(10 September 2018) Apple’s annual event this Wednesday comes at a crucial time for the company. Its market dominance is greater than ever as it recently became the first company in the world to be worth more than $1 Trillion.  Not surprisingly, its share price has been making new all-time highs since it last reported its earnings at the end of July.  And yet there could be a lot riding on what CEO Tim Cook unveils at this event.  Expectations are high for something more than just a new model of iPhone. 

In recent days, Apple’s share prices has started to sag a bit as fears the trade war with China could start to bite. Neither Trump nor President Xi show any sign of backing down or returning to the negotiating table to resolve this dispute.  The problem for Apple is if the trade war gets worse, Apple products may get caught in the crossfire.  Already there is talk of a "tech wreck" as more computing parts have become subject to tariffs.  If push comes to shove, then China could deliver its "nuclear option" which in this case would be to slap a hefty tariff on all Apple products coming into China.  That would be very bad news for Apple and would likely hit the share price hard.

I don’t know what will happen at the Apple Event this week but it does look like some difficult days lie ahead.  The Apple IPO horoscope reveals a tense alignment of malefic planets hitting the Ascendant (8 Capricorn)– the most sensitive point in the chart.  Saturn stationed direct last week at 8 Sagittarius on the equal 12th house cusp and formed a 30 degree angle with the Ascendant. 

This tends to be negative although it can sometimes be offset by positive planets elsewhere in the chart.  However, negative planets are much stronger here as Ketu (the South Lunar Node) is approaching its conjunction with the Ascendant at 10 Capricorn.  Ketu’s effects are often disruptive and unexpected.   And last, but not least, Mars is due to conjoin the Ascendant next week.  It stationed very close to the Ascendant in late August, right around the time when Apple’s share price started to decline.

On Wednesday, there is the possibility for some initial excitement around the Apple event since the Moon conjoins Venus at the top of the chart.  This is usually a good transit for public profile and gaining accolades and rewards.  The opposition with Uranus on the 4th cusp should also be seen as a plus in this respect.  Perhaps Tim Cook will announce something that is well-received. 

And yet the alignment with Saturn, Mars and Ketu is very close and therefore more unstable.  Venus is a fast moving planet which may only bestow rewards on Apple for a couple of days, if that.  The problem is that Mars’ slower velocity means it will take longer to manifest its negative energy.  It moves exactly atop the Ascendant next week (Sep 19-20th) so that would be the hypothetical time of maximum pressure for Apple.  But the whole month of September has an above normal level of risk.  I wonder if the troubles that lie ahead have more to do with China and Trump rather than what is revealed at the Apple Event on Wednesday. 

And as Apple goes, so goes the whole US market.  The outlook this week is mixed.  We saw modest gains on Monday around the Sun-Jupiter-Pluto alignment.  We could see a bit more upside tomorrow as the Sun aligns more closely with Jupiter and even more into Wednesday as the Moon-Venus influence is nominally bullish also.   But Mars appears to be getting ready to inflict some damage.  Cracks in the optimism may reappear later in the week. 

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