(22 March 2026) Stocks fell for the fourth straight week last week as the conflict in the Middle East showed no signs of abating. With the Strait of Hormuz now largely blocked by Iran, Brent crude is trading well over $100 and supplies are running low in several Asian countries which import their oil from the Persian Gulf.
While I was uncertain if stocks would extend their decline, last week's sell-off was not hugely unexpected given the March 15 triple conjunction of retrograde Mercury, Mars, and the North Lunar Node. I thought the transit chart of that conjunction looked "ugly" and warranted some caution in the markets. Data from previous triple conjunctions suggested a bearish bias in the days following...
(1 March 2026) US stocks finished modestly lower last week on higher-than-expected wholesale inflation data and renewed worries over the negative economic impact of...
(22 February 2026) US stocks ended the week higher as markets rallied after Friday's Supreme Court decision struck down Trump's tariff policy. Even with...
(18 February 2026) Synopsis: Thursday's "hidden" Jupiter-Saturn alignment introduces some downside risk to the market over the next week or two. Evidence from previous...
(15 February 2026) Stocks generally moved lower last week on growing fears that AI disruption could undermine profitability in several economic sectors. While technology...
(8 February 2026) After a very volatile week, US stocks rebounded strongly on Friday although the indexes ended mixed. The tech-heavy NASDAQ was still...
(25 January 2026) US stocks ended the week slightly lower as Greenland-related tariff fears briefly shook market confidence. President Trump calmed the early week...
(18 January 2026) Stocks ended the week slightly lower as investors pondered the future of the Fed's independence after Trump's latest comments about Fed...
(28 December 2025) Stocks pushed higher last week as favorable holiday seasonality combined with strong GDP data to fuel gains in financials and industrials. ...
(21 December 2025) Stocks were mixed last week as the inflation rate ticked lower while manufacturing data showed more signs of weakness. The NASDAQ...
