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So, what iTulipers believe about stuff like this?
Any other ideas or opinions?
OK, I didn't knew where to put this question and I hope this is the right forum.
I'm a skeptic, but I hope I'm not an arrogant idiot and I try as much as possible to keep an open mind before dismissing tinfoil hat material....
I honestly believe that if Euphoria and Europa (two Jovian satellites) get in conjunction and, together, they begin a retroverse ascension into Uranus, that doesn't mean the celestial bodies are responsible for giving you an urge to take a plane to Amsterdam in order to find your happiness in a gay bar... I believe there are simpler explanations for this kind of urges (such as a mechanical failure of the hinges on your closet doors etc.)
But quite often I get across stuff like this:
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/20....
Quote:
Here is the big question: what do you think is the scoop with the astrology predictions of the markets?
Everybody knows astrology is quite widespread in investment circles, and I know personally and heard of people who made money following astrological advice. One very knowledgeable person, who like me doesn't believe of the miracle of Euphoria in Uranus, told me that, at his office, they receive charts from obscenely paid astrological consultants (with exclusive contracts and all that jazz). Over several years, since he started to work there, based on his direct observations, the astrological were pretty much on the spot at least with respect to timing of different market moves. Basically when all four astrologers agree on an unexpected market evolution, it always happens. The guys in that office don't make their moves based on astrological charts, but on solid analysis, however, they always check their planned trades against those astrological reports.
How can astrologers (the top ones not the tabloids wannabes) can correctly predict market moves? To me this stuff doesn't make to much sense and this question is bugging me for a long time. I haven't find yet a clear answer, but I can think only of three possible logical explanations:
1) Being right for the wrong reasons. Almost everybody has heard about the Kondratieff and other waves compounding in a complex modulated pattern affecting the economy. The Jevons hypothesis seems quite reasonable IMHO. Maybe the successful astrologers, after a lot of trial and error, got it right with the respect of timing and effect. What they see as Neptune getting in the house of Pisces (or whatever) is nothing else than empirically discovered and wrongfully attributed begging of the Kondratieff wave. Since they had a long time for empirical observations, they've been successful in attributing an astrological cyclical event to every economic wave exactly as out ancestors discovered the correlations between star and celestial body moves with seasons and today we have all these religious celebrations at solstices and equinoxes.
2) The best cover story ever invented. Most of the real successful investors who say they are using astrology, actually are into insider trading and all kinds of illegal shit, and they use astrology as an excuse for their "planet inspired moves". Imagine if Martha Stewart was able to present to the investigators a report from an astrologer saying that for her personal astrological data (year and place of birth) Mercury in conjunction with Saturn meant that any healing endeavor is doomed to fail, and as a result she sold the Imclone shares. It wouldn't have worked anyway in her case, but ... you get my drift.
3) Self-fulfilled prophecy by unintended coordination. This s quite difficult to explain. A lot of very rich and powerful people, out of boredom or stupidity, are in all kind of kinky esoteric/spiritualist stuff. I'm not talking here about the Beatles getting a dope trip in India, I'm talking about people like Ronald Reagan who went and ran in the woods at the Bohemian Grove, who was getting in the White House an astrologer (sneaked in by Nancy) and who did made his famous Evil Empire speech after getting astrological advice about the stars being extremely favorable for the defeat of the Soviet Union.
If we look at the top important people in the financial and political spheres (which are well intertwined) almost all are, or have been, in various fraternities, secret societies , Bohemian Groves, Skull and Bones, Kappa Pipi Delta etc. It isn't a stretch of imagination to believe that most of them would be also inclined to (at least) take a look at astrological predictions for a second opinion. When we hear things like the fact that all important US presidents had received secret astrological advice, and major events (such as the Normandy invasion) had been timed (delayed) based on astrological charts ... one can't stop wondering.
The idea is that the elites can be quite snobish (too much power, money and privilege) and if all big sharks receive and believe in advice from the same small group of elite-certified/in-vogue astrologers, that creates some kind of Unintended Retarded Astrological Illuminati super-secret society. It's super-secret because even the snob elitist morons, who are its members, don't realize they are involuntary and unknowingly creating it.
Let's say that the top 20 brass-balls hedgefunds are managed by Bernies who get advice from the same small group of fashionable, well payed, astrologers. If all those Bernies really believe that "a decline into the Full Moon square Saturn on Dec. 12, probably marking a pull-back low Dec. 12-17" means it's a good time to invest in banks, they all start buying into financials. The word spreads, and others find out about the big boys (who must know something because they are well connected) are buying into financials... Voila! the market sentiment is changed based on a rumor and the reality of an unintended coordinated action.
I'm a skeptic, but I hope I'm not an arrogant idiot and I try as much as possible to keep an open mind before dismissing tinfoil hat material....
I honestly believe that if Euphoria and Europa (two Jovian satellites) get in conjunction and, together, they begin a retroverse ascension into Uranus, that doesn't mean the celestial bodies are responsible for giving you an urge to take a plane to Amsterdam in order to find your happiness in a gay bar... I believe there are simpler explanations for this kind of urges (such as a mechanical failure of the hinges on your closet doors etc.)
But quite often I get across stuff like this:
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/20....
Quote:
Of course, it was a disastrous year. The dividend-reinvested Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 was down 38.3% over the year to date ending in November.
But the winner, Arch Crawford's Crawford Perspectives, gained 42.4%, a performance that would have gotten into the top 10 most any year. Crawford is a veteran technically-oriented timer who is famous for openly discussing astrology. (I say openly because there's more of it on Wall Street than you might think. Or perhaps you do think). He's had bad years and he has underperformed the market over the decades that the Hulbert Financial Digest has been monitoring him, but in the last few years he's been on a roll. See Nov. 9 column
Crawford has been short most of 2008, but currently he's cheerful. In his letter dated Dec. 1, he wrote: "We are looking for some further advancement this week, followed by a decline into the Full Moon square Saturn on Dec. 12, probably marking a pull-back low Dec. 12-17. This pullback is likely to form a Right Shoulder on a potential Reverse Head-and-Shoulder bottom formation. From there, an explosive year-end move could develop in the upward direction, which we expect to be very profitable. Rally should rise well into January.
"After a corrective phase into late February, a much stronger and more lasting advance is indicated by the Bradley Model well into the summer of 2009."
I don't know anything about the "Reverse Head-and-Shoulder" , but I can vouch here in public, that the "Head-and-Shoulders 2 in 1" worked for me like a miracle and I'll stick with this shampoo.But the winner, Arch Crawford's Crawford Perspectives, gained 42.4%, a performance that would have gotten into the top 10 most any year. Crawford is a veteran technically-oriented timer who is famous for openly discussing astrology. (I say openly because there's more of it on Wall Street than you might think. Or perhaps you do think). He's had bad years and he has underperformed the market over the decades that the Hulbert Financial Digest has been monitoring him, but in the last few years he's been on a roll. See Nov. 9 column
Crawford has been short most of 2008, but currently he's cheerful. In his letter dated Dec. 1, he wrote: "We are looking for some further advancement this week, followed by a decline into the Full Moon square Saturn on Dec. 12, probably marking a pull-back low Dec. 12-17. This pullback is likely to form a Right Shoulder on a potential Reverse Head-and-Shoulder bottom formation. From there, an explosive year-end move could develop in the upward direction, which we expect to be very profitable. Rally should rise well into January.
"After a corrective phase into late February, a much stronger and more lasting advance is indicated by the Bradley Model well into the summer of 2009."
Here is the big question: what do you think is the scoop with the astrology predictions of the markets?
Everybody knows astrology is quite widespread in investment circles, and I know personally and heard of people who made money following astrological advice. One very knowledgeable person, who like me doesn't believe of the miracle of Euphoria in Uranus, told me that, at his office, they receive charts from obscenely paid astrological consultants (with exclusive contracts and all that jazz). Over several years, since he started to work there, based on his direct observations, the astrological were pretty much on the spot at least with respect to timing of different market moves. Basically when all four astrologers agree on an unexpected market evolution, it always happens. The guys in that office don't make their moves based on astrological charts, but on solid analysis, however, they always check their planned trades against those astrological reports.
How can astrologers (the top ones not the tabloids wannabes) can correctly predict market moves? To me this stuff doesn't make to much sense and this question is bugging me for a long time. I haven't find yet a clear answer, but I can think only of three possible logical explanations:
1) Being right for the wrong reasons. Almost everybody has heard about the Kondratieff and other waves compounding in a complex modulated pattern affecting the economy. The Jevons hypothesis seems quite reasonable IMHO. Maybe the successful astrologers, after a lot of trial and error, got it right with the respect of timing and effect. What they see as Neptune getting in the house of Pisces (or whatever) is nothing else than empirically discovered and wrongfully attributed begging of the Kondratieff wave. Since they had a long time for empirical observations, they've been successful in attributing an astrological cyclical event to every economic wave exactly as out ancestors discovered the correlations between star and celestial body moves with seasons and today we have all these religious celebrations at solstices and equinoxes.
2) The best cover story ever invented. Most of the real successful investors who say they are using astrology, actually are into insider trading and all kinds of illegal shit, and they use astrology as an excuse for their "planet inspired moves". Imagine if Martha Stewart was able to present to the investigators a report from an astrologer saying that for her personal astrological data (year and place of birth) Mercury in conjunction with Saturn meant that any healing endeavor is doomed to fail, and as a result she sold the Imclone shares. It wouldn't have worked anyway in her case, but ... you get my drift.
3) Self-fulfilled prophecy by unintended coordination. This s quite difficult to explain. A lot of very rich and powerful people, out of boredom or stupidity, are in all kind of kinky esoteric/spiritualist stuff. I'm not talking here about the Beatles getting a dope trip in India, I'm talking about people like Ronald Reagan who went and ran in the woods at the Bohemian Grove, who was getting in the White House an astrologer (sneaked in by Nancy) and who did made his famous Evil Empire speech after getting astrological advice about the stars being extremely favorable for the defeat of the Soviet Union.
If we look at the top important people in the financial and political spheres (which are well intertwined) almost all are, or have been, in various fraternities, secret societies , Bohemian Groves, Skull and Bones, Kappa Pipi Delta etc. It isn't a stretch of imagination to believe that most of them would be also inclined to (at least) take a look at astrological predictions for a second opinion. When we hear things like the fact that all important US presidents had received secret astrological advice, and major events (such as the Normandy invasion) had been timed (delayed) based on astrological charts ... one can't stop wondering.
The idea is that the elites can be quite snobish (too much power, money and privilege) and if all big sharks receive and believe in advice from the same small group of elite-certified/in-vogue astrologers, that creates some kind of Unintended Retarded Astrological Illuminati super-secret society. It's super-secret because even the snob elitist morons, who are its members, don't realize they are involuntary and unknowingly creating it.
Let's say that the top 20 brass-balls hedgefunds are managed by Bernies who get advice from the same small group of fashionable, well payed, astrologers. If all those Bernies really believe that "a decline into the Full Moon square Saturn on Dec. 12, probably marking a pull-back low Dec. 12-17" means it's a good time to invest in banks, they all start buying into financials. The word spreads, and others find out about the big boys (who must know something because they are well connected) are buying into financials... Voila! the market sentiment is changed based on a rumor and the reality of an unintended coordinated action.
What would he put for the LEH date of birth and place of birth? And what about M&A's ? 
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