True to his promises, President Donald Trump has kept the world on edge with escalating tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China. Just days ago, a 10% tariff on all Chinese imports took effect. Now, he’s pushing for a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum, creating trade tensions with key partners like Japan, South Korea, and Germany.
This upheaval in global trade reflects a deeper macro pattern: the current major alignment between Saturn and Neptune. Saturn governs boundaries, structure, and tradition, while Neptune embodies permeability, unity, and dissolution. When these two planets align, we see either the breakdown of barriers (Neptune dissolving Saturn’s limits) or the imposition of new ones (Saturn restricting Neptune’s fluidity).
A striking historical parallel emerges: the last Saturn-Neptune conjunction (0º) in the late 1980s coincided with U.S. tariffs on Japanese semiconductor imports. Similarly, today’s trade wars mirror past economic tensions under the same planetary influence.
Yet, paradoxically, Saturn-Neptune alignments don’t just bring restrictions—they also fuel waves of mergers and acquisitions (M&As).
M&As embody both planets: Saturn’s authority and consolidation alongside Neptune’s boundary-blurring tendencies. During the most recent Saturn-Neptune alignment–90º square (2014–2017)–M&As surged, with 2015 dubbed a "merger bonanza" by The Atlantic.
As we approach 2025, another major M&A wave is already brewing, particularly in fashion. This trend is expected to deepen as the Saturn-Neptune alignment transits until 2027.
So, while Saturn-Neptune may manifest as trade wars on one front, it simultaneously fosters industry-shaping mergers on another.
The question, then, is not just about economies but about personal choices: Do you seek to create boundaries—or dissolve them?