Financial Astrology

» The unanimous message of mystics of all ages that all entities in the universe are interconnected and constitute an indivisible whole is proven now by unequivocal physical experiments that have been replicated again and again. From this undeniable unity, connectedness, and inseparability follows that any action or configuration in any distant part of the universe can influence processes in the solar system inhabited by man. This is also valid for the interrelations of Sun and planets within the solar system and especially the Earth's connections with other cosmic bodies in the solar environment.
To look at the solar system and its constituent parts as a whole that embraces a complex web of holistic interrelations, is a premise of traditional astrology, which seemed antiquated, but turns out to be trend-setting. Thus, it appears promising to subject the astrological thesis of an influence of celestial bodies on the Earth and life on its surface to a new test. The quality of the astrological body of theses matches the holistic results of modern research, as it represents the archetype of an integrating science. Astrology of this brand was a historical reality in the era of Kepler, Galileo and Newton. It is well known that Kepler was both an astrologer and one of the creative founders of modern science. Book IV of his principle work Harmonices Mundi (1619) with the heading "Book on Metaphysics, Psychology, and Astrology" is evidence of this, as well as his papers De fundamentis astrologiae certioribus (1602) and De stella nova (1604). Those who pretend that Kepler was not really engaged in astrology should read these writings. «
Theodor Landscheidt (1988) - Sun-Earth-Man: A Mesh of Cosmic Oscillations.
 
Financial Astrology, also known as Business Astrology, Economic Astrology, or Astro-Economics, is the practice of correlating the movements of celestial bodies with events in financial markets. One of John Pierpont Morgan's most famous quotes states, "Millionaires do not use astrology in the stock market; billionaires do." Interestingly, Morgan employed a full-time astrologer named Evangeline Adams, who assisted him throughout his financial career.

However, it’s important to note that no tool—be it fundamental, technical, or astrological—works consistently well at all times. Furthermore, financial astrology should not be regarded as a standalone market analysis tool; it is merely one of many factors that influence the markets.


 
Astrology is one of the oldest sciences, but new knowledge and methodologies must be employed to forecast changes in the collective mood of traders around the globe. Alphee Lavoie once remarked, "I don't think you can predict the market using any astrological aspect employed by astrologers, whether they be Ptolemaic aspects or minor aspects." This perspective led him to develop TimingSolution in collaboration with Sergey Tarassov.






Conversely, several notable figures—such as George Bayer, Donald Bradley, David Williams, Jack Gillen, Al Larson, Larry Berg, and Miles Wilson Walker—have documented astro-events with remarkably high correlations to shifts in market trends. 



It is noteworthy that the most successful economic forecaster of the 19th century was Sir William Herschel, an astronomer rather than an economist. Herschel observed a relationship between sunspots and crop prices, noting that when sunspots were fewer, crops tended to be scarcer, resulting in higher prices. Conversely, an increase in sunspots corresponded with higher crop yields and lower prices. As a result, he was able to forecast periods of high and low prices for crops based on sunspot activity from 1798 to 1813.



Following this, British economist William Stanley Jevons compiled statistical data on economic transformations in 1875, leading to increased interest in the interaction between sunspot cycles and economic changes. Retired iron and steel producer Samuel Benner examined the prices of iron, crops, and cotton, discovering that these prices fluctuated in 11-year cycles that aligned with both Jupiter’s cycles and sunspot activity.

H.L. Moore, a professor at Columbia University, correlated production cycles with the inferior conjunction of Venus, which occurs every eight years when Venus aligns with the Sun and Earth at the same celestial longitude. In 1923, Moore asserted a connection between Venus cycles, commercial activities, and sunspots, suggesting that these cycles influenced weather patterns, harvests, and economic conditions. He further claimed that the Venus cycle was linked to the fluctuations of the stock markets
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Louise McWhirter proposed one of the most compelling theories regarding the relationship between trade cycles and planetary cycles. According to McWhirter, trade volumes and financial trends are closely linked to the cycles of the North Node. She observed that when the North Node is in Leo, trade volumes tend to be higher, while in Aquarius, trade volumes are minimal. In Capricorn and Sagittarius, trade volumes are typically below average but show a tendency to increase.

As the North Node transitions from Scorpio to Libra, a period of gradual volume increase occurs. In Virgo, volumes approach their peak, and when the North Node moves into Leo, they reach their maximum. In Cancer and Gemini, volumes remain above average but exhibit a downward trend. Taurus marks a transitional period, after which volumes begin to decline. In Aries, trade levels drop below average.

McWhirter also noted that several other factors influence trade volumes beyond the North Node's position. For instance, a conjunction between Jupiter and the North Node, as well as soft aspects involving Pluto and the North Node, tend to boost trade volumes. Conversely, hard aspects or conjunctions of the North Node with Saturn, Uranus, or Pluto suppress trade activity. Additionally, she pointed out that soft aspects between Jupiter and Saturn, as well as Saturn and Uranus, can enhance trade volumes, while a conjunction between Saturn and Uranus or incompatible aspects tend to have a suppressive effect. (Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus are the primary planets affecting trade cycles, with Saturn conjuncting Jupiter approximately every 19.86 years and Uranus every 45.36 years.)
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John Nelson's Solar Cycle Prediction 
» Space is filled with a network of currents which transfer energy and momentum over large or very large distances. The currents often pinch to filamentary or surface currents. The latter are likely to give space, as also interstellar and intergalactic space, a cellular structure. «
Hannes Alfvén - electrical engineer, plasma physicist and winner of the 1970 Nobel Prize in Physics

In 1946, John H. Nelson, an engineer at RCA Communications Co. in New York, published an article in *RCA Review* outlining a theory for predicting shortwave radio propagation over the North Atlantic. He compared planetary positions relative to the Sun with logs of propagation conditions maintained at RCA's receiving station in Riverhead, Long Island. Nelson discovered that disturbances predominantly occurred in conjunction with significant planetary configurations.

In 1967, he made nearly 1,500 forecasts with an impressive accuracy rate of 93.2%. Despite this success, he refrained from openly acknowledging that his work was based on astrology; instead, he referred to it as "Astro Physics." Nevertheless, his methodology relied on the same planetary configurations and major angular aspects that astrologers have used for centuries. This achievement marked a significant advancement in the scientific community, providing evidence that astrology can have practical applications
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Interview with Arch Crawford on Financial Astrology
  
Interviewer: Dave Goodboy, Executive Producer of Real World Trading (http://www.RealWorldTrading.com)  
Guest: Arch Crawford, World-Renowned Financial Astrologer, [Crawford Perspectives](http://www.crawfordperspectives.com)
June 10, 2005

Dave: Hi, Arch! How are you today?
Arch: Very well, thank you.

Let’s start at the beginning. What first got you interested in the financial markets?
I always loved numbers as a child; I used to extract square roots for fun. I remember seeing my father looking at a whole page of numbers in the paper, and I became fascinated with the stock market. I started watching stocks under $10 back in 1954. My initial studies were mainly technical. In 1960, I charted US Steel during a big steel strike, and the headlines made no sense in relation to the stock movement.

So, there was no correlation between the headlines and the stock movement?
Exactly. One of the first books I read was Darvas' How I Made $2 Million In The Stock Market. A couple of years later, I began working for Merrill Lynch in Raleigh, NC, where I initially put up prices on a chalkboard.

This was in the early '60s?
Yes, around 1961. I was studying math and physics at the University of North Carolina but left to pursue my passion for finance. I asked Merrill Lynch to send me to New York, but they weren’t keen. Eventually, I insisted, and they transferred me to the research department.
 
What were you doing there?
I was drawing weekly charts of industry specialists, which took me three days to complete 45 charts. I also learned a lot from Edwards & McGee, focusing on trendlines and support/resistance levels. I spent every night in the library, even making friends with the librarian to extend my hours.

What was your first major market prediction?
I noticed a head and shoulder pattern forming on the Dow Jones. I predicted it would top in December 1961 and crash in 1962. It did crash, and I earned the nickname “Crash Crawford.”

How did you transition from a technical analyst to a financial astrologer?
On the day before my 21st birthday in 1963, I read an article in the Wall Street Journal about three men predicting market movements using astrology. This piqued my interest, and I began studying astrology, particularly David Williams' pamphlet Astro-economics and Donald Bradley's Stock Market Prediction.

What specific astrological factors do you analyze?
I track all planets, including the Sun and Moon, focusing on their configurations and harmonic relationships. These configurations can act as "strange attractors" for the market.

Can you elaborate on what you mean by "configuration"?
A configuration involves several planets in harmonic relationships. For example, a harmonic of one means two planets are aligned, while a harmonic of two is a 180-degree opposition, like a full moon.

And you believe these configurations affect market movements?
Absolutely. When multiple planets align, it creates a unique event that can pull the market up or down in the lead-up to that alignment.

How often do these configurations occur?
They occur two to three times a year. Other than that, the market tends to follow the Bradley model.

Can you describe the theory behind why this works?
I can’t pinpoint an exact reason. However, there’s a connection between planetary alignments and human behavior. For example, John Nelson, a radio propagation specialist, found that solar activity correlated with magnetic storms, which in turn impacted people's behavior.

So, the idea is that planetary alignments affect emotions, which influence market actions?
Yes, when certain cosmic conditions arise, they can elate or depress emotions, thus affecting buying or selling behavior in the market.

Are there correlations between market movements and eclipses?
Yes, eclipses are significant events. Solar eclipses tend to have longer-term effects, while lunar eclipses are often more dramatic in the short term.

How many eclipses occur in a year?
There are typically 3-5 eclipses annually. I’ve observed their impact on market movements, particularly during the 1987 crash, which was influenced by a solar eclipse.

Does astrological analysis apply to all markets?
Yes, it affects markets based on emotional responses. I also monitor the Mars/Uranus cycle, which has historically been associated with market crashes.

What do you see for the future?
While we’re not in a crash period now, I expect a market downturn as the year progresses. I predicted a crash cycle from August 2006 to March 2007 based on past patterns.

And what’s your outlook on gold?
I believe gold might peak soon and then drop before experiencing a significant rise around Labor Day, following the patterns I’ve observed.

Fascinating insights, Arch. We’re almost out of time, but thank you for sharing your knowledge with us today!
It’s been a pleasure discussing this work, which has been meaningful to me for many years.


History of Stock Market Astrology | Bill Meridian
  
I began to study astrology in 1972. The Foundation for the Study of Cycles listed several stock market cycles such as 9.3 and 18.6 years. I noted that the Lunar Node has a half-period and a full period of those lengths. It appeared that planetary cycles were linked to price cycles. After two years, I began to apply the planets to prices. All of the previous books and studies that I had accumulated suffered from several drawbacks. The first was that the analyses were based upon a limited number of years, either due to lack of data or lack of computing power. In addition, many of the studies omitted the Lunar Node or treated the effect of the 90-degree square the same as the effect of the 270-degree square, as Bradley did.

I began by casting horoscopes of incorporation in my position as a junior securities analyst in New York City. Charles Jayne had done some work with such charts, and found some correlation to share price movements. The dates and times were obtained from the state of Delaware, which does require an exact time of incorporation for each company. We analysts were rated by the accuracy of our earnings projections.

I would adjust my numbers according to the condition of the incorporation chart, raising the estimates above the mean when the chart was well-aspected and dropping them below the median when the chart was afflicted. In the words of my supervisor, I significantly excelled with my projections. Not satisfied with the relationship of the chart of incorporation with share price movements, I turned to the horoscope of first trade. The dates were obtained from the Exchange beginning in the 1970s. The charts were set for the time of the opening of the exchange, 10 am until 1985 and 9:30 AM since. This marks the moment at which one could actually buy the stock. For big and well-known issues, the trading usually begins immediately. Today, the actual time of the first trade can be obtained for new issues on systems that have intraday prices.

The value added by stock market astrology can be illustrated by the following anecdote:

I read an interview with a commodity trader, in which he said that he did not use technical analysis because it is based upon yesterday’s data. This was an odd statement, coming from a trader. He then said that he relied upon fundamental information related to the markets, citing a number of different economic numbers, which are yesterday’s data. Thus, he revealed that he knows that analysis based upon yesterday’s numbers is limited, but he apparently is not aware of any other methodology that does not have this limitation. That is the dilemma of most market followers-they do not look at events that occur in the future. I began to look at planetary positions because these can be computed with great accuracy many years in advance. The only trick then is to determine how the phenomena relate to the specific market in question.

The use of astrology in stock market prediction may seem like a natural, but there has been surprisingly little research until recently. The early pioneers in the field were limited by the sheer amount of number crunching. W.D. Gann has been credited with the use of astrology in price forecasting. Piecing Gann’s puzzle together, it appears that he employed various people in researching various forecasting techniques. Gann’s astro researchers were Ken Brown and Edward L. Johndro, according to Charles Jayne. Their work was never published, and was reportedly destroyed at Johndro’s request. Because Brown quickly followed Johndro to the next world, we have no way of verifying this. Having studied Johndro’s techniques, I can say that the work must have been very sophisticated.

After the 1929 crash, there was no interest in market research of any kind. Taylor’s book analyzed a few outer planet aspects. James Mars Langham published Planetary Effects on the New York Stock Exchange in the early 1930s. He followed this with a book about commodity trading entitled Cyclical Market Forecasting Stocks and Grain. Luther Jensen wrote Astro Cycles and Speculative Markets in 1935. They primarily relied upon transiting aspects and horoscopes of companies.

Louise McWhirter presented the horoscope of the New York Stock Exchange in the 1930s. Her work on the nodal cycle in relation to the economy was also notable. George Bayer was one of the few researchers in the forties. He concentrated on commodities and some stocks. We must commend his work due to his recognition of heliocentric aspects and measurement systems such as speed and declination, very uncommon considerations in his day.

In 1949, Bradley wrote The Stock Market Barometer and How to Use It. This was probably the best-organized of the studies. He used the technique of weighted hits to project market movements. This involved assigning pluses or minuses for bullish and bearish effect, and a number to each transiting aspect. Declinations also played a part in his calculations. Bradley’s projections have not been useful in modern times. I ran a 10-year study asking a simple question- will the market be up or down this month? The cycle projection was correct 48 percent of the time, not a good score when one realizes that about 58 to 59 percent of all months have been up months. In order to improve the score, I analyzed the signs used by Bradley and found a third of them to be incorrect. Substituting the accurate signs, the Bradley batting average rose to 60 percent, still not very good.

Muriel Hasbrouck began her research on earthquakes, but changed tracks when her husband noticed that many of the dates that she generated coincided with stock market moves. She established Space-Time Forecasting and developed a following on Wall Street. The US government showed an interest in her work, offering to assist in further research. In a series of letters to Ed Dewey, she laid out the course of her communications with the US. She was shocked when the government shut her down. The reason was never made clear, but it appears that the dates that she projected corresponded to the dates of secret missile tests. Hasbrouck left her work to Harriett Higginson who added her techniques to her own. With the Harriett’s passing, the Hasbrouck secrets disappeared.

In the 1960s, Cdr. David Williams authored Financial Astrology, a good basic reader on economic and financial techniques. Cdr. Williams enriched himself and associates with accurate stock market investments. Jack Gillen wrote books about astrology and speculation. In one volume, he used horoscopes of incorporation to select stocks, a technique that apparently succeeded.

Thomas Reider wrote Sun Spots, Stars, and the Stock Market. Reider made several useful indicators. For example, he found that the odd of a declining market soared after Mars made a t-square with the outer planets. In 1979, Charles Clifford Matlock wrote Man and Cosmos. Matlock was a US diplomat who studied market movements. He constructed graphs depicting the relationship of outer planets such as Jupiter and Saturn to the Dow over long time periods. He did not follow this work up with a sequel.

The area opened up with the development of the PC and astrological software. In addition, modern practitioners have the advantage of a greater amount of price data.

In 1974, I met Arch Crawford, Bob Farrell’s first technical assistant at Merrill Lynch, at a NYC astrology conference at which Harriett Higginson spoke. She forecasted a top in gold prices using a Jupiter-Neptune aspect. We were both impressed, and Arch founded Crawford Perspectives in 1977, a service that continues to this day. In the early 1980s, called for “the best bull market in years” on the front page of the Wall Street Journal.

This prediction was followed by the 1982 blast-off for an 18-year bull market. Arch’s work attracted great attention when he predicted the 1987 crash, earning him the title of “Wall Street’s best-known astrologer” from Barrons. He did so by pinpointing the August 25, 1987 multiple conjunction as the top day. Since that time, he has consistently been ranked highly versus other market forecasters by independent services, such as Timers Digest and Hulberts.

We both took note of Bradley’s diagrams in which he depicted the percentage change in the stock market around Venus-Uranus aspects. This was a necessary ingredient for market analysis, but it was not the full answer. Arch proposed the calculation of the percentage change as the two planets moved from 0 degrees separation to 360 degrees. This was the birth of the composite cycle. The first cycles were computed by hand from 1915 to 1975. In the early 1980s, I loaded the data into a Lotus spreadsheet, and the first composite cycles were generated by computer, the first of which is reproduced below as graph one, the very first composite cycle generated by PC. This graph was drawn on an HP plotter in the early 1980s. It depicts the relationship of the stock market as Mars and Uranus move through their complete cycle.

In 1987, I developed the AstroAnalyst program with Robert Hand. This was, as far as we know, the first software designed to analyze any price series in relationship to planetary cycles. The program introduced composite cycles and a facility to analyze the effect of aspects on any market. Graph 2 below is that of the same Mars-Uranus cycle, but this one was drawn with the AA program. Note that this graph begins and ends at 1.0. It is smoothed to knock out the structural tendency of the market to rise over time. Graph 3 is not smoothed, and therefore reflects the tendency of the market to rise over time. Many of these tools migrated into AIR Software’s Market Trader. I invented the Efficiency Test to explore further the effect of any phenomena on any market and further developed composite cycles. My database of first-trade charts was loaded into the program, and Alphee Lavoie and Sergey Tarasov developed many new and innovative methods to sort through and research stocks through these horoscopes.

In 1983, the first Astro-Economic Conference was held, a tradition that Grace Morris has kept alive to this day. See her website at astroeconomics.com. At this conference, Peter Brimelow of Barrons wrote a fair-minded review of the field, one of the first mainstream journalists to do so.

Stock market astrology hit a pinnacle in the summer of 2002. July of 2002, Cycles Research was ranked number one in stock market timing by Timer Digest for the prior 12 months. Arch Crawford at Crawford Perspectives is number 1 for the prior 6 months. He is also numero uno in Select Advisors poll of 512 managed accounts (real money). The numbers speak for themselves.