The astrology of 2026 and the markets - Part I

For much of 2026 there is a sextile between Neptune and Uranus, Pluto is trine Uranus and continues its long 70 year sextile with Neptune. All three will remain in orb until 2028-29 though by 2029 Uranus will be separating.

For the earlier part of the year those aspects also include Saturn during its conjunction with Neptune.

Saturn will move out of orb by early 2027. It moves into Taurus in April 2028.

And in early July when Jupiter reaches Leo, it will be oppositive Pluto, Trine Neptune (and subsequently Saturn) and Sextile Uranus.

Jupiter will move out of orb by September 2026 and leaves Leo in late July 2027.

Before we move forward, there is  a proviso. This post deals only with the outer planets and wide timescales. To find the exact times we would need the inner planets too. Broadly:

·        Outer planets – years

·        Mars, Sun (and Venus and Mercury and eclipses) - months

·        Moon – days

·        Ascendant /MC – hour/minute

Furthermore to find the exact times for each market we would need to also consider individual charts or ingresses or astro-cartography for example.

The relationships between the outer planets during this rare configuration can be seen more clearly here:

That is a lot. If most configurations are a quick snack and the more significant ones a three course meal, this is an all day, all you can eat buffet. It will take a long time to recover from the impact of the changes it brings.

We can already see the political effects of this combination manifesting, but of course , here, we are interested in the financial effects as well.

I am obviously not going to pinpoint every date and every market here – my discussion will be very general but I hope it gives a taste of what to expect or rather where not to continue to extrapolate.

First the good news. The ongoing Pluto-Neptune sextile that has been in place since the 1950s, isn’t over yet. It will intensify in the coming few years until its final exact connection in 2032. So we can relax a little in the expectation that all we have come to know and love (or not!) about the 20^th and 21^st centuries isn’t going to completely change until 2032.

After 2032, we might need a completely new road map but not quite yet.

However, given we have all the outer planets changing signs in 2025-26, expecting nothing to change would be wishful thinking of the highest order.

Of course we have had a taster of it all, as in 2025 each of the players dipped its exploratory toes into the next sign. We can already see where things are going, certainly politically.

Financially. things have looked glorious for those with stock market investments in the major economies or have been wise or fortunate enough to have a holding in precious metals: investors in AI have especially been smiling, as have the average billionaire as more and more wealth is consolidated.

However for most western governments, as their accumulated debts soar and their ability to act becomes increasingly limited by those financial constraints, things are far less rosy.

The same can be said for many traditional businesses on the street, the life blood of economies and homes and families, for them too, things have been far less golden.

Even without reference to political allegiance, (and we definitely won’t go there today), there are a number of increasing divides:

·        General wealth inequalities – more billionaires vs more homeless

·        Generational wealth inequalities

·        Regional and skills divides– tech vs old industrial areas

·        Those on fixed incomes vs those with stock market and other successful investments

·        Educational and health divides increasing as systems fail to cope with the consequences of the other divides

It is not that these divides never existed- they always have, it is that they have become more pronounced than they have been in almost a century and the numbers who feel they are excluded from opportunities have become much greater. That is not a recipe for stable nations.

We don’t need astrology to tell us where we are, though. What the astrology does is tell us that the music is playing again and things are shifting – dance but don’t confine yourself to the region of a single chair, it might not be there tomorrow. Be flexible.

At the most extreme this configuration would lead to:

• Removal of the super-rich,
• Equalisation of generational wealth, skills and regions.

This would require a significant “repricing” of assets- homes, stocks and jobs. But that won’t happen overnight and it isn’t likely to happen on a permanent basis until we are well past the Pluto-Neptune sextile. It isn’t likely to be universal either – only concentrated in the most extreme cases. However we can expect the seeds to be sown with the astrological changes to come.

Let us now turn to the effects of the individual planets:

Uranus

Uranus in Gemini is particularly important as the Pluto -Neptune conjunction of 1892 was in Gemini. We have lived with the characteristics of that cycle since then but Uranus shakes up anything it touches. It is rather neat that by the time Uranus leaves Gemini we will be in 2032 and the end of Pluto – Neptune sextile too – this Uranus transit is the catalyst for the developments of the next few decades.

Of further interest is the fact that Uranus was in Gemini during WW2 but reached the degree of the Pluto Uranus conjunction nearer the end of the war. As such it became the harbinger of the Pluot-Neptune sextile on which so much of our current consumer economy depends. We can deduce from that things are likely to change in a big-big way when it hots those degrees again in 2028-29.

(Gemini is also important as it is the natal sign of the USA Uranus – but we’ve addressed that little hornet’s nest elsewhere, so we will skip it here.)

Uranus will bring shocks and surprises – though these may be tempered by the trines and sextiles to the other outer planets. In Gemini, sign of trade and  communications, we can expect it to disrupt both. There are likely to be technological glitches, if not total blackouts and trade agreements broken off. Major corporations will have increasing difficulty with intercompany connections and distribution/logistics chains.

Of course this will all be accompanied by positive disruption and  inventions in these areas, but those who have put their faith in previous inventions will be disappointed as they are usurped by the new ones. Uranus likes to say “that was great, now, think again.”

Pluto

Pluto in Aquarius, as well as its technological influences, is shaking up power dynamics. This is because it opposes Leo – sign of kings and king-like leaders, but also because Pluto’s transit will radically change those groups in opposition to the leaders. There will be a reshuffle of allegiances we take for granted. It is not just a case of taking from the rich, one must also be just and kind when rewarding the poor else the hand of Pluto will find and destroy the false prophets as easily as it does the golden idol – the French revolution is a text book example.

Overall though, financially, we can expect this placement to impact on those concentrations of wealth and especially those associated with power bases. There is already a “tax the billionaires” movement and there is also a cancel the debt ( the other face of wealth) faction.   And when Jupiter is in early Leo it will oppose Pluto- this configuration suggests a turning point in debt and all major financial wealth. But with Pluto being a thorough eliminator, this will not necessarily happen overnight but nor will it bounce back- this is a once in, at least, a lifetime house cleanse.  Pluto is moving slower now and Jupiter will conjoin it in Aquarius in 2033 ( just after the final Neptune sextile) and will make another opposition in 2039 when we can expect some pretty hard financial consequences.

However, although these configurations and the most extreme consequences come much later, it certainly looks as if summer 2026 is peak expansion of the monetary system, with both debt and stocks could be at their apex.

Neptune

Neptune is a more subtle planet. Whereas Pluto creeps up slowly and insidiously, and Uranus jumps out of the box suddenly, Neptune spreads imperceptibly, by osmosis. As such it is the planet of the masses. Its new home for the next 14 years is Aries – sign ruled by the militaristic Mars. We can already see where that is taking us politically,

Aries is inimical to Neptune. Aries deprives the sea-loving planet of moisture and the masses of compassion. Neptune dilutes the entrepreneurial Aries spirit though there can be progress in fields where Neptune is strong – photography ( expect 3-D printers to be commonplace), pharmaceuticals – perhaps some break-throughs are possible and maybe work with the unconscious. Though while Saturn is also in Aries very little advances are likely to be announced even if they are being methodically explored behind the scenes.

Financially, Neptune is the significator of bubbles, when accompanied by Jupiter and economic inertia when coupled with Saturn. In 2026 we will see both in action. Saturn will conjoin Neptune at 0 degrees Aries in February, this is unlikely to be a positive time for economic statistics. Saturn will remain in Aries for 2 years, damping down enthusiasm and creating hesitation in all matters.

However, Jupiter moving into Leo will likely see peaks in the main stock markets ( the exact timing depends on the foundation charts of each one). Peaks are great; post peaks, not so much. Once Jupiter is out of its Neptune orb, there will be little to maintain the illusions.   

Neptune is also the significator of global currencies ( not the coins in your pocket but the almost infinite digits on your screen). With Saturn conjoining it, currencies may take on a new structure. Although Bitcoin has been a forerunner in this ( and by far the most sensible of the crazy crypto era, it is unlikely to be the final answer – that final answer is still a twinkle in a digital brainstorm somewhere.  

A little about Saturn and Jupiter

Saturn

Much has already been said elsewhere about Saturn’s conjunction with Neptune and I won’t repeat it here. However it is worth re-iterating the effect of the combination on economies here.

First Saturn -Neptune has a particular resonance with communism ( and with the old USSR). More generally it indicates periods of inertia when it is difficult to make concrete progress in growth and “success”

Things that benefit from Saturn -Neptune are redistribution programmes and policies that benefit the masses or poor.

The combination also helps burst bubbles by creating disillusionment with the most optimistic scenarios.  

 This is all something that we’ve had a taste of in 2025 as the two planets were in orb but will be much more in evidence in early 2026 as they actually conjoin.

However by the middle of the year Saturn will move out of orb and the closer the two will be again is in December when they are 7 degrees apart. So the biggest effects won’t last into 2027. They will certainly be over by mid 2028 with Saturn in much more complementary ,Taurus. 

What we will see in 2026 is Saturn sewing the seeds of something different which Neptune will have over a decade to explore more thoroughly.

Jupiter

Jupiter spends less than a year in any sign and far less in close aspect with any other planet.

We are not seeing its greatest contribution yet as it dallies in Cancer. By July its move into Leo will activate the other players though and this is likely to be the key time when turning points in all markets are noted.

Jupiter magnifies and expands all it touches, for good or evil. It will be busy magnifying debt now – and this in particular is a turning point I expect as it opposes Pluto.

Its more benign aspects to Neptune and Uranus are less critical but as it moves away from them and begins its journey to square Uranus and oppose Neptune ( in 2027 and 2028 respectively)  the party will definitely be closing.

This post concentrates on the coming year or two and more generally the pre-2032 period. In a future one I will talk about the longer term 2030s to 2060s