Results: Market Volatility and Planetary Harmonics
Overview
This study analyzed 25+ years of VIX data (market volatility index) correlated with planetary aspect patterns to test astrological trading theories.
Data Sources
- Market Data: Yahoo Finance - VIX (CBOE Volatility Index) 1990-2024
- Planetary Data: Swiss Ephemeris (outer planet aspects)
- Sample Size: 8,500+ trading days
- Aspects Analyzed: Jupiter-Saturn, Saturn-Uranus, Saturn-Neptune, Saturn-Pluto
Key Findings
Correlation Results
| Aspect Type | Correlation (r) | P-value | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hard aspects vs VIX | 0.295 | < 0.0001 | SIGNIFICANT |
| Soft aspects vs VIX | 0.089 | 0.042 | Marginal |
| Jupiter-Saturn cycle | 0.187 | 0.008 | Significant |
| Saturn-Pluto | 0.312 | < 0.001 | Significant |
VIX by Aspect Configuration
| Configuration | Mean VIX | N Days | Std Dev |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Cross | 24.8 | 145 | 8.2 |
| T-Square | 21.2 | 892 | 6.5 |
| Grand Trine | 17.8 | 234 | 4.8 |
| No major pattern | 19.4 | 7,229 | 7.1 |
Major Market Events & Aspects
| Event | Date | VIX | Active Aspects |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 Financial Crisis | Oct 2008 | 80.86 | Saturn-Uranus opposition |
| COVID Crash | Mar 2020 | 82.69 | Saturn-Pluto conjunction |
| 2011 Debt Crisis | Aug 2011 | 48.0 | Uranus-Pluto square |
| Brexit | Jun 2016 | 25.76 | Saturn square Neptune |
Regression Analysis
| Model | R² | Adjusted R² | RMSE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aspects only | 0.087 | 0.084 | 6.21 |
| With controls | 0.342 | 0.338 | 5.27 |
Interpretation
Finding: Weak but statistically significant correlation exists between hard aspects and market volatility.
Important caveats:
- r = 0.295 is weak (explains only 8.7% of variance)
- Correlation ≠ causation - both may respond to same underlying cycles
- Selection bias - major aspects coincide with many events
- Long-term cycles - economic cycles may happen to align with planetary cycles
- Not predictive - correlation is too weak for trading
Conclusion
While a statistically significant correlation exists between planetary hard aspects and VIX, the effect size is too small to be useful for prediction. The relationship may reflect coincidental alignment of economic and planetary cycles rather than causation.
Visualization
Files Generated
analysis_results.csv- VIX and aspect datamarket_volatility_analysis.png- Visualization
Phase 2: Continuous Harmonic Modeling (Update)
Following the methodology for high-dimensional analysis:
- Approach: Tested 12 planetary bodies (Sun-Pluto + Nodes) using Cosine Similarity ($cos(\theta)$) as a continuous feature.
- Comparison: Tropical vs Vedic (Sidereal) Zodiacs.
Top Correlations (Tropical)
| Harmonic Pair | Correlation (r) | P-value |
|---|---|---|
| Jupiter_Neptune | 0.4503 | 0.0000 |
| Uranus_North Node | 0.3999 | 0.0000 |
| Uranus_South Node | -0.3999 | 0.0000 |
| Saturn_Neptune | 0.3659 | 0.0000 |
| Jupiter_Saturn | 0.3617 | 0.0000 |
Top Correlations (Sidereal/Vedic)
| Harmonic Pair | Correlation (r) | P-value |
|---|---|---|
| Jupiter_Neptune | 0.4503 | 0.0000 |
| Uranus_North Node | 0.3999 | 0.0000 |
| Uranus_South Node | -0.3999 | 0.0000 |
| Saturn_Neptune | 0.3659 | 0.0000 |
| Jupiter_Saturn | 0.3617 | 0.0000 |
Observation
Mathematically, angular relationships (aspects) are largely independent of the coordinate system origin, producing identical cosine values for planet-to-planet pairs. Differences only emerge if referencing fixed stars or signs specifically.