Applying Vedic Astrology’s predictive techniques to forecast Financial Markets is something that has been tried, with varying degrees of success, by many astrologers, including this one. This article is a primer on Astrology for Markets; there’s a lot more that goes into it than what is presented here, but these are the basics.

In Astrology there are three main planets that represent the energies of the Financial Sector: Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury.

Venus is the main financial planet. It is the planet of Value, Markets,

Currencies, Price, and Revenue. Venus also has the signification of Harmony and Agreement; therefore it’s an important planet for everybody cooperating with each other and helping everything to proceed smoothly. Additionally, Venus is the planet of Guidance, therefore Advice & Advisors, including Market Pundits.

Jupiter is the planet of Prosperity in general. Jupiter is the energy of Increase, therefore Interest Rates.  Jupiter is specifically Capitalism, Banks, and Bonds. Jupiter is also the significator of Optimism, Confidence, and Belief, and thus has an important part to play in market trading as the planet of Positive Attitude.

Mercury is the planet of Commerce. Since Mercury is both the Rational Intellect as well as Data, Mercury becomes the planet of Math, thus, Business Transactions and Commerce. Mercury has another, distinctly different part to play: as the plant of Communications, it is the planet of Reports and News, another factor that strongly influences modern markets.

The other planets have various meanings that can connect with specific markets (for instance, Saturn is Oil), but for general analysis what is important is that they are all “natural malefics,” i.e., capable of causing harm. Thus, if one or more of these planets gets involved with any of the three main financial planets, it’s a strong indication of a negative situation developing in markets.

Saturn is the planet of Restriction and Pessimism. When Venus or Jupiter, or Mercury, gets into a position where it receives the influence of Saturn, markets become doubtful and pessimistic. When Saturn is opposite to a financial planet it’s a strong indication of a Bear Market. Saturn is also the planet of The Established Order, i.e., Stability and Security. When Saturn itself is in a weak or negative situation it is an indication of Instability and Insecurity; Saturn is the planet of Fear.

Mars is the planet of Aggression and Conflict. Mars is also the planet of Energy and Activism. Especially when conjunct a financial planet, Mars creates Action in trading. This is not necessarily negative: Mars can boost markets, sometimes dramatically. But the opposition of Mars to a key financial planet is almost always bad for the financial sector. The square aspect of Mars (90 deg) can also be disastrous, especially when it is exact.  

Uranus is the planet of the Unexpected. Uranus is the “wild card” planet. Sometimes, when favorably disposed, it can boost markets suddenly and unexpectedly. When combined with a financial planet’s significations, Uranus leads to Volatility. It is neither wholly good or bad, but certainly qualifies as an Undependable Surprise Factor.

Neptune is the planet of Illusion. Neptune can swing either way: Hope, or Disappointment. A Neptune influence, either by conjunction or opposition, is something to be suspicious of. Its influence has to be considered in combination with whatever other patterns are operating simultaneously to determine whether it will be a positive or negative effect. Either way, the word that sums up Neptune is Unrealistic.

Rahu is Confusion, but can be good. The North Node of the Moon (one of the eclipse points) has the general energy of “Obscuring.” But it can be a positive influence in the sense of causing a “breakthrough” effect. Rahu signifies Desire, i.e., Greed, a big motivator for markets. Still, the nodes operate mysteriously, so they have to be classed as Undependable.

Ketu is Anti-material. The South Node (the other eclipse point) is clearly negative on the material plane, therefore not good for markets. When Ketu combines with a financial planet, the significations of that planet don’t work very well, and like Rahu, it produces Undependable Results.

The general scheme for determining Upward or Downward trends in the Financial Sector is to keep watch on the main financial planets. Using the standard techniques of Vedic Astrology analysis, we determine the “health” of each of those planets. If one of the financial planets is under stress, but the other two are doing well, the markets may be “soft” but won’t experience any significant problems. If two of the financial planets are simultaneously in trouble, it’s a Bear Market. Again, the degree of the problem has to be assessed, as well as its duration. Many weeks of a key financial planet in difficult circumstances will make the markets more prone to respond to any additional negative patterns, even if they are slight.

The Moon is the main daily factor, which determines temporary “sentiment” for the markets. The Moon changes signs every 58 hours or so, therefore highly variable. It is positive and upbeat in certain signs; doubtful and pessimistic in others. If there is a setup where one of the financial planets is under stress, the Moon’s position from day to day can pinpoint the specific day when the downturn (as well as the recovery) will occur.

Combinations of planets that do not involve the financial planets can also affect markets. This usually shows up as the geo-political situation, or even Mother Nature, producing a major event that influences something the markets care about. For instance: a really nasty Mars combination, not involving financial planets, can manifest as countries going to war, and if it occurs someplace in the Middle East it will affect the oil supply, which then affects everything else.

October 2018 is a recent example of a financial planet in trouble, manifesting as a Bear Market. Venus was in its own sign Libra, normally a source of strength. Then on October 5, Venus, the planet of Value, began a 6 weeks-long retrograde phase. When a planet is retrograde it is not operating normally, therefore Unreliable. Meanwhile Uranus, the planet of Surprises and Disruption, was in direct opposition to Venus from the other side of the zodiac. A third factor in late October was that Venus became Combust the Sun (conjunct the Sun), a detrimental influence on Venus significations. Since Mercury was in Libra together with retrograde Venus for most of that month, the suffering of Venus inflicted another financial planet. The markets took their most significant dive for the year during October.