Weekly Finstrology Update for August 15: Easy, Peasy Week

Three aspects to slow-moving planets that typically occur just once or twice a year are all occurring this week to create an environment of ease in expressing their relationships. Although prices might be volatile on Tuesday, the trines suggest the stock market is in rally mode.

Mars trine Pluto

Mars typically makes a trine to slow-moving Pluto just once a year. This week it is exact on Sunday at 5:28 p.m. (ET), just as the world’s trading week begins. This aspect provides power to make long-lasting transformation.

Last year, the S&P 500 peaked four days ahead of the Mars/Pluto trine (as well as the Venus/Jupiter trine that day) of September 6 at 4545, falling to 4278 by October 4. Similarly, the S&P 500 peaked eight days prior to the trine of February 24. (There were two trines in 2021 to make up for none in 2020.)

Mercury trine Uranus

Watch for surprising news that moves the markets easily when Mercury, ruler of communications and trading, trines Uranus, ruler of the internet and disruption on Tuesday, August 16. This is the first trine of 2022, with the second arriving on December 17. Note that January 2023 could be rife with volatility as Mercury trines Uranus on January 8 and January 29, for a total of three such transits over six weeks.

In 2020, the Mercury/Uranus trine was exact on August 25, just two days before the Fed announced its shift to tolerate more inflation at its annual Jackson Hole retreat. The news sent the S&P 500 to a new record high on big volume. In 2021, the S&P 500 gapped lower on the day of the Mercury/Uranus trine, December 20 in reaction to news concerning the spread of the covid omicron variant. 

This year, the trine is exact on Tuesday, August 16, with FOMC minutes of its July 26-27 meeting to be released the following day. Thus, there might be some surprises the market wasn’t anticipating.  

Venus trine Jupiter

Venus typically trines Jupiter in the sky twice a year, which creates a feel-good vibe. Financially, the Venus/Jupiter trine supports big money—either incoming or outgoing. So, if you’re on the receiving end of a windfall, follow your mom’s advice to not spend it all in one place. The trine on Thursday, August 18 is the first of 2022, with the second arriving on November 15. 

One of the more dramatic examples of how the markets respond to Venus trine Jupiter was in March 2020. The S&P 500 bottom on March 23, four days before the exact trine, ending a nearly 1200-point and 35% decline from the high set just a month earlier. The second trine that year was on October 19; the S&P 500 bottomed 10 days later. 

In 2021, the S&P 500 rallied above 4200 on June 3, the day of the trine, with the day’s low tested two weeks later before the rally continued. The second trine last year showed that it can also mark extreme exuberance at a high, not just support at a low. On September 6, 2021, the S&P 500 had just peaked four days earlier at 4545, later falling about 250 points to an early October low. 

Markets on the Move

Meme stocks are once again having a moment. What can astrology reveal about their next moves? 

GME: GameStop

The OG meme stock, GameStop made three highs in the first half of 2021 that could stand for a long period of time based on the astrology connected with them, including transits from Jupiter and Saturn that will not repeat for 12-29 years. Here’s what happened during the first round of meme-stock frenzy (prices reflect the recent 4:1 stock split): 

1. Record high of $120.75 on January 28, 2021—Transiting Jupiter (partile) and sun conjunct first-trade Neptune, with Mars and the moon square to Neptune.
2. March 10, 2021 high of $87.13—Transiting Saturn partile conjunct Neptune, with transiting moon and Mercury conjunct first-trade sun and Uranus. 
3. June 8, 2021 high of $86.17—Transiting Jupiter exactly conjunct first-trade Venus to the degree and minute, with transiting Venus conjunct first-trade Jupiter.

Transiting Mars and Saturn are active this fall in GME. Look for a potential low on Friday, September 2 heading into Labor Day weekend as Mars conjoins first-trade Saturn. This same transit produced the low on March 25, 2021. Another repeating low might occur when Saturn is exactly conjunct both the first-trade sun and Uranus on January 22, 2023. This is Saturn’s third pass to these two planets, each of which produced an important low within a few days, including those on May 12, 2022 and July 6, 2022.

In between those two lows, prices might peak in mid-October when four transiting planets form a grand trine with GME’s first-trade sun and Uranus. Watch for a potential high on October 14, 2022 with the sun, moon, Venus and Mars in a transiting trine. Also, transiting Mercury is trine first-trade Neptune. 

(For more about GME’s early meme-stock days, please see my blog post from January 31, 2021.

AMC: AMC Entertainment

The country’s largest chain of movie theaters, AMC traded sideways during the non-movie-going pandemic in 2020 and was in need of a ventilator when it bottomed on January 5, 2021 at $1.91. Good financing news that would prevent bankruptcy, retail trader popularity and strong transits to first-trade sun, Mars, Venus and Jupiter sent prices soaring to above $20 by month’s end.  

At the stock’s all-time high of $72.62 on June 2, 2021, transiting Mars and moon formed a culminating grand trine with first-trade Saturn. At the May 12, 2022 low of $9.70, the stock picked up energy with the moon and Mercury transiting first-trade Mars; Venus conjunct first-trade Uranus provided a spark of surprise concerning money. 

Watch Monday, August 29 for a potential low as three planets are connected to first-trade Mars—the moon and Mercury are conjunct; Mars is trine. Also, Venus trines first-trade sun and Mercury. 

While Mars travels Gemini for several months starting in October, it will be opposite AMC’s natal Mercury three times—October 3, November 25 and March 5, 2023. All of these dates could feature conflicting news, high volume and high volatility. 

In 2023, prices could make a significant high in February with Pluto exactly conjunct first-trade Venus (the first of three in 2023) on February 3 and Jupiter conjunct Uranus for the third and final time on February 23. Prices peaked two days after each of the previous Jupiter/Uranus conjunctions on July 19 and August 6, 2022.

BBBY: Bed Bath & Beyond

As the 2020 Covid pandemic was in its early stages, BBBY fell to $3.43 on April 3, 2020, but within 15 months had soared to $53.90 as part of the meme-stock crowd (with help from the sun and Jupiter trining first-trade Venus). By July 1, 2022, the stock was back down to $4.38, but three transiting planets conjunct their own first-trade positions—Mercury, Venus and Mars—helped lift prices.

Watch for a potential high on Tuesday, August 16, when both the sun and moon are partile trine to first-trade Mars. More significant, perhaps, is that transiting Mercury is squaring its own first-trade position and partile trine first-trade Uranus and Neptune. Prices set highs during BBBY’s meme-stock phase on January 27, 2021 at $53.90 and on March 7, 2022 at $30.06 when the Mercury square was active.

A major low could be in store next spring, when transiting Uranus is partile trine its own first-trade position as well as first-trade Neptune on April 23, 2023. The moon and Saturn were trine first-trade Uranus/Neptune on November 21, 2008, when prices bottomed at $16.23. That low was not breached for nearly 10 years, in September 2018. 

Weekly Highlights

• Bitcoin High on Monday, August 15—Both the first-trade sun and moon are activated by easy trines from transiting planets that could support a peak in prices. Transiting Mars and Mercury form a grand trine in earth with bitcoin’s sun, with Mercury also conjunct first-trade Saturn. Bitcoin’s moon receives an easy trine from the moon and Jupiter as well as a conjunction from Venus. Technically, the $25,000 area is stiff resistance; from an astrological standpoint prices need to clear $25,090 (the end-of-cycle planetary conversion level) convincingly to keep moving higher. If they can’t, watch for stumbles at the two previous conversion levels of $24,820 and $24,900.
• Crude Oil High on Thursday, August 18—This day’s trine between the two benefices—Venus and Jupiter—connects with the market’s first-trade sun and Jupiter/Uranus conjunction to form a grand trine in fire. In addition, the moon and Uranus are conjunct first-trade Venus. If September futures can clear $93.20 per barrel, the next price points to watch are $96.90-$97.00, then $98.30, based on planetary price conversion levels.
• 10-yr. T-note High on Friday, August 19—Interest rate prices could peak (interest rates bottom) when this market’s first-trade moon and Mercury are activated by those same transiting planets. Mars and the moon conjoin first-trade Mercury while simultaneously trining first-trade Mars. Meanwhile transiting Mercury is conjunct first-trade moon. As an added bonus, Venus is squaring the first-trade sun. In September futures, prices are in a wide range of two adjacent levels derived from planetary price conversions, with 118-08 on the downside and 125-01 on the upside, with technical resistance at 122-00.

All information in this post is merely the personal opinion of the author and not that of Astrology.com or any other person, company or entity. This information is not to be construed as financial advice, nor relied upon as such. Please contact your broker or financial advisor for trading and investment advice, and use astrological indicators in combination with other trading-decision inputs. Past results are not necessarily indicative of future market behavior. All times Eastern.