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We recently spent an afternoon with astrologer Susan Miller, the founder of AstrologyZone.com, at “Under the Stars with Susan Miller and Todd English,” a lecture and dinner series pairing Miller’s zodiac predictions with English’s culinary interpretations of the signs. We asked her what we can expect in 2012 — but first: a message to anyone who thinks astrology is a bunch of hocus-pocus.

“Astrology is a study of mathematical cycles,” Miller says. “There’s no predestination. You can see if the planets are harmonious or fighting each other.”

On the economy and politics:
“[Economic trouble] isn’t really gonna loosen up until Oct 4, when Saturn leaves Libra. We’re gonna see the real estate market get better in the fourth quarter. I think Obama’s gonna do better.”

On Occupy Wall Street:
“It’s gonna grow big. It’s gonna go all the way to March 2015. It’s gonna get more developed. It could even turn into a third party.”

On pop culture:
Kim Kardashian: “[She] did not get married at the right time. It was actually the worst time. She’s a late Libra, and it shows sadness. She’s feeling loss.”

Jessica Simpson: “She’s a Cancer. Actually, her best year of her life is the summer of 2013 to the summer of 2014. I think she may have two [babies] in a row.”

Demi and Ashton: “I never understood what kept them together. She is Scorpio, he is Aquarius — that means she is touchy-feely, warm and very loving. Ashton is very intellectual, cool and distant — brainy. This match was always a mystery to me. She can find someone better for her.”

JLo & Marc: "[JLo, as a Leo, is] very warm-hearted. They need to be free. He’s Virgo, nice and structured — ‘Where you are going, when are you coming back?’ She wanted to be untethered. They just didn’t belong together. Children sometimes add that extra layer of stress.”

Expert tip

Get your most accurate reading
“Most people know their birthday, but it’s so critical to know your rising sign. The rising sign goes by the exact time of birth. Once you know it, for the rest of your life you need to read for that sign too — you’re gonna get 80 percent of your outlook for the month.”

Q&A

What the heck does it mean when Mercury is in retrograde?

“A retrograde planet is a weak one. You need all the planets to be as strong as possible.”

Mercury retrograde periods:
Mar. 12-Apr. 4
Jul. 14-Aug. 8
Nov. 6-25

Who will have the best year?

For career: Leo (first half of 2012) and Virgo (second half, after June 12)

For love: Capricorn and Aquarius

For luck: Taurus and Gemini

For finance: Aries (first half) and Taurus (second half)

For health and fitness: Sagittarius (first half) and Capricorn (second half)

MEREDITH ENGEL/METRO

Jan. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Steve Leuthold, chief executive officer and founder of Leuthold Global Fund, said he is bullish on U.S. stocks in the near future, and sees emerging and Asian countries as “attractive” places to invest.

The investor said an improvement in momentum made him more optimistic, and that he favors health-care and biotechnology stocks. He said equities comprise 58 percent of his asset- allocation fund holdings, and he may cut that level to 30 percent if he sees signs of market deterioration.

“On a shorter-term basis, we’ve become a little more positive” on American equities, Leuthold said today in an interview with Betty Liu on “In the Loop” on Bloomberg Television. Still, he said, “valuations are about neutral.”

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index has closed above its average level over the past 200 days every session this year. It’s trading at 13.6 times the past 12 months’ earnings, a 17 percent rise from its level at the gauge’s October lows, while still below the 16.4 average since 1954, Bloomberg data show. The benchmark measure for U.S. stocks advanced 0.9 percent today to 1,292.08 today, the highest level since July 29.

Global stocks rallied today as China’s import growth fell to a two-year low in December, bolstering forecasts for monetary easing. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index is valued at 10.9 times the past year’s earnings, about 17 percent below the level for the MSCI World Index of developed-market shares.

“The emerging countries and most of Asia is a very attractive place to be,” Leuthold said.

The Leuthold Global Fund beat 33 percent of its rivals last year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Leuthold, who bet on stocks before the S&P 500 reached a 12-year low in March 2009, said in August that political uncertainty had pushed U.S. stocks into a bear market and estimated that the gauge may fall to 950 to 1,000. The measure fell as low as 1,074.77 intraday on Oct. 4 before recovering to end the year at 1,257.60.

By Ksenia Galouchko and Betty Liu