Briefly: In our opinion (half) speculative short positions in gold, silver and mining stocks are now justified from the risk/reward perspective. Gold and the rest of the precious metals market moved higher on Friday and the volume was not low. It was lower (for the GLD ETF) than what we had seen during Thursday’s decline, so there are some bearish implications. But are they really that important? Let’s take a closer look (charts courtesy of http://stockcharts.com).
From the long-term perspective – and comparing gold’s performance to that of the bond market – the situation remains bearish.
We could see a pause here, but we could also see another visible move higher followed by a correction close to the cyclical turning point (meaning in a week or so).
On a different note, we have quite a few new subscribers that joined us recently (thank you), so we think that emphasizing our overall approach toward the gold and silver markets is in order, especially given that we have been bearish on this sector for many months (more or less since April 2013 after being medium-term bullish for years, with only minor exceptions).
In other words, we are gold fans, but not fanatics. We don't act in the best interest of gold or silver producing companies. We act in your best interest. We are neither permabulls nor permabears. We don't believe blindly in gold or any other asset class. We are not against any particular asset class either. We strive to look at the world in the most unbiased way possible (please note that we don't accept any advertising on our website in order to prevent any conflict of interest), then combine it with our experience in the precious metals market, trading in general and all other linked areas, and provide the outcome of our analysis to you - our subscribers and readers - in order to make your investments and trades more profitable and to help you grow money over time.
At this time, based on the analysis of various fundamental factors including the low interest rates and Quantitative Easing programs, we think that gold and silver are poised to move higher in the coming years. However, markets are only logical and do what they are "supposed to do" in the long run (counting in years, not months or days). We also realize that markets don't move in one way only - at times even the markets with the most favorable outlook have to correct or decline. In the medium term and especially in the short and very short term, markets are not logical, but emotional. They are also vulnerable to big entities moving the market with sudden sales of assets. Did the fundamental situation change for gold in 2008? No, but it declined very significantly nonetheless. It moved back up and rallied much above the previous high, but not before declining sharply and significantly.
At this time, even though we like gold and silver as very long-term investments, we don't think that the medium-term decline is already over. We like gold, but based on the information that we have available today, it seems likely to us that it will need to move even lower before it starts its next big upswing.
Summing up, it seems to us that the situation in the precious metals market remains bearish, but it improved a bit based on Friday’s session. While the USD Index is visibly above the June high, gold is not below its June low. This strength could be meaningful, or it could be the case that the metals’ reaction is just delayed. Please note that the major breakdown in the Euro Index has just materialized and it’s quite likely to impact the precious metals market negatively in the coming weeks and months. The short-term outlook for the USD Index is rather mixed. The medium-term trend is down, but the currency is strongly overbought in the short term and the turning point is just around the corner.
While we continue to think that the medium-term trend remains down for gold, silver and mining stocks, the odds for a move higher in the coming days somewhat increased based on the sector’s strength on Friday and the overbought situation in the USD Index. It seems to us that decreasing the size of the short position (at this time the silver market provided the biggest gains) in the sector is now justified from the risk/reward perspective.
To summarize:
Trading capital (our opinion): Short (half) position in gold, silver and mining stocks with the following stop-loss levels:
Gold: $1,353
Silver: $21.73
GDX ETF: $28.30
Long-term capital (our opinion): No positions
Insurance capital (our opinion): Full position
You will find details on our thoughts on gold portfolio structuring in the Key Insights section on our website.
As always, we'll keep our subscribers updated should our views on the market change. We will continue to send them our Gold & Silver Trading Alerts on each trading day and we will send additional ones whenever appropriate. If you'd like to receive them, please subscribe today.
Thank you.
Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA
Founder, Editor-in-chief
Tools for Effective Gold & Silver Investments - SunshineProfits.com
Tools für Effektives Gold- und Silber-Investment - SunshineProfits.DE
* * * * *
Disclaimer
All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be a subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses were based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are believed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.