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.

The path of least resistance points toward 80 if it trades below those former lows.

A Franco-Nevada breakdown shines an unfavorable light on the current condition of the precious metals space. But FNV is taking a different course than most royalty companies.

Here’s a performance chart of FNV, Royal Gold $RGLD, Osisko Gold Royalties $OR, and the SPDR Gold Trust ETF $GLD since last March:

The returns carry less significance here than the divergence beginning last fall.

OR, RGLD, and GLD bottomed last October (when the US dollar peaked – not a coincidence) while FNV continued to fall.

I have no idea what’s going on at FNV....

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. 

Last month’s breakout in the Silver Miners ETF $SIL is failing to hold:

It’s simple: We can’t carry a long SIL position if it trades below 28.

These stocks will eventually resolve higher. But sellers have the upper hand for now.

The Gold Miners ETF $GDX is also sliding:

The 30 level remains our line in the sand. I don’t want anything to do with GDX below that level. 

It’s hard to imagine gold futures decisively breaking to new all-time highs while GDX trades below its former 2016 high.  

The same analysis applies to the MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF $RING:

The next secular bull run for gold mining stocks remains on hold...

This is the video recording of our January 2nd Monthly Charts Live Strategy Session

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

The first day of trading is full of uncertainty and excitement. 

Aren’t they all!

Yet the new year brings one promise: events that have yet to come.

As corny as it sounds, it’s true.

Sure, precious metal bulls see new all-time highs for gold on the horizon.

I’m right there with them.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves on day one.

Instead, let’s start the year with a long-term chart of gold…

Here’s a monthly candlestick chart zoomed out roughly 30 years:

The main takeaway to start the year: Gold has yet to break out. 

Yes, gold recently hit a new all-time high. But it will remain a range-bound mess until buyers absorb supply at approximately 2,100. 

We can talk about gold 2,500 or 3,250 once it clears that critical supply zone.

Meanwhile, silver mining stocks are showing strength. 

The Silver Miners ETF $SIL is struggling to hold last week’s breakout as the US dollar bounces off a former support level.

We can expect near-term weakness for precious metals when the USD catches a bid, especially the...

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

The buzz around gold’s new all-time high is growing – and for good reason.

New all-time highs will likely become a regular occurrence in the coming quarters. 

But while gold makes headlines, my attention is on silver mining stocks…

Check out the Silver Miners ETF $SIL carving out a potential double bottom:

SIL is printing fresh six-month highs as it trades back above its June peak.

I consider it a breakout.

Completing this near-term base will likely catapult these stocks through the polarity zone and the double bottom breakout level. 

I like SIL long – only if it’s above 28 – targeting 40 in the coming quarters.

Perhaps the upside objective sounds a bit overzealous.

But when we zoom out, it’s clear that SIL has serious ground to cover before reaching those former 2020 highs:

In fact, the 55 level marks a logical target for a longer-term position. 

Consider it our secondary target. If gold is bouncing to a steady beat of new all-time highs, SIL is running back to that decade-long resistance zone.

It’s the perfect environment for...

This is the video recording of the December 2023 Mid-month Conference Call.

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

I’ve had palladium on my mind for a while – long before gold posted a new all-time high.

Why palladium?

It all started with an extreme Commitment of Traders (COT) profile…

Check out the longer-term chart of palladium futures with the COT in the lower pane:

Commercial hedgers posted a new record-long position back in April.

Notice the sustained trends following similar commercial positions in 2012, 2016, and 2018. 

Commercials represent the strongest hands with the deepest pockets. Plus, they have inside knowledge of the supply and demand dynamics of the market in question. It’s OK to think of them as “smart money.” 

But record-long positioning isn’t a signal on its own. It doesn’t help us define our risk. It simply indicates the market structure.

Case in point: Record-breaking long positioning became the norm for commercials as price continued to fall throughout the year.

Holding a long position since the spring required deep pockets and proved a painful opportunity cost.

But the pain of owning palladium is likely behind us as long as the futures...

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Last week’s fresh all-time highs left many gold bugs empty-hearted. 

The market continues to torment precious metal bulls as they wonder what could have been.

But hopes and dreams aren’t a viable strategy.

The only “what if” that concerns me is whether the yellow metal flashed a failed breakout.

Or are we simply dealing with a a premature move?

Let’s dig in…

Check out the weekly chart of gold futures, highlighting the breakout in question:

Bulls sliced through overhead supply, vaulting gold to new heights. But the bearish momentum divergence in the lower pane reveals a lack of fervor for the shiny yellow rock.

Divergences between momentum and price don’t guarantee a major reversal.

Gold can still break out as momentum divergences have a way of righting themselves. That’s why I prefer to focus on momentum regimes. They’re just more reliable.

From a structural perspective, the real nail in the coffin for gold lies just below the right shoulder trough at approximately 1,820. A decisive close below that level completes a failed inverted head-and-...

This is the video recording of our December 4th Monthly Charts Live Strategy Session