(30 August 2026) US stocks were mixed last week as the NASDAQ and S&P 500 got a boost from strong Nvidia earnings.  The broader markets finished modestly lower, however, as the inflation and interest rate outlook remained uncertain following Fed Chair Warsh's hawkish remarks at Jackson Hole. This mixed outcome was not surprising given the range of alignments in play.  Although I had noted some ongoing favourable influences, the presence of several potentially negative alignments raised doubts about the final weekly outcome. The aftermath of the Aug 12 solar eclipse was passing through a less positive period around the time of the Aug 27 lunar eclipse.  This price dip is seen in the updated cumulative trend chart below and bottoms out around 12 to 18 days after the initial Jupiter-centered solar eclipse.  Going forward, this post-lunar eclipse period looks more bullish, although this is not a robust or decisive influence. Another potentially bearish influence last week was the Venus-Saturn opposition in sidereal Virgo.  Both the mean and median of this limited sample (n=10) printed an interim bottom 3 days after the...