Mining’s old guard needs strong medicine
A new report details subpar investor returns in the mining industry over the last decade, particularly big cap diversified companies which have not adapted to new realities.
Gold took a spin to the upside over the past two months as worries about war in the Middle East (cruise missile attacks on Syria and the Mother of All Bombs in Afghanistan) and war in the Korean peninsula (dispatched aircraft carriers and expectations of further nuclear tests) brought investors into gold. Unless geopolitical events have immediate economic or financial consequences, their impact on gold is minimal and brief. And so it was. Gold sentiment rose to YTD highs and broke above the 200-day moving average but the gold stocks tellingly underperformed gold. The COMEX COTs went from bullish to neutral as the Commercial net short position rose sharply. A correction was in the cards and here it is.
At the same time, the macro developments that will (eventually) drive the gold price higher have been slower to impact markets than we had thought. The debt ceiling is not yet top-of-mind due to the April 15-induced cash infusion and distractions such as Obamacare. Markets still seem to think that the Trump presidency will produce aggressive tax cuts and infrastructure spending. Since last November, we have cautioned against such fantasies and we continue to believe that the stock market will break down once it is clear that these expectations will not be met.
U.S economic data is poor, as we expected, but the Federal Reserve seems keen to continue a policy of “monetary normalization” because it can; the financial markets are extremely buoyant so if the Fed cannot tighten now, it never will. To preserve its battered credibility, we expect the Fed to raise rates again at its June FOMC meeting. That, too, is likely weighing on gold in the short term but the greater impact is going to be felt in the stock market, in our opinion.
In our view, this is the calm before the storm. Valuations in the stock market are insanely stretched; the price-to-sales ratio for the median stock is the highest ever. The market is priced for perfection. Volatility has never been more compressed. There are legions of risks that promise to interrupt the current complacency while markets look increasingly brittle.
Perhaps the greatest risk of all is simply exhaustion. Recently, we have seen the major indices open with small gaps above the previous day’s close. Dr. John Hussman writes that when these gaps occur after an extended advance, they are called “exhaustion gaps” signalling desperate investors are chasing the prevailing trend for fear of missing out. For individual stocks, these gaps are sometimes just temporary areas of consolidation. For the overall market, however, “they tend to have far more hostile outcomes, particularly when they are associated with record highs, rich valuations, lopsided bullish sentiment and deterioration in the uniformity of market internals”.
We believe that we may now be approaching a March 2000 moment when the stock market finally enters the bear phase of a complete market cycle and gold begins its next leg up.
This article is the collaboration of Rudi Fronk and Jim Anthony, cofounders of Seabridge Gold, and reflects the thinking that has helped make them successful gold investors. Rudi is the current Chairman and CEO of Seabridge and Jim is one of its largest shareholders.
The authors are not registered or accredited as investment advisors. Information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed reliable but is not necessarily complete and accuracy is not guaranteed. Any securities mentioned on this site are not to be construed as investment or trading recommendations specifically for you. You must consult your own advisor for investment or trading advice. This article is for informational purposes only.
Disclosures:
1) Statements and opinions expressed are the opinions of Rudi Fronk and Jim Anthony and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The authors are wholly responsible for the validity of the statements. Streetwise Reports was not involved in any aspect of the content preparation. The authors were not paid by Streetwise Reports LLC for this article. Streetwise Reports was not paid by the authors to publish or syndicate this article.
2) Seabridge Gold is a billboard sponsor of Streetwise Reports. Streetwise Reports does not accept stock in exchange for its services. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security.
3) This article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports’ terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports.
Source: Rudi Fronk and Jim Anthony for The Gold Report (5/1/17)
