Markets Aren’t Rational—They’re Mythic

What Jung, Archetypes, and the Collective Unconscious Reveal About Price Action
By The Trend Rider

---

Most traders obsess over charts and headlines.
But the market doesn't just run on data—it runs on drama.

Carl Jung called it the collective unconscious—a deep psychic ocean filled with archetypes that shape human behavior.

These aren’t abstract theories. They’re the hidden currents behind oil spikes, irrational rallies, and the persistent failure of conventional analysis. If you want to understand where the market is heading next, you need to understand the story it's unconsciously telling.

---

The Script Behind the Screen

While traders focus on earnings reports and technical indicators, the true drivers of the market operate in the shadows of human consciousness.

Jung’s groundbreaking work revealed that beneath our rational minds lies a deeper structure: archetypal forces—primordial, universal patterns that influence not only individual behavior but also the movements of entire civilizations.

“The collective unconscious is a reality in itself,” Jung wrote, “and its contents are no less real than the things we see with our eyes.”

This isn’t mysticism. It’s the missing dimension of modern market psychology—the reason prices often move in ways traditional models can’t explain.

---

Why Oil Doesn’t Trade on Supply Alone

Let’s consider oil in 2025.

Prices swung from $78 to $55 and back again. The analysts blamed OPEC noise and inventory data. But beneath the surface?

• Israel vs Iran tensions (the Eternal Warrior archetype)

• Market manipulation via media spin (Trickster energy in action)

The April crash to $55 wasn’t about barrels or Biden—it was the unconscious release of years of unresolved geopolitical tension, playing out in price.

The surge back to $78? That wasn’t demand—it was the collective mind pricing in the mythic return of the warrior.

Markets don’t just reflect supply and demand—they reflect the soul in conflict.

---

The Archetypes Behind World Leaders

Global leaders aren’t just policymakers—they’re archetypes projected onto a worldwide stage:

• The Trickster (Trump): Disrupts the status quo, creating chaos that reveals hidden truths

• The Dark Father (Putin): Wields authoritarian power and territorial instinct

• The Wise Emperor (Xi): Exercises calculated patience and strategic long-term vision

• The Warrior (Netanyahu): Engages in cultural, existential battles

• The Shadow King (Khamenei): Pulls strings from the shadows, operating through proxies

These figures don’t just shape geopolitics.
They trigger archetypal responses—and those ripple through the collective psyche straight into the market.

---

Beyond Behavioral Finance

Behavioral finance tells us investors are irrational.
Archetypal psychology explains why.

Markets aren’t just driven by fear and greed but by the timeless dramas humanity has always enacted: war, betrayal, rebirth, conquest.

The Prediction Paradox

Here’s the challenge: Archetypal forces operate below conscious awareness, making them nearly impossible to predict with conventional tools.

The answer isn’t to abandon analysis. It’s to develop what Jung called a symbolic attitude—the ability to see behind events, look beyond the numbers, and track the myth playing out in real time.

The Trend Rider’s Archetypal Toolkit

1. Recognition Over Prediction

Instead of forecasting archetypal events, become attuned to them.

When the market behaves irrationally, ask:

What archetypal drama is unfolding here?

2. Symbolic Tracking

Monitor mythic themes in media, popular culture, and collective sentiment alongside price data.

Archetypes often surface in culture before appearing on charts.

3. Cyclical Awareness

Archetypes move in phases. Trickster gives way to King. Warrior transitions to Healer.

Recognizing the cycle is half the timing battle.

4. Shadow Integration

The more traders understand their own psyche, the more attuned they become to the collective one.

Unexamined biases are the blind spots for most market participants.

5. Paradoxical Thinking

Markets can crash and surge at the same time. Archetypal forces often produce contradictions that linear logic can't explain.

The Deep Ocean Strategy

Most traders stay at the surface—watching prices, reading news, reacting to headlines.

But the real signal exists deeper.

This isn’t about rejecting technicals or fundamentals.

It’s about adding the one dimension most neglected: the symbolic.

Jung warned that “the unconscious has a thousand ways of snaring us into situations we could not consciously imagine.”

That’s exactly what markets do—pulling us into collective dramas, using financial instruments to resolve archetypal tensions.

The Future of Market Psychology

As global events increasingly unfold like mythic stories amplified by social media and digital echo chambers, understanding archetypes is no longer optional.

It’s essential.

Future trend riders won’t just follow breakouts or price patterns—they’ll interpret the psychological tides that generate those movements before they appear.

What’s Next: The Warrior & the Oil Market

Ready to Ride Deeper?

The Trend Rider provides premium market psychology analysis for those who recognize that the greatest profits stem from understanding the most profound aspects of human nature.

Follow along. Because the market is mythic. And you're here to ride it.

AI Without the Hype: A Business-Minded Look at What’s Really Happening

AI isn't merely a technological breakthrough—it's an economic reordering hiding in plain sight. 

I’ll be upfront from the start: I’m not here to explain transformer architectures or the math behind neural networks. That’s not my lane, and more importantly, it’s not necessary to understand where artificial intelligence is actually heading. 

What I do understand are business cycles, market dynamics, and how transformative technologies reshape industries. After years of watching AI evolve from niche academia to global disruptor, I’ve developed a clear-eyed view of where we’re headed.  

The Pattern Recognition Game  

The AI revolution isn’t solely about algorithms—it’s about cycles, timing, adoption curves, and economic incentives.  

Like every major technology wave, we’re seeing a familiar pattern: initial skepticism, followed by explosive hype, then a hard reality check, and finally, steady integration into the daily grind.  

Right now, we’re hovering between the hype peak and the reality dip. AI has proven its worth in focused domains, but we’re still figuring out where it adds real value—and where it’s just a shiny object with little substance.  

The Infrastructure Play

Here’s what most people miss: the biggest winners in this AI cycle aren’t necessarily building the flashiest apps. They’re the ones laying the foundation—cloud providers, chipmakers, data pipeline companies.  

Think back to the gold rush. The people selling shovels made more money than the prospectors.  

AI is triggering a reallocation of enterprise budgets. Companies aren’t just buying tools—they’re reshaping their entire operational stack. And that creates new layers of demand across infrastructure, storage, compute, and talent.  

If you’re investing in this space, don’t just look at the apps. Follow the supply chain behind them.  

The Integration Challenge  

The gap between what AI can do and what businesses actually do with it is still massive.  

Most companies are still stuck on questions like:  

• What do we automate first?  

• How do we maintain quality and control?  

• What’s the real ROI?  

• What happens to our workforce?  

These aren’t tech questions. They’re strategic ones. The companies that solve the integration puzzle—rethinking operations, not just adding features—will build sustainable advantages. The ones that treat AI as a bolt-on gimmick? They’ll likely be disappointed.  

The Regulation Factor 

We’re fast approaching an inflection point where regulatory frameworks will start locking in.  

Right now, the lack of clear rules is holding back adoption, especially in finance, healthcare, and education. But once governments set clearer guardrails, we’ll likely see an acceleration in these high-stakes industries.  

And make no mistake: regulation won’t just shape where AI can go—it will shape what kind of AI gets built. Privacy, liability, and safety will drive product design more than model architecture ever will.  

The Talent Bottleneck  

There’s a growing mismatch in the AI talent landscape. While technical experts are in short supply, what’s even scarcer are hybrid thinkers—people who understand AI and know how to apply it in a business context.  

That’s where the real leverage is.  

The most valuable professionals in the AI ecosystem aren’t always the ones who build the smartest models. They’re the ones who know how to turn models into momentum—translating capabilities into cash flow, workflows, and wins.  

Expect to see a growing premium on talent that can bridge technical depth with strategic clarity.  

Looking Forward  

The next phase of AI won’t be louder—it’ll be deeper. Expect:  

• Consolidation: Fewer general-purpose platforms, more domain-specific solutions.  

• Specialization: AI tailored to industries like logistics, compliance, manufacturing, and healthcare.  

• Invisibility: As AI matures, it will blend into workflows—less of a feature, more of an assumption.  

The real measure of success won’t be benchmark scores or flashy demos. It’ll be whether AI quietly powers decisions, automates value, and integrates without friction.  

We’re exiting the “wow” phase and entering the “how” phase.  

The future won’t belong to those building the most advanced AI, but to those applying it where it matters most.

 

These examples of our work are not recommendations for any actions.

The AI Supercycle is Here: Don't Just Watch, Own It

As geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty dominate the headlines, a more profound revolution quietly unfolds beneath the surface. The convergence of artificial intelligence and quantum computing is poised to redefine the next decade and beyond. This isn't a fleeting trend; it's a foundational shift that will fundamentally rewire economies, industries, and societies.

A 10-15 Year Head Start to the Future

We're not just witnessing another tech bubble; we're on the cusp of the "AI Supercycle," a transformative wave expected to last a decade or more. AI is rewriting the rules across every facet of our lives, from raw materials to core industries like finance, healthcare, and logistics. The impact will be nothing short of profound. Imagine the microchip revolution amplified exponentially – that's the potential we're facing. And with quantum computing on the horizon, another wave of breakthroughs is ready to shatter existing limitations in science and business.

Why I'm Not Distracted by Short-Term Fears

My biggest concern isn't navigating the market's inevitable ups and downs; it's the regret of standing on the sidelines as the future takes shape. I'm taking a cue from Jeff Bezos and asking myself: Will I kick myself later for not seizing this opportunity to invest in the companies building tomorrow? The answer is a resounding yes. I'm not deterred by short-term volatility; I'm focused on the potential long-term returns in AI, quantum, and digital biology, which are not just significant – they're potentially life-changing.

My Strategic Blueprint for Capturing the AI Opportunity

To capitalize on this unprecedented opportunity, I'm:

1. Doubling Down on Tomorrow: Strategically increasing my holdings in established leaders and promising newcomers in AI and quantum.

2. Identifying the Hot Zones: Actively seeking and investing in AI-driven sectors with tangible growth.

3. Managing Risk, Maximizing Potential: Allocating capital with a measured approach, controlling dollar risk and initial position sizes.

4. Embracing Uncertainty, Anticipating Growth: Positioning myself for the inevitable surge, despite market uncertainty.

The Core Truth: Asymmetrical Returns in an AI-Powered World

AI isn't just streamlining processes; it's reimagining the core value proposition of countless products and services. Companies that master AI will dominate their markets, forging a new landscape of industry titans. The IMF projects that nearly 40% of global jobs will be impacted by AI, with developed nations facing the biggest disruptions and rewards. Global investment in AI is expected to skyrocket to $827 billion by 2030, boasting an annual growth rate exceeding 28%.

Seize This Once-in-a-Generation Moment

If you share my conviction that AI and quantum are the defining forces shaping the next decade, then the long-term strategy is clear: this is a rare and precious window of opportunity. The market may fluctuate, and the news cycle may be tumultuous, but the trajectory of technological progress is undeniable. It's a risk/reward scenario unlike any other. Will you be a builder, or just an observer? The future is being built right now – don't just watch, own it.

Bullish Bets Amid 25‑Year Bearish Odds

Fund managers are unusually bearish on U.S. equities, with their positioning ranking among the bottom five readings of the past 25 years. Net U.S. equity underweights hit 36% in April.

Tariff worries have dragged down global growth forecasts, leading the IMF to cut its 2025 global GDP outlook to 2.8%, down from 3.3% in January, amid century‑high U.S. duties.

That downgrade places growth projections near multi‑decade lows, reflecting the uncertainty stemming from trade policy.

This combination of slowing growth and rising prices is fueling stagflation concerns, as 82% of surveyed fund managers now see a weakening economy while inflation expectations spike.

Flip the script: When pros are this one‑sided, the smart money often goes the other way. Staying long in U.S. markets—especially tech names—offers a classic contrarian edge.

Analysts like Oppenheimer’s John Stoltzfus argue that markets have overreacted to tariff risks and that high‑quality growth stocks are poised for a rebound.

Commodities have held up well, with the Bloomberg Commodities Index rebounding after the tariff pause and oil staging a short‑cover rally.

Gold has surged to record highs as investors hedge against inflation and policy uncertainty.

The real wildcard is the Fed: if growth keeps weakening while inflation expectations climb, Powell could be caught between cutting rates to support a faltering economy and keeping them high to tame prices—a toxic mix that markets fear.