Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Predicting Recessions via the Sabbatical Year

In Judaism, the number 7 is very important. The Menorah in Torah has 7 candles. There are 7 days to each week, with Shabbat on the 7th day. The Sabbatical year, which for Jews occurs 1 in every 7 years, has often been a difficult year for financial markets. In the Bible, the command to release debts in the seventh year is in Deuteronomy (15:2).

For Orthodox Jews, this is the year 5775, and since it is a Sabbatical year, at the end of this year debts are to be forgiven. That is 5775 / 7 = 825, meaning this is the 825th Sabbatical year since the beginning of creation. Huh? Maybe there is something to these ancient teachings. Also, please take note; the Hebrew calendar does not begin January 1st. The Hebrew year begins with Rosh Hashanah.

This does not mean that Jews are to blame for anything. The Sabbatical is Gd’s. Gd is sovereign. This just happens to be the way Gd makes things work.

Let me illustrate: it is now 2015 according to the Gregorian Calendar, a Sabbatical year, and financial markets are already showing signs of correction. It does appear that this year will follow the established pattern. The pattern is as such, by subtracting 7 years from 2015, as the Sabbatical occurs every 7 years, we up with the last financial crisis, the Great Recession of 2008. Thus, 2015 - 7 = 2008, a year of recession.

A 3rd example of this market recession pattern is the “Early 2000s recession” that lasted from March 2001–Nov 2001. 2008 – 7 = 2001, a year of recession.

A 4th example is the “1980 recession” that lasted from Jan–July 1980. 2001 - ( 7 * 3 ) = 1980, a year of recession. Thus, it is not only on Sabbatical years that recessions can occur, and more importantly the Sabbatical year does not mandate recession.

A 5th example is the “1973–75 recession” that lasted from Nov 1973 – Mar 1975. 1980 – 7 = 1973 yet another number divisible by 7 that follows the pattern of Sabbatical years.

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