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Gold's Plunge Ultimately Healthy for the Sector: Michael Gray

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The Gold Report: On April 15, gold dropped to a two-year low as panic selling set in across many mined commodities. Was this the larger players showing the retail market who is in control or was it inevitable?

Michael Gray: Several firms have been predicting a mid-cycle correction for gold; it just happened faster and with more volatility than expected. It also seems to be a very well-timed short-selling trade, especially on the back of the positive gold price correlation with quantitative easing (QE) breaking down and reversing post-QE3. In addition, there was no response in the gold price to the debt crisis in Cyprus or political concerns with North Korea. This was an opportunistic time for the shorts to come in, and they did, forcefully.

TGR: Does this indicate that investors prefer equities to gold? Continue reading "Gold's Plunge Ultimately Healthy for the Sector: Michael Gray" →

Will Gold Fall Further?

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By: Street Authority

Imagine a bullet fired at the sky.

It climbs higher and higher until gravity overcomes its upward momentum. The bullet begins to fall.

Now, imagine small wings on the bullet that flap while it is falling. The wings are just enough to create a series of slight upswings while on the downward trajectory.

Known as "bear flags," this wavelike cycle recurs until the momentum ends and the bullet drops to the ground. Bear flags are thought to signal additional downward moves to come.

This is exactly what has happened with the price of gold since it hit its high near $1,900 per ounce in August 2011. More recently, this action has been exaggerated, with gold trending downward since striking highs in the $1,800 range back in October. Continue reading "Will Gold Fall Further?" →

Here's How To Profit From The Disconnect In Natural Gas

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By: Street Authority

A rising tide doesn't always lift all boats. The major stock indexes are up 10% or more this year, but as I recently noted, it has been a brutal few months for commodities. But at the time, I saw a small silver lining.

"These are the kinds of commodities you need to keep tracking, because lower prices counterintuitively set the stage for the next bull market in commodities," I wrote, citing iron ore as an example. However, I overlooked an even more glaring example of how slumping commodity prices can impair production, which leads to an eventual pricing rebound.

I'm talking about natural gas, which has been on fire in the past year.

Simply put, in the spring of 2012, few people saw this kind of move coming. Continue reading "Here's How To Profit From The Disconnect In Natural Gas" →

The Next Country To Collapse Isn't In Europe

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From Street Authority

Despite the recent market correction threatening the four-year bull market, investors should be partying like it's 2006.

Easy-money programs from the world's central banks and a recovering global economy could push stocks and other assets higher. So why is the comparison to 2006 relevant?

September 2006 was two years before the collapse of Lehman Brothers and a 28% drop in the markets in the span of less than a month. And two years is about the amount of time we may have until the next great market crash.

So what will be the proverbial straw that breaks the market's back? Europe? China? Market contagion from a collapse in commodities prices? Continue reading "The Next Country To Collapse Isn't In Europe" →

Portfolio Manager Greg Orrell: 'My Belief in Gold Has Not Wavered'

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The Gold Report: How has your bullish view on the gold sector evolved as a series of crises has jolted both the international stock market and the price of gold?

Greg Orrell: First off, my belief in gold as a monetary asset has not wavered. Japan basically admitted that it is bankrupt with its intention to aggressively debase its currency. Normally such actions would invoke, and may still, a race to the bottom as each country engages in economic warfare to deal with its debt issues. At this juncture the fear of global deflation among the G7 crowd remains its worst nightmare, especially as additional stimulus by the Federal Reserve is showing diminishing returns. With high debt levels in both the private and public sectors around the world, stimulating economic growth is proving elusive. These alarming events are setting the stage for the next leg up in the dollar gold price, in my opinion. The fiscal and monetary crisis is ongoing and underscores the necessity of owning gold assets.

Though agonizing, the past 18 months have been nothing more than a consolidation for gold from the September 2011 highs of $1,900/ounce ($1,900/oz). The recent decline in gold prices below $1,500/oz is not the end of the bull market in gold, despite the barrage of negative commentary by those wanting to dance on gold's grave. The destruction of currencies is in full bloom, but it is not a straight line. The problem for many gold investors is that they can see the endgame. Gold prices rise in a straight line at the end of a monetary system, but we are not there yet. It takes some patience to hold the course while the establishment fights tooth and nail to keep the dollar system from failing. Continue reading "Portfolio Manager Greg Orrell: 'My Belief in Gold Has Not Wavered'" →