Who, Why, and When?

This Beginners Guide to Financial Astrology must start with:

Who?, Why?, When? The key question is, of course, How?

This chapter aims to answer the first three questions The remainder of the book is an attempt to show "How" planetary cycles and market behavior are interlinked.

Who?

There is an often used quote attributed to J. P. Morgan that "millionaires don't use astrology, but billionaires do." I don't know whether his saying that is myth or fact. What I do know is that there are some individuals — and, indeed, certain generations — more willing to give credence to the correlation between planetary cycles and market trends than others.

In particular, my observation is that many of today's traders are intrigued, fascinated, and curious to know more — particularly those people who were born in the mid-1960s under rare planetary configurations. Members of this group are not fazed by being thought of as "outliers" and are content to make use of any system as long as it works. They might analyze levels of Swiss rainfall, rings on trees, or space weather conditions in their quest to find pattern and correlation with price fluctuations; blending the results with their understanding of market behavior (usually in the form of technical analysis). Their ongoing quest to decode the markets usually means they don't rule out any system. Curiosity about the possible link between "stars and markets" is not, of course, confined to those of this generation (nor are they ALL interested). The one fact that applies to all these people though is that they are only interested in what works — for them.

In that last sentence the keywords are "what works" and "for them." Fact is that one person's "system" may not work for someone else. Much depends on the type of trader and the markets in which they work.

The answer then to the "Who" part of our question is — anyone. I can only speak from my own experience, but the further up the chain of command the trader is within a company, the more likely it is that he or she will be at least receptive to the use of planetary cycles in forecasting — if not actively using this information already. Yes, this does include the Chairmen of banks, the CEOs of companies, hedge fund managers, and financial advisors.

Journalists would love it if I were to "name names" and yes, for sceptics this would surely give momentary pleasure. Yet this is of no real value to anyone: particularly as I cannot think of one client, investor, colleague, or friend who has traded ONLY using astro-information — it is simply a factor in their risk assessment and calculations. The "truth" as to how the information is put to use is generally a disappointment to journalists seeking a good story.

It has been my experience that those who want to make full use of financial astrology also have an interest in their own chart. Some will not trade during periods when they feel they are under negative influences. When we have worked together to analyze past and poor decision-making, we have found this to correlate to the effect of planetary transits that could have been signalled well in advance. Now alert to these trends, some traders I know will simply not countenance trading if a variation on the planetary pictures of those earlier times are set to repeat.

I cannot quantify the number of traders using astro-techniques and don't know of any research done in this area. I should say that I would also be slightly suspicious of the results if a survey of City traders using financial astrology were to be carried out (even if done anonymously). Part of the reason is that traders don't always know they are making use of astrology, per se. Though many will take account of New and Full Moons and, certainly in the City of London, the times of high and low tides (which often coincide with increased economic activity), they might not consider themselves to be using astrological techniques or see their behavior as being linked to cycles at work within our solar system.

Though younger traders (especially those born since the mid-1960s) have few qualms about discussing the role of the planets and trading, I have noted some reticence among older generations. Yet going back about 20 years or more, I recall too that there were many who did not wish it to be known that they were making use of astrology — even as they walked about with worn copies of ephemerides in their jacket pockets. These traders might well deny their interest if subjected to a survey. I remember one particular lunch time conversation with a highly respected economist and trader whose copy of the ephemeris for that year had dates highlighted and copious notes made in the margins. While he might well have denied his interest to some people, he was quite open in our conversation. Indeed, I was amazed to learn the thoroughness of his understanding and the sophisticated knowledge of harmonics that he put to good use.

Why?

So why do some people make use of planetary cycles? The short answer is that some traders recall instances where they can show that it gave them significant advantage. These traders have profited by making use of a tool which has been described to me as a "master timer." Others have heard such success stories and are anxious to explore any tool that may actually work.

Note that it is generally true of individuals who make use of astro-information — not companies. It's hard to imagine that, in the West anyway, a board meeting decision would be made to seek the opinion of an astrologer. However, the same is not true in many other parts of the world. In India particularly, there is general acceptance of a link between patterns formed by the planets in the solar system and general behavior. Meetings may take place at times suggested by an astrologer and contracts signed at what have been deemed to be auspicious times.

Upon occasion I have been asked by a UK company to explain why a certain time and date have been chosen for such an event. Presumably my clients worry that they might be at a disadvantage and want to be prepared, celestially speaking, for what may or may not ensue. The fact that this request has been made repeatedly suggests to me that my astrology-based explanations are decreed useful by company executives.

This book is targeted mainly at Western readers. While I have been invited into board meetings of UK companies, such instances have been few and far between. I have also always been aware of the scepticism of some of those...