(17 May 2023)  The New York Stock Exchange celebrated a birthday today as the world’s largest securities market is now 231 years old.  The NYSE was founded as the Sun transited the 6th degree of sidereal Taurus, perhaps not coincidentally, the sign of the bull.  Due to the precession of the equinoxes, the Sun didn’t actually transit that degree today but will instead mark its exact solar return to 6 Taurus on May 21.  The resulting solar return chart is said to provide an overview of some of the central themes that will shape the fortunes of the NYSE for the coming year.

The chart looks potent with a number of close alignments in play.  As a rule, solar return charts should be interpreted both on their own and in relation to the natal chart. Alignments involving benefic planets tend to indicate growth and increase the likelihood of positive returns while a preponderance of malefic aspects may undermine sentiment and thus increase the risk of declines.

There are several potentially negative alignments here.  First, the Mars-Pluto opposition across the 1-7 axis is a very difficult placement.  Even if we throw out the impact of the conjunction with the Ascendant since there is some uncertainty about the 8.52 a.m birth time, the closeness of the Mars-Pluto opposition is clearly bearish, especially since Mars is in Cancer, its sign of debilitation.  While it may not, by itself, be sufficient to translate into a down year for stocks, it does suggest some significant volatility is likely over the next 12 months.

But the fact that this bearish opposition also forms a tense square alignment with a close Jupiter-Rahu conjunction is another red flag. Jupiter-Rahu conjunctions tend to be bearish on their own as Rahu’s disruptive influence works to undermines Jupiter’s confident optimism.  In an individual’s chart, this can sometimes manifest as a compulsive materialism and acquisitiveness as one might find with an over-confident person.  And indeed in terms of the stock market, it can be temporarily bullish.  But more often, the Jupiter-Rahu conjunction is associated with periods of economic instability and stock market declines.

Interestingly, the Jupiter-Rahu conjunction forms a fairly close square to the Mars-Pluto opposition.  That’s another possible warning sign, although it may simply represent an intensification of energy.  Taking a more sanguine view of this alignment, it could represent major developments in the stock market that keeps it in the public eye over the next year.  This could therefore come from moves up or down — or both.

The other aspect of note here is that of Mercury-Saturn.  Saturn casts its full-strength 3rd house/60 degree aspect to Mercury, just one degree from exact.  Saturn is usually a bearish influence upon Mercury, even if Mercury is separating from Saturn here.  So that’s another likely bearish influence in the chart.

The other layer of interpretation concerns how the return chart overlays the natal chart.  The Mars-Pluto-Jupiter-Rahu alignment highlights the Saturn-Neptune opposition in the natal chart. This is also not a plus since the Saturn-Neptune opposition is a very negative influence.  Since Mars and Pluto are also negative, there is an elevated risk for a significant correction in the coming year with this pattern.

If there is a silver lining here, it is that neither the Sun nor the Moon are afflicted in either the natal or the solar return chart. Since the Sun and Moon are the most important points in the chart — after the Ascendant, that is — the absence of any strong affliction could offer some hope that the stock market may manage to avoid the worst.

But the bottom line here is that the solar return chart looks very challenging.  While it is important to remember that solar return charts do not have the final say in terms of predictive influence, the negatives in this chart do not augur well for the coming year.

For more details, check out my weekly subscriber newsletter which is published every Sunday.   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.

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Photo Credit: josullivan.59