(6 April 2020) The ongoing fight against the deadly coronavirus continues around the world.  Some European countries have seen an encouraging decline in their number of infections and deaths in recent days, while Japan and some other Asian countries have noted a worrying rise in cases over the weekend after largely having it under control  in February and March.

The US remains at the epicenter of the pandemic although we may be close to seeing a peak in the numbers there, too.  Sunday and Monday’s new case counts were less than Saturday’s high of 34,000.  Deaths have also started to trend a bit lower over the weekend.  So there is light at the end of the tunnel, although it is still uncertain when the lockdowns could end.

These glimmers of hope may be seen in President Trump’s horoscope.  The ongoing Jupiter-Pluto conjunction in the first degree of Capricorn aligns exactly with Trump’s Midheaven (10th house cusp) indicating career success.   Fast-moving Mercury (29 Aquarius) is approaching its alignment with Jupiter and Pluto and hence will activate Trump’s 10th house this week.  For this reason, I could see more good news about COVID-19 in the US tomorrow or Wednesday.

However, once Mercury starts to separate from its alignment with Jupiter and Pluto, it will come under the influence of Trump’s Mars and its difficult 8th house aspect.  Moreover, Mercury will enter Trump’s 8th house of obstacles.  This looks like it could indicate some frustrations and setbacks for Trump, probably in the second half of the week.

Weekly Market Forecast

This welcome optimism about the coronavirus generated a huge rally in the stock market as the Dow jumped 7% today.  The Mercury-Jupiter-Pluto alignment was likely one key factor for the rise.  While I noted the likelihood of some significant upside this week in my newsletter, I was uncertain exactly when the gains would occur due to the large number of alignments that made the outlook less clear.  The Mercury-Jupiter-Pluto alignment was closest between Monday and Wednesday so some kind of gains were most likely during that time window.

However, the Mars-Uranus-Venus-Rahu-Chiron alignment will be within range for most of this week.  This is a more complex pattern which suggests moves in both directions are possible, and the high number of aligned planets may translate into larger than normal moves.

So further gains are still very possible this week, especially on Tuesday as Mercury is still tightly aligned with Jupiter, Pluto and Trump’s Midheaven (10th house cusp) and perhaps even into Wednesday.

However, Wednesday’s Moon-Saturn square looks more challenging and then Mercury suffers at the hand of Trump’s Mars on Thursday.  While the Venus-Mars-Uranus-Rahu influence could offset some of the negativity here, there is rising downside risk this week.  Friday lacks clarity although I would note that the Sun (27 Pisces) falls under the difficult aspect of Trump’s Ketu (27 Scorpio).  While this may not have a clearly negative impact on the stock market, it is not a positive influence for Trump and his administration.

For more details, check out my weekly subscriber newsletter which is published every Saturday afternoon (EST).   I outline the key technical and planetary influences for US and Indian stocks for the short and medium term, as well as currencies, gold and oil.

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