December Sky
Antelope Valley, Eureka, Nevada
Latest News
What do copper & gold signal for 2016? (by Richard Baker, Elko Daily Free Press, 12/03/2015)
Timberline Provides Update on Proposed Acquisition by Waterton Precious Metals Fund II Cayman, LP (Press release, 12/03/2015)
General Moly Announces Closure of $4 Million Tranche 1 Equity Investment with AMER International (Press release, 11/30/2015)
Barrick Sells Stakes In Four Nevada Assets; Kinross Among The Buyers (Kitco News, 11/12/2015)
Midway and Waterton Announce Agreement in Principle for the Sale and Acquisition of Midway’s 30% Interest in Spring Valley (Press Release, 11/12/2015)
Investments Advance Development of Mt. Hope Project (Press Release, 11/03/2015)
Blasts from the Past
The online version:
"Click to read" and the online version looks much like the printed magazine. My column on the Windfall Mine starts on page 62 (page 61 printed version). Press "Esc" to return to the Elko Daily Free Press. There is a handy scroll bar to the pages at the bottom of the screen. The same article appeared in the Elko Daily Free Press September 10:
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Numbers used for this morning's early analysis:
Goldman Sachs Commodity Index
S&P GSCI 329.9, 12/15 contract (intraday low 329.9, on 12/04/2015)
Nymex/Comex (most active contracts)
Nymex oil (WTI) $39.97 per barrel (intraday low $37.75 on 8/24/2015)
Brent crude $ 43.10 per barrel
Comex copper $2.0785 per pound (intraday low $2.0020 on 11/23/2015)
Comex gold $1,077.9 per ounce ( high today $1,088.3, intaday low $1,051.6 on 11/27/2015)
Comex silver $14.455 per ounce (intraday low $13.89 on 11/23/2015)
Canary in the gold mine: Fate of high yield corporate bonds (see explanation below)
iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond (HYG) $82.67 ($81.66 52-week low)
Trouble ahead: HYG < $82...so far so good
Ancient Devonian Seabeds
Devil's Gate, Eureka, Nevada
Gold Rally to $1,088
US dollar plunge, gold & euro soar
Macro drivers: continued concerns about China; timing of a U.S. Federal Reserve interest rate rise, European Central Bank stimulus outlook
Wild cards: continued terrorist events
Bearish bet for next week: return to $1,065 territory
Morning Miners!
Major currencies typically move in small steps not big leaps - not this week. On Thursday, European Central Bank's Mario Draghi disappointed global markets Thursday with a only modest move in stimulus followed by a robust U.S labor report this morning. The market reaction has been wild and crazy with a soaring euro, plunging U.S. dollar and gold rally nearly touching $1,090 per ounce in morning trading. Wells Fargo metals guru Janet Mirasola describes the response as "short term chaos" in a rare e-mail alert to her followers:
Global markets are reacting violently to headline news this week which began with Super Mario and the ECB disappointing traders who had been running very short of the euro hoping for a parity trade for Christmas. All the smart guys in the room said so!!
Oil reacted violently first to rumors of a possible agreement to cut production from this week’s OPEC meeting followed by the reality of a RAISE in the output ceiling to 31.5 million bpd from 30 million bpd. Gold has found friends as a safe haven from those other markets sending its value soaring. Other markets caught up in the short term headline trades of this week include anything priced in Greenbacks like our own base metals while equity traders continue to try to justify the moves with fundamentals factoids!!
...understand that nothing really dramatically changed fundamentally across the globe but that investors have lost the nerve to hold positions of risk for more than a short period causing the momentum that feeds on itself clearing out the “crowded room” The best conclusion to draw is to keep short term risk at a minimum while working with fundamental analysis for longer term portfolios thereby avoiding the Chaos!
Now, tell us how you really feel Janet. Phew!
With respect to gold price, this is how I summarized the volatile market reaction in my input to today's Kitco News Weekly Gold Survey (full report below):
Between Mario Draghi's luke warm stimulus update yesterday and a better-than-expected U.S. jobs report today, global markets close the week in a state of flux. Although U.S. dollar strength has been blunted by an impressive pop in the euro Thursday, the likelihood of a first rate increase announcement from the FOMC should take some of the sizzle out of today's gold rally to nearly $1,090 per ounce.
Today's NFP scoring 211K jobs in November with an upward revision of 298K for October, will likely be enough to initiate tightening of U.S. monetary policy. Before Draghi's comments, gold found itself highly correlated with key commodities copper and oil while losing ground to both the euro and yen. The latter is concerning because a loss of traction with devalued currencies is a red flag - last Friday, gold denominated in yen was only 6% above its 2013 low. Even with today's rally, gold remains below the key 1,000-euro level at 995 euros per ounce.
After the dust settles, these booger bears will return - gold should find itself somewhere between today's highs and yesterday's low ($1,045.4), my target for next week is $1,065 per ounce.
Nuts. I hate to be the Debbie Downer on a gold rally...maybe I'm wrong. Stay tuned.
Waterton Blinks on Timberline
This report has been following the expanding footprint of Waterton Precious Metals Fund II Cayman, LP. Recently they have been picking up properties on both the east and west slopes of Prospect Mountain (see news press releases below headline photo). Yesterday, Waterton surprisingly withdrew a proposed transaction with Timberline Resources (TLR):
Timberline Provides Update on Proposed Acquisition by Waterton Precious Metals Fund II Cayman, LP (Press release, 12/03/2015)
Locally, Timberline controls the 23 square-mile Eureka project lying on the Battle Mountain-Eureka gold trend which includes a Lookout Mountain project and a drill program at the old Windfall mine.
General Moly/AMER Update
General Moly (GMO) has moved the ball a little further with their Chinese partner AMER on the Mount Hope molybdenum project. As announced Monday:
General Moly Announces Closure of $4 Million Tranche 1 Equity Investment with AMER International (Press release, 11/30/2015)
The price of moly oxide is still competing with hamburger at $4.60 per pound (Metals Weekly, 11/20/2015).
.
What's got the cat worried?
Kitco News Gold Survey
My vote is down. Target price $1,065 per ounce.
Discussion:
Between Mario Draghi's luke warm stimulus update yesterday and a better-than-expected U.S. jobs report today, global markets close the week in a state of flux. Although U.S. dollar strength has been blunted by an impressive pop in the euro Thursday, the likelihood of a first rate increase announcement from the FOMC should take some of the sizzle out of today's gold rally to nearly $1,090 per ounce.
Today's NFP scoring 211K jobs in November with an upward revision of 298K for October, will likely be enough to initiate tightening of U.S. monetary policy. Before Draghi's comments, gold found itself highly correlated with key commodities copper and oil while losing ground to both the euro and yen. The latter is concerning because a loss of traction with a devalued currencies is a red flag - last Friday, gold denominated in yen was only 6% above its 2013 low. Even with today's rally, gold remains below the key 1,000-euro level at 995 euros per ounce.
After the dust settles, these booger bears will return - gold should find itself somewhere between today's highs and yesterday's low ($1,045.4), my target for next week is $1,065 per ounce.
This week's scorecard. Gold is in value deficit compared to the euro and yen August averages (Note 1, click on chart for larger image):
Notes:
(1) an August comparison is relevant given the market collapse 8/24 & 8/25
Cheers - Colonel
This report continues to carry this link to remind us of some potential bumps in the road ahead. Activist billionaire investor Carl Icahn explains why high yields are a scary indicator in this chilling video:
Please be mindful that Icahn is talking his own book (he is short of high yield bonds). He has also recently invested significantly in Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) which this report views as a positive.
Chart to Watch
Gold price margins from 2013 lows (euro, yen)
A disturbing aspect of gold's recent decline in USD is the concurrent collapse in euro and yen terms.
One of the few accomplishments the yellow metal can boast is staying above its 2013 lows in terms of both currencies. The percent margin above those bottoms peaked in late January and has since trended down with the divergence of US monetary policy from Europe and Japan, and the associated rise of the US dollar. (click on chart for larger image).
Since late-October, the margin's rapid decline relative to yen has been particularly troubling. I posit that declining value of gold relative to a devalued currency is a red flag. Last Friday, gold price in yen terms was falling fast closing only 6% above its 2013 low. If this margin falls to zero, an equivalent USD gold price suggests sub-$1,000 per ounce given current exchange rates.
The last two days have put a pause in this decline - let's see if there is a turnaround in gold's favor.
2013 lows:
879.64 euros per ounce on 12/20/2013
122,443 yen per ounce on 6/28/2013
Friday (11/27 close):
997.5 euros per ounce (+13.4% margin)
129,772 yen per ounce (+6.0% margin)
Chart to Watch
Gold price margins from 2013 lows (euro, yen)
A disturbing aspect of gold's recent decline in USD is the concurrent collapse in euro and yen terms.
One of the few accomplishments the yellow metal can boast is staying above its 2013 lows in terms of both currencies. The percent margin above those bottoms peaked in late January and has since trended down with the divergence of US monetary policy from Europe and Japan, and the associated rise of the US dollar. (click on chart for larger image).
Since late-October, the margin's rapid decline relative to yen has been particularly troubling. I posit that declining value of gold relative to a devalued currency is a red flag. Last Friday, gold price in yen terms was falling fast closing only 6% above its 2013 low. If this margin falls to zero, an equivalent USD gold price suggests sub-$1,000 per ounce given current exchange rates.
The last two days have put a pause in this decline - let's see if there is a turnaround in gold's favor.
2013 lows:
879.64 euros per ounce on 12/20/2013
122,443 yen per ounce on 6/28/2013
Friday (11/27 close):
997.5 euros per ounce (+13.4% margin)
129,772 yen per ounce (+6.0% margin)
Market Stats
Here's the scorecard on the stock market, S&P 500 is presently trading at 2,081.73 (12:49 PM ET).
Market corrections are generally defined as a 10% or greater move to the downside from the top of a key index. I like to use the S&P 500 (.SPX) because it includes a broader swath of America' best companies than the Dow Jones Industrial (.DJIA) - five hundred compared to thirty. Here is the score sheet of ups and downs on an intraday basis:
S&P 500 high: 2,134.72, 5/20/2015
S&P 500 10% correction 1,921.25
S&P 500 low: 1,867.01, on Monday 8/24/2015 down 12.5%
S&P 500 bear market begins below 20% at 1,707.78
Key "next level" to watch going down is 1,820.66 (low on 10/15/2014, down 14.7%)
For Fibonacci folks the "fib box" is:
50.0% retracement from 8/24 low = 2,000.87
61.8% retracement from 8/24 low = 2,032.45
Getting inside the "fib box" is generally considered a "bullish" move to the upside; failing the "fib box" is a bearish indication.
The S&P 500 did finally escape the fib box - let's stay there!
The S&P 500 did finally escape the fib box - let's stay there!
Kitco News Gold Survey
My (full) input to the Kitco News Weekly Gold Survey:
My vote is down. Target price $1,065 per ounce.
Discussion:
Between Mario Draghi's luke warm stimulus update yesterday and a better-than-expected U.S. jobs report today, global markets close the week in a state of flux. Although U.S. dollar strength has been blunted by an impressive pop in the euro Thursday, the likelihood of a first rate increase announcement from the FOMC should take some of the sizzle out of today's gold rally to nearly $1,090 per ounce.
Today's NFP scoring 211K jobs in November with an upward revision of 298K for October, will likely be enough to initiate tightening of U.S. monetary policy. Before Draghi's comments, gold found itself highly correlated with key commodities copper and oil while losing ground to both the euro and yen. The latter is concerning because a loss of traction with a devalued currencies is a red flag - last Friday, gold denominated in yen was only 6% above its 2013 low. Even with today's rally, gold remains below the key 1,000-euro level at 995 euros per ounce.
After the dust settles, these booger bears will return - gold should find itself somewhere between today's highs and yesterday's low ($1,045.4), my target for next week is $1,065 per ounce.
This week's scorecard. Gold is in value deficit compared to the euro and yen August averages (Note 1, click on chart for larger image):
Compared to mid-October, Friday (10/16):
(1) an August comparison is relevant given the market collapse 8/24 & 8/25
Cheers - Colonel
Photos by Mariana Titus
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The use of modern prospecting gold mining equipment, such as gold detectors, lightweight dredges, and lightweight sluices will allow a new generation of gold prospectors to strike pay dirt, because the gold is there. It’s just been hard to get to… until today.
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