April 24, 2024

What Precious Metal Has Performed Best In 2012 And Where Do We Go From Here?

March 20, 2012 by 1 Comment

After the recent volatility in precious metals, let’s take a look at the year to date performance of gold, silver, platinum and palladium.  The new year started off with a strong rally across the entire precious metals group which erased some of the losses seen in the second half of 2011.

The across the board rally in precious metals came to an abrupt halt in early March after serial dollar printer Fed Chairman Bernanke made comments suggesting that further quantitative easing was unnecessary (see The Flash Crash In Gold).  Gold, which had closed at $1781 on February 28, sold off sharply, losing $136.75 per ounce by March 14.  Silver, platinum and palladium also sold off and are currently below the highs of the year seen in late February.

The precious metal with the largest gain to date for 2012 is platinum with an impressive 19% gain.  Silver is up 12.72% on the year, followed by palladium with a 5.72% gain and gold is now in last place with a year to date gain of 4.5%.

Platinum may be the most undervalued of all the precious metals based on the fact that the platinum to gold ratio is at levels not seen since 1986  (see Platinum To Gold Ratio Plunges – Buy Signal or New Metric?).

GOLD SILVER PLATINUM PALLADIUM
JAN 3RD $1,590.00 $28.78 $1,406.00 $664.00
MARCH 19TH $1,661.50 $32.44 $1,673.00 $702.00
$ GAIN $71.50 $3.66 $267.00 $38.00
% GAIN 4.50% 12.72% 19.00% 5.72%

Based on previous history, serious precious metal investors probably gave little credence to Bernanke’s suggestion that further Fed monetary easing was not in the cards.  Indeed, barely a week passed before the Fed Chairman was again discussing a new version of quantitative easing known as “sterilized bond-buying.” The always astute James Grant of Grant’s Interest Rate Observer, dismissed the notion that central bank money printing was about to end anytime soon.  In a recent interview with Bloomberg Television, Grant had this to say.

The price of gold is the reciprocal of the world’s faith in the deeds and words of the likes of Ben Bernanke. The world over, central banks are printing money as it has never been printed before. The European Central Bank has increased the size of its balance sheet at the annual rate of 89%. It’s amazing. The Fed is far behind at only 15%. The Bank of England 67% over the past few months. These are rates of increases in the production of paper currencies we have never seen in the modern age. It takes no effort at all. They simply tap the computer screen.

The full interview with Grant is well worth listening to and can be accessed below.

Where do we go from here in what could turn out to be a very interesting year for precious metals?  Here’s a brief roundup of interesting thoughts and analysis from around the web.

The Golden Trader discusses paper trading and manipulation of precious metal prices along with a technical assessment of gold and silver.

Mint State Gold explains why “all the major signs are showing that the quality rare coin market is starting its long awaiting rally. Let me explain why we could see a 30% move higher by year end.”

Why financial repression should be the focus of investor attention.

Filed Under: Featured, Gold, palladium, Platinum, Silver Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Fed Manipulating Markets In Zero Sum Game To Create Higher Inflation

March 8, 2012 by 4 Comments

Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney recently said that “You know, I’m not willing to light my hair on fire to try and get support. I am who I am.”  If only the Federal Reserve Chairman could be so restrained.  Based on recent comments from Fed Chairman Bernanke, it seems likely that he would gladly set both his hair and beard on fire in order to accomplish his mutually exclusive goals of increasing employment while maintaining price stability.

With a stubbornly high rate of unemployment, massive fiscal deficits, very slow economic growth, declining incomes and debt levels that are strangling the U.S. consumer, the Fed is facing a quandary.  How can economic growth be stimulated without simultaneously igniting inflation?

Lower interest rates, the most powerful tool in the Fed’s arsenal, has already been fully exploited while providing  a zero net benefit for consumers.  The zero sum game of lower rates did not prevent the housing market from crashing, has not helped it to recover and has resulted in dramatically reducing interest income for millions of consumers.  Every dollar of interest saved by one consumer means one less dollar of income for savers, many of them retirees who suddenly have seen their CD rates drop to near zero.

With rates at zero, the Fed is now forced to use the last resort option of QE, risking higher inflation as it stokes the economy with digitally created dollar bills.  Increased inflation is the high risk option that the Fed is willing to take as explained in  Bernanke Seen Accepting Faster Inflation as Fed Seeks to Boost Employment.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke spent six years pushing for an inflation goal. Now that he has it, some investors are betting he’ll breach the 2 percent target in the short run to lower unemployment.

“The chairman seemed to suggest they will tolerate a misdemeanor on inflation as unemployment continues to fall toward their goal” over several years, said Mark Spindel, chief investment officer at Potomac River Capital, a hedge fund that manages $250 million in Washington.

Policy makers at a March 13 meeting probably won’t deviate from their commitment to hold the main interest rate close to zero at least through late 2014, even if their forecast shows a burst of energy-driven inflation, said Lou Crandall, chief economist at Wrightson ICAP LLC in Jersey City, New Jersey. They’ll probably be more concerned that rising prices will hold back real spending, impeding growth and improvement in the job market, he said.

Crude oil prices have risen 32 percent since the end of the third quarter of 2011 and 6 percent this year. Energy prices could hold the Federal Open Market Committee’s inflation target benchmark, the personal consumption expenditures price index, above the Fed’s 2 percent inflation objective for much of 2012, Crandall said. The PCE rose 2.4 percent for the 12 months ending in January.

Also, workers have weak leverage for increasing wages to compensate for higher costs. Real average weekly earnings have fallen for 10 consecutive months on a year-over-year basis. As energy costs eat up more of consumer expenditures, companies have difficulty raising prices on other goods and services.

“To the extent that PCE inflation is somewhere around 3 percent while unemployment is still above 8 percent, I think there will still be no reaction from the Fed,” said Worah, who’s based in Newport Beach, California.

The expectation among investors that the Fed will allow for a temporary overshoot on the price goal has been “unambiguously bullish” for Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities, Worah said.

Gold, up 18% over just the past year, is also telling us that the Fed is likely to shoot past its goal of attaining a 2% inflation rate.  Furthermore, the Fed’s goal of accepting increased inflation as an acceptable risk for increased economic growth is a self defeating zero sum game.  By driving up inflation, the Fed has increased living costs for the average consumer, negating any positive net affect from stronger economic growth. Consumers, whose spending makes up 70% of GDP, ultimately can’t spend more without real income growth.

In an interview with CNBC, Jim Grant of Grant’s Interest Rate Observer, and a frequent critic of destructive Federal Reserve monetary policies, says the Fed is manipulating interest rates for the sake of achieving “desirable macro outcomes”.  Discussing the Fed’s latest scheme to expand money printing, known as “sterilized bond-buying”, Grant says he is uncomfortable with the program which will create inflation and distortions that will destabilize the entire debt market.

Grant also feels that Bernanke, a self proclaimed “expert’ on the depression of the 1930’s is making fundamentally flawed decisions to forestall Depression II that many feel is looming in front of us.  According to Grant, Bernanke can’t “stop talking about the ’30s”, but when the economy fell off a cliff in 1920 – 1921, the government actually balanced the budget and the Fed raised interest rates and the economy soon recovered on its own and not due to running “immense deficits”.

The full interview with Grant is worth listening to. Please click on this link if the video below does not play.


The Fed has only one hand left to play and it will continue to print money, a fact that has not gone unrecognized by the gold and precious metals markets.

Filed Under: Featured, Gold, US Debt Crisis Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Gold and Silver News and Headlines – Gold Owners Get Nervous

March 8, 2012 by 1 Comment

Precious metals advanced across the board today, with palladium the stellar performer with a 2.86% gain.  Gold gained $9.70 to $1685.30, silver tacked on $0.48 to $33.53, platinum rose $18 to $1633.00 and palladium jumped $19.00 to $689.00.

Although precious metals recently hit a selling storm (see The Flash Crash in Gold), precious metals remain up strongly on the year and gold is up $257.20 per ounce or 18% over the past year.  The following chart show the gains for the year on the precious metals group.  All prices per the London PM Fix closing price.

GOLD SILVER PLATINUM PALLADIUM
JAN 3RD $1,590.00 $28.78 $1,406.00 $664.00
MARCH 7TH $1,677.50 $33.17 $1,627.00 $678.00
$ GAIN $87.50 $4.39 $221.00 $14.00
% GAIN 5.50% 15.25% 15.72% 2.11%

Here’s a brief round up of some of the latest thoughtful coverage on gold and silver related news.

Free Von Nothaus from the tyranny of unjust government actions – Judging Silver or Something Else?

As I look at the circumstances, I do not see that von Nothaus or his Liberty Dollar products victimized anyone. In contrast, those who chose to keep Federal Reserve Notes and coinage of the U.S. Mint have been victimized by loss of purchasing power. If anything, and I say this with all due respect, it seems to me that it would be more sensible and appropriate to prosecute those who have victimized American citizens through the depreciation of the “money” issued by the U.S. government.

US Mint Drops Price of Gold Products

With all of the pricing data now available, the US Mint’s gold numismatic products are set for a two tier decrease. This will reduce prices by the equivalent of $100 per ounce of gold content.

Owning gold is a “privilege, not a right”.  Why The US Confiscated Gold in 1933 and Can It Happen Again?

We previously stated that gold ownership was made illegal on 1st May 1933. What we did not tell you was that U.S. citizens, under Order 6102, were allowed to own up to $100 in gold coin [+5 ounces].

Congress could easily revoke the privilege again. In fact, at no time during this century has the U.S. government recognized the right of private gold ownership.

The privilege, not right, to own gold was restored to U.S. citizens on the 15th August 1974 (not 1971, when Nixon floated the USD against gold and stopped foreign central banks from converting USD to gold). It is pertinent to the thinking behind this series, to understand the importance to government of gold and that the right to confiscate may not be restricted to individuals or institutions but could embrace a nation or two.

It’s believed that some 60% of Germany’s gold is stored outside of Germany and much of it in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. If this is the case one has to ask, in the light of the massive currency swaps engineered by the Fed and the E.C.B. to raise the two tranches of cheap money for European banks, “Was gold swapped too, or was it pledged as collateral?”

The public pressure to repatriate national gold reserves has heightened considerably in the last year. Should Germany want its gold back home, we ask, “Can it get it back or has it already been used in these ways?

Germany to Review Bundesbank Gold Reserves in Frankfurt, Paris, London and Federal Reserve Bank of New York

German lawmakers are to review Bundesbank controls of and management of Germany’s gold reserves.  Parliament’s Budget Committee will assess how the central bank manages its inventory of Germany’s gold bullion bars that are believed to be stored in Frankfurt, Paris, London and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, according to German newspaper Bild.

There is increasing nervousness amongst the German public, German politicians and indeed the Bundesbank itself regarding the gigantic risk on the balance sheet of Germany’s central bank and this is leading some in Germany to voice concerns about the location and exact amount of Germany’s gold reserves.

The eurozone’s central bank system is massively imbalanced after the ECB’s balance sheet surged to a record 3.02 trillion euros ($3.96 trillion) last week, 31% bigger than the German economy, after a second tranche of three-year loans.

The concern is that were the eurozone to collapse, Bundesbank’s losses could be half a trillion euros – more than one-and-a-half times the size of the Germany’s annual budget.

In that scenario, Germany’s national patrimony of gold bullion reserves would be needed to support the currency – whether that be a new euro or a return to the Deutsche mark.

Bernanke Spooks Gold

Instead, this selloff was sparked not by a development, but a non-development. In his address to Congress, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke offered no clue as to when the Federal Reserve would unleash its next round of quantitative easing.

The markets took this as a sign that the monetary madness is coming to an end, which would bode poorly for precious metals. Metals are increasingly seen as substitutes for continuously debased fiat money, and tend to do well when new liquidity injections are announced.

Bernanke’s failure to telegraph more printing means nothing. Investors are craving a return to normalcy, which means more prudent monetary policy. As a result, many are grasping at straws. But I believe these hopes are premature, and that gold will be buoyed by easy money for quite some time.

In addition, gold will likely be favored by the greatest financial struggle of the coming decade: China’s plans to replace the United States as the dominant economic power.

Buy Japanese Bonds At 0.05% And Get A Gold Coin

Japan began selling special government bonds Monday aimed at raising funds for reconstruction from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, saying it will present buyers with commemorative gold coins imprinted with an image of the “miracle pine” that survived the killer tsunami when the bonds mature in three years.

The coins — worth ¥10,000 each, and silver coins worth ¥1,000 — are engraved with the design of the 30-meter-high pine in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, that was the only one of about 70,000 pines on a stretch of coast to survive the massive tsunami.

Peter Schiff on why Buffett is wrong about gold – Buffett’s Bursting Bubble

The gold doomsayers have found their champion in the media’s favorite financial advisor and one of the world’s richest men. Warren Buffett, the man dubbed the “Oracle of Omaha,” has repeatedly and publicly denied that gold is an investment, and called gold buyers “speculators” and people “who fear almost all other assets.” In fact, Buffett claims that gold’s rise has the same characteristics as the housing and dot-com bubbles, and it is only a matter of time before it reverses course. He doesn’t mean that the price will decline because of austerity measures and a free-market interest rate, mind you. He just asserts that because he’s deemed it a bubble, it will inevitably burst.

Gold prices will only go down when governments change course and make significant cuts. Until then, gold is not in a bubble. It’s the only way to protect your wealth; and in the current economic condition, it’s poised to go much higher. I think it’s high time Buffett takes to heart his father’s wise words: “For if human liberty is to survive in America, we must win the battle to restore honest money.”

The Volatile Ride To Higher Gold

Back in 1980, Phase Three only lasted for 21 days, but increased 66% in that time span. Considering the ten year time span of Phase One, and my projection for Phase Two, I feel that Phase Three (which starts in 2015) will last for six months and drive gold up to over $6,000 per ounce. If the world’s financial leaders decide to return to a Gold Standard, or if gold bullion confiscation becomes the government’s reaction to severe inflation, my projections would escalate. Possible other government reactions that can affect my projections negatively are: limiting gold ownership, restrictions on transporting or trading, and any Gold windfall profits tax.

 

Filed Under: Bullion Sales, Featured, Gold, palladium, Platinum, Silver, Statistics, US Mint Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Gold Bubble Debate And The Flash Crash In Gold

March 1, 2012 by 3 Comments

The “flash crash” in gold that occurred on Wednesday seemed to have as much logic behind it as the infamous stock market flash crash of May 6, 2010 when the Dow Jones quickly plunged 1,000 points for no particular reason.

Yesterday’s extraordinary price action in the precious metals has again resulted in mainstream press speculation about whether the “gold bubble” has burst.  For some perspective on that topic, Gold Bullion International has put together a great graphic – “Is Gold A Bubble?” which can be viewed below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is also a very bullish aspect to gold’s flash crash which has gone relatively unmentioned.  For every seller there is a buyer and someone was more than happy to buy millions of ounces of gold at a discount.  Discussing this bullish side of the gold smash down, Barry Stuppler of Mint State Gold asks “Who Bought The 34 Million Ounces of Gold?”

First of all, the volume for the CME’s most active gold contract, which is now April 2012, was 344,994 one hundred ounce contracts (34,499,400 oz was traded) a record high. Gold prices dropped $77 per ounce yesterday based on slightly negative news, specifically the lack of mentioning a possible QE3 by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke. Mr. Bernanke’s congressional testimony does not change any of the fundamental reasons to own gold.

During my 50+ year career of trading gold I have seen similar exceptional days like this.  Traders call this type of day “shaking out the weak hands”, because many small investors and speculators are driven out of the market by stop loss sell orders and margin calls. So, who bought the 34 million ounces of gold and what will happen next?

I think that trading on today, Friday and Monday will tell the tale. If gold can stay above important $1,700 per ounce level by the end of Monday’s trading and hopefully rally above $1,725 per ounce, I believe this will tell us it was a cleaning out of small investors and speculators.  On the other hand if gold stays below $1,700 per ounce and begins trading at $1,680 or below, that could indicate that today’s rally was at “Dead Cat Bounce”.

Filed Under: Featured, Gold Tagged With: , , , ,

Gold and Silver Plunge On Bernanke’s Remarks – What Happens Next?

February 29, 2012 by 1 Comment

The price of gold and silver plunged today after investors concluded that the Federal Reserve had no immediate plans for further quantitative easing.  In testimony to Congress Fed Chairman Bernanke made positive comments on future U.S. economic growth.  When Bernanke gave no indication that further monetary easing  would be necessary, a selling stampede began in the precious metals markets.

In New York trading, gold closed down $87.20 for a 4.9% loss on the day and silver declined by $2.29, down 6.2%.  Platinum got rocked with a $40 decline to $1,685 and palladium gave up $18 to close at $707.

Why the violent sell off in precious metals when the Federal Reserve and other central banks worldwide are still printing money on a massive scale?  For some thoughts on today’s precious metals rout and what’s likely to happen next, here are some links to excellent gold and silver related stories and blog posts:

Gold Falls In “Manic” Plunge

Explanations from various money managers on why gold and silver sold off.  Investors expecting continued monetary easing were disappointed.  William O’Neill, partner at Logic Advisors said “Bernanke’s comments seem to have eliminated hope of U.S. quantitative easing coming anytime soon.”

Gold, Silver Tumble on Heavy Profit Taking

Importantly, the gold and silver futures markets were ripe for corrective, technical and profit-taking pullbacks following recent strong gains that had sent gold and silver prices to multi-month highs. The Bernanke testimony gave many traders and investors an excuse to “ring the cash” register and take some profits. Also, veteran commodity market watchers know these markets can make sudden, unexpected price moves to temporarily roil investors and traders.

Kitco Interviews GATA Chairman

Interview with GATA Chairman Bill Murphy on today’s smashdown in the gold and silver markets.

Bernanke Tries Talking Down Commodities

If one basically states that the economy is doing better – not out of the woods yet but better – and all the hedgies are leveraged to the gills because the FED GAVE THEM THE GREEN LIGHT TO DO EXACTLY THAT when it first announced that it would keep this near zero interest rate policy out to the end of 2014, then it is a simple matter of throwing a bit of uncertainty in that regards to generate a bout of selling. Toss in the same permabears as always capping at the highs of the day and the algorithms did the rest of the work as the stops were picked off.

First Eagle’s Eveillard Openly Suspects Gold Market Rigging

Gold fund manager Jean-Marie Eveillard has just told King World News that he suspects that today’s pounding of the gold price was a matter of central bank intervention:

Eveillard, who manages $50 billion in assets, is among the few respectables in the gold world, and his stunning acknowledgment today is the price the Western central banks must begin paying for their increasingly brazen market rigging. It is a sign that GATA is making progress, however slow.

Progress could be made a lot faster, as Eveillard and a few other respectables might blow the market rigging to smithereens if they mustered a little courage and activism, such as a donation to GATA, which has been documenting, litigating against, and screaming about gold market rigging for years:

Today Window Dressing Fall In Gold

Please do not be bothered by today’s intervention. The following news is what creates the absolute need for QE.

It is the thesis of my Formula of 2006 of no major recovery that gives the foundation to my thesis of QE to Infinity.

Has serial money printer Bernanke suddenly converted to become a staunch proponent of a sound dollar?  Don’t bet your gold on that one.  As noted in a previous post, The Federal Reserve Can’t Produce Oil, Food or Jobs But They Will Continue to Produce Dollars.

Late note – gold is up $20.60 in Asian trading.

Filed Under: Featured, Gold, palladium, Platinum, Silver Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Platinum To Gold Ratio Plunges – Is This A Buy Signal Or A New Metric?

February 7, 2012 by 1 Comment

Platinum is one of the rarest earth elements with the vast majority of deposits found in only one place on earth.  Annual platinum production is only 30 tonnes per year compared to approximately 2,800 tonnes for gold and 23,000 tonnes for silver.

Roughly 80% of annual platinum production comes from only three mines in South Africa.  Siberia and other geographically scattered locations provide the balance of annual platinum production.

Investment demand for platinum constitutes only 10% of annual demand .  Since 90% of platinum demand comes from jewelry and industrial users, the price of platinum can be very volatile.  During an economic downturn,car sales plunge and jewelry is a very discretionary purchase.  During the 2008 financial meltdown, platinum plunged by nearly two thirds of its value compared to a drop of only one third in the price of gold.

 

Platinum - courtesy kitco.com

The ongoing economic turmoil in Europe has contributed to a large drop in the price of platinum.   Last year, platinum declined from $1,887 in August to $1,354 at 2011 year end, a drop of $533 per ounce.  Although platinum has recovered to $1,609, it is considerably undervalued  when viewed through the lens of the platinum to gold ratio.  A platinum to gold ratio below 1.0 is historically a signal that platinum is selling at a bargain price.  The platinum to gold ratio is currently at .95, a level not seen since 1986.

 

Long term ratio - courtesy http://profitimes.com

 

Platinum to gold ratio - courtesy stockcharts.com

Has the long term historical significance of the platinum to gold ratio lost its relevance?  If the world plunges into a deflationary depression, platinum may wind up becoming a much greater bargain at a later date.  The more likely scenario is that a new pricing metric is not being established and that the multi-decade low in the platinum to gold ratio is a major buy signal for platinum.

The central banks of the world have made it abundantly clear that they will print and inflate their way out of the debt crisis.  Ownership of a precious metal such as platinum is one method of maintaining a store of value against depreciating currencies.

Numismatic versions of the platinum coin can be purchased by investors directly from the U.S. Mint.  The 2011 Proof Platinum Eagle has been available since May 26, 2011 with a maximum mintage of 15,000 pieces.  The current price to purchase the 2011 American Eagle one ounce platinum proof coin from the U.S. Mint is $1,892.00 with no order limit.  No sales tax is charged on the purchase and a credit card can be used to pay for the coins.

According to coinupdate.com, the United State Mint may bring back the American Platinum Eagle bullion coins.  The U.S. Mint has not minted the bullion versions of the platinum coin since 2008.  Production of the American Platinum Eagle is not required by law, as is the case for the American gold and silver eagles.  Production of the platinum coins are at the discretion of the Secretary of the Treasury.  The 2008 and earlier bullion version of the one ounce American Platinum Eagle coins are available from coin dealers and are currently priced at around $1,860 each.

Filed Under: Bullion Sales, Featured, Gold, Other Precious Metals, Platinum, Silver, US Mint Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Silver Prices Will Soar To Record Levels In 2012 – “Record Breaking” Demand For Silver Bullion

January 31, 2012 by 1 Comment

Corrections are the norm in any long term bull market and silver is no exception.  The correction that began in May of 2011 and ended in December has set the stage for what will be an explosive move up during 2012 and beyond.

Since hitting the 2011 low of $26.16 on December 29, 2011, silver has climbed steadily, closing on Monday at $33.18, up 17.4% on the year and up 26.8% from last year’s low.  Today’s price should be viewed by long term silver investors as an exceptional opportunity for capital appreciation and wealth preservation.

The underlying fundamentals that will drive silver higher this year include unprecedented demand for both physical silver and silver ETFs, virtually limitless money printing by central banks worldwide to prevent a debt implosion and a growing realization by the public that the Federal Reserve is deliberating and systematically debasing the U.S. currency.

Sales of American Silver Eagle bullion coins by the US Mint may hit an all time record in January.  As of January 30th, the Mint has already sold 6,082,000 bullion coins.  The previous all time record for sales occurred in January 2011 when sales were 6,422,000 ounces.

Last January was atypical in that monthly sales of the Silver Eagles coins tapered off to about 3 million coins per month thereafter and only in September 2011 did sales exceed 4 million coins.  In the three previous years from 2008 to 2010, January sales volume established the baseline of monthly sales for the rest of the year.

For example, in 2009, January sales of the Silver Eagle came in at 1,900,000 coins and average sales for the remaining 11 months averaged 2.44 million coins.  If 2012 follows the pattern of 2008 through 2010, sales of the American Silver Eagle Bullion coins could average 6 million coins per month.  Average silver bullion coins sales of 6 million per month during 2012 would result in a record shattering purchase of 72 million coins, up 80% from last year’s record of 39,868,500 ounces.

American Silver Eagle Bullion Coins
YEAR OUNCES SOLD
2000 9,133,000
2001 8,827,500
2002 10,475,500
2003 9,153,500
2004 9,617,000
2005 8,405,000
2006 10,021,000
2007 9,887,000
2008 19,583,500
2009 28,766,500
2010 34,662,500
2011 39,868,500

The vast majority of holders in the iShares Silver Trust (SLV)  are solidly committed to owning silver and refused to sell positions during the sharp correction of 2011.  When silver hit a high of $48.70 (London PM Fix Price) on April 28th, the iShares Silver Trust held 11,053 tonnes of silver.  After a rapid and sharp correction to $32.50 on May 12th, the SLV silver holdings declined modestly to 10,516 tonnes as short term speculators and over-leveraged investors sold out at the bottom.

On December 29, 2011, as silver hit its low for the year at $26.16, the iShare Silver Trust held 9,605 tonnes.  A correction from the price high on April 28th to the low on December 29th took silver down by 46.3% but holdings of the iShares Silver Trust declined by a very modest 13.1%.  The vast majority of long term silver investors did not sell out during the correction in expectations of sharply higher prices in the future.

Silver - courtesy kitco.com

 

According to Reuters, precious metal dealers are reporting record breaking silver sales and “dollar sales of silver and gold products reached parity in January for the first time in its history – even though bullion costs 50 times more.”  In addition, dealers are selling record number of the Silver Eagle “Monster Boxes” which hold 500 one-ounce coins.

The European Central Bank, which in December lent a massive €489 billion of freshly printed euros to a collapsing banking system may have to provide double that amount (for a total of $1.27 trillion dollars) during the next round of emergency lending scheduled for February.  According to the Financial Times:

European banks are preparing to tap the European Central Bank’s emergency funding scheme for up to twice as much as the ECB supplied in its debut €489bn auction last month, providing further evidence of the sector’s liquidity squeeze.

Several of the eurozone’s biggest banks have told the Financial Times that they could well double or triple their request for funds in the ECB’s three-year money auction on February 29.

The gold to silver ratio, which on a long term historical basis, has been in the range of 16 is now at the bargain ratio of 52, suggesting strongly that silver could outperform gold on a relative value basis.  At a gold to silver ratio of 20, silver would currently be selling at $87 per ounce.

The Sprott Physical Silver Trust (PSLV) just completed a follow on offering of Trust Units in which investors snapped up additional trust units representing about 11 million ounces of silver.

Silver’s rapid price gains during January is a harbinger of what could turn out to be a very good year for silver investors.

Filed Under: Bullion Sales, Featured, Silver, US Debt Crisis, US Mint Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Precious Metals Advance Strongly On Week

July 9, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Precious metals roared back this week after consolidating in the previous week.

Gold gained $58.50 on the week closing at $1,541.50.  As measured by the London PM Fix Price, gold reached a closing high this year of $1,552.50 on June 22nd and has stubbornly refused to decline.  Gold’s technical position looks excellent and a breakout above June’s high should set the stage for the next major advance.

Meanwhile, depending on how you look at it, the comedy or tragedy unfolding in Europe continues as insolvent nations line up for handouts.  The credit rating agencies are falling over each other in a race to downgrade the debt of country after country, adding Portugal’s debt this week to the status of junk paper.  Quite a difference from how they bestowed  A+ credit ratings on every piece of toxic mortgage paper produced by the banks prior to the financial crisis.

As Europe keeps center stage on the debt crisis, attention has been diverted from some other looming train wrecks, including Japan, the world’s third largest economy.   From a debt standpoint, Japan is in solid first place for the highest ratio of debt to GDP of almost 250%.  Can Europe forestall a debt crisis by piling up even more debt like the Japanese?  Who knows, the story is still unfolding, but the one certainty is that not only Europe, but the entire world is moving inexorably to a major financial crisis as debt burdens reach the level where massive defaults become the only option.

Investors in gold, meanwhile, can take comfort in the fact that gold has no credit risk.

Silver rebounded strongly this week, closing at $36.28, up over 7% on the week.  Prior to this week’s rally, silver had declined for three consecutive weeks, dropping by $4.10 per ounce.

Platinum rally strongly, climbing $32 to $1,740, after a $12 advance in the previous week.

Palladium jumped $26 or 3.5% on the week to $776, continuing last week’s rally of $11.

 

Precious Metals Prices
PM Fix Since Last Recap
Gold $1,541.50 +58.50 +3.94%
Silver $36.28 +2.43 +7.18%
Platinum $1,740.00 +32.00 +1.87%
Palladium $776.00 +26.00 +3.47%

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Featured, Gold, palladium, Platinum, Silver, Weekly Recap Tagged With: , , , ,

Precious Metals Stage Impressive Rally – Are Gold Stocks Next?

May 27, 2011 by 1 Comment

As measured by the closing London PM Fix Price, precious metals staged impressive gains this week, rallying across the board.  Ongoing concerns about the sovereign debt crisis in Europe, the debt limit ceiling stalemate in the U.S. and a weak dollar all contributed to continued fundamental demand for the metals.

After the London close, precious metals continued to gain in New York trading with gold at $1,537.00, silver at $38.15, platinum at $1,805.00 and palladium at $766.00.

The star of the week was silver which gained $2.89 per ounce for a gain of 8.3% on the week.  Although the correction of silver in early May was dramatic, the sharp pullback has provided long term investors with an opportunity to add to positions.  Silver fundamentals remain strong as detailed in a recent report by the Silver Institute in which it was noted that demand remained robust despite higher prices.  In addition, although higher prices has lead to increased mine exploration and production, new silver production during 2010 rose by only 2.5%.

Precious Metals Prices
PM Fix Since Last Recap
Gold $1,533.00 +42.25 (+2.83%)
Silver $37.69 +2.89(+8.30%)
Platinum $1,786.00 +19.00 (+1.08%)
Palladium $757.00 +23.00 (+3.13%)

Gold has recovered nearly all of its early May price correction and is now only $8 off its high of $1,541.00 as measured by the London PM Fix Price.  The trend in gold remains solidly bullish and any price corrections should be viewed as a buying opportunity.

 

GOLD - COURTESY STOCKCHARTS.COM

 

Gold stocks, many of which have trailed the returns of gold bullion, may also be viewed as attractive at this point. As measured by the Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (GDX),  gold stocks are moving up after making multiple bottoms at the $55 support level.

 

GDX - COURTESY YAHOO FINANCE

Many of the gold mining stocks are selling at steep discounts to their gold reserves and represent solid values. Earlier this week, Kinross Gold, which sells at the equivalent of $250 per ounce, was a featured story. Value investor David Steinberg of DLS Capital Management, has a price target on Kinross of $27 per share. Kinross closed today at $16.11.

Filed Under: Gold, palladium, Platinum, Silver, Statistics Tagged With: , , , ,

Insights From One Of The World’s Lengendary Gold Experts

May 17, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The Standard & Poors 500 stock index is still below the level it reached more than 10 years ago in early 2000.  Interest rates on traditional bank savings have barely exceeded zero percent since the Fed instituted its zero interest rate policies in 2008.  Meanwhile, incomes are stagnant and the cost of items we use everyday have been inexorably increasing.

Investors who expected to achieve financial independence by investing in actively managed stock mutual funds have seen their dreams turn to nightmares.  The brutal truth is that the vast majority of mutual fund managers do not beat the market over the long run.   Investors who did not diversity out of traditional investments have seen the value of their savings diminished by inflation and stagnant stock prices.

By contrast, one legendary gold investor who has consistently made great calls in the precious metals markets has achieved average annual returns over the past ten years of over 29%.  Money doubles in about 2.5 years at 29%.  Investors who had the patience and conviction to ride out inevitable corrections have seen fabulous returns.

The man who achieved this stunningly successful investment record is Harvard educated John Hathaway, who has been with the Tocqueville Gold Fund (TGLDX) since its inception in 1998.  Hathaway’s success has been based on his ability to chose smaller mining companies that have the potential for explosive growth and then patiently wait for results.  The average gold mutual fund has an annual holdings turnover of 104% compared to 9% at TGLDX.  While other fund managers frenetically trade mining stocks, Hathaway’s deep knowledge of the companies he invests in has resulted in superior investment returns.  Also benefiting shareholders is the fact that the TGLDX does not charge  front end or deferred sales loads which reduce investor returns.

The TGLDX has soundly beaten the investment performance of both gold bullion and the widely followed PHLX Gold/Silver Sector (XAU) which holds a broad basket of gold and silver stocks.  Since 2000, the TGLDX has returned approximately 810% compared to 500% for gold bullion and 325% for the XAU.

TGLDX VS XAU - COURTESY YAHOO FINANCE

When John Hathaway speaks, serious gold and silver investors pay attention.  In the Tocqueville Gold First Quarter 2011 Observations, Mr. Hathaway explained why he remains positioned for further gains in the precious metals and related equities.

Mr. Hathaway noted that his current position on gold is based on interrelated macro economic issues which make the “current landscape especially tricky”.   Hathaway noted that “the Fed seems predisposed to maintain extremely lax monetary conditions” and that “a credible fiscal plan seems like a long shot”.   Conditions in the Middle East could worsen considerably, energy prices are likely to remain at levels that seemed “unthinkable” a year ago and if there is political resistance to the Fed reducing its balance sheet, “the conditions are ripe for an inflationary spiral”.

The dollar appears to be deeply oversold and a near term rally could slow gold’s uptrend, according to Hathaway.

Mr. Hathaway feels that by mid year, the outlook will be more clear but in the meantime, “we remain positioned for further advances in precious metals”.

The top 8 stock holdings of TGLDX at March 31, 2011 were Goldcorp (GG), Newmont Mining (NEM), IAMGold (IAG), Ivanhoe (IVN),  Silver Wheaton (SLW), Gold Resource Corp (GORO), Osisko Mining (OSK) and Randgold Resources (GOLD).

Filed Under: Gold Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,