2026 High in the Benner Cycle | "Time to Sell Stocks and Values of all Kinds"

Samuel Benner (1832–1913), a once-prosperous farmer in Lawrence County, Ohio, whose wealth was destroyed by a devastating hog cholera epidemic and the Panic of 1873, devoted the remainder of his life to identifying recurring patterns in economic booms and busts. Through exhaustive analysis of commodity prices—specifically provisions (pork products such as bacon, ham, mess pork, lard, and salted pork), live hogs, corn, cotton, and pig iron (later also wheat and railroad-stocks)—he published "Benner's Prophecies of Future Ups and Downs in Prices" in 1876, a work that formed the basis for his annual forecasts through 1907.

  

 » Periods When to Make Money. « The original 1872 business card of the George Tritch Hardware Co. in Denver, Colorado—which was copyrighted in 1883 and 1897—is the focus of an ongoing controversy: Was it genuinely created by Tritch, and simply plagiarized and popularized by Benner four years later in 1876?

 
Benner’s approach was empirical, grounded in price data from 1780 to 1872, and used to extend projections far into the future by emphasizing recurring cycles in commodity prices and business activity. He treated these cycles not merely as descriptive patterns but as prescriptive guidance, advising investors on when to buy during "hard times" and when to sell during "good times."

 

Benner's time-price model identified nested peaks and troughs in commodity prices, agricultural yields, and broader economic conditions. Central to his framework were the following patterns:

■ 27-Year Cycle in Pig Iron and Cotton Prices: Analyzing data from 1833 to 1899, Benner observed high prices following an ascending arithmetic progression of 8, 9, and 10 years, repeating every 27 years. Low prices, conversely, followed a descending series of 9 and 7 years. This cycle captured the volatility in industrial commodities like pig iron, which Benner viewed as a bellwether for economic health, given iron's role in manufacturing and infrastructure.
■ 11-Year Cycle in Corn and Hog Prices: Beginning in 1836, this cycle alternated between 5- and 6-year sub-periods, reflecting fluctuations in agricultural staples. Benner broke it into peaks and troughs that aligned with seasonal and weather-related disruptions.
■ Business Cycle with 16-18-20 Year Peaks: Extending his commodity analysis, Benner described a broader 11-year business rhythm, characterized by peaks spaced 16, 18, and 20 years apart. Lows coincided with pig iron troughs, while panics occurred at intervals averaging 9 years (7-11-9 pattern, akin to the Juglar cycle). Every third peak aligned roughly every 54 years, echoing longer waves like those later formalized by Nikolai Kondratieff.

 Benner's astronomical time-price cycles theory.

These cycles formed a hierarchical structure: shorter oscillations (5–11 years) drove immediate price swings, while longer ones (27 and 54 years) shaped multi-decade eras of prosperity or contraction. Benner integrated them into a single chart, forecasting "ups and downs" with directives such as "Years of Good Times: High Prices and the Time to Sell" for peaks and "Years of Hard Times: Low Prices and a Good Time to Buy" for troughs.

 

 

 » "B." [2026] Years of Good Times. High Prices and the Time to Sell Stocks and Values of All Kinds. « 

For 2025, Benner’s cycle predicted the US stock market driving higher; for 2026, it forecasts a major top: "High Prices and the Time to Sell Stocks and Values of All Kinds" into 2032 ("Years of Hard Times, Low Prices, and a Good Time to Buy Stocks"). 2026 is marked as a "B" phase year — a peak of high prices and euphoria, often the culmination of a bull market before a shift to downturns. Historical "B" peaks have aligned (often within 1-2 years) with major tops like: 1929 (Great Depression peak), 2000 (dot-com bubble), 2007 (pre-2008 crisis), and others. 

Benner attributed these periodicities to celestial mechanics, positing that solar system dynamics influenced earthly economies. He aligned his 11-year cycle with Jupiter's major equinox, which recurs every 11.86 years—a near-match to observed corn, hog, and business fluctuations from 1836, 1847, 1858, and 1869. Jupiter, in his view, served as the "ruling element" in natural product price cycles, potentially modulated by electromagnetic influences from Uranus and Neptune on Saturn and, in turn, Earth.

This astro-economic perspective echoed earlier hints by English economist William Stanley Jevons, who suggested in 1843 planetary configurations might underpin business cycles but abandoned the idea amid academic opposition. Modern interpretations extend this to lunar phases and solar activity (e.g., nodal precession, sunspot cycles), though Benner's original emphasis remained on observable price data rather than strict astronomy and astrology.

   

Benner's Cycle Forecast for the Period 2015–2035.

In 1948, Edward R. Dewey, director of the Foundation for the Study of Cycles, updated and reprinted Benner’s work as the Foundation’s "Reprint No. 24". He lauded Benner’s pig-iron forecasts over the 60-year period from 1875 to 1935 for achieving a gain-to-loss ratio of 45:1, deeming it one of the most reliable business charts despite numerous imitations by lesser-known authors. Proponents cite alignments with major events: the cycle's "B" peaks (high-price euphoria phases) approximated the 1929 stock market top preceding the Great Depression, the 2000 dot-com bust, and the 2007 pre-financial crisis summit—often within 1–2 years. 

 

Edward R. Dewey (1967) considered the true length of Benner’s pig iron price cycle to be 9.2 years and thus his "forecast got off the track by one year every five waves. By 1939 his projection was no longer usable."  In 1971 Dewey commented: "Were Benner still alive and issuing yearly supplements to his Prophecies, he probably would have learned all that was necessary to know about cycles of fractional length and would have adjusted later forecasts accordingly." 

However, scrutiny reveals nuances: Benner's original chart, rooted in agriculture (which comprised 53% of the US economy in the 1870s), projected a 1927 high and 1930 low, not the exact 1929–1932 Depression timeline. A sensational 1933 Wall Street Journal article, designed to attract attention, altered Benner’s original cycle dates for dramatic effect, thereby fueling persistent misconceptions (see chart below).

 

 

Martin Armstrong recently contended that Benner’s cycle was more a historical curiosity than a reliable predictive tool, noting that it has been both right and wrong many times: 

 

The claim that Benner’s Cycle predicted the Great Depression is false. The chart [above] that was published in the Wall Street Journal altered Samuel Benner’s cycle, which was based on agriculture. It predicted a high in 1927, not 1929, and the low in 1930, not 1932. Claims that Benner’s work calls for a crash in 2025 are flat-out wrong. His target years would be 2019 and 2035, based on his data, not the altered, fake news published by the Wall Street Journal in 1933.

 

Benner was a farmer. Applying his cycle to the economy today is no longer effective, any more than the Kondratieff Wave. Both were based on the economy, with agriculture being the #1 sector. As the Industrial Revolution unfolded, those cycles remain relevant for commodities, but not the economy. Agriculture, when Benner developed his model, accounted for 53% of the economy. Today it is 3%. If they were alive today, they would have used the services industry. Capital flows are still pointing to the dollar, given the prospect of war and sovereign defaults outside the USA.

Martin Armstrong, August 30, 2025.

 

See also: 

Samuel Benner (1876)  - Benner's prophecies of future ups and downs in prices. 

What years to make money on pig-iron, hogs, corn, and provisions.  

Samuel Benner (1907)  - Benner's prophecies of future ups and downs in prices. 

Edward R. Dewey and Edwin F. Dakin (1947) - Cycles: The Science of Prediction.

Edward R. Dewey (1967)  - The Case for Cycles.
Edward R. Dewey and Og Mandino (1971) - Cycles: The Mysterious Forces that Trigger Events.

LCdr. David Williams (1982) - Financial Astrology.  

TPR (2022) - "Periods When to Make Money": Benner Cycle Projection into 2023 Major Low.

Fed Cuts, Banks Cash In, Main Street Bleeds, Stocks Rise | Oscar Carboni

Jerome Powell cut rates by a quarter point. Big deal? Not for Americans paying 8% mortgages. Banks borrow from the Fed at 4% and lend at nearly double. Every cut fuels their spread, no relief for homebuyers. Bond market moves by banks erase any Fed benefit.

» Every time the Fed lowers rates, banks push down the bond market, which drives mortgage

rates right back up. We saw this earlier this year: bonds get hammered, rates climb. «

 

Main Street loses. Wall Street profits. This loop has repeated for months. Powell’s cuts can’t counteract bond manipulation. And the bigger risk looms: in past crises—2008, COVID—near-zero rates saved the system. Burn through cuts now, and the Fed has less firepower when the next shock hits.

» Bonds don’t look good, but the S&P, NASDAQ, Russell, Bitcoin, even real estate—all look strong.

Lower rates push asset prices higher. So we’ll trade dips, especially in Bitcoin, and ride the trend. «

Traders, however, see opportunity. Even tiny rate cuts flood liquidity into markets. Equities, crypto, real estate—they all get a boost. S&P, NASDAQ, Russell, Bitcoin—buy dips, ride the rally. Bonds remain toxic, but risk assets thrive. Cuts inflate prices, but housing stays out of reach.

The solution is simple: cap lending spreads. If banks borrow at 4%, mortgages shouldn’t exceed 6%. Without it, the Fed's moves only fuel asset inflation while Main Street bleeds. Until reform arrives, liquidity drives traders’ gains while banks run the bond market—and Americans pay the price. The Fed may cut, but the real game is elsewhere.

Reference:

Oscar Carboni (September 18, 2025) - Bond Market, Banks & Jerome Powell's Interest Rate Move Explained. (video)

 

» When the Fed cuts with the S&P <2% from ATH (13x since ’90), the next 30 days is a coin flip (6 up/7 down).  3-months out has almost a perfect record: 12/13 up with the last and only loss in 1990. Recent four 3-month gains: +6.2%, +5.9%, +7.7%, +1.6%. «
Mark Minervini, September 19, 2025.

 

See also:

Alex Krainer (September 20, 2025) - How Rate Cuts Fuel an Overheated Market,

and Why a Pullback Is Part of the Journey to new Highs. 

TPR (September 16, 2025)  - “Sell Rosh Hashanah, Buy Yom Kippur” | Hurst Cycles Suggest Otherwise. 

 Jeff Hirsch (September 9, 2025) - September Seasonality of US Stock Indices.

Chinese Stock Indices, Gann Time Theory & Solar Terms | Tianbao Zhou et al.

Stock indices proved to be rather predictable to some extent. Therefore, according to the study, investors can invest in ETFs that belong to the indices as an ETF is completely coincidental with the index it belongs to. Furthermore, ETFs provide investors with a variety of options of risk and profit. The Shanghai ETF is smooth whereas the Second Board 50 Fund fluctuates a lot. Investors are able to get a high profit from individual stocks as well through implementing the results of this study. The correlation between the turning points of indices and the Chinese 24 solar terms was positive (r = 0.9878).

Turning points always occur near solar terms. Through testing n-day extreme points with a different n value, the sharp turns of the trend often happened near the solar terms, and if we choose 4 days as the valid time radius, the probability is about 80%. Investors should be alert for four days before and four days after a solar term. If the price is too high (low), it is more likely to be affected by the coming solar term, and the higher (lower) the price is, the more instability the trend then would have. However, solar terms are not always strong turning points, but they might cause weaker turning points. In other words, solar terms might not cause a sharp reversal of the stock trend; strong turning points were just some exceptions. Usually, the turning points were not that strong but sufficient for medium-term and short-term investors. The alert period provided investors with a good strategy for short-term and medium-term trading. When judging the upcoming reversal, it should be dynamic. 

 

 

[...] Eight of the Chinese 24 solar terms are very prominent, namely, Chunfen (6), Xiazhi (12), Qiufen (18) and Dongzhi (24), which represent the most vigorous time-points in each season and are the most important four solar terms; the other four are Lichun (3), Lixia (9), Ligiu (15) and Lidong (21). These four represent the beginning of each season and are the second important four solar terms.

 

To our surprise, the importance of these eight solar terms exactly coincides with the wheel of the cycle theory in Gann theory. In Gann’s wheel, the most important four angles are 90°, 180°, 270° and 360° (0°), and the corresponding time-points of each year are exactly the four solar terms of Chunfen (6), Xiazhi (12), Qiufen (18) and Dongzhi (24). The second important four angles, 45°, 135°, 225° and 315° exactly correspond to the four solar terms of Lichun (3), Lixia (9), Liqiu (15) and Lidong (21). Regardless of the angle in Gann theory or solar terms, they all point to a common rule, that is, the stock trend is most likely to turn at these eight points. We can summarize the above results as follows: variable or more significant extreme points often occur at the solar term point, and the solar term point usually makes the stock trend turn according to its strength, and the turning strength is large or small.

 

[...] the Chinese traditional culture, human society is affected by natural factors at every moment, and one of the factors is time (including the time cycle, time-points and time periods). Despite the fact that the absolute price of a stock is generally supposed to be unpredictable, the turning points and reversal of trend of stock indices have rules to follow. 

 

Gann theory suggests that the cycle of time is almost everywhere in the stock market, like our pulse cycle and four seasons of the year. Nobody denies the existence of the time cycle as it retains its rationality and regularity in the nature. Whether or not we know, the regular shocks and vibrations in the stock market caused by time do happen.

[...] we only analyzed the trend and turning points of the Shanghai Index rather than a certain stock or an absolute stock price. We supposed that the index is a wide and general performance of the stock market which eliminates many extreme and irregular cases. Many theories have focused on calendar effects, and all of them show the effort in searching for the independent time factors over regular human factors that may affect the stock market. However, such a division of time is so modern that the turns do not always fall on them. 

 

Besides the solar terms, in China, we have 12 zodiacs (corresponding to a 12-year cycle), lunar months (corresponding to the monthly change of the moon), 10 heavenly stems and 12 earthly branches as well as the constellation of both the Chinese version and the Western version. Thus, we can see that throughout the history, ancient people were always doing tremendous work in summarizing many kinds of time cycles in order to survive, forecast and develop their civilization.

 

 As early as the Spring and Autumn Period (770–476 BC), Chinese ancestors had already established two major solar terms, ri nan zhi (日南至 'Sun South Most') and ri bei zhi (日北至 'Sun North Most'). As of the end of the Warring States Period (475–221 BC), eight key solar terms (Start of Spring, Vernal Equinox, Start of Summer, Summer Solstice, Start of Autumn, Autumnal Equinox, Start of Winter and Winter Solstice) marking the four seasons, were established according to the different positions of the sun and changes in natural phenomena. The rest of the solar terms were initiated in the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC–24 AD). Hence most terms refer to the climate of Xi'an, capital of the Han Dynasty.

[...] The 24 solar terms in each year and their links accurately fitted the trend of the stock in that year. Using 24 price data-points instead of nearly 250 daily data-points of the whole year could make the daily data of high frequency more concise and easier to process. With 250 high-frequency daily data-points, there is strong volatility, which leads to the obvious heteroscedasticity of the data and increases the complexity of data analysis. 

 

The use of 24 solar terms instead of annual data also greatly reduces this unstable and irregular fluctuation. This also coincides with Gann theory. The forecast of future trends in the all-terms group and the eight-terms group was precise, but there remained a gap with the absolute price. We were only able to forecast the time-points and the turning points; as for the absolute price, we hardly made it. This is because the stock market involves a great deal of instability and is extremely complicated.

[...] as we were inspired by Gann, Elliott and the Chinese 24 solar terms, we would rather look for those that do not change, and that is the key to have a better understanding and cognition of our real world, of course, including the stock market. For this reason, it is the higher dimensional time factor and time cycle that produce an overwhelming impact on the stock market, so it reminds us of taking into account the importance of time when conducting such a study. That is why Gann summarized a tremendous amount of time periods to inform the possible reversal in the capital market while the ancient Chinese figured out 24 divisions of a year as 24 solar terms which all solely point to time.

In addition, the ancient Chinese elaborated a complex system, and there are actually many  other divisions of time, years, months, etc. in the Chinese culture. For example, the ten heavenly stems and the twelve earthly branches decide what a year would be like, and that is a 60-year cycle as there are 60 different combinations of one out of the ten heavenly stems with one out of the twelve earthly branches. By the way, one combination is called Gengzi, which is supposed to be the year of disasters and conflicts; the latest Gengzi year was 2020.

Quoted from:
Tianbao Zhou, Xinghao Li & Peng Wang (2021) - Statistics and Practice on the Trend’s Reversal and Turning Points of Chinese Stock Indices Based on Gann’s Time Theory and Solar Terms Effect. 

 

See also:
W.D. Gann (1949) - 45 Years in Wall Street.

W.D. Gann (1954) - Master Commodities Course.

Robert R. Prechter Jr. (1994) - R.N. Elliott's Masterworks.

Ray Tomes (2010) - W.D. Gann's Natural Trading Days.

TPR (2012) - Gann's Natural Trading Days.

TPR (2019) - S&P 500 Index vs Division of Solar Year 2020 starting from Earth’s Perihelion. 

Wikipedia (2022) - Solar Term.

ChineseCalendarOnline.com (2022) - The 24 Solar Terms.

 National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (2022) - 24 Solar Terms.

 

Date and Time Information of 24 Solar Terms in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021

"Periods When to Make Money" | Benner Cycle Projection into 2023 Major Low

Samuel Benner was a prosperous American farmer who was wiped out financially by the 1873 panic and a hog cholera epidemic. In retirement, he set out to establish the causes and timing of fluctuations in the economy.

 

» If you had used these dates for trading, your percentage gains 

between 1872 and 1939 would have been 50 times your losses! «

 Edward R. Dewey, 1967.

Samuel Benner Cycle Forecast 2015–2035.

In 1875 he published a book called "Benner's prophecies of future ups and downs in prices" forecasting commodity prices for the period 1876 to 1904. Many - not all - of these forecasts were fairly accurate. The Benner Cycle includes:

A (upper line): "Years in which Panics have occurred and will occur again." A 54 year cycle alternating every 18, 20 and 16 years.
B (middle line): "Years of Good Times, High Prices and the time to sell Stocks and values of all kinds." Cycles alternating every 8, 9 and 10 years.
C (lower line): "Years of Hard Times, Low Prices, and a good time to buy Stocks, 'Corner Lots', Goods, etc, and hold till the 'Boom' reaches the years of good times; then unload". A 27 year cycle in pig iron prices with lows every 7, 11, 9 years and peaks in the order 8, 9, 10 years (B - middle line).

 

Benner's cycle projections align with the latest analysis of the "Foundation for the Study of Cycles" and are pointing to a major stock market low in the US in 2023. David Hickson's Hurst cycle analysis projects this low to March of 2023 and Martin Armstrong to April 11, 2023 (Tue).

 

 » Periods When to Make Money «  - The original business card of George Tritch Hardware Co. 

The diagram was apparently compiled by George Tritch in 1872, but Samuel Benner did not attribute it to him in 1875.

 

The "Periods When to Make Money" chart, attributed to George Tritch’s Hardware Co. in 1872, is a fascinating artifact in the history of financial cycle analysis. This chart, often referred to as the Benner Cycle due to Samuel Benner’s 1875 publication "Benner’s Prophecies of Future Ups and Downs in Prices," attempts to predict market cycles by identifying periods of panic, prosperity, and low prices. The controversy over its origin—whether it was truly Tritch’s creation in 1872 or popularized by Benner in 1875—highlights an interesting debate about attribution and influence in early financial forecasting.

Tritch’s business card, reportedly compiled in 1872, predates Benner’s book, suggesting he may have been the original architect of the cycle model. The chart categorizes market phases into three types: panic years (A), good times for selling (B), and hard times for buying (C), with cycles of 16/18/20 years for panics, 8/9/10 years for peaks, and shorter cycles for bottoms. Its simplicity and alleged predictive power, reportedly aligning with events like the Great Depression, the Dot-com Bubble, and the 2008 Financial Crisis, have kept it relevant among some investors, despite skepticism about its scientific basis.

 

However, Benner’s 1875 publication, which expanded on these ideas and tied them to commodity price cycles (e.g., 11-year cycles for corn and pigs, 27-year cycles for pig iron), gained more prominence, possibly overshadowing Tritch’s earlier work. Benner’s focus on solar cycles and planetary influences, as noted in some analyses, adds a layer of financial astrology that critics argue lacks empirical rigor. This has led to mixed views: some praise the chart’s historical accuracy, claiming a 7,939% return from 1872 to 2020, while others, like David McMinn, note its declining reliability post-1870s, with false predictions in 1965 and 1999.

 

The lack of attribution by Benner to Tritch raises questions about intellectual credit, possibly due to the chart’s informal distribution on a business card rather than a formal publication. This oversight, intentional or not, underscores the chaotic nature of early financial theory development, where ideas often spread through informal channels. The chart’s enduring appeal lies in its simplicity and cyclical view of markets, resonating with those seeking patterns in economic chaos, but its reliance on outdated assumptions (e.g., planetary influences) and inconsistent accuracy suggest it’s more a historical curiosity than a reliable tool. Modern investors are better served by combining such models with robust data-driven strategies, as the chart’s performance significantly trails a simple buy-and-hold approach ($5,432 vs. $62,414 from 1904 to 2023).

  

Reference:

 George Tritch (1872) - "Periods When to Make Money" - Business Card of George Tritch Hardware Co.

Samuel Benner (1884) - Benner's prophecies of future ups and downs in prices (3rd. Ed.; original 1875)

 W.D. Gann (1909) - Financial Time Table 1784 - 2102

Edward R. Dewey (1967) - The Case for Cycles 

Elwynn Taylor (2004) - Crop Weather Cycles: Myth or Reality?

Martin A. Armstrong (2008) - The 8.6 Year Global Business Cycle 2002 - 2028

Charles Capriole (2020) - George Tritch Strategy from 1872 has a 90% hit rate
David McMinn (2022) - Benner Cycles & the 9/56 year grid

David Hickson (Oct 3, 2022) - The Next 20 Weeks - S&P 500 - Hurst Cycles Market Update
Lars von  Thienen (Oct 9, 2022) - Market Cycles Report - Cycles of Financial Crisis using long term static cycle models.

TPR (2015) - Future Ups and Downs into 2065. Samuel Benner’s Prophecies.

 

 The Tritch/Benner Strategy generated a return of 7,939% from 1872 to 2020.

 

See also:
TPR (December 1, 2025)  - 2026 High in the Benner Cycle: "Time to Sell Stocks and Values of all Kinds".

Detecting the Change of Trend by Means of Critical Degrees | George Bayer

Measuring longitude on the earth is measured from a fixed meridian. Greenwich is usually taken. Longitude in this sense is the angular distance through a place, such as New York City from the fixed meridian, Greenwich. It is always measured from East to West. Astronomical books tell us that the angular distance of a point from a great circle is the angle subtended at the center of the sphere by the intercept of the secondary of the great circle through the point between it and the great circle. The angular distance of one great circle from another is the angle between two great circles. This is the same as the angle subtended at the center of the sphere by the intercept of their common secondary, lying between them. Positions of cities are determined that way.

» Whenever Mars or Jupiter arrive at these locations on the Ecliptic in longitude, there is a change in the market. At times we find several planets arriving on one and the same day at critical degrees making a change of trend a surety. These critical degrees are valued for each sign of the Zodiac. They are located at 0°, 5°, 17°30', 25°. « 

 

Their explanation of celestial longitude is as follows: The celestial longitude of a body is the arc of the ecliptic intercepted between the first point of Aries and the secondary of the ecliptic through that body. The value found is always expressed in degrees and minute and counted from the first point of Aries.

A given longitude of 85°15' means that the planet is 85°15' distant from 0° Aries. The value would be shown in our ephemeris as 25°15' Gemini, for we have the sign of Aries 30° long, the next sign of Taurus also 30° in length, absorbing together 60° of our 85°15', leaving for the sign following, Gemini, 25°15'. In the ephemeris all the work is done already; they are given.

George Bayer, 1937.

Using the Tables as shown in the ephemeris and checking any possible relation between the longitudes of the various planets to the stock market as a whole, I found critical degrees in the Ecliptic. The effect of these critical degrees upon the market as a whole is astonishing. Whenever Mars or Jupiter arrive at these locations on the Ecliptic in longitude, there is a change in the market. At times we find several planets arriving on one and the same day at critical degrees making a change of trend a surety. These critical degrees are valued for each sign of the Zodiac. They are located at 0°, 5°, 17°30', 25°. Supposing Mars passes into the sign of Virgo as will happen on September 26th, 1936. We should find changes coming into the market the moment this planet passes over the 1st degree, over the 5th, the 17 1/2th and the 25th degree. This phenomenon occurs through every sign of the Zodiac. 

The same is true with Jupiter; it also applies to other planets in a minor way. A planet such as Sun, Mercury or Venus due to their fast motion reach these degrees so often and soon that they cannot be used as indicators singly, only in connection with several hitting on one and the same day. It means a change for example, when Mercury happens to be at 5° of a sign, Venus passes 17°30' of some sign and the Sun may enter into a new sign, thus crossing 0° and this all on one single day. In case Mars or Jupiter happens to pass one of these critical degrees also on that specific day, you surely will have a change in the market. Under change, we understand a new cycle. Therefore, when the movement happened to be upward until the day the change is due, we should move downward or, when other indices allow it, we can make a gap upward. You should have ample facilities on hand to distinguish which has to happen, especially when you know that the event is due on this day. In such a case watch your method #1 if an 8 1/2 move is completed; watch the volume as we approach the time for the change; watch all the factors of the other methods and combine those indicating a downmove and separately those indicating a possible gap upward and weigh carefully. 

 

We also must know that the various planets have various effects in the different houses and you have to search old charts what effect each planet actually did have in past cycles upon the market. This is one reason why I find the movements of the various commodities much easier and surer than those of individual stocks. I have made myself charts for practically every commodity for thirty, forty years on a daily basis, such as wheat, cotton, cottonseed oil and it is from checking back the effect of the planets that I arrive at what the effect should be now. With stocks, you only have a handful that are older than twelve or fifteen years. They have not gone through a series of major cycles as yet and therefore you have to rely on secondary factors, which, as you may well realize, are not absolutely safe. This brings me once more to the statement that you should concentrate on one or two single stocks or commodities, because if you know only one and well, you can make all the money you can use and then some. Later on I will bring another reason to warrant this statement.

 

The other tables given in the ephemeris are not required for our work, such as latitude, declination. Thorough tests on my part have revealed that they do not contain such critical points.

This method operates, of course, in harmony with the others. Many times you will be able to detect small, sharp moves that otherwise would not be understood and that would cause uneasiness.

Explaining the simplest astrological methods you now will note that we are drifting completely away from price and swing into time only. We move away from the dollar that are in the market and measure Nature’s change of mind in the feelings of the human trader.

Price changes become an "accident" while time changes are the concrete facts. These changes are caused by planetary positions in the heavens and are known and the direction of the flow of the tide can be easily arrived at. The planetary positions act only when a definite degree, a definite minute and second is reached in the Zodiac. Such events can be calculated to the second when they must happen, not when they may happen. 

 

On such a day, hour, minute and second all the cycles of our other methods will also agree and produce a bottom or a top. On that day you then must either buy or sell, as the case may be, ask no questions, expect no replies. The time of the cycle is up, the public changes its mind, its attitude towards stocks or commodities, a condition which cannot be felt physically, but figured. Is anything easier, safer? Bear in mind, that the markets are to the laymen a common gambling ground, to a few an open book, consisting of rhythms of pre-destined amplitudes, not a maze of uncertainty and guess work. Buildings, twenty stories high are filled with Statisticians, selling analyses of stocks on strength of earning and what not to the greedy, by the hundred thousand, knowing as little as the statisticians themselves; on the contrary, they recognize them as "Giants of Finance and Economics" and pay them for their "information" hundreds of dollars each per year, which, as far as the market is concerned, is not worth the paper on which it is printed.

 

» Each stock reacts (also commodities) at specific degrees and minutes of the Zodiac to one or two planets in one or two positions. « 

 

Millions of people are successful in their own lines of business. They observe subconsciously the laws of Nature. The swings of business are not so pronounced as those of the market. The same laws, of course, remain underlying. Most businesses supply necessities of life and as long as we have people living, they must purchase such necessities. The profits in such enterprises are strictly limited by keen competition. Man, as a rule, chooses the easiest path to earn a livelihood. Comparatively few work out of this rut. These few, however, step right into enormous difficulties, especially when entering the markets. They try to operate in the market under the identical laws which they carried along from their line of business. But they find that these laws will cause them to gradually, but surely, lose their money.

 

Still, the stock market and commodity market afford the greatest possibility of making money constantly without much risk, without much effort, provided the work is done exclusively within certain laws and rules, however far fetched and unbelievable they may sound to the average business man. This is the secret of the market. The operations of the multitude are wrong and necessarily so. Who else would carry the costs, commissions, taxes, the fairy-like brokerage offices down-town? The proof is seen in the persistent and steadily dribbling losses taken by the majority of investors, speculators, traders, bankers and others. Only those who have within themselves vibrations attuned to the market responding thus automatically to tops and bottoms, or those who have been able to use Nature's laws, can measure with great exactness the dates of change. The first group will never be able to forecast movements. It simply is a "something" that causes them to buy or sell and discover later that they were "right again". Their response is spontaneous, but does not go beyond the present.

 

When making commitments in a stock, by either buying or selling it short, creates immediately thereafter a somewhat mixed feeling of hope and fear within any man. Supposing he bought a stock. He hopes the market will be favorable to the upside so that he can realize a profit; at the same time he fears that the market might not go up; in fact, he dreads a downmove. To conquer this feeling is almost impossible, at least with the millions who merely guess which way "the cat might jump". Even with all the methods explained herein, it is difficult to overcome this feeling, although it gradually will wear off.

 

At times, when an important move is in the making, which is about the only time to visit a broker's office, watch the crowd in their psychology! This is more fun than a Broadway show! See these creatures buck Nature's laws, respectively abiding to the same whichever you may call it, buying stocks or commodities right at the top of a move, happy as children who just received a "gift", while on the other hand, when Nature provides a bottom in the market, these same crowds, sell the erstwhile previous bargains for the proverbial song, far below actual values, fearing they might go lower. Nature is generous, but wicked withal. The market shows these sides in the truest fashion.

 

The law of critical degrees as given above refers to the market as a whole and, when following them in individual stocks, you are apt to take severe losses, although you may be right as to the trend of the general market.

 

Therefore, I had to do some more research to overcome this difficulty. Here is the result: Each stock reacts (also commodities) at specific degrees and minutes of the Zodiac to one or two planets in one or two positions. Taking wheat for example, we note that Venus and Mars and no other planet brings about the changes therein. These two planets, as they cross 23°20, respectively 12°16' of a sign, produce changes. The stock Philip Morris acts only on Venus and the changes occur when Venus passes 17°30' of any sign. Each stock must be searched over a period of time and the planets bringing about the changes decoded.

 

In 1935, wheat made its important tops and bottoms exclusively the moment Mars passed 12°16' of a sign. A rough sketch will show it:

 

 

At the same time, Philip Morris (MOs) acted as follows:

Venus at 17,30' Aries gave a bottom on March 12th, 1935

" " " Gemini bottom April 30th, 1935

" " " Cancer bottom May 28th, 1935

" " " Leo top June 24th, 1935

" " " Virgo top July 31st, 1935

From August 18th, 1935 until September 30th, Venus moved retrograde and its motion was very slow, accounting for the sidewise movement in that specific stock during this period.

 

You may note in this example that in the sequence of the signs, we miss the sign of Taurus. This sign does not bring about a change in this stock. You further note that we have three bottoms to begin with and two tops to end with, so that some other planet is playing into this stock that brings about the reversal not found quoted herein. You may plot the daily motion of this stock for 1935 and find that planet yourself and the degree and minute that must be used.

 

I found that Cottonseed oil responds to the motion of Mercury-Neptune, that the prices of butter simply move up and down according to the aspects of Jupiter-Venus and, aside of that, in perfect ellipses.

 

end of method #6

Source:
Detecting the Change of Trend by Means of Critical Degrees. In:
George Bayer (1937) - Time Factors in the Stock Market; Carmel, California; pp. 69-72. 

 S&P 500 Index vs George Bayer’s Critical Degrees of Mars
@ 0° @ 5° @ 17° @ 25° of each Zodiac Sign. Next date is April 17 (Tue).