The bears have found a new home: gold mining stocks.

Silver’s breakdown earlier this month raised the caution flag for the entire precious metals space. 

Less than two weeks later, gold futures and mining stocks are falling under the wrath of increased selling pressure. Precious metals bears are winning the battle as support levels fall to the wayside. 

Meanwhile, the bulls are reluctant to leave without a fight…

Let’s review the recent action in mining stocks.

While I always prefer a price chart, I also like Grant’s moving average tables.

He measures the closing prices of all 30 components of the PHLX Gold and Silver Mining Index $XAU against (above or below) multiple moving averages, from five days at the far left of the table to 250 days at the far right.

This provides an excellent read on trends across multiple timeframes.

Here’s the table heading into the May 5 close:

A sea of green! Sellers hadn’t made their way to these mining names just yet.

Fast-forward a couple weeks, and the study presents a far different picture:

Red dominates the table across shorter time frames, displacing the...

The caution flag is flying.

Broad selling pressure is hitting the markets as gold, silver, and mining stocks slide.

Will the Fed hike? Will it cut? Or will it finally pause?

I have no idea, and nor does anyone else.

But gold’s crazy cousin has some definitive answers for precious metals bulls…

The caution flag is flying.

Broad selling pressure is hitting the markets as gold, silver, and mining stocks slide.

Will the Fed hike? Will it cut? Or will it finally pause?

I have no idea, and nor does anyone else.

But gold’s crazy cousin has some definitive answers for precious metals bulls…

The 24.75 level in silver marks the spot for the entire precious metals space.

Why?

Silver is the high-beta play. So if investors are pulling risk off the table, that key polarity zone in silver is most likely the first level to fall.

Last Wednesday, silver futures sliced through that critical level.

Note the bearish momentum divergence print on the 14-day RSI providing a poignant indication of waning strength. The bulls have stepped aside as the bears assume control. 

I have a neutral near-term bias for silver futures. Precious metals likely experience a range-bound choppy action as long as silver trades below the April pivot lows.

I will continue to focus on potential support levels, as I pointed out last week. It’s time to protect capital and recent gains.

Yet a few bright spots remain…

Despite...

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

There’s a mountain of bullish evidence supporting an upside resolution in gold. 

But gold hasn’t broken out. Not yet!

Gold has been running this race for months... at least, that’s how it feels.

Perhaps it’s simply making its way to the starting line…  

I believe that’s the best way to view gold and precious metals at this stage of the game. Before I get ahead of myself – marking a series of upside objectives – I want to highlight a key level that defines my intermediate- and near-term risks…

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

There’s a mountain of bullish evidence supporting an upside resolution in gold. 

But gold hasn’t broken out. Not yet!

Gold has been running this race for months… at least, that’s how it feels.

Perhaps it’s simply making its way to the starting line…  

I believe that’s the best way to view gold and precious metals at this stage of the game. Before I get ahead of myself – marking a series of upside objectives – I want to highlight a key level that defines my intermediate- and near-term risks…

Last week, gold futures came within five dollars of breaking to new highs:

Close, but no cigar.

There’s still plenty of overhead supply at those former highs at approximately 2,089. But bulls remain in control based on the bullish momentum regime and the clear uptrend off the October 2022 lows.

The three-point bearish divergence on the 14-day RSI might not paint the most bullish picture. You could even argue the momentum divergence increases the likelihood of a correction.

But I want to give the bulls the benefit of the doubt as long as price holds above...

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

It’s still messy out there, no matter where you look.

Signs of strength are fleeting, whether we’re discussing gold, the S&P 500, or US Treasuries. It’s one of the few observations everyone agreed upon last week at the 50th annual CMTA Symposium. (I'll have more on that later this week.)

Despite failed breakouts and trading ranges ruling the market environment, one bullish data point stand out regarding precious metals…

Silver!

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

It’s still messy out there, no matter where you look.

Signs of strength are fleeting, whether we’re discussing gold, the S&P 500, or US Treasuries. It’s one of the few observations everyone agreed upon last week at the 50th annual CMTA Symposium. (I’ll have more on that later this week.)

Despite failed breakouts and trading ranges ruling the market environment, one bullish data point stand out regarding precious metals…

Silver!

Check out silver futures finding support at a critical polarity zone:

The 24.75 level acted as support last spring before giving way to increased selling pressure. By the end of last year and into early 2023, the same price level became resistance.

This is the principle of polarity in action, as the forces of supply and demand continue to highlight the level’s importance. 

I have to give silver the benefit of the doubt as long as it holds above that critical level. 

The same is true for the iShares Silver Trust ETF $SLV, as the comparable price stands at 22.50:

Risks remain to the upside if SLV trades above the...

First palladium, now platinum?

Platnuim broke out of an inverted head and shoulders pattern last week, printing fresh 52-week highs.

The bullish data points continue to roll in despite the waning strength in gold and silver.

Check it out!

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Our precious metals index is hitting fresh 52-week highs despite the waning strength in gold and silver.

Only three markets comprise the index. That leaves only one possible culprit – platinum!

First palladium, now platinum?

It doesn’t matter whether you consider platinum or palladium true precious metals. The industrious side of the family is chipping in, supporting a new structural uptrend for the entire space. 

Let’s check it out!

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Our precious metals index is hitting fresh 52-week highs despite the waning strength in gold and silver.

Only three markets comprise the index. That leaves only one possible culprit – platinum!

First palladium, now platinum?

It doesn’t matter whether you consider platinum or palladium true precious metals. The industrious side of the family is chipping in, supporting a new structural uptrend for the entire space. 

Let’s check it out!

Before we dive into the levels…

Commercial hedgers are unwinding their net-long position after reaching extremes last year. Similar positioning in 2018 marked a key inflection point, resulting in a multi-year rally.

The bullish sentiment of commercial hedgers supports a sustained rally (much like the positioning in palladium).

Whether platinum catches higher in the coming weeks and months partially depends on a further unwind in commercial positioning. 

Remember, commitments of traders positioning reflects sentiment. It’s not a trade signal. But it does reveal critical aspects of the market environment. In this case, it’s...

In a market overrun with whipsaws and failed moves, our gold mining trades are holding their breakouts and reaching our initial targets. Not many market areas can make that claim.

Today, I outline multiple mining stocks and highlight critical levels of potential resistance for gold and silver.

Check it out!

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Gold mining stocks are the play.

Why?

Because they’re working!

In a market overrun with whipsaws and failed moves, our gold mining trades are holding their breakouts and reaching our initial targets. Not many market areas can make that claim.

And when you consider they’re outperforming the S&P 500 and the physical metals, it’s hard not to like these names.

Especially as gold and silver run into logical levels of resistance…