(18 May 2022) Happy birthday, NYSE.  The venerable New York Stock Exchange was “born” 230 years ago yesterday.  On the morning of May 17, 1792, the founding document of the NYSE, the Buttonwood Agreement, was signed by twenty-four of the city’s leading merchants on Wall Street.  The agreement established a formal set of rules to facilitate securities trading and thus created the legal framework that allowed the NYSE to grow into the largest stock exchange in the world.

While there is some uncertainty about the exact time of the signing of the document, the horoscope is most frequently cast for either 8.52 a.m. or 10.10 a.m.  The 8.52 a.m. chart arguably paints a more compelling picture of the historic success the NYSE due to its powerful 10th and 11th houses representing status and gains, respectively.   The 10th house of status and fame is strengthened by the presence of Venus and Saturn and the 1st lord Moon (28 Pisces) exactly receives the 8th house aspect of Mars (27 Leo), the lord of the 10th house.  Any such 1/10 combination are considered very auspicious for social status and prominence.

The 11th house is no less impressive as the 2nd lord of wealth, the Sun, is placed almost exactly on the cusp of the 11th house representing gains and income.  Benefic Mercury is also close by and further boosts the results of the 11th house.

Of course, the real value of the chart is that we can use it to make inferences about the rise and fall of stock prices based on the current movement of the planets.  As we know, markets have been declining throughout 2022 as the Fed has been forced to raise rates to combat surging inflation.  Higher interest rates means less consumer credit, less spending, lower corporate profits and lower stock prices.

As I have noted previously, stocks were likely to remain fairly volatile as long as Saturn (0 Aquarius) is in a close 30-degree alignment with Neptune (0 Pisces).  This is still very much the case this week, especially since Mars conjoined Neptune yesterday and today, and thereby served as a catalyst for the release of the bearish Saturn-Neptune energy.  While stocks rallied 2% yesterday, the main indexes slumped 4% today and are on the verge of testing their low from May 12.  But as Mars begins to move away from Neptune, negative sentiment may be less likely to manifest in the coming days.

Looking at the transits in the context of the NYSE chart, we can see that Saturn is casting its full-strength 3rd house aspect (60-degree/sextile) to the Moon within just two degrees of orb.  Due to Saturn’s low velocity ahead of its retrograde station at 1 Aquarius on June 4, Saturn has been afflicting the NYSE Moon for several weeks.  This is another factor that can explain the recent correction in stocks.

Looking ahead, the late week may be mixed, however.  While Mars separates from Neptune (that’s bullish), it will cast its malefic aspect to natal Jupiter and align with Mercury and Pluto.  This is less constructive and could nullify some the positive effects of Mars separating from Neptune.  However, the alignment of transiting Mercury and the Sun with Jupiter looks more bullish and could set up a more positive end to the week.  This Sun-Mercury conjunction occurs very close to the natal Sun (6 Taurus) so that could increase its positive resonance somewhat.

The planets early next week don’t look great, however, as Mars aligns with Mercury and Pluto.   Since these three planets usually don’t blend their energies very well, investors should be on guard for further weakness to start next week.

For more details, check out my weekly subscriber newsletter which is published every Saturday afternoon (EST).   In addition to reviewing the key planetary and technical influences on US and Indian stocks for the short and medium term, I also provide an astrological analysis of potential upcoming moves in currencies, gold and oil.