Gold has not only been shining in absolute terms but is also dramatically outperforming the broader commodity complex.

While energy chops around in a multi-year range and cattle carve out a distribution pattern, the glittering ore refuses to quit printing new all-time highs.

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

It’s good to be a gold bug.

New all-time highs and fresh breakouts are dotting the charts. Buy signals are flashing left and right. And even the laggards – Palladium and Platinum – are refusing to break down. 

Best of all, Gold has a one-track mind: up and to the right!

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Don’t believe the headlines.

It’s not all doom and gloom for the market.

Plenty of assets are trending higher, mainly those related to precious metals.

Gold is challenging all-time highs. Silver is catching a bid. Palladium is digging in at former support. (So much for those seven-year lows.)

And gold and silver mining stocks are ripping…

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Give the bears a pass. 

Precious metals and the companies that mine the rocks are seeing red. The new lows list is expanding. And breakouts are failing. 

I don’t want to step in front of that broadening weakness.

Instead, it’s time to protect profits and cut losers. Especially those losers printing multi-year lows…

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Perhaps gold and silver are stuck beneath overhead supply. 

But that’s not stopping mining stocks from hitting new highs…

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Gold’s failed breakout is testing investor resolve.

But let’s consider last week’s action before unearthing our bullion.

Check out the failed breakout with a bearish momentum divergence in the lower pane:

Waning momentum and failed breakouts go hand in hand. Gold futures proved an excellent example of momentum diverging from price, one of the reasons we track RSI readings.

But just because momentum confirmed the failed breakout doesn’t mean we should turn bearish gold and precious metals.

Remember, gold posted a new all-time high last week. New all-time highs are bullish in my book, no matter how you slice them.

Plus, the March breakout remains valid, and the underlying uptrend is intact:

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Precious metals might be the most straightforward trade on the sheets right now.

Gold is 10 bucks away from a new all-time high. Silver and platinum are holding above critical breakout levels. And mining stocks are ripping.

Close your eyes and take a swing. You’re bound to hit a winner.

But your odds of success (and potential payout) improve if you forego shiny rocks in favor of buying gold and silver mining stocks.

Check out the Gold Miners $GDX breaking out relative to the Physical Gold Trust ETF $GLD:

GDX outperforming GLD speaks to risk-seeking behavior – a bullish environment for mining stocks and physical metals.

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

It doesn’t matter whether we’re talking about markets or summer vacations –  I always avoid the crowds and aim to beat the heat.

No lines. No traffic. No fake, overpriced food.

It also means dropping those hot semiconductor names and reaching for silver mining stocks…

July is by far the best month of the year for gold’s crazy cousin. And it’s not even close:

Unsurprisingly, silver futures gained roughly seven percent last week. They also eclipsed the previous month's high and printed their highest weekly close since January 2013 – a stellar way to start the month.

On the flip side, June takes the cake as Silver’s most challenging month of the year.

And what did Silver do last month?

It only fell by three percent, finding support at a critical shelf of former highs:

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Investors are becoming restless.

Silver is dancing around a significant breakout level. And gold continues its sideways chop for the third straight month.

It’s certainly been a challenging time to hold precious metals trades – even for the most patient investors.

To kick off the third quarter, let’s utilize fresh monthly data to step back and review the primary trends for gold, silver, platinum, and palladium.

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Precious metals bulls are taking a stand.

It’s easy to overlook following Friday’s selling pressure.

But price is respecting critical support levels for gold, platinum, palladium, and even gold’s crazy cousin.

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Gold bugs have seen brighter days.

Silver is underperforming Gold. The corrections in Platinum and Palladium are burrowing deeper beneath our breakout levels. And the Gold Miners ETF $GDX is printing fresh lows versus the broader market. 

It doesn’t sound bullish to me.

Yet gold futures are solid as a rock!

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Metals bulls are waking up following last week’s selling pressure.

Copper, silver, platinum: It didn’t matter. Base and precious metals took a hit.

It was ugly but not a complete disaster.

Call me a gold bug if you like (I won’t take offense), but don’t overlook the key takeaway from last week’s session: gold’s resilience.