Oil in Capricorn: Tarot predictions have become popular on the stock market
Tarot cards, Mercury retrograde, and moon phases are increasingly becoming a full-fledged investment strategy rather than entertainment for Russians. Financial tarologists and astrologers sell "money handouts", advise buying stocks by the stars and promise to unleash "the energy of a profitable portfolio." Moreover, esotericism gradually reached not only Telegram channels, but also large trading platforms and investment communities of banks, Izvestia found out. Amid the turbulence of the markets, some experts are already ironic: it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish some of the brokers' forecasts from fortune-telling on the cards. How financial magic captures the stock market and whether it is possible to protect yourself from it — in the Izvestia article.
How astrotrading is gaining momentum
Recently, "consultants" who make forecasts based on mystical practices have been increasingly appearing among stock market experts. Tarot cards, star positions, moon phases, and Mercury retrograde are used. Moreover, it has long been no longer about niche esoteric chats, but about a completely massive trend that is gradually seeping into investment social networks, large platforms, and even business media.
For example, a full—fledged Tarot deck for traders has appeared on TradingView, one of the largest social networks for traders with an audience of about 29 million users per month. It has "long", "short", "exit", "broker" cards and even a YOLO — an exchange analogue of the "pan or gone" strategy. It also publishes "astrological indicators", where the movement of stocks and cryptocurrencies is explained by solar cycles, eclipses and the position of the planets.
Also, "financial horoscopes" and tarot forecasts for investors regularly appear on the social networks of large banks. For example, one of the popular posts in September 2025 warned investors about the "eclipse corridor," which is supposedly capable of arranging a "general cleaning of trading accounts." Back in late August, users were advised to consider Mercury retrograde, full moon, and solar eclipses before buying assets. It wasn't difficult to get your finger in the sky — the markets were really feverish then, investors were waiting for the Fed's rate decision and nervously reacted to weak statistics on the US economy. However, financial astrologers explained what was happening not by macroeconomics, but by the movement of the planets. The authors of such channels also regularly publish layouts for the Moscow Exchange index and interpret market dynamics through the Mag and Hierophant cards.
Esotericism is gradually becoming a part of financial content in the media. Major business publications are already releasing forecasts for the next year with Tarot cards, financial horoscopes, and even Jessica's cat's "predictions" for the Russian stock market.
The topic is being promoted even more actively by investment bloggers. "Money horoscopes" for zodiac signs and astrologers' services for choosing "good days" for transactions and investments are gaining popularity on social networks. Some authors even try to combine trading with esotericism, explaining the movement of markets by "cosmic cycles".
The market for such services is also growing. According to First Data, in the first two months of 2026, Russians' demand for talismans and esoteric goods increased by 120% to almost 1 million purchases worth 312 million rubles. The "Pressindex" calculated: From June 2024 to May 2025, more than 1.5 million offers of astrologers, tarologists and palmists appeared on social media - almost 10% more year on year.
According to the assessment Businessmens.ru the volume of the market of esoteric services in Russia in 2024 reached 2.4 trillion rubles. Sales of Tarot cards, "magic" candles and amulets have increased dramatically on marketplaces. A Bitrix24 study showed that tarologists are already used by 14% of Russian entrepreneurs. Moreover, about 95% of them were satisfied with the result, and 92% are going to turn to esotericism again.
Against this background, the authorities who do not believe in magic are trying to combat such practices. In April 2025, a bill was submitted to the State Duma to ban advertising of magicians, witches and tarologists. However, in April 2026, the relevant committee rejected the initiative. MP Marina Kim recalled that there is no direct ban on esoteric services in Russian legislation, and it is already possible to fight unscrupulous "witches" through the law "On Advertising", which restricts the dissemination of false information.
Why do investors listen to Tarot cards?
The main reason for the popularity of such practices is the growing uncertainty in the markets, experts interviewed by Izvestia believe. In times of crisis, people especially want to feel in control of what is happening, explained psychologist Maria Todorova. When the usual mechanisms stop giving a sense of stability, a person begins to look for simple and emotionally understandable explanations.
Currently, the market is in a state where almost no instrument promises investors a quiet life, said economist Andrei Barkhota. Moreover, the classical analysis only confirms this. As a result, some people begin to reason according to the principle: if even professionals are wrong, why not ask the Universe for advice.
When a person does not have their own decision-making system and experience, they start looking for quick answers to difficult questions, agreed Anton Nikitin, founder and CEO of Fingold. According to him, such services usually sell subscriptions, "secret signals" and promises of stable profitability. In practice, this is more often hidden not by investment analysis, but by ordinary marketing.
As economist Olga Gogaladze added, novice investors are increasingly becoming disillusioned with boring reports and are starting to look for "secret knowledge" and a shortcut to wealth. And if a tarologist guesses the growth of stocks once, it is perceived almost as a mystical revelation — all previous mistakes are quickly forgotten.
There is a demand for such services, but so far the phenomenon cannot be called widespread, said Dina Kuzmina, head of the digital sales department at Gazprombank Investments. However, in her opinion, regulators may soon pay attention to it. And then the market may have to solve an unexpected question: who is responsible for the investment council, the broker or Mercury retrograde?
The work patterns of such "financial gurus" differ little from the classic information business, but they are adapted to the stock market, said economist Olga Gogaladze. It usually starts with Telegram channels and social networks, where they publish the most vague forecasts that can be passed off as successful with any market movement. Then the audience is transferred to paid private chats with "signals" to buy shares based on the phases of the moon or offered to create a "financial birth chart".
The subscription price ranges from several to hundreds of thousands per month for "personal mentoring." At the same time, clients are promised returns of hundreds of percent per annum, and at the bottom they specify in small print: the content is of an entertainment nature, the expert added.
Ekaterina Medyakova from the Presidential Academy identified two main schemes: paid communities with abstract tips and fake investment platforms disguised as brokers. According to Ekaterina Kosareva, managing partner of VMT Consult, such "analysts" actively use the techniques of information scammers — artificial hype, "exclusive access" and the same type of rave reviews.
How does the regulator relate to magic
The Bank of Russia warned about the risks of such "mystical" investment councils. As the press service of the regulator informed Izvestia, only professional market participants, investment advisers who meet the requirements of the Central Bank in terms of education and work experience, have the right to make recommendations on investments. You can check the legality of the consultant through a special registry on the Central Bank's website. If the person is not there, the investor is at serious risk of losing money.
The problem is that "esoteric investment consulting" remains virtually unregulated, said Vladimir Lebedev, director of projects at Sberinvestments. According to him, users are increasingly making decisions based on advice from social networks, not understanding who is behind the forecasts and whether they are based on real analysis or on the phases of the moon.
As a result, professional market participants and pseudo-experts today exist in the same information field. Moreover, the latter often have brighter content and more generous promises.
The press service of the Moscow Stock Exchange told Izvestia that the site constantly monitors not only the course of trading, but also Telegram channels, social networks and thematic forums. If there are signs of unfair practices, the information is transmitted to the Central Bank.
Is it necessary to fight with financial gurus
Financial literacy alone will not be able to defeat the trend towards "astrotrading," says economist Olga Gogaladze. In her opinion, the Central Bank and the administrations of messengers need to block channels that are distributed by investment councils without a license faster. At the same time, legal brokers should learn to speak to their audience more simply and vividly, otherwise boring reports will continue to lose out to Tarot cards and Mercury retrograde.
However, blocking is more of a Band—Aid than a treatment, Ekaterina Kosareva, managing partner of the VMT Consult agency, objected. The closed channels quickly reappear, changing their name and "guru". Therefore, critical thinking remains the key defense. It needs to be developed from school, Maria Todorova added.
As Vladimir Lebedev from Sberinvestments noted, only an understanding of the basics of economics and the ability to verify information will allow a person not to make financial decisions based on stars and maps.
Experts are confident that while the market remains nervous and unpredictable, some investors will continue to look for answers not only in analytics, but also in charts, horoscopes and the position of the moon. This means that the demand for "financial esotericism" is unlikely to disappear in the near future.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
