Mailboxes (2006)
Eureka County, Nevada
Friday, October 30, 2020 AM
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"I cannot overstate the potential harm the coronavirus can do to the world economy." (Eureka Miner, January 31, 2020)
Follow the ole Colonel on twitter @Eurekaminer
Next Week Target Gold Price: $1,910 per ounce, Target Silver Price: $24.04 per ounce
My latest Kitco News commentary: Is silver near a top? (7/27/2020, Kitco News) [summary of recent commentaries given at the bottom of the blog]
Baker: Gold in the time of coronavirus (Elko Daily Free Press, 6/4/2020)
An easy-to-understand overview on gold (32 slides, read explanation below each slide): History of gold and which countries have the most
Morning!
Gold is down from its early morning high of $1,890 per ounce but should find some giddy-up next week. The ole Colonel remains bullish for 2020 - I believe we will see a breakout higher post-election. Here's where we're trading:
Comex December gold is presently trading at $1,882,4 per ounce (8:17 am Eureka Time).
Comex December Silver is presently $23.65 per ounce (8:17 am Eureka Time).
Comex December copper is presently $3.0535 per pound (8:17 am Eureka Time)
This is how I explained my gold and silver outlook to the Kitco Weekly Gold Survey:
Although gold got battered below the key $1,900-level this week, it did well compared to key commodities, domestic equities and the euro from a comparative value viewpoint. With some Central banks selling gold to cover covid expenses and jewelry demand down, it is up to the investor to keep prices supported. That support turns on how much market uncertainty lies ahead - it's hard to imagine a time less certain than next week. Presidential elections, contested or not, alarming covid infections in the U.S., lockdowns in Europe and stalled stimulus plans in Congress create a witches brew that will extend well beyond Halloween. The near-term fortunes of safe-havens shine bright.
One troubling sign is a persistent divergence of correlations between gold and copper compared to those of the Chinese yuan and copper [see discussion below]. Extreme divergence occured in early-February when covid was ravaging China but just reaching the shores of Europe and the U.S. This peak in divergence presaged the March market chaos in the West. Now the roles are reversed: China is on the road to recovery as Europe and the U.S. face new waves of coronavirus infections. Although the recent correlation divergence is less severe, it may portend another round of market chaos in the weeks ahead. If it does, precious metals will prosper.
I believe gold will regain $1,910 per ounce next week with silver following to $24.05 per ounce. My target for 2020 remains unchanged at $2,200 for gold and a lower $28 target for silver.
Three conditions for higher gold remain since gold's all-time record:
1. There remains plenty of domestic and geo-political uncertainty to support safe havens: U.S. election controversy, a stalled recovery package in Congress, a stubbornly pervasive covid-19 virus, civil unrest and simmering U.S./China tension.
2. The longer-term fortunes of the U.S. dollar grow dimmer with more expected Federal Reserve and U.S. Treasury largesse when a relief package does eventually pass.
3. Negative U.S. benchmark real rates continue - bullish for non-interest earning assets like gold and silver (10-year real rate = -0.88%). Notably, recent inflation expectations have ticked back up to near August levels (1.71% vs. 1.80%)
These are the strange times of coronavirus.
Stay safe my friends.
Chart for the Week
Our Chart for the Week is an update from last week.The ole Colonel is closely monitoring correlations of copper with gold and also the Chinese currency. China's economy is recovering to near pre-pandemic levels and they account for about one-half of global copper demand. Therefore, a positive indication for China is a strengthening yuan coupled with demand-driven copper prices. However, when gold and copper prices go in different directions there is often trouble afoot. Presently, pessimism about global recovery with new waves of coronavirus in Europe and possibly the U.S. has caused some de-correlation of the red and yellow metals (click on image for larger size):
Correlation Map of Copper with the Yuan & Gold
The divergence between the two correlation trajectories is shown by the dashed magenta arrow. You can learn more about how this works in a Kitco column I wrote earlier this year:
Leading indicator for U.S./China trade - copper, gold & yuan (1/13/2020, Kitco News)
If we plot divergence (d) versus time, you can see how the U.S./China trade tensions caused spikes in divergence last year (Point A) and also how the coronavirus initially impacted China (Point B). In this chart, a low number (i.e. low divergence) is considered good. There has been a move back up above the 6-year average (d=0.78) and the peak may have occurred Wednesday (1.5604). Divergence breaks above the falling trend line (dashed blue arrow), remains troubling.
Extreme divergence occured in early-February (Point B) when covid was ravaging China but just reaching the shores of Europe and the U.S. This peak in divergence presaged the March market chaos in the West. Now the roles are reversed: China is on the road to recovery as Europe and the U.S. face new waves of coronavirus infections. Although the recent correlation divergence is less severe, it may portend another round of market chaos in the weeks ahead. If it does, precious metals will prosper.
China 2-rho Divergence Indicator
WHAT IS THE RECORD GOLD PRICE?
The new all-time Comex gold record is $2,089.2 (December contract)
What makes a record gold price? There are many correct answers to this question, different answers but no less true. Some folks refer to the spot gold price on a particular day others futures prices. They may cite a closing or intraday number. For the purposes of this report, the "all-time record" refers to the highest intraday price on the Comex futures exchange for the most active front-month contract.
The old record was $1,923.7 per ounce.
That occurred on Tuesday, September 6, 2011. I reported on the record intraday price the following day in this Eureka Miner:
Gold Trips; Copper & Oil Bounce (Eureka Miner, 9/7/2011)
WHAT IS THE INFLATION-ADJUSTED 2011 GOLD RECORD? [Updated for latest CPI]
You can bring the 2011 gold record forward in time by using the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The government data is easily accessible on the internet. The numbers below were taken from a chart provided by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis in a database called FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data). Here's the formula, given the monthly data through September 2020:
Gold Record (2011) x [CPI (7/2020)/CPI (9/2011)] =
$1,923.7/t-oz x [260.209/226.597] = $2,209/t-oz
An even easier method is to use one of the many inflation calculators on the internet that use CPI. This link takes you to one provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
$2,200 is therefore a reasonable next target for gold price this year if you believe, as the ole Colonel does, that the rally continues.
The Colonel's Latest Kitco News Commentaries
Please checkout my latest Kitco News columns on the stunning relationship of copper and gold prices with interest rates:
Is silver near a top? (7/27/2020, Kitco News)
Gundlach copper-gold indicator: low volatility in unexpected places (4/28/2020, Kitco News)
Copper, gold & the coronavirus (2/18/2020, Kitco News)
Leading indicator for U.S./China trade - copper, gold & yuan (1/13/2020, Kitco News)
Is Jeffrey Gundlach right about copper, gold & interest rates? (12/23/2020, Kitco News)
Gundlach indicator: stable copper-gold means low yield volatility (11/11/2019, Kitco News)
Gundlach Indicator: treasury yield and copper-gold ratio plummet (9/03/2019, Kitco News)
Robust Revival of Gundlach's 10-yr Treasury Relation with the Copper-Gold Ratio (6/17/2019, Kitco News)
Cheers,
Colonel Possum & Mariana
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