From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Silver futures are rising to the occasion.

The silver-to-gold ratio went from posting fresh six-month highs last Monday to hitting sixteen-month highs by Friday’s close.

Silver is ripping on absolute and relative terms, and this can mean only one thing: 

Risk-on!

Check out Silver driving home an explosive resolution following a successful pullback:

The pullback is another name for a retest – a common feature following a significant breakout. (Some use the term “throwback” to distinguish the action following an upside resolution from a “pullback” that displaces a downside resolution. But they’re all pullbacks to me.)

Interestingly, top-flight international soccer uses the same term for a particular goal-scoring tactic—a player takes the ball to the touchline and then passes to a teammate at the top of the box, who waits to direct the ball into the back of the net. 

Premier League Champions Manchester City and Runners-up Arsenal successfully applied the pullback in a match last week. (One can only hope Liverpool’s incoming manager, Arne Slot, is taking...

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Mining stocks are sticking their breakouts as our list of trending tickers grows. 

The Junior Gold Miners ETF $GDXJ is breaking out, platinum futures are completing a yearlong base, and the silver-to-gold ratio is posting new highs.

With risk-seeking behavior creeping back into precious metals, it’s time to turn up the heat…

Check out the silver/gold ratio printing a fresh six-month high while violating a multi-year downtrend line:

Finally, Silver is bringing it!

I won’t get too carried away by these six-month highs. But it’s a start. 

Trend reversals begin with trendline breaks. The silver-to-gold ratio is piercing a downtrend line drawn from the 2021 peak, signaling the early stages of a bullish reversal while revealing an uptick in risk appetite.

Plus, GDXJ is breaking out!

We have our levels for Gold and Silver, so let’s focus on a mining stock trading at a key area of former resistance.

Here’s McEwan Mining Inc. $MUX, a $500M gold miner based in Toronto, Canada:

MUX is pulling back to a...

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Stock market bulls are scooping and scoring as the Nasdaq, S&P 500, and Dow indexes all see green. 

Stocks and rocks should benefit on the heels of renewed rate-cut hopes. 

Today, I’ll outline a name that checks both boxes. 

Spoiler alert: It’s a prime candidate for a short squeeze…

Check out the precious metal trading company, A-Mark Precious Metals $AMRK:

A-Mark popped up on our freshly squeezed scan, carrying a 23.6% short interest with ten days to cover.

While AMRK proved an easy short last fall, remaining short-sellers may have outstayed their welcome. AMRK has gained more than 70% since late February. Buyers are now driving prices to the upper bounds of a multi-year range, just shy of a new all-time high.

Buying base breakouts and riding new all-times are two of our favorite trading pastimes. Plus, vulnerable bears provide an added perk as they will likely fuel an explosive rally.

If and when...

Random discovery, buying cheap, and riding the wave…

According to long-time gold mining investor Tommy Humphreys, these are three ways to score outsized returns in the junior mining space.

I’ll admit the first two strategies are foreign to me. But I can get behind riding a wave, especially when it jibes with a trend-following mentality.

Check out Tommy’s favorite gold mining stock or story, as he puts it…

Aris Mining $ARMN, a $500M miner based out of Vancouver, CA:

It’s a great-looking chart: price breaking out of a multi-month base, pullback finding support at former resistance, and relative strength suggesting further outperformance in the coming months.

But Tommy didn’t mention any of those bullish data points. 

Instead, he shared the fundamental story: Aris Mining is a profitable business run by serial outperformers (common themes valued by legendary investor Rick Rule).

So when a reader emailed me over the weekend asking for profit targets in ARMN, I...

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Investors are dropping Gold and Silver like they’re hot.

But don’t let the sellers push you toward the exit.

It might look ugly, but a corrective period following Gold’s vertical rally to our initial target sounds about right. Plus, three of our current long positions – Harmony $HMY, Wheaton $WPM, and Kinross $KGC – posted new 52-week highs Thursday. 

I expect the new highs list to expand as Gold and Silver work through overhead supply in the coming months.

Instead of sweating today’s selling pressure, I’m placing orders to buy the following two mining stocks on a breakout…

First up, Silvercorp Metals $SVM:

SVM is challenging last year’s high after violating a multi-year downtrend line. Trend line violations such as this indicate the beginnings of a bullish price reversal, while base breakouts signal an entry point.

A decisive close above 4.20 completes a double-bottom pattern, triggering an entry order with an initial target of 6.50 and a secondary objective of 16.50.

Next, we have a name JC highlighted last week during the monthly strategy session. Fortuna Silver...

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Readers often ask how long it will take for an open trade to reach our target. 

I wish I knew. 

Only the market can answer that question, as Gold did last Friday…

Six weeks!

It was only a matter of weeks — not months, not quarters — before gold futures hit our first objective:

What a face-ripper!

If this isn’t a clear indication of a new secular bull run for precious metals, what else do you need to see?

Luckily for anyone thinking about adding to positions or locking in profits, the extension level at approximately 2,450 marks a logical area for the rally to take a breather.

It doesn’t mean it will. Nevertheless, it’s still a good idea to take some profits here. 

Once buyers drive gold above 2,465, we can add to existing long positions (or open new ones) with a rough target of 3,300.

Meanwhile, Platinum and Palladium are looking juicy…

These low-profile precious metals offer excellent opportunities as gold digests its gains.

I highlighted Platinum last week as it challenges a critical breakout level. And our...

Nobody is paying attention to platinum.

It’s easy to overlook while gold shines and silver rips. But during the last commodity supercycle, platinum traded at a premium to the famous shiny yellow rock (and still does regarding retail jewelry).

Platinum was a powerhouse!

New all-time highs have a funny way of shifting perspectives.

Not too long ago, many considered gold a “dumpster fire,” a “hot mess,” or an “opportunity cost.”

All were fair assessments. 

Everything changed last month when gold rocketed to its highest recorded level.

Yet, for some reason, investors weren’t buying into its strength.

But a 12% gain over the past five weeks has quickly turned reluctant investors into ravenous speculators.

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

People are asking me if gold’s breakout is the real deal.

All I can do is smile, state my bullish outlook, and draw a line in the sand.

Of course, I can’t resist adding an obnoxious upside target or two (the higher, the better).

Hopefully, it sounds simple. That’s the goal! It never pays to overcomplicate price action…. 

If you’re still wondering whether precious metals are a viable investment despite gold’s new all-time highs, let’s identify the underlying trend…

The gold rally off the 2018 lows led to a multi-year consolidation that is now resolving higher — uptrend intact. 

Plus, what an impressive stick from gold last month:

Richard Wycoff would call last month’s candlestick a wide-bodied bar — an indication of willing buyers. It’s a significant sign of strength.

Gold futures rose 8.94%, closing near the March highs and solidifying its breakout.

If gold’s bullish candlestick, underlying uptrend, and new all-time highs fail to squash your lingering doubts, check out the gold miners…

The Gold Miners ETF $GDX also enjoyed quite the bid last month,...

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Pop the champagne!

Gold reached new all-time highs. 

Now, whether we consider the shiny yellow rock a viable investment is another story.

You know I’m bullish…  

Yet I can’t overlook silver’s lack of participation.

I think of silver as gold’s rambunctious cousin — lots of fun until someone gets hurt — and someone always gets hurt!

Perhaps trading silver isn’t your cup of tea. I don’t blame you.

But silver rallies possess an infectious exuberance. Its rowdy antics and monstrous daily ranges magnetize investors as they attempt to skirt silver’s flame without burning to a crisp. 

Unfortunately, silver isn’t bringing the heat. It has yet to break out, and the silver-to-gold ratio is trending lower.

A similar scenario unfolded last spring when gold ran up against its former all-time highs:

The result: 10 more months of sideways chop.

Despite a likely pullback, gold futures and the Gold Shares ETF $GLD remain buys if they trade above last month’s breakout levels (2,100 and 193, respectively).

But gold will take the scenic route until...

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Investors are finally waking up to gold.

Friends and family are blowing up my phone (and this time, it’s not just about baby pics). They’ve noticed gold’s rally to new highs – and they want to know whether to buy physical gold or an ETF — bars or coins. 

But silver has yet to enter the conversation…

I get it. New all-time highs have a way of capturing the investor’s collective conscience. 

But while gold is printing new all-time highs, silver futures post a mere multi-month high. 

I’m no fan of the catch-up trade, as I always want to own the strongest name(s), but check out silver’s four-decade base:

What a monster!

Silver reached its peak in early 1980 at roughly 41.50. The bulls didn’t see that level again until the spring of 2011 when price ran just shy of 50.

Spring is ahead today, and the soft, shiny metal is trading at approximately 25. That means it would have to double before hitting a new all-time high. 

I’m not waiting around for silver to complete this half-century base.

Here’s how I want to play it…

A significant...

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Gold is silencing all the haters – even me!

I’ll admit, I had my doubts. 

But I also carried an unnerving suspicion buyers would strike as soon as I dropped my guard…

Gold futures sliced through our breakout level last week, closing at record highs:

Unbelievable… Or, better yet, undeniable.

Gold not only hit a new all-time high, it broke out with authority as it gained more than 4% last week. 

The path of least resistance points higher toward 2,500 (our initial objective). But the price of gold could go much higher.

Gold is embarking on a new secular bull run:

As it rips to new heights, it will take the entire metal and mining space along for the ride.

But we’re in the early innings of an uptrend that could last for years to come.

Instead of catching falling knives or taking cute catch-up trades, it’s best to simplify our strategy and buy the strongest names. 

Gold mining stocks have suffered for years, and a handful of names were absolutely clobbered last month. A few gold miners are even offering up the mother-of-all mean...