Nikkei: The Neptunian role model
The Nikkei and the Tokyo exchange as a whole are a particularly interesting study astrologically. The Stock exchange has in recent years been plagued with IT issues, and the panic engendered by the livedoor scandal.
The Nikkei is a salutary lesson for those who think that markets always go up in the medium term. It is still in 2008, at only a third the level of its peak of nearly 39,000 on December 29,1989, when the exact transiting opposition of Jupiter and Uranus together Neptune/Saturn conjunction on the chart’s IC and squaring the ephemeral Neptune on the chart’s ascendant ended an enormous bubble. We probably won’t get back to those levels until the later 2020s.
The index was involved in a long slow and tedious decline from the mid 90s to mid 00s. Which could surely only be Saturnian. Indeed throughout that time the progressed MC was transiting, first natal, then progressed Saturn. Nice. Not.
The most recent low was March 2008, when the index was experiencing its progressed Saturn return at 3 degrees Virgo- those early Virgo degrees do keep cropping up don’t they?
At the moment we also have a Saturn effect – it is transiting the progressed MC, once more depressing prices. However we also have that delightful little animal, the Neptune/Mars configuration in play. Progressed Mars at 24 Gemini is being activated by Neptune- this is liable to provide flights of fancy that this market is the place to be. The eclipse next Friday 16th August triggers this point, so there may be a rally around or just past that date as Saturn finally moves on.
There is, in the background an approaching Jupiter ascendant progressed trine. Definitely a positive sign. And with Jupiter retrograding to station on the Moon and IC and square the Neptune/Ascendant at the end of August and through September, we something of a consolidation of a turning point going on here. However it is as if things can’t quite get off the ground – Neptune in quincunx the progressed Sun and Saturn square Mercury in October, there are difficulties, perhaps a mix of news that makes people still nervous about the index.
Maybe it is just that the focus is not on this market then, the Jupiter/Uranus/Saturn configuration of October November makes no close aspects to the chart. The question is, is this just interminable dullness or is it the calm before the storm?
At least Jupiter livens things up at the end of the year- making and opposition to the Sun, a trine to the progressed Sun, a quincunx to progressed Mars and Saturn and a progressed Jupiter return, all in the space of a few weeks – that should spark interest again.
2009
Jupiter finally reaches the Nikkei Jupiter for its full return in January 2009. At the same time, Pluto opposes the chart’s progressed Uranus, but it is trine progressed Saturn. This suggests discrimination in investing – only the safe companies, and not the high risk ones will be flavour of the month, but the balance is generally positive. As a result, by late February/early March we might see some rapid trading, when Jupiter squares Mars. It’s all go later in March – Jupiter opposes the index’s Pluto and progressed Venus, Neptune is forming the trine to progressed Mars, Uranus a trine to the progressed Sun, and Pluto’s trine to progressed Saturn is unencumbered by the Uranus opposition. This is a big movement of money at play and it looks to be moving into this market.
So what about the bubbly Neptune/Jupiter/Chiron conjunction coming up in May? It is widely square the progressed Ascendant and square the chart’s Sun, but then Uranus is sextile that point as well as sextile the progressed Jupiter and trine the progressed Ascendant. On balance a favourable picture. I might even put some money in this index for the early part of 2009, got to be safer than other places!
Over the summer, the same themes continue, though diluted as the planets retrograde away from some of these important degrees. The trine to Mars looks like buying in August, but the square from Uranus and Saturn, accentuated by the progressed Moon in September to October looks like volatility with a downward bias. Perfectly in keeping with bursting the Neptunian bubble of the months before.
November looks more stable. The progressed Moon sextiles the Sun and Saturn sextiles the progressed Ascendant and Jupiter. Volatility has dies down a bit and prices are becoming more solid.
In December the situation is beginning to get interesting again. There are a lot of long term fundamental adjustments going on in this chart. Saturn now square Pluto is picking up the Pluto transit to progressed Uranus and Saturn as well as pulling in the chart’s Jupiter. The index’s Venus is also activated. This is fundamental analysis going on. Investors are not looking at the whole index they are really asking what is good and bad in the Japan economy and picking their sectors accordingly. Prices of the index as a whole may be fixed but there is much switching between companies. Maybe battening down into defensives if there are global problems at this time.
2010
January starts with a reply of spring –summer 2009. Both the Neptune conjunction and the Pluto Saturn square are in play. The index probably rises, even irrationally, though favouring safe sectors over others. February, as Jupiter moves to oppose progressed Saturn and trine Uranus suggests more of the same but potentially going for more risky technologically driven companies.
In March Saturn consolidates the position as it forms a grand trine with the index Venus and Jupiter. Uranus is once again squaring progressed Mars, making trading volatile- but on a much lower level, probably as people wait for the next stage. April is more of the same. Probably a lot happening on a granular level but not much trend-wise.
May, however, and the cardinal cross is starting to from. Uranus reaches a trine to the progressed Ascendant. Jupiter is coming up to join it, sextiling progressed Jupiter and reactivating much of the excitement from 2009. Although Saturn is in opposition, this is supporting the attractiveness of the market rather than reducing it at this stage. The trend really locks into place in June as the progressed Moon reaches 2 degrees and sextiles the index Jupiter and Venus. The whole world and his dog are in on this for a while. You want bubbles? We got ‘em!
So the cardinal cross is really picked up here. We can summarize the position in July through September 2010:
Pluto :opposite prog.Uranus, trine prog. Saturn, square prog Moon, quincunx Venus
Saturn: Square prog.Uranus, opposite prog Moon, trine Venus, trine Jupiter, sextile prog. Asc.
Uranus/jupiter : Square prog.Uranus, quincunx prog. Saturn conjunct prog Moon, sextile Venus, sextile Jupiter, trine prog. Asc.
The Nikkei is a salutary lesson for those who think that markets always go up in the medium term. It is still in 2008, at only a third the level of its peak of nearly 39,000 on December 29,1989, when the exact transiting opposition of Jupiter and Uranus together Neptune/Saturn conjunction on the chart’s IC and squaring the ephemeral Neptune on the chart’s ascendant ended an enormous bubble. We probably won’t get back to those levels until the later 2020s.
The index was involved in a long slow and tedious decline from the mid 90s to mid 00s. Which could surely only be Saturnian. Indeed throughout that time the progressed MC was transiting, first natal, then progressed Saturn. Nice. Not.
The most recent low was March 2008, when the index was experiencing its progressed Saturn return at 3 degrees Virgo- those early Virgo degrees do keep cropping up don’t they?
At the moment we also have a Saturn effect – it is transiting the progressed MC, once more depressing prices. However we also have that delightful little animal, the Neptune/Mars configuration in play. Progressed Mars at 24 Gemini is being activated by Neptune- this is liable to provide flights of fancy that this market is the place to be. The eclipse next Friday 16th August triggers this point, so there may be a rally around or just past that date as Saturn finally moves on.
There is, in the background an approaching Jupiter ascendant progressed trine. Definitely a positive sign. And with Jupiter retrograding to station on the Moon and IC and square the Neptune/Ascendant at the end of August and through September, we something of a consolidation of a turning point going on here. However it is as if things can’t quite get off the ground – Neptune in quincunx the progressed Sun and Saturn square Mercury in October, there are difficulties, perhaps a mix of news that makes people still nervous about the index.
Maybe it is just that the focus is not on this market then, the Jupiter/Uranus/Saturn configuration of October November makes no close aspects to the chart. The question is, is this just interminable dullness or is it the calm before the storm?
At least Jupiter livens things up at the end of the year- making and opposition to the Sun, a trine to the progressed Sun, a quincunx to progressed Mars and Saturn and a progressed Jupiter return, all in the space of a few weeks – that should spark interest again.
2009
Jupiter finally reaches the Nikkei Jupiter for its full return in January 2009. At the same time, Pluto opposes the chart’s progressed Uranus, but it is trine progressed Saturn. This suggests discrimination in investing – only the safe companies, and not the high risk ones will be flavour of the month, but the balance is generally positive. As a result, by late February/early March we might see some rapid trading, when Jupiter squares Mars. It’s all go later in March – Jupiter opposes the index’s Pluto and progressed Venus, Neptune is forming the trine to progressed Mars, Uranus a trine to the progressed Sun, and Pluto’s trine to progressed Saturn is unencumbered by the Uranus opposition. This is a big movement of money at play and it looks to be moving into this market.
So what about the bubbly Neptune/Jupiter/Chiron conjunction coming up in May? It is widely square the progressed Ascendant and square the chart’s Sun, but then Uranus is sextile that point as well as sextile the progressed Jupiter and trine the progressed Ascendant. On balance a favourable picture. I might even put some money in this index for the early part of 2009, got to be safer than other places!
Over the summer, the same themes continue, though diluted as the planets retrograde away from some of these important degrees. The trine to Mars looks like buying in August, but the square from Uranus and Saturn, accentuated by the progressed Moon in September to October looks like volatility with a downward bias. Perfectly in keeping with bursting the Neptunian bubble of the months before.
November looks more stable. The progressed Moon sextiles the Sun and Saturn sextiles the progressed Ascendant and Jupiter. Volatility has dies down a bit and prices are becoming more solid.
In December the situation is beginning to get interesting again. There are a lot of long term fundamental adjustments going on in this chart. Saturn now square Pluto is picking up the Pluto transit to progressed Uranus and Saturn as well as pulling in the chart’s Jupiter. The index’s Venus is also activated. This is fundamental analysis going on. Investors are not looking at the whole index they are really asking what is good and bad in the Japan economy and picking their sectors accordingly. Prices of the index as a whole may be fixed but there is much switching between companies. Maybe battening down into defensives if there are global problems at this time.
2010
January starts with a reply of spring –summer 2009. Both the Neptune conjunction and the Pluto Saturn square are in play. The index probably rises, even irrationally, though favouring safe sectors over others. February, as Jupiter moves to oppose progressed Saturn and trine Uranus suggests more of the same but potentially going for more risky technologically driven companies.
In March Saturn consolidates the position as it forms a grand trine with the index Venus and Jupiter. Uranus is once again squaring progressed Mars, making trading volatile- but on a much lower level, probably as people wait for the next stage. April is more of the same. Probably a lot happening on a granular level but not much trend-wise.
May, however, and the cardinal cross is starting to from. Uranus reaches a trine to the progressed Ascendant. Jupiter is coming up to join it, sextiling progressed Jupiter and reactivating much of the excitement from 2009. Although Saturn is in opposition, this is supporting the attractiveness of the market rather than reducing it at this stage. The trend really locks into place in June as the progressed Moon reaches 2 degrees and sextiles the index Jupiter and Venus. The whole world and his dog are in on this for a while. You want bubbles? We got ‘em!
So the cardinal cross is really picked up here. We can summarize the position in July through September 2010:
Pluto :opposite prog.Uranus, trine prog. Saturn, square prog Moon, quincunx Venus
Saturn: Square prog.Uranus, opposite prog Moon, trine Venus, trine Jupiter, sextile prog. Asc.
Uranus/jupiter : Square prog.Uranus, quincunx prog. Saturn conjunct prog Moon, sextile Venus, sextile Jupiter, trine prog. Asc.
It is big. But is it boom or bust? Can it be both? All these aspects are major, but they are conflicting. Could it be that we have a global ( Pluto Saturn) downturn, but a local speculative boom? Of course much of this will depend what is happening in the currency markets too. This is not the post for putting everything together, we’ll come back to that later.
The themes continue into the Autumn months. But by November we see something different emerging. Saturn reaches the Index Ascendant- and we know Saturn is not a good planet for this index. It is a critical point – not only is Saturn conjoining the Ascendant, but Neptune as well and it is square the Moon. Added to which progressed Mercury is now almost on the Midheaven of the chart, and is also picked up. So many grand crosses, so little time! This is, for a while at least, highly depressing for the index. It suggests lower prices, negative data, unhappy punters and the odd glitch in the system to complete the pretty picture. Hope you sold a few months ago.
December is a bit better. Some respite from November’s slump, but the grand cross is still in place, minus Saturn, and we haven’t got over the broader picture that is creating such shifts yet. There may be renewed but temporary optimism.
2011
The themes of December continue into February of 2011. Jupiter sextile Venus and Jupiter again suggests the balance is once more positive.
In March/April there is a significant shift again. Saturn, which has gone retrograde returns to its December 2010 position, and the progressed Moon crosses the Descendant. Both pick up the Index’s Moon/Neptune and progressed Mercury, angular square again. If this weren’t negative enough we have confirmation: transiting Neptune opposes the index’s Saturn and squares its progressed Ascendant at the same time. This is a pretty spectacular double whammy. Although Jupiter is on the Descendant, and would normally be busy pumping up a bubble, it is difficult to see how it can overcome the negative Saturn connotations of the chart at this time.
It is worth bearing in mind, at this point, that what we are encountering here is something bigger than just the Japan index. What we are seeing is something about consumerism as a whole. Japan’s chart dates from 1889/90 and closely picks up the Pluto/Neptune oil and consumer conjunction of 1891/2. The Nikkei 225 picks up the sextile, which we know defines the consumer boom of the last half century. What these aspects are saying is something more fundamental than the grand cross even, they are indicative of Japan’s role as a supplier/exporter to the consumer society and how that will change in the coming decades. Of course that puts the question right back to “what is the overall economic objective of society?” It’s a question that Japan will be forced to ask as the Uranus Pluto square comes up to the index angles in 2013 onwards, but that is for another day…Let’s go back to Japan in 2011.
Saturn and Neptune continue their influences throughout the early summer. Saturn is stationed around these degrees until late July and any beneficial influence of Jupiter reduces after mid April as it moves away. Uranus continues to inject volatility through its aspects to Venus, Uranus Jupiter and Saturn, right the way through the summer, but it is unlikely to be strong enough to overcome the Saturn Neptune influences before August.
By August Saturn is moving on, but of course the impact of the other partner in crime Neptune, so much slower in movement, still continues. Jupiter creates the conditions for a bit of a rally in August as it squares Jupiter and trine Saturn in the chart and Saturn turns its attentions back to looking at fundamental value as it sextile Pluto and progressed Venus and trines Mercury.
The theme of volatility created by Uranus continues throughout the rest of 2011, although Saturn finishes his evaluation work in October and moves on to just creating general restriction and regulatory issues, as it qincunx’s the Sun, in the last two months.
Neptune’s influence does not wane however and it is still making the same depressive aspect in December as the year comes to a close.
2012
Uranus lines up for the final burst of volatile prices in January and February, as it return once more to sextile the chart’s Venus and Jupiter square its progressed Uranus and quincunx its Saturn. Saturn and Neptune are briefly forming a grand trine with the index’s Uranus which might subdue the volatility a bit through, or sustain the effects for slightly longer. The theme seems to remain intact through March.
By April, there may be some false signs of life. Neptune is approaching a square the Venus and trine to progressed Uranus – which suggests blindness to faults and a bit of overvaluation. Saturn, trining the Index progressed Mars and square the Index Sun gives a bit of substance to trading, and a Jupiter square to Pluto and progressed Venus in late April, implies some big money shifts then. But we are not talking 2010 activity here, just a let up of the recent inertia.
Saturn stations for a few months, without really activating very much. Really nothing much is happening trend-wise throughout the summer months. Saturn is back to its April position in September, so being out of the Japanese market for these months is no loss either way. Although of course I am talking medium to long term trade here, not daily ones.
Neptune is back to its opposition and square in October. Saturn is no longer of course creating a double whammy effect, but it is trine Neptune at this point and is more likely to be holding the trend than changing it. This is dull stuff at best – depressing prices at worst.
And the year on a similar picture. No real direction and whereas the end of 2008 looked like potential for excitement, the long term perspective for 2013 here is for some tough times unless you have chosen the right technologies.
Chart:
Nikkei 225 Index : Chart set for index base on 16 May 1949, 15.00 JST -9.00 Tokyo, Japan. Sources, Wikipedia/wiki/Nikkei_225 , Tokyo Stock Exchange opening hours from TSE.
Index was calculated retrospectively, it is assumed that the base was the closing price on first day as this was the first trading day of the exchange and opening 9.00am prices would have been more difficult to compute.
2011
The themes of December continue into February of 2011. Jupiter sextile Venus and Jupiter again suggests the balance is once more positive.
In March/April there is a significant shift again. Saturn, which has gone retrograde returns to its December 2010 position, and the progressed Moon crosses the Descendant. Both pick up the Index’s Moon/Neptune and progressed Mercury, angular square again. If this weren’t negative enough we have confirmation: transiting Neptune opposes the index’s Saturn and squares its progressed Ascendant at the same time. This is a pretty spectacular double whammy. Although Jupiter is on the Descendant, and would normally be busy pumping up a bubble, it is difficult to see how it can overcome the negative Saturn connotations of the chart at this time.
It is worth bearing in mind, at this point, that what we are encountering here is something bigger than just the Japan index. What we are seeing is something about consumerism as a whole. Japan’s chart dates from 1889/90 and closely picks up the Pluto/Neptune oil and consumer conjunction of 1891/2. The Nikkei 225 picks up the sextile, which we know defines the consumer boom of the last half century. What these aspects are saying is something more fundamental than the grand cross even, they are indicative of Japan’s role as a supplier/exporter to the consumer society and how that will change in the coming decades. Of course that puts the question right back to “what is the overall economic objective of society?” It’s a question that Japan will be forced to ask as the Uranus Pluto square comes up to the index angles in 2013 onwards, but that is for another day…Let’s go back to Japan in 2011.
Saturn and Neptune continue their influences throughout the early summer. Saturn is stationed around these degrees until late July and any beneficial influence of Jupiter reduces after mid April as it moves away. Uranus continues to inject volatility through its aspects to Venus, Uranus Jupiter and Saturn, right the way through the summer, but it is unlikely to be strong enough to overcome the Saturn Neptune influences before August.
By August Saturn is moving on, but of course the impact of the other partner in crime Neptune, so much slower in movement, still continues. Jupiter creates the conditions for a bit of a rally in August as it squares Jupiter and trine Saturn in the chart and Saturn turns its attentions back to looking at fundamental value as it sextile Pluto and progressed Venus and trines Mercury.
The theme of volatility created by Uranus continues throughout the rest of 2011, although Saturn finishes his evaluation work in October and moves on to just creating general restriction and regulatory issues, as it qincunx’s the Sun, in the last two months.
Neptune’s influence does not wane however and it is still making the same depressive aspect in December as the year comes to a close.
2012
Uranus lines up for the final burst of volatile prices in January and February, as it return once more to sextile the chart’s Venus and Jupiter square its progressed Uranus and quincunx its Saturn. Saturn and Neptune are briefly forming a grand trine with the index’s Uranus which might subdue the volatility a bit through, or sustain the effects for slightly longer. The theme seems to remain intact through March.
By April, there may be some false signs of life. Neptune is approaching a square the Venus and trine to progressed Uranus – which suggests blindness to faults and a bit of overvaluation. Saturn, trining the Index progressed Mars and square the Index Sun gives a bit of substance to trading, and a Jupiter square to Pluto and progressed Venus in late April, implies some big money shifts then. But we are not talking 2010 activity here, just a let up of the recent inertia.
Saturn stations for a few months, without really activating very much. Really nothing much is happening trend-wise throughout the summer months. Saturn is back to its April position in September, so being out of the Japanese market for these months is no loss either way. Although of course I am talking medium to long term trade here, not daily ones.
Neptune is back to its opposition and square in October. Saturn is no longer of course creating a double whammy effect, but it is trine Neptune at this point and is more likely to be holding the trend than changing it. This is dull stuff at best – depressing prices at worst.
And the year on a similar picture. No real direction and whereas the end of 2008 looked like potential for excitement, the long term perspective for 2013 here is for some tough times unless you have chosen the right technologies.
Chart:
Nikkei 225 Index : Chart set for index base on 16 May 1949, 15.00 JST -9.00 Tokyo, Japan. Sources, Wikipedia/wiki/Nikkei_225 , Tokyo Stock Exchange opening hours from TSE.
Index was calculated retrospectively, it is assumed that the base was the closing price on first day as this was the first trading day of the exchange and opening 9.00am prices would have been more difficult to compute.
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