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:

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:

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. 

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

You can’t keep the gold bugs down.

They’re a hearty bunch full of true grit, choosing to focus on the silver lining while persevering through countless downturns.

Gold, on the other hand, has been an easy target…

Every time buyers have managed to drive the price back to the 2,089 level… 

Rejected! 

Sellers have stepped in, capping price while breaking the hearts of gold bugs everywhere. 

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

The market is punishing investors for owning gold mining stocks.

Sure, a handful of gold miners are holding above key levels.

Buenaventura S.A.A. $BVN, Orla Mining $ORLA, and Harmony Gold $HMY belong to this elite group of outperformers.

But that’s about it.

I’m not giving these trades too much room. And I’m not piling into new long positions. Not yet! 

Here’s why…

Gold mining stocks continue to print fresh lows versus the broader market.

Check out the VanEck Gold Miners ETF $GDX relative to the S&P 500 ETF $SPY:

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Gold’s beginning to attract some attention.

Not because it was shooting higher but because it kept trading while most respectable markets closed in observance of Presidents Day.

US stocks, grains, and other god-fearing commodities did not trade. So investors needed something to talk about other than Bitcoin. 

But as gold stole the headlines, no one was talking about platinum.

I like that platinum isn’t attracting too many eyeballs right now.

Here’s why…

Platinum futures are carving out a potential multi-year reversal pattern.

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

I’m fed up with precious metals. 

I’m tired of all the failed breakouts and the sideways chop.

So, please, spare me the silver-surfer stories about undervalued silver or how it will outperform gold 16-to-1 during the next bull run. 

I’m tired of it – all of it!

But the diehard gold bugs continue to rally the troops – and maybe they’re on to something.

After all, gold is trading less than a hundred bucks from its all-time high. Is there still a chance for a clean breakout soon?

Let’s take a cold, hard look…

Check out gold’s four-year base:

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

If silver doesn’t come to play, precious metals won’t win the day.

Gold’s resilience has been impressive lately, especially as its two main headwinds – the US dollar and real yields – catch higher. 

But while all eyes are following gold as it coils just below all-time highs, I’m tracking silver. Because gold’s doggedness is all for naught if silver breaks down.

Check out the iShares Silver Trust ETF $SLV retesting a critical former support level at approximately 20.50:

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Precious metal charts aren’t painting a bullish picture for investors.

Silver is underperforming gold. The Gold Miners ETF $GDX is posting new all-time lows versus the broader market. And everywhere you look, individual gold mining stocks are breaking down.

Well, not all mining stocks. One chart continues to fly high…

Check out Buenaventura S.A.A. $BVN:

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

First, gold failed to hold its breakout to new all-time highs.

Then, the silver-to-gold ratio undercut a critical shelf of former lows.

Now, the Gold Miners ETF $GDX is printing a new all-time low versus the broader market!

Is there any sane reason to bet on the miners right now?

Let’s take a look…

Check out GDX relative to the S&P 500 ETF $SPY: 

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

The US dollar is marching higher, stomping gold mining stocks into dust.

Harmony $HMY, Kinross $KGC, and Eldorado Gold $EGO are hovering just above last month’s breakout levels.

And Franco Nevada $FNV –  a secular leader among royalty companies – is sliding toward fresh multi-year lows!

Check out FNV undercutting a shelf of former lows:

I’m not crazy about shorting it. But you can’t own FNV below its 2022 lows at approximately 110.

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

A risk-off tone is blanketing the precious metal space as a key data point suggests more pain ahead…

Silver is underperforming gold.

Check out silver undercutting a shelf of former lows relative to gold:

The breakdown signals a lack of interest or risk-seeking behavior in the higher-beta vehicle.

When silver fails to catch a relative bid, the entire precious metals space tends to follow.