10:13 EST
Moon square Neptune 10:51 EST
Heliocentric Mars in 24th harmonic to Heliocentric Poseidon 11:41 EST
Moon biquintile Zeus 12:40 EST
Sun conjunct 11/23/03 Solar Eclipse Antiscion 13:16 EST
Moon semisquare Kronos 14:05 EST
Moon parallel Admetos 14:32 EST
Moon quintile Uranus 15:13 EST
Moon quincunx Mars 15:14 EST
Moon biquintile Pluto 16:27 EST
Moon crossing Universal Clock 24 Line 17:44 EST
Moon quincunx Jupiter 18:48 EST
Sun biquintile Hades 19:49 EST
Heliocentric Mercury contraparallel Heliocentric Kronos 20:27 EST
Sun quincunx Kronos in right ascension 20:47 EST
Heliocentric Mercury square Heliocentric Uranus 22:13 EST
Heliocentric Mercury semisextile Heliocentric Poseidon 22:30 EST
Heliocentric Venus biquintile Heliocentric Saturn 22:59 EST

January 19
Mars biquintile Vulcanus 00:21 EST
Heliocentric Mercury in 24th harmonic to Heliocentric Mars 00:56 EST
Moon conjunct Admetos 01:30 EST
Moon contraparallel Sun 01:49 EST
Moon sextile Vulcanus 03:31 EST
Moon semisextile Hades 03:38 EST
Moon quincunx Pluto 04:15 EST
Moon sextile Saturn 04:24 EST
Venus in 24th harmonic to Chiron 05:13 EST
Heliocentric Mercury in 24th harmonic to Heliocentric Pluto 06:10 EST
Moon sesquiquadrate Zeus 06:18 EST
Moon quincunx Apollon 06:27 EST
Sun in 24th harmonic to Neptune 06:30 EST
Moon biquintile Jupiter 06:39 EST
Moon contraparallel Cupido 07:08 EST
Moon parallel Saturn 08:36 EST
Moon parallel Vulcanus 09:02 EST
Moon trine Chiron 11:51 EST
Moon semisextile True Lunar Node 12:29 EST
Moon sesquiquadrate Venus 12:34 EST
Heliocentric Mercury sesquiquadrate Heliocentric Vulcanus 12:56 EST
Moon parallel Hades 13:46 EST
Sun square 04/19/04 Solar Eclipse Point 14:02 EST
Mars biquintile Saturn 14:40 EST
Venus parallel Mars 14:51 EST
Venus parallel Mars in right ascension 14:54 EST
Moon sesquiquadrate Mercury 15:14 EST
Heliocentric Mercury sextile Heliocentric Jupiter 15:53 EST
Heliocentric Mercury sextile Heliocentric Zeus 16:49 EST
Moon trine Sun 17:18 EST
Void-of-Course Moon 17:18-17:24 EST
Moon enters Gemini 17:24 EST
Moon contraparallel Venus 18:05 EST
Moon contraparallel Mars 18:14 EST
Moon biquintile Apollon 18:21 EST
Sun enters Aquarius 18:21 EST
Heliocentric Mercury semisquare Heliocentric Apollon 18:22 EST
Moon semisextile Kronos 19:36 EST
Saturn quincunx Pluto 20:37 EST
Heliocentric Mercury sesquiquadrate Heliocentric Saturn 22:04 EST
Moon parallel Kronos 22:18 EST
Moon contraparallel Mercury 22:57 EST

January 20
Moon sesquiquadrate Jupiter 00:34 EST
Mercury semisextile Neptune 01:10 EST
Moon square Uranus 02:55 EST
Heliocentric Earth biquintile Heliocentric Uranus 03:11 EST
Heliocentric Mars semisextile Heliocentric Pluto 05:47 EST
Heliocentric Mercury conjunct Heliocentric Cupido 06:57 EST
Moon in 24th harmonic to Admetos 07:15 EST
Moon quincunx Poseidon 07:29 EST
Moon biquintile Venus 08:34 EST
Moon semisquare Vulcanus 09:18 EST
Moon in 24th harmonic to Hades 09:25 EST
Heliocentric Mars contraparallel Heliocentric Admetos 09:44 EST
Moon semisquare Saturn 10:02 EST
Heliocentric Venus quintile Heliocentric Jupiter 11:07 EST
Moon biquintile Mercury 11:45 EST
Heliocentric Venus quintile Heliocentric Zeus 11:50 EST
Moon trine Zeus 12:09 EST
Moon sesquiquadrate Apollon 12:20 EST
Mars sextile Neptune in right ascension 14:18 EST
Moon opposition Cupido 15:43 EST
Moon crossing Universal Clock 24 Line 17:23 EST
Moon sesquiquadrate Chiron 18:01 EST
Moon semisquare True Lunar Node 18:12 EST
Mercury semisextile Neptune in right ascension 18:20 EST
Moon biquintile Poseidon 19:31 EST
Sun quincunx Kronos 20:14 EST
Mercury semisextile Mars in right ascension 21:35 EST
Moon quincunx Venus 22:01 EST
Moon trine Neptune 22:32 EST
Heliocentric Mars opposition Heliocentric Admetos 23:45 EST
Heliocentric Mercury semisquare Heliocentric Chiron 23:45 EST

January 21
Heliocentric Venus semisquare Heliocentric Poseidon 01:22 EST
Moon quincunx Mercury 01:32 EST
Moon in 24th harmonic to Kronos 01:37 EST
Moon sesquiquadrate Sun 02:08 EST
Heliocentric Jupiter conjunct Heliocentric Zeus 02:29 EST
Heliocentric Venus contraparallel Heliocentric Kronos 02:35 EST
Venus semisextile Neptune 02:59 EST
Mercury square Jupiter in right ascension 04:17 EST
Mercury contraparallel Kronos 04:29 EST
Chiron square True Lunar Node 04:39 EST
Heliocentric Earth semisextile Heliocentric Kronos 06:23 EST
Moon opposition Mars 06:35 EST
Moon trine Jupiter 06:46 EST
Mercury contraparallel Kronos in right ascension 08:34 EST
Mars sextile Jupiter 09:53 EST
Moon biquintile Chiron 12:17 EST
Mars sextile Jupiter in right ascension 12:34 EST
Moon semisextile Admetos 13:25 EST
Moon sesquiquadrate Poseidon 13:40 EST
Sun in 24th harmonic to Mercury 14:33 EST
Heliocentric Venus conjunct Heliocentric Pluto 14:53 EST
Moon semisextile Vulcanus 15:27 EST
Moon conjunct Hades 15:33 EST
Moon semisextile Saturn 16:01 EST
Moon opposition Pluto 16:25 EST
Void-of-Course Moon begins 16:25 EST
Cupido sesquiquadrate Vulcanus in right ascension 17:15 EST
Heliocentric Mars trine Heliocentric Vulcanus 18:32 EST
Moon trine Apollon 18:32 EST
Heliocentric Venus quincunx Heliocentric Admetos 20:32 EST
Moon biquintile Sun 21:59 EST
Apollon retrograde station 22:28 EST

January 22
Moon sextile True Lunar Node 00:04 EST
Moon quincunx Chiron 00:29 EST
Venus semisextile Neptune in right ascension 01:27 EST
Heliocentric Mercury sextile Heliocentric Neptune 01:36 EST
Heliocentric Venus quincunx Heliocentric Vulcanus 02:32 EST
Sun square Poseidon in right ascension 04:15 EST
Moon sesquiquadrate Neptune 04:54 EST
Moon enters Cancer 05:42 EST
Void-of-Course Moon ends 05:42 EST
Heliocentric Venus semisextile Heliocentric Mars 06:19 EST
Mercury trine Admetos in right ascension 06:23 EST
Moon conjunct Kronos 07:53 EST
Mercury crossing Universal Clock 24 Line 08:21 EST
Heliocentric Uranus trine Heliocentric Poseidon 10:33 EST
Moon quincunx Sun 11:16 EST
Heliocentric Venus sextile Heliocentric Apollon 11:59 EST
Heliocentric Venus opposition Heliocentric Hades 12:17 EST
Venus square Jupiter in right ascension 13:31 EST
Moon trine Uranus 15:37 EST
Heliocentric Mars semisquare Heliocentric Zeus 15:39 EST
Moon crossing Universal Clock 24 Line 17:50 EST
Mercury square Jupiter 19:24 EST
Heliocentric Mercury biquintile Heliocentric Vulcanus 19:35 EST
Moon semisquare Admetos 19:44 EST
Heliocentric Venus quincunx Heliocentric Saturn 19:58 EST
Moon trine Poseidon 20:00 EST
Moon in 24th harmonic to Vulcanus 21:45 EST
Moon in 24th harmonic to Hades 21:52 EST
Heliocentric Mars semisquare Heliocentric Jupiter 21:56 EST
Moon in 24th harmonic to Saturn 22:09 EST
Heliocentric Venus quintile Heliocentric Uranus 22:54 EST
Moon biquintile Neptune 23:10 EST
Moon quintile True Lunar Node 23:57 EST

January 23
Heliocentric Mars semisextile Heliocentric Apollon 00:00 EST
Moon square Zeus 00:41 EST
Heliocentric Mars quincunx Heliocentric Hades 00:56 EST
Mercury quintile Poseidon 01:12 EST
Moon quincunx Cupido 04:24 EST
Heliocentric Mercury biquintile Heliocentric Saturn 05:46 EST
Uranus contraparallel True Lunar Node 08:33 EST
Saturn parallel Vulcanus in right ascension 09:49 EST
Heliocentric Venus in 24th harmonic to Heliocentric Cupido 09:57 EST
Heliocentric Earth sesquiquadrate Heliocentric Mercury 10:03 EST
Moon quincunx Neptune 11:21 EST
Heliocentric Jupiter in 24th harmonic to Heliocentric Apollon 12:13 EST
Moon in 24th harmonic to Kronos 14:12 EST
True Lunar Node sesquiquadrate Cupido in right ascension 14:43 EST
Mercury semisquare Uranus 15:04 EST
Mercury parallel Mars 15:11 EST
Mercury parallel Mars in right ascension 15:14 EST
Moon biquintile Cupido 16:33 EST
Moon opposition Venus 17:48 EST
Mercury semisquare Uranus in right ascension 19:13 EST
Moon square Jupiter 19:36 EST
Venus semisextile Mars in right ascension 19:53 EST
Venus trine Admetos in right ascension 20:32 EST
Venus crossing Universal Clock 24 Line 20:46 EST
Mars quincunx Admetos in right ascension 21:03 EST
Moon sesquiquadrate Uranus 22:06 EST
Mercury semisextile Mars 22:07 EST
True Lunar Node square Vulcanus in right ascension 22:54 EST
Moon quincunx Mars 23:02 EST
Moon opposition Mercury 23:07 EST

*****


STOCKS TO WATCH: SID, DD, SAFM, STN, EYE.

Companhia Siderugica Nacional ADS (SID)
NYSE; optionable
First Trade Date: 11/14/1997; 09:30 a.m.
Trading Strategy: SID had a powerful close to last week’s trading, demonstrating that it’s a strong stock in a strong sector. And it’s no wonder: a glance at the First-Trade chart reveals that SID is experiencing a Venus return as Jupiter transits the First-Trade Midheaven, with transiting Neptune conjoining First-Trade Jupiter. It’s enough to encourage us to add a long position to the Model Portfolio this week. We’ll set our initial stop at 16.20.


DuPont E. I. Nemours and Company (DD)
NYSE; optionable
First Trade Date: 05/25/1922; 10:00 a.m.
Trading Strategy: We decided to check out DD because transiting Jupiter is getting ready to hit the First-Trade IC, but when we took a closer look, we noticed a couple of other interesting factors. Transiting Pluto is currently conjoining First-Trade Mars, and First-Trade Jupiter is receiving a transit from the transneptunian planet Zeus. Those extra kickers add some additional energy to the situation, so we plan to add a long position in DD to the Model Portfolio this week. Our initial stop will be set at 46.00.


Sanderson Farms Inc. (SAFM)
NASDAQ; optionable
First Trade Date: 05/19/1987; 09:30 a.m.
Trading Strategy: We have had Sanderson Farms in the Model Portfolio on at least one previous occasion, and each time we have checked it out we have watched the excruciatingly slow progress of transiting Poseidon as it moves toward its conjunction with First-Trade Pluto. Poseidon is now within 1 degree of arc, so its impact is increasing. At the same time, the current Saturn/Vulcanus conjunction is sitting right on the SAFM First-Trade Ascendant, suggesting that this stock may be getting ready to start some upward action from its current price levels. With that in mind, we will be adding a long position in SAFM to the Model Portfolio this week, setting our initial stop at 39.75.


Station Casinos Inc. (STN)
NYSE; optionable
First Trade Date: 09/06/1996; 09:30 a.m.
Trading Strategy: Just like spokes on a roulette wheel, the First-Trade horoscope for Station Casinos features a grand cross pattern with Jupiter, Saturn, the Moon, and a conjunction of Mercury and the True Lunar Node holding down the four corners. Transiting Venus and Mercury have just activated Jupiter in that First-Trade configuration, so the action for STN is starting to heat up. What has really captured our attention, however, is transiting Jupiter’s current conjunction with the First-Trade Ascendant and First-Trade Apollon; it looks like this stock could get lucky. We’ll check it out by adding a long position to the Model Portfolio this week, setting our initial stop at 53.00.


VISX Inc. (EYE)
NASDAQ; optionable
First Trade Date: 09/07/2000; 09:30 a.m.
Trading Strategy: Could VISX Inc. be ready to find a broader market for its medical supplies? With transiting Cupido at the Pluto/Chiron midpoint in the EYE First-Trade chart, we wouldn’t be surprised! What’s even more interesting, however, is the current transit of Saturn and Vulcanus to the EYE First-Trade Midheaven. Saturn will be dancing back and forth across this point through mid-May, while transiting Jupiter will be flirting with the EYE First-Trade Ascendant/Apollon conjunction, getting close later this month before going retrograde and then making a final direct passage in September. This combination could make for some lively action, and with the basing action that EYE has been showing us for the last 7 or 8 weeks, an upside breakout could be quite dramatic. Our plan is thus to add a long position in EYE this week, setting our initial stop at 24.35.

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FINANCIAL CYCLES WEEKLY (ISSN 1055-8527) is published by Taylor-Bost Consulting and edited by Tim Bost at 2132 Beneva Road, Sarasota, FL 34232 USA. Phone: 941-921-2588. Fax: 941-927-5798. Web: http://www.TimBost.com. Entire contents copyright 2004 Timothy L. Bost. No portion of Financial Cycles Weekly may be reproduced without the publisher's written permission. Subscriptions to FINANCIAL CYCLES WEEKLY are $39.00 per month for weekly issues sent 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; to subscribe go to http://www.TimBost.com/newsletter/subscribe.html.

By providing a source of independent market analysis, the purpose of FINANCIAL CYCLES WEEKLY 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 WEEKLY 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 WEEKLY 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 WEEKLY 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 @ 1/16/2005 02:07:31 AM