Sprott Precious Metals Watch

JPMorgan according to Bloomberg is set to pay a record $1 billion settlement to resolve market manipulation investigations by U.S. authorities into its trading of metals futures and Treasury securities.

A coalition of gold investors, including firms backed by billionaires John Paulson and Naguib Sawiris, is urging changes at miners as performance “continues to fall short” in some areas even as prices rise.

John Hathaway, Managing Director, Senior Portfolio Manager, Sprott Asset Management, speaking with Dean McPherson, Head of Business Development, TMX Group, who opened the discussion asking how long the current gold bull market would last.

After touching a record high of $2,075 on August 7, gold bullion closed August at $1,968. Despite this pullback, we see gold well supported above the prior cycle high of $1,900 as it settles into a sustainable $2,000-$2,200 trading level. Both silver bullion and gold mining equities reached multi-year highs in August.

Gold is rebounding, with Comex futures climbing back to $2,000 an ounce, as the dollar extended its slump and investors bet U.S. interest rates would stay lower for longer.

In my coverage of the Sprott Physical Gold and Silver Trust (CEF) back in May, I shared various supporting ideas that justified the fund as a buy. The central thesis was, as a bullion-backed fund, CEF would move up naturally purely because of a bull move in the precious metals.

Gold has powered over $2,000, and we take stock of what has been accomplished by the monetary metal and what may lie next. It has now been established as a baseline that a diversified asset portfolio must include an allocation to gold. No other liquid asset accomplishes what gold does in the way of portfolio insurance and purchasing power protection.

Silver has always shown its value throughout history. From ancient coins to its use as a global currency during the Age of Discovery, silver has circulated the world to become an important financial asset. Its value continues to shine in the era of the modern finance industry.

The economic fallout from COVID-19 has created a predictable headwind for jewelry purchases around the globe. However, given that jewelry is deeply rooted in cultural norms and traditions, we anticipate a healthy rebound in jewelry purchases over time, driven by the role that it plays in societies and a strong desire to resume “normal life” among most buyers.

Sprott CEO Peter Grosskopf has long fielded the same question while talking up gold to investors: Why does famed investor and multibillionaire Warren Buffett, the so-called Oracle of Omaha, hate the yellow metal? Grosskopf may never have to answer the question again. After years of trashing gold, Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. revealed it had switched course and purchased 20.9 million shares in Toronto-headquartered Barrick Gold Corp. in a transaction worth an estimated US$563.5 million at the end of the second quarter. Grosskopf responded, “I think that now he seems to have come around to the fact that he can be comfortable with gold as a store of value.” 

So far this year, investors in gold and silver have made out like bandits, especially when you compare the returns of the world’s two best-known precious metals with those of stocks.

Even as it reaches new highs, we don’t think it’s time to grow concerned about the price of gold, or gold equities. Here’s why.

Silver is set to outshine gold, even as prices of both precious metals soar in the midst of a faltering global economy and a weakening U.S. dollar.

Spot gold soared to a record above $2,000 an ounce as investors continue to seek a haven for their assets amid daunting economic and geopolitical risks.

Record-setting gold prices may have created bullish investment opportunities in gold miners but their appeal will be put to the test this earning season as investors scrutinize their ability to stay disciplined.

Paul Wong, CFA, Sprott Market Strategist: The precious metals complex set off fireworks in July as gold bullion reached all-time highs. Silver bullion and gold mining equities broke through significant long-term resistance levels to further improve their bullish standing. Year to date, precious metals continue to outperform as gold has attained “escape velocity”, i.e., it has gravitationally moved away from other asset classes.

In the past decade, a traditional 60/40 portfolio of stocks and bonds, as represented by the S&P 500 index and long-term government bonds, was a winner. But with U.S. bond yields moving toward zero or even negative territory, it may be time to rethink that mix. One thought: How about swapping out some bonds for gold?

Investors have focused on a rise in record prices for gold, but silver’s up about 25% in July — the metal’s second-biggest monthly gain on record — and it’s still undervalued compared with the yellow metal.

Gold’s surge to an all-time high is winning over a wider fan base of pension funds, insurance companies and private wealth specialists. Managers who run long-term portfolios worth trillions of dollars are taking interest in gold as they search for returns in a yield-starved investing landscape.

Dr Graham Birch joined the Sprott Board of Directors as Director in November 2019. He has in-depth experience in asset management, especially in precious metals, having been responsible for gold and mining investments at BlackRock in London. He was also a Director of ETF Securities, which pioneered the development of precious metals ETFs in Europe. Graham has just written a book about the historical origins of the bullion in Britain’s coins, with lessons in it for those who wish to understand the importance of gold and silver as money in a world of paper currencies. The following essay teases out these lessons.

Dr Graham Birch joined the Sprott Board of Directors as Director in November 2019. He has in-depth experience in asset management, especially in precious metals, having been responsible for gold and mining investments at BlackRock in London. He was also a Director of ETF Securities, which pioneered the development of precious metals ETFs in Europe. Graham has just written a book about the historical origins of the bullion in Britain’s coins, with lessons in it for those who wish to understand the importance of gold and silver as money in a world of paper currencies. The following essay teases out these lessons.

In an interview with Kitco News, Peter Grosskopf, chief executive officer at Sprott Inc, said that gold has enough momentum to push to $2,000 an ounce before there is a significant consolidation period.

The U.S. Mint has reduced the volume of gold and silver coins it’s distributing to authorized purchasers as the coronavirus pandemic slows production, a document seen by Bloomberg shows.

In an interview with Kitco News, Peter Grosskopf, chief executive officer at Sprott Inc. said that he doesn’t expect any new Fed member to have much impact on the future direction of interest rates as rising debt gives the central bank little room to maneuver.

Gold prices have soared to a record high, with investors rushing to find safe places to park their money as concerns grow about a resurgence in the coronavirus and the impact that could have on the global economy.

In the morning of Asian trading hours on Monday, spot gold traded at about $1,931.11 per ounce after earlier trading as high as $1,943.9275 per ounce. Those levels eclipsed the previous record high price set in September 2011.

Gold’s unrelenting march higher shows no signs of slowing after a plunge in the dollar swept prices past the previous high set in 2011 and put the metal on track for even bigger gains. Bullion’s surge came as a gauge of the U.S. currency sank to the lowest in more than a year, the latest in a long line of bullish factors -- including negative real rates in the U.S. and bets the Federal Reserve will keep policy accommodative when it meets this week -- that are pushing prices ever higher.

Sprott CEO Peter Grosskopf on Gold's Breakthrough and ascent towards $2000/Oz.

It’s not only gold that glitters. Since touching its weakest level in more than a decade in March, silver has doubled to a seven-year high of almost $23 an ounce. Partly, it’s a rally fueled by the same low-yield, weak-dollar haven dynamic that has pushed bullion to within spitting distance of a record. Investor demand is booming and silver — which is the best conductor of electricity — has industrial uses, too. Short-term supply, meanwhile, has been dented by pandemic-related closures. The metal can keep shining.

Deepening negative real yields in the U.S. Treasury market are fueling a frenetic rally in gold that’s boosting the precious metal toward a record. Bullion has gained 24% this year and is about $45 from an all-time high.

Gold has long been a mainstay in times of inflation—or any crisis, really. And for good reason: it does tend to beat stocks and bonds in a collapse, as the folks at Sprott Asset Management remind us

Silver surged to the highest in almost seven years and gold continued its march toward a record on expectations there’ll be more stimulus to help the global economy recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

We believe that the macro forces for gold and gold mining stocks have coalesced into what may be one of the 'fattest investment pitches' of our time. A fat pitch is a momentary event, akin to catching a major trend change in the financial markets. Such opportunities do not come around often. They deserve serious consideration and expeditious response.

“Silver was long due for a catch-up with gold,” said Peter Grosskopf, chief executive officer at Sprott Inc. “As a much smaller market, once investor interest enters in size, its supply side gets swamped.”

As global stock markets tick further into unchartered territory, another asset class has been catching investors’ eyes: Gold. Gold prices inched higher earlier this month to trade over $1,800 per ounce, crossing a major psychological milestone not reached since 2011.

Bullish factors building in the gold market are set to see prices take out the record set in 2011, according to Citigroup Inc. The metal is benefiting from loose monetary policy, low real yields, record inflows into exchange-traded funds and increased asset allocation, the bank’s analysts including Ed Morse wrote in a report. Gold is expected to climb to an all-time high in the next six-to-nine months, and there’s a 30% probability it’ll top $2,000 an ounce in the next three-to-five months.

There’s a big shift in the balance of power in the global gold market. A relentlessly expanding physical hoard of bullion stored in London and New York means exchange-traded funds have usurped managed money in the futures market as the key driver of the price of the shiny metal.

Gold’s rally has been nothing short of historic, but 2020’s rush is still far from over, according to the investors who bought into it and the analysts being forced to continuously change their price targets.

“I guess gold is the real bitcoin,” Schlossberg joked on CNBC’s “Trading Nation” on Wednesday. “Ultimately I think what’s happening is the market is taking implicit bets that inflation is starting to pick itself back up, and I think there’s a really good reason why the market thinks so.”

Gold’s allure is only getting stronger as 2020 unfolds. Spot prices reached $1,800 an ounce and year-to-date inflows into bullion-backed exchange-traded funds topped the record full-year total set in 2009.

These are strange times on Wall Street. Stocks are surging on optimism about a potential economic rebound. Yet investors are still very nervous about the growing threat of a second wave of Covid-19 cases in the United States.

Gold miners’ share prices are soaring with the value of the precious metal, while increased dividends are helping push these stocks higher still.

Western investors piling into gold in the pandemic are more than making up for a collapse in demand for physical metal from traditional retail buyers in China and India, helping push prices to an eight-year high.

The rising precious metals prices since March have buoyed the mining sector, which have begun to see sharp upward ticks across many popular mining funds. We will look at several of them to get an idea of the returns investors have had over the last couple of months.

Paul Wong, CFA, Sprott Market Strategist: Gold bullion continued to deliver strong performance and was up 17.38% YTD through June 30, 2020, and 26.36% YOY. At the same time, gold mining equities (SGDM) have gained 25.88% YTD, and 44.00% YOY as of June 30. This compares to -3.08% YTD and 7.51% YOY returns for the S&P 500 TR Index. Silver posted strong gains in June and is on the move again; silver is up 1.99% YTD and 18.88% YOY as of June 30.

As the coronavirus pandemic pummeled demand from key customers in the auto industry, Russia’s biggest mining company quietly tightened its grip on the palladium market.

Gold headed for the biggest quarterly advance since 2016 amid a surge in demand for haven assets due to the coronavirus outbreak, which shows no signs of abating.

There are a number of great ways to hedge one’s portfolio. Among them is one method I’ve been very vocal for a long time. Gold has value as a portfolio hedge over the long term. Deciding exactly how to initiate a gold position is a key question many investors have.

Gold edged toward the highest since 2012, supported by concerns over a second wave of coronavirus infections and China’s move to tighten oversight of Hong Kong.

Ending a sleepy summer week, traders managed to reach a major landmark. The 10-year real yield (as shown by Treasury Inflation Protected Securities, or TIPS, and which can also be expressed as the nominal yield with the breakeven rate of inflation subtracted) dropped to a new low for the year. At below -0.6%, it was also a fresh nadir since the so-called taper tantrum of 2013.

As stock markets roar back from the coronavirus-led rout, advisers to the world’s wealthy are urging them to hold more gold, questioning the strength of the rally and the long-term impact of global central banks’ cash splurge.

Silver has been on the move since April, although it is still playing catch up to gold in this year’s precious metals rally. We identify four long-term consumer-driven trends that are positively driving demand for silver, including solar energy, battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), 5G cellular connectivity and antimicrobial applications.

Peter Grosskopf, CEO of Sprott discusses the positive environment for gold and gold equities, following the Fed's dovish interest rate outlook at its June 10 FOMC meeting. 

The Federal Reserve is not looking to raise interest rates from its zero-bound target for the next two years and according to Peter Grosskopf, CEO of Sprott Inc., this is now the time for investors to be aggressive in the gold market.

Economist David Rosenberg believes that investing in a post-pandemic world is shifting our focus from what we want to what we need. Households and businesses are reassessing the importance of savings, liquidity and balance sheet health. Gold has been a "winner" during this crisis.

In the 20th century, the range has changed so that one ounce of gold trades for about fifty to eighty ounces of silver. As of the time of writing, it takes 97.20 ounces of silver to purchase one ounce of gold. Thus, silver appears to be historically cheap relative to gold.

Covid-19 is accelerating many trends that were already in existence. The rising gold price is one such trend. These seven charts, says Dominic Frisby, reveal why gold could soon “go bananas”.

Paul Wong, CFA, Sprott Market Strategist: After a tumultuous past few months, every asset class appears to be normalizing, including gold bullion. Gold posted steady gains in May with a 2.6% increase. Gold is up 14.04% YTD through May 31, 2020, and 32.54% YOY. At the same time, gold mining equities (SGDM) have gained 18.26% YTD, and 61.70% YOY as of May 31.

The price of gold peaked at $1,900 an ounce in September 2011. Nine years and many radical monetary-policy experiments later, it trades at $1,702. That it ought to move higher, and will move higher, is the theme of this analysis.

In a broad market rally this month driven by optimism over a potential coronavirus vaccine, the reopening of the economy and a massive stimulus, small-cap stocks have outperformed. This is especially true as the Russell 2000 Index has risen nearly 7% in a month compared with a gain of 4% for the S&P 500.

Wall Street has been performing impressively with the major indices climbing to a 12-week high. The rally was mainly powered by optimism over a potential coronavirus vaccine as well as an uptick in the economic activities as lockdown measures loosen. Notably, the S&P 500 is up 38.2% from the March lows while the Dow Jones has gained 28.3%.

This year’s 14th edition of our In Gold We Trust report, titled “The Dawning of a Golden Decade”, is being published at the opening of a new decade. As the last decade draws to a close, gold has once again demonstrated its sensitive seventh sense and alerted the keen observer that the general situation in the financial markets is about to change fundamentally.2

Gold miners have climbed steadily, following the positive path we predicted back in November 2019. As of April 30, 2020, gold mining stocks were up 13.81% YTD and 58.67% YOY, compared to -12.36% YTD and -7.91% YOY for the S&P 500 Index. In our view, gold mining equities still have a great deal of upside to offer, given that historically gold stocks tend to outperform the metal during gold bull markets (2-3x).

The most significant supportive factor for gold is the “amount of debt being created to fund the various global monetary and fiscal deficits,” says Peter Grosskopf, chief executive officer at Sprott Inc.

The stock is still underappreciated given the growth we have seen and what I expect we will continue to see going forward. Sprott has made a couple of strategic acquisitions over the last few years, and divested a significant part of the non-precious metals assets, which has positioned them perfectly for the current environment.

Gold is one of this year's best performing commodities and that's a theme that could extend as exchange traded fund demand swells and as central banks debase currencies.

Jim Grant in his May 15 Interest Rate Observer discusses gold mining equities with Senior Portfolio Manager John Hathaway, who opines: “Gold shares, in relation to bullion, are the cheapest they’ve been in his 20 years. What astonishes me—I’m an old value investor—is that so many companies are generating free cash flow, and it is not hard to find companies with free cash flow yields of 10% or better.”

Forced into record spending by the threat of another Great Depression, policy makers are blurring the lines between borrowing the money they need and simply creating it.

Sprott President Whitney George discusses how he applies his "value" investing approach during this crisis with John Heins, President and Editor-in-Chief of Value Investor Insight. 

As gold prices climb back towards their all-time highs, Barrick Gold CEO Mark Bristow sees his industry providing certainty during an uncertain crisis.

Paul Wong, CFA, Sprott Market Strategist: Gold equities broke out of a multi-year resistance level on massive buying flows in April. Gold miners may be experiencing disruptions due to COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns, but they stand to benefit from a rising gold price. Gold bullion is up +11% YTD and +31% year-over-year (through April 30, 2020). 

Gold prices could “break the highs” seen earlier this year, after declining in March along with assets across the board, according to UBS Investment Bank’s Joni Teves.

Swiss refiner Valcambi SA tried for five straight days last month to move a shipment of gold out of Hong Kong. Twice the metal was packed carefully onto a plane, only to be offloaded again.

CEO Peter Grosskopf: "We propose that gold is not only a financial hedge to government monetary and fiscal policies, but it is also a mandatory portfolio and household diversification asset....Gold is first and foremost, a store of value. We believe there is fundamental support for a qualified currency to exist outside of government-led debasement. Gold is more legitimate and efficient than any other alternative currency."

Gold’s bullish run after the 2008 financial crisis seems to be repeating itself and can no longer be ignored by Canadian generalist investors, CIBC said in a note.

“If gold is not correctly priced for what has transpired and what lies ahead, gold mining stocks are even more inappropriately priced,” Hathaway said in a recent Sprott report.

The COVID-19 crisis has already had a profound impact on silver supply, demand and prices, something we expect will continue for some months to come.

Don’t be fooled by the massive upside swings we’ve had in recent weeks, interspersed between serious daily declines, as evidence we’ve “bottomed.” I really don’t think we’ll see a true bottom until the end of this year (at the earliest) or 2021 (more likely).

“Gold is a way of going long on fear,” renowned investor Warren Buffett once said. The Berkshire Hathaway CEO explained that if people “become more afraid, you make money, if they become less afraid you lose money, but the gold itself doesn’t produce anything.”

Central-bank balance sheets are expanding to record levels amid their latest buying spree, raising questions about how big they can get and whether those assets can ever be sold back to markets.

Investors are rushing to put their money into gold as the coronavirus pandemic roils markets worldwide, with one asset manager reporting demand dwarfs the spike seen during the last financial crisis.

John Hathaway, Senior Portfolio Manager: "Gold is on the cusp of breaking out to all-time highs in U.S. dollars and has already done so in virtually every other currency. Gold mining stocks continue to lag the metal and, in our opinion, represent a compelling investment opportunity. The COVID-19 pandemic panic was merely the black swan that punctured a financial market asset bubble that took almost a decade to inflate."

There is now an ETF out there that allows investors to benefit from owning physical gold without having to incur the headaches and costs of insurance and storage. These costs are baked into the MER of the ETF.​

Gold shares sank 2% after President Trump revealed a three-phase plan to reopen businesses. Sprott CEO Peter Grosskopf joins Yahoo Finance’s On The Move to discuss the state of precious metals amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The silver market is in the throes of several changing trends as the COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy. When the dust settles, we see a bullish case for silver prices, as investment demand ticks upward while supply constraints linger.

Gold could top $2,000 an ounce and will remain elevated over the next five years as the global economy contends with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the head of Newmont Corp., the world’s top miner of the precious metal.

The clamor for retail investors to get hold of precious-metals coins is about to get more urgent. The U.S. Mint said Wednesday it’s temporally halting production at its West Point facility in New York because of the risk to employees from the coronavirus. The site makes gold, silver, platinum and palladium coins which are sold through a network of distributors.The shutdown comes as convulsive swings in financial markets spur a surge in demand among retail investors for precious metals as haven assets.

“I think it’s important to say now that the wind is very likely in gold’s sails,” Rick Rule, president and CEO of Sprott, a U.S. investment manager specializing in precious metals, said in a note to investors Thursday, suggesting that the macro factors strongly favor gold.

Gold hit a new seven-year high Monday, with bullion stocks moving sharply higher as U.S. futures briefly topped US$1,770 per ounce.

Gold prices have pushed to nearly an eight-year high, and this is only the start as investors should keep an eye on the precious metal's long-term outlook, according to one gold fund executive.

Gold’s performance in the weeks since Covid-19 became a pandemic has been anything but stellar. Prices were volatile, briefly turning lower for the year before climbing to their highest level since late 2012.

Gold futures rallied to settle at their highest level in seven-and-a-half years on Thursday, getting a boost as the U.S. dollar declined on the back of the Federal Reserve’s new lending plans which aim to support the hit to the economy from the coronavirus pandemic.

Rick Rule, President & CEO, Sprott U.S. Holdings provides a timely primer on gold's place in investor portfolios: "I think it’s important to say that the wind is very likely in gold’s sails. The macro set of circumstances strongly favors gold."

Paul Wong, CFA, Sprott Market Strategist: March 2020 will go down in history as one of the most tumultuous ever for capital markets. For the first time in over 100 years, a global pandemic has struck with devastating results. Gold continues to deliver strong relative performance and was up 3.95% on a year-to-date basis through March 31, 2020, compared to -19.60% for the S&P 500 TR Index. The need for a safe haven asset like gold, that represents a store of value during crises has never been greater.

The coronavirus outbreak has not spared anyone. It’s not just growth stocks; defensive stocks such as utilities and consumer staples have also been equally weak in the last few months. However, in my view, the last reliable resort to take shelter in these uncertain times is the traditional safe haven: gold.

The coronavirus outbreak has been playing foul on Wall Street over the past month, sending broad indices into a tailspin, thus raising the appeal for gold, which is considered a great store of value and hedge against market turmoil. Notably, gold price jumped nearly 9.5% last week, representing the biggest weekly rise since September 2008.

It is one thing to be a physically-backed metal fund and another to be a redeemable physically-backed one. Because physical metal is trading at such a premium today, this is a huge added benefit to Sprott funds over other ETFs.

Jason Mayer, Senior Portfolio Manager, recaps the past two weeks: "We were not surprised by the recent selloff in gold bullion and precious metal equities.

If you think gold GC00, 0.594% has jumped about 10% in a couple of days to $1,638 an ounce, the official price quoted on Wall Street, think again. The real price? Nearer $1,800. If you can get it. “There’s no gold,” says Josh Strauss, partner at money manager Pekin Hardy Strauss in Chicago (and a bullion fan). “There’s no gold. There’s roughly a 10% premium to purchase physical gold for delivery. Usually it’s like 2%. I can buy a one ounce American Eagle for $1,800,” said Josh Strauss. “$1,800!”

From South Africa’s ultra-deep mine shafts to vaults underneath London, from metals traders in New York skyscrapers to main-street sellers of coins: the global gold market is being tested like never before. The cracks are starting to show. Worldwide panic over the coronavirus outbreak and a flood of stimulus by central banks has ignited demand for one of humanity’s oldest methods of storing wealth.

Ludwig Karl is stuck at home, worried about his elderly relatives. All the while his business is booming. He’s a board member of Swiss Gold Safe Ltd., an operator of high-security vaults in the Alps that’s storing growing sums of precious metals for wealthy foreigners as the Covid-19 pandemic worsens. The company usually helps customers buy gold, but governments have closed scores of businesses amid the crisis, making it increasingly difficult for people to get their hands on the physical product.

Whitney George reflects on markets and the COVID-19 crisis: "We are in a paradigm shift right now, one that may have taken us all a bit by surprise. I expect that central banks will shortly provide the liquidity required to settle the markets, an accomplishment that will be very favorable to gold."

Gold’s one-day dollar surge is one for the record books. But as bullion deliveries hit a snag and mining operations slow, the precious metal may soon see prices rally to new heights.

Now’s the time to buy gold, according to one of the world’s leading wealth managers, which flagged bullion’s prospects after the haven lost out to the dollar in recent weeks as the pandemic roils markets.

We think gold has been sensing the endgame for Keynesian policy prescriptions, mainstream economic thinking and hyper-leveraged investment practices....At the moment, mining company valuations appear extraordinarily cheap. It is one of the few industries that will report solid year-over-year earnings gains for the remainder of this year and perhaps into the next. Buying low is never easy but now is the time to do it.

"As events unfold, it is vital that we communicate what Sprott is doing as we navigate the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. We remain committed to our employees and clients throughout this challenging period. We have weathered many such periods in the past, and we are confident that our depth of experience and dedication will see us through."

The massive sell-off in equities is forcing investors to cash in gains in gold to cover losses in the stock market. The precious metal was poised for its biggest weekly gain in the futures market since 2008 before prices fell Friday. The S&P 500 pushed its two-day rout to about 5%, while sovereign bonds signaled the world is in crisis mode as policy makers struggle to contain the economic fallout from the coronavirus.

Paul Wong, CFA, Sprott Market Strategist: The Fed made a surprise interest rate cut of 50 basis points on Tuesday, March 3, and gold bullion closed the week higher, above $1,670. This follows gold's February breakout from the critical $1,585/$1,600 overhead resistance range that we have highlighted for several months. 

“The flows into gold are just getting started,” says Peter Grosskopf, Sprott CEO. “Gold is now being seen as mandatory portfolio insurance and not a fringe asset." Grosskopf says the growing demand and chart patterns point to gold hitting $2,000 an ounce. He argues that the Fed’s rate action [lowering rates by 50 basis points] failed to lift stocks Tuesday because financial markets have entered a “vicious cycle.”

Some commentators have been asking the question if gold is the great safe-haven that it’s made out to be, then why have we seen the price falls that we’ve witnessed over recent days? To answer that question, let’s firstly take a look at the performance of spot gold over the past 12 months.

In times of coronavirus panic, even havens can be unreliable. Gold closed off February on a tarnished note, ending last week with its steepest daily decline since 2013. As financial markets panicked over the spread of the pneumonia-like illness, stocks tumbled and dragged gold and other precious metals lower.

John Hathaway, Senior Portfolio Manager: "Last week’s selloff created an extraordinary buying opportunity. We believe that even a small, incremental increase in investor focus and capital flows will drive the low valuations of precious metals mining shares considerably higher."

Even with gold at seven-year highs, there’s still room for more gains if history is anything to go by. Prices have surged this year as haven-seeking investors pour in. Markets have been shaken by worries that the coronavirus outbreak will cripple global growth, coupled with expectations for looser monetary policy around the world. Assets in bullion-backed exchange-traded funds are at the highest ever and money managers are holding a near-record bullish bet.

The coronavirus was the shock that gold was waiting for before moving to higher levels with charts now pointing to an eventual breach of $2,000 an ounce, according to Peter Grosskopf, CEO of Sprott Inc.

Part two of the Silver Series outlines some of the key supply and demand indicators that precede a coming gold-silver cycle in which the price of silver could move upwards.

Ed Coyne, Sprott Senior Managing Director, joins financial journalist Liz Claman to review gold's bold move in 2019. Coyne shares Sprott's 2020 outlook for gold bullion and gold equities, and explains that attitudes are shifting: Investors have traditionally invested in gold as a complement equity portfolios, but now view the yellow metal as an alternative to cash and bonds.

Gold began to shine in 2019 and continues to climb in 2020. We believe we are in the early stages of this gold rally, and discuss our bullish 2020 outlook and explain why investor interest in gold and gold stocks will likely continue to grow.

Maria Smirnova, Senior Portfolio Manager, provides insightful answers in Assay’s recent Q&A: “We have been gold and silver bulls for a long time. Our belief in the metals stems from their value as hard assets and financial asset diversifiers. We see rising deficits and higher debt levels around the world, and we see central banks globally having expansionary monetary policies. I call it a ‘race to the bottom.’”.

Palladium prices continued their relentless charge uphill Wednesday, shattering their old record high in a market that remains tight due to strong auto-related demand, analysts said.

Having surpassed the key $1,600 mark, gold prices were flirting with a seven-year high on Wednesday, as investors continue to shore up their positions amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The Silver Institute believes that macroeconomic and geopolitical conditions will remain broadly supportive for precious metals, encouraging investors to stay net buyers of silver overall, a development that should lift silver prices higher this year. Additionally, we see continued growth in physical silver investment, and forecast silver’s use as an industrial metal will rise in 2020.

U.S. authorities that accused six JPMorgan Chase & Co. employees of rigging precious-metals futures are building a criminal case against the bank itself, two people familiar with the situation said.

This is a revised version of the speech delivered by James at the annual LBMA/ LPPM Precious Metals Conference in Shenzhen, 13-15 October, 2019.

My presentation asks the question: is there a place for gold equities in a gold allocation? The reason I have posed this question is because, in absolute terms and, particularly disappointingly, relative to the gold price, investors have had very difficult experiences holding gold equities over the last 10 or even 20 years.

Paul Wong, CFA, Sprott Market Strategist: Gold bullion rallied 4.7% in January, on the heels of 2019's 18.31% rise. Our 2020 Top 10 Watch List outlines what gold investors should pay attention to given our long-term bullish outlook for the precious metals complex. 

Gold is poised to perform strongly in 2020, with geopolitical risk set to remain elevated, metals and mining research and consultancy group Wood Mackenzie said Tuesday. Miners are set to enjoy bumper margins and the trade-off between investing for the long-term and returning money to shareholders will be acutely apparent. 

Stocks have returned to rally mode, but three defensive plays could be undermining the bull case. Treasurys, utilities and gold — typically safe havens — have surged this month and outperformed the S&P 500.

Palladium prices are likely to remain strong despite news that Russian producer Norilsk Nickel will release three metric tons of palladium ingots from its stockpiles, traders and analysts said.

John Hathaway, Senior Portfolio Manager: "Going forward, unless the Fed continues to expand its balance sheet, it risks a meltdown in equity and bond prices that could exceed the damage of the 2008 global financial crisis....With continued advances in gold prices in 2020, the return potential for gold mining shares — the still unloved orphans and pariahs of the investment universe — should prove to be very compelling."

The fast-spreading coronavirus has affected most corners of the broad market. In particular, airlines, casinos, cruise lines and leisure companies have been hit hard....However, a few still stood tall amid the turmoil....Gold stocks jumped on rise in gold price, which is often viewed as a store of value and a hedge against market turmoil....We have highlighted one ETF [that is] performing well amid the coronavirus scare. Sprott Gold Miners ETF (SGDM) follows the Solactive Gold Miners Custom Factors Index, providing exposure to large-sized gold companies whose stocks are listed on Canadian and major U.S. exchanges.

As palladium’s record-breaking rally makes guessing the size of stockpiles more important than ever, one thing at least is clear — they’re getting a lot smaller.

The bull market in gold and silver began in the early 2000s. After rising to highs of $1920.70 and $49.82 in 2011, both precious metals pulled back to lows of $1046.20 and $13.635 in December 2015. Gold and silver have been consolidating since reaching those lows.

“You have to have balance ... and I think you have to have a certain amount of gold in your portfolio,” Dalio said, reiterating his call last year that the precious metal will be a top investment in the years to come

Sprott Inc. (TSX: SII) announced today that it has successfully completed its previously announced acquisition by Sprott Asset Management LP of Tocqueville Asset Management LP gold strategies. Sprott estimates that its AUM as of January 17, 2020, is approximately C$14.8 billion (US$11.3 billion) (unaudited), an increase of approximately 40% from December 31, 2018.

Gold could spike 30% to a record high of over $2,000 an ounce as central banks allow inflation and political fears mount, Bridgewater Associates boss Greg Jensen told the Financial Times. The Federal Reserve and other central banks won't clamp down on inflation or raise interest rates in the near term, supporting a higher gold price, said Ray Dalio's co-chief at the world's largest hedge fund. "That's a big deal."

As busy as the mining sector was dealing with mergers and acquisitions in 2019, that was only the start as one mining financing CEO sees a lot more activity in the new year. In a recent telephone interview with Kitco News, Peter Grosskopf, CEO of Sprott Inc., said that with gold prices expected to continue to rise through 2020, he sees a lot more consolidation in the mining space. He added that Sprott is making a big push to invest in down-cap mining companies.

Two related landmarks were easy to miss amid Monday’s continuing excitement about the tension between Iran and the U.S., but they matter. The first was a comeback: In April 2013, gold staged a sudden and dramatic crash, dropping 13.5% in two trading days.

The last few months have seen a major improvement in investor sentiment towards silver, according to Philip Newman, Director at Metals Focus, who recently presented the Metals Focus / Silver Institute Interim Silver Market Review. The silver price benefited in 2019 from a host of factors, including global economic and political concerns, as some investors sought safe haven investments, such as silver.

Paul Wong, CFA, Sprott Market Strategist: 2019 marked the best performance for the precious metals complex in nearly a decade. Gold bullion closed the year at $1,517 (gaining 18.31% for the 12 months). Silver bullion ended the year at $17.85 (up 15.23% in 2019). Platinum climbed 21.56% in 2019, and palladium soared 54.24%. Gold mining equities showed notable strength, finishing 2019 up 43.49% as measured by Sprott Gold Miners ETF (SGDM).

Gold and silver are again in an upswing, and one of the smartest ways to own the precious metals might be to purchase shares in a closed-end fund (CEF) trading at a discount to its net asset value, and invested in the physical assets—not mining stocks, futures contracts or options.

Gold registered its biggest weekly advance in more than four months, with a decline in the dollar boosting demand for the metal as an alternative asset. The greenback slipped versus all of its Group-of-10 peers, on track to erase its 2019 gains.

We caution our clients that 2019’s uniquely favorable market conditions are unlikely to be sustainable.... Gold performed extremely well in the face of this year’s market jubilee, which transpired amid supportive conditions including a stable U.S. dollar and benign inflation. For twilight surfers, however, we believe gold’s role as a lifeguard has never been more important.

As 2019 comes to an end and 2020 begins, we believe that:

• Financial and geopolitical uncertainty combined with low interest rates will likely continue supporting gold investment demand
• Net gold purchases by central banks will likely remain robust even if they are lower than the record highs seen in recent quarters
• Momentum and speculative positioning may keep gold price volatility high

Gold prices look to end the year more than 15% higher, on track to post their biggest annual climb in nine years. “Gold has seen considerable safe haven buying from investors concerned [over] low and negative yields in the bond market and fearing a possible downturn in equities,” said George Milling-Stanley, chief gold strategist at State Street Global Advisors.

Get ready for a fast and sizable pop in gold prices. The cost of buying one troy ounce of the metal will likely rise by around 15% over the next couple of months, analysts say.

Peter Grosskopf, CEO of Sprott, joins BNN Bloomberg for a look at M&A activity within the Canadian gold sector. Grosskopf says that while big-name gold miners like Barrick and Newmont have gone through notable acquisitions this year, we are likely to see a significant number of junior miner acquisitions in 2020.

Gold held its own on Friday as investors weighed bullion’s merits heading into 2020 after the U.S. and China managed a breakthrough in their bitter and drawn out trade dispute, with the commodity’s initial losses driven by weaker haven demand offset by a slump in the dollar. Bullion fluctuated after President Donald Trump signed off on a phase-one deal with China, averting the introduction of more U.S. tariffs, according to people familiar with the matter.

In a note to clients published over the weekend, analysts at Goldman Sachs outlined why the strategic case for owning gold remains strong. The firm cites political uncertainty and recession fears that are unlikely to abate as primary catalysts, among other worries among the global elite like wealth taxes and increasing talk about MMT and central bank effectiveness.

Gold’s impressive advance in 2019 -- aided by trade war frictions, easier monetary policy across the world’s leading economies and sustained central-bank buying -- may be set to spill into the new decade.

Gold miners look set to extend a deal spree after notching transactions worth a record $30.5 billion this year, according to data, the biggest M&A binge since bullion prices peaked nearly a decade ago.

November marked the third month of consolidation for gold bullion and gold equities. We see this as a pause in a long-term bullish trend: YTD gold bullion has gained 12.69% and gold equities are up 33.35% as of 11/30.

Mergers & acquisitions have increased in the gold mining space since 2018 as miners are competing amid dwindling supply of easy-to-find gold. The latest to jump on the bandwagon is Kirkland Lake Gold KL, which agreed to acquire smaller Canadian rival Detour Gold for $3.7 billion (C$4.9 billion) in an all-stock deal.

Gold, known as the safe haven asset, historically becomes more valuable during times of geopolitical turmoil. Approximately 20% of the above ground stock of gold reserves is held by central banks and international monetary organizations.

Gold is all that nationalist leaders in Europe’s east can talk about these days. Just this week, Poland’s government touted its economic might after completing the repatriation of 100 tons of the metal. Over in Hungary, anti-immigrant Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been ramping up holdings of the safe-haven asset to boost the security of his reserves.

Gold mining stocks have soared approximately 30% so far in 2019, based on the performance of the NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index (GDM) as of November 15. Over the last 12 months, the sector is up nearly 50%. Some investors may assume that gold stocks have run their course. On the contrary, we think that the gold mining equities still have a great deal of upside to offer.

University of Vermont scientists claim to have produced the strongest silver ever -- 42 percent stronger than the previous record -- without losing silver’s high electrical conductivity.

Gold bullion consolidated in October, closing the month at $1,513, a 2.75% gain; YTD gold is up 17.97% as of 10/31/19. Silver bullion rose 6.55% for the month and has gained 16.86% YTD. As gold companies report Q3 earnings in the coming weeks, we expect robust earnings results to lift gold equity prices. The timing may be favorable as we are also heading into the best consecutive four-month seasonality pattern for gold mining equities.

Global light vehicle sales in 2019 are 4.2% lower* than in 2018; which some see as a reason for rising PGM prices to pull back.

CEO Peter Grosskopf: Gold has been on a tear in 2019. The gold price recently breached $1,500, a remarkable performance since June, when it smashed through the ceiling of its long-term range under the $1,370 level. This is especially impressive when considered in the context of a reasonable economy, a strong U.S. dollar and resilient equity markets throughout 2019. So, what gives?