These comments are written for a hypothetical 'active trader', naturally most investors do not buy and sell as frequently, yet still they are offered as a low-key guide for infrequent buyers and sellers looking for some confirmation regarding the trading decisions that they make over the next year.

These are some of the aspects I noticed the planets are forming over the next year, with a few comments as to some of the possible effects, relating to America and the Dow in particular. These should be viewed as a back-drop against the present economic climate, that being, although the Dollar is possibly currently seen as overvalued or too aggressive, there is a returning wave of confidence in the markets that by 3rd and 4th quarters of 2002 is expected to be both positive and expansive.

Having looked at the aspects for 2002, I agree, especially once we get through this next Pluto/Saturn opposition coming up.

Around the week of March 21, Uranus will conjunct the American Moon with Pluto turning retrograde to come back to oppose Saturn again in May. Since this is similar to one of the configurations involved in the September 11 attack, (Saturn opposing Pluto, Neptune conjucting the American South Node), there is a possibility of there being some form of social scare beginning to build up around this time. The North Node is conjunct President Bush's progressed Uranus at the same time. The effects of this could bring the indexes down for approximately 2 weeks. In addition, the Sun squares Jupiter on the 27th, an aspect which usually brings the markets down.

(In hindsight: the Dow dropped 1.9 percent between the 16th and the end of March. The Sun squared Jupiter on the 27th of March. If you had sold approximately 10 days before the 27th (as recommended on the Sun-Jupiter Square dates page), you would have timed the drop almost to perfection.)

A recovery to this possible small drop at the end of March could well be around the first week of April, and again in the third week of April, with the Sun leading into a trine with Jupiter on the 1st of May (when the Sun squares Neptune). In May you can expect the markets to drop, since the Sun is adversely affected. Saturn also forms an exact opposition with Pluto in the 4th week of May, so this does not look like a good month.(the exact date of this opposition is the 25th of May and is within a one-degree orb about a week either side).

(In hindsight: the FTSE sank to 3-month lows at the end of May. On Wall Street, concerns about the US economic outlook drove the Dow down for several weeks. The month was characterised by fears of further terrorism in the US and nuclear war between India and Pakistan. It was no coincidence that the physical damagage caused by the 9/11 attack, born at the time of the first Saturn/pluto opposition, saw closure at exactly the time when these two planets formed their final opposition).

As stated earlier, May brings the destructive Pluto/Saturn opposition again. I do not wish to raise the slightest bit of alarm, this is purely academic. Under no circumstances am I saying that there will be an "event", only that the potential exists under this belligerent aspect. It is interesting to note that, during the September 11 attack, Mars was in Capricorn. As you know, Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, which rules buildings and government. In May this year when Pluto and Saturn are opposed, Mars is in Gemini, ruled by Mercury, which in turn rules the air and communications. However, from the 28th of May, Mars moves into Cancer, which rules, amongst other things, water. Based on this shaky premise, the threat, if any, could either be a large-scale Internet disruption or contamination of the air people breathe at the end of May, or the water they drink in June.

The next time to purchase could be in early July, around the 5th-8th, with the Sun catching up to a conjunction with Jupiter in mid July. Consider holding on to these stocks until the end of August, since September is also adversely affected with the Sun inconjunct Neptune on the 1st, square Pluto on the 7th, and square Saturn on the 21st. (In hindsight: this prediction was totally wrong. The conjunction seemed to cause the exact opposite. This still has not changed my view of the Sun/Jupiter aspects. It is a general rule, there have been exceptions in the past, and there will be exceptions in the future. I gave this one a 4/10 rating, and will just have to bite my lip and try and study the effects of the conjunction in more depth, perhaps exclude them from the list of fortunate aspects (the trines and sextiles). I am sorry if I have made anyone angry or think I am wasting their time, but I still believe in it for the same reason that I give Astrology credibility: it works more often than not, even with our current knowledge of it, and any positive bias is a long-term winning bias).

However, the prediction for September held true. On the 1st of September, the Dow was at 8500. By the 30th, it had dropped to 7700.

Consider purchasing stocks and the dollar around 26th September, since October could be a particularly good month for the markets. (trine Neptune 1st, trine Jupiter 5th, sextile Pluto 8th, trine Saturn 22nd). For those wanting a demonstration of how the planets affect the international stock markets, October seems to be a good example. I say this in the knowledge of how memories of the month of October traditionally bring a little trepidation into the hearts of most investors.

In hindsight: With so many good aspects to the Sun during this month, this was pretty much a sure thing. Almost all the stock markets in the world surged during October. The Dow rose 15 percent. This was the biggest one-month gain since 1997.

A few comments on the claim that 'the planets affect the stock markets'. This statement is probably not directly true. Because the planets are in harmonious positions to the Sun, it is more likely that the these aspects are simultaneously firing off fortunate aspects in the birthcharts of thousands of investors around the world. If several planets form trines and sextiles to the Sun or each other within a short period of time, it goes without saying that the transits influencing people's lives at that time are doubly powerful. For example, let's say Venus in your birthchart is at 10 degrees of Sagittarius. Today the Sun is at 10 Aries and forms a trine to Jupiter at 10 Leo. Your Venus is therefore being simultaneously aspected by both beneficial aspects by triangulation. This beneficial hororay aspect will affect millions of people in a similar manner. A buildup of these aspects in the same month reflects in the world stock markets in a fairly visible and predictable way. The planets therefore indirectly affect the stock markets by way of influencing both public fortune and sentiment.

Consider selling stocks at the end of October, since the Sun squares Neptune on the 1st of November, Jupiter on the 9th of November, Uranus on the 17th and inconjunct Saturn on the 20th. One should note that, although we say the Sun is badly aspected at times like these, it actually relates to our own planet and affairs in terms of its geocentric view of the aspects. In this light, November is clearly not a good month for the markets. The effects could continue into December.

In 2003, my suggestion is to start putting your money into fixed-interest investments, long bonds, gilts and such. The North Node is steadily declining to its nadir (bottom) at 0 Aquarius at the end of the decade. Historically this has been shown to have a concomitant effect on the world stock market supercycles. Naturally, it won't be a straight line down, there will be some bullish trends along the way.

It is my opinion that the last of the recently returning confidence in the world stock markets will begin to decline for several years next year. 2003 does not look like a very good year in this regard. With Mars turning retrograde at 10 Pisces and conjoining Uranus at 2 Pisces at the end of July, this is the kind of configuration that in the past has resulted in plagues and famines and things of that nature. At least there will be strikes or protests.

November 2003, around the 23rd especially, the planets are in critical positions that could play havoc with social and political issues. At the end of 2003 the US President might not be able to adequately handle troubles from so many angles at once, and there is naturally the well-documented chance of an assassination attempt occurring over the next year or two. February and especially November 2003 look particularly trying for the President. It is my opinion that if such an attempt were to occur, it will be towards the end of November 2003, when several of the slow-moving planets are in very challenging positions in his and his family's chart.

So, there you have it, for what it's worth. Broadly, the recommendation for 2002 is to reap the final fruits of this historic super-cycle peak we have experienced over the past decade. For 2003, the apprehensive year of the Sheep, I would suggest that investors begin to call it a day, secure themselves, fix their interest rates and cut back to weather a somewhat turbulent year and continuation of the decade-long downward trend in the general super-cycle.

March, 2002

I would like to stress that investors should only view the above as information of interest. Many people make money just as quickly in declining markets. The key is to begin understanding your own personal planetary cycles, indicated by your progressions and transits. Turn up the heat when the planets favorably aspect you, and take it easy when the aspects are temporarily against you. That way, logically speaking, you should be at least as twice as powerful an investor. As Mark Richards, world surfing champion once said, "Learn to use your accelerator!"

I've just been looking at Bush's chart in more detail for the next few months. It seems he has another difficult period coming up from the end of October, 2003 and his November nightmare. In January, Pluto is on his South Node. At the same time, Pluto is opposing the American-chart Mars at 21Gem22. Not pleasant looking stuff at all. Saturn in Cancer will be hitting his and the American suns in June 2004. Interestingly, the day Uday and Qusay Hussein were killed, Neptune was exactly opposite Bush's progressed Pluto at 12Leo11. It opposes it again on the 15th January, 2004, so a possible prediction here is that Saddam Hussein will be captured or killed around that date.

For some 'proof of Astrology', have a look at Bush's and America's progressions for September 11, 2001. These were undoubtedly the biggest progressions of his life. Here are some of the ones within a degree:-

Mars at 13Lib22 square Bush's Sun at 13Can47 and America's 13Can18. (Sag Ascendant Chart)

Bush's SA (Solar Arc) Sun at 9 Virgo conjunct Mars at 9Vir18.
Bush's SA Mercury at 5Lib05 conjunct Neptune at 5Lib56.
Jupiter at 13Sag18 inconjunct his Sun at 13Can47 and America's 13Can18.
Bush's SA Saturn at 21Vir30 square his North Node at 20Gem35.
Bush's SA Pluto at 5Lib45 conjunct his Neptune at 5Lib56.

Horary: As you know, the Pluto/Saturn opposition was about 2 degrees at the time.

Transits that day:
Uranus at 21Aqu50 opposed Bush's Venus at 21Leo30.
Uranus at 21Aqu50 opposed Bush's progressed Mercury at 21Leo40.
Mercury at 14Lib square Bush's Sun at 13Can47 and the American Sun at 13Can18.
Neptune at 6Aqu21 opposed Bush's Ascendant at 7Leo06.
The Sun at 18Vir40 Square Bush's Uranus at 19Gem09.
Neptune at 6Aqu21 conjunct the American South Node at 13Can18.

Update, August 2003.
If scientists and statisticians cannot still don't get it, then I truly feel sorry for them. Bush's birth details are in the program, if you'd like to have a look. We Astrologers must also wake up. This one was frighteningly easy to see. Not the events, but the period. We are definitely not out of the woods yet. Bush has another very difficult period from the end of October 2003 to February 2004. Saturn conjuncts his and the American Suns in June. Pluto opposes America's Mars in Mid-January, 2004. Because Mars is in the American 7th house, we must also look at the American allies' charts, in particular those of the UK and Tony Blair. More on this soon. Pluto is a massively powerful planet, as you may well know. I don't have to tell you what it rules.

To download the free (until 2004) "Lucky Days" software, that lists your daily transits and indicates your own periods when you should consider accelerating or slowing down, please click here.