Insights

Ed Coyne, Senior Managing Partner, sits down with Gillian Kemmerer of Asset TV to discuss the energy transition to uranium and other battery metals, and what investors should take into consideration in this space. He also shares Sprott's outlook on gold. 

Despite a pullback on gold investments, demand from sovereigns and central banks remains unwavering. Over the past decade, China has been committed to bolstering its gold reserves to enhance its economic and geopolitical standings. Silver is likely to be in high demand as the energy transition expands, given it is critical to solar PV panel technology, EV batteries and 5G cellular service. 

Despite recent weakness in gold and precious metals stocks, we believe gold may be poised for stronger performance in the coming months. The Federal Reserve's "higher for longer" stance on interest rates is unsustainable and could lead to a general credit deflation and a recession. Trouble is brewing in the banking system and the labor market, which could further support a rise in gold prices.

John Ciampaglia, CEO of Sprott Asset Management discusses why a higher uranium price will help incentivize much needed production for the world's growing nuclear fleet. John also discusses his outlook on gold, silver, copper, lithium and more.

In the first half of 2023, the gold bullion price rose by 5.23% despite competition from a euphoric equity market. Even with contrasting approaches, central banks and investment funds became the main players shaping the gold market in the first half of the year. Central bank buying drove demand, and gold is reverting to its historical role as a significant reserve asset as central banks seek to diversify amid geopolitical uncertainties.

Gold mining stocks are inextricably connected to the price behavior of gold bullion. Yet their recent response to the gold bull market has been disappointing. If gold should rise above the psychological $2,000 threshold, this may provide a strong catalyst for gold mining stocks. 

Energy transition metals miners posted strong results in June, with uranium mining equities leading the group. The U.S. is entering the early stages of a manufacturing supercycle driven by massive energy transition investment, which includes building a secure and resilient domestic EV battery supply chain. The U.S. and EU are likely to replace China as the primary drivers of future metals demand, as China's two-decades-long commodities dominance has likely crested.

Gold attempted to breakout above $2,050 in early May before drifting lower as the U.S. debt-ceiling drama deepened and the U.S. dollar strengthened. At the same time, global central banks have been accumulating gold at a record pace. This highlights gold's role as a neutral reserve asset that has the potential to mitigate increasing counterparty risks amid escalating geopolitical tensions.

"In our opinion, the term showdown is an apt description of the current situation, in which economic, political and social developments are on the brink of a fundamental change of course. The current situation is also unique because we are not dealing with a singular showdown. Multiple escalations are occurring simultaneously and have the potential to further inflame each other."

Replay our webcast featuring John Hathaway and Doug Groh, discussing the current outlook for gold and gold mining equities. Gold has proven to be an effective safe haven asset during this challenging period, which began with the early 2022 Russia-Ukraine invasion and was followed by rising interest rates, stubborn inflation and the 2023 banking crisis. We believe near-term support for gold will remain at ~$2,000 and that markets are likely to test new highs.

Sprott CEO Whitney George discusses the global energy transition and the growing interest in critical minerals investing with Asset TV's Jonathan Forsgren. George explains how Sprott expanded beyond "all things gold" to offer physical uranium, as it forged a path to becoming a recognized asset manager in the energy transition space.

The gold market continues to be bullish as the probability of a recession rises, regional banking stress resurfaces and the Fed seems determined "get inflation down to 2%, over time". Globally, we are entering a more challenging period featuring subpar economic growth, increasing risks to systematic financial stability, stubbornly high inflation and rising geopolitical risks. Against this backdrop, we believe gold should perform well, even if the U.S. debt ceiling disaster is averted.

In Q1 2023, precious metals bullion and equities showed strong YTD momentum, with gold closing above the psychologically important $2,000 per ounce mark and silver reaching $25. Gold/silver mining equities also posted notable gains. We believe that investments in precious metals bullion, especially, have the potential to provide a safe haven "moat" to investment portfolios.

In March, gold posted its highest monthly close since July 2020 and rounded out a solid Q1 2023 gain of 7.96%. Gold is now up 21.38% from last autumn's low (9/26/22) following the most aggressive central bank purchases in decades and gold investment flows catalyzed by the U.S. banking crisis. We are very optimistic given that many significant long-term bullish macro factors for gold have become stronger, while some shorter-term cyclical gold bearish factors have faded.

Let it be said here that the financial media at best pays only lip service to the thought: there is likely no safer asset than physical gold. The yellow metal has no counterparty risk (unlike all other financial instruments including bank deposits and government bonds), is highly liquid and has an unbroken record of retaining value in absolute terms and relative to financial assets.

Edward C. Coyne, Senior Managing Partner, Global Sales, joins Asset TV and a panel of experts to discuss the constantly evolving discourse surrounding ESG, challenges faced in standardizing ESG ratings and ESG-based investing. The panel digs into how ESG can be integrated into investments and what the “energy transition” means in terms of commodity demand.

Whitney George, Sprott CEO: "In addition to our traditional precious metals focus, we have entered the energy transition materials space, which began with the creation of Sprott Physical Uranium Trust.... I believe Sprott is well equipped to offer  energy transition investments, which will be a very important theme in the next 10 years."

Gold fell in February, closing the month at $1,827 in a correction characterized by a stall in buying, but not selling. Since gold's autumn 2022 low of $1,622, global central banks have been buying gold at record rates; more than three times their long-term averages. The current scale of central bank buying is massive — an annualized rate of 1,724 tonnes vs. an average of 512 tonnes over the past decade. Central bank gold purchases as a percentage of global gold demand have also tripled to 34% from their average of 11% over the past several years.

January was another positive month for gold bullion. We saw strong gold buying from China, with estimated tonnes purchased at the highest level since 2017. Price action and trading desk anecdotes indicate significant buying from China's "official sector", including the People’s Bank of China. This was in stark contrast to China's accelerated selling of U.S. Treasuries.

This year’s top 10 list offers Sprott’s thoughts on what will likely drive markets in the coming year and decade, from a macro perspective and the vantage of our asset classes: Precious Metals and Energy Transition Materials. We believe the global clean energy transition will grow more urgent as energy markets continue re-ordering and energy security becomes synonymous with national security. The signposts point to a commodity-intensive, inflationary and capital-intensive decade where energy transition materials and precious metals will become far more valued than in the prior market regime.

Gold was an effective hedge in 2022, returning -0.28% for the bear market year. The yellow metal outperformed the S&P 500 Index, which declined 18.11%. Gold mining equities also outpaced the S&P 500. Looking ahead, we believe investors willing to seize the opportunity presented by inexpensive, unloved gold mining equities, will have the potential to reap substantial benefits from breaking the ranks of groupthink.

Gold and gold mining equities posted strong results in November, up 8.26% and 16.79%, respectively. Silver gained 15.81%. Risk assets were catalyzed higher by the Fed's signal that it would slow the pace of rate hikes, a better-than-expected October inflation report and speculation that China may phase out its zero-COVID policy.

2022 has been a difficult year for many asset classes. Markets were historically volatile, with higher-than-expected inflation, quickly rising interest rates, the Russia-Ukraine war and the threat of a global economic recession. While metals and mining investments shared in 2022’s volatility, we look ahead to brighter opportunities in 2023.

The tough year continued in October for many asset classes, including gold and other precious metals. Gold demand, however, was strong in Q3 2022 as long-term investors took advantage of lower prices to build positions. With financial system stress cracks showing up, central banks are now trying to balance aggressively fighting the highest inflation levels in 40 years while maintaining financial stability in over-leveraged governments and markets. 

The parabolic rise in the dollar contains the seeds of its own demise. The kiss of death, as for all overcrowded trades, is that it has become front page news. Dollar strength is a mirage, the reverse image of the flaw inherent in all paper currencies. The fatal flaw is that they are the ever increasing issuance of fiscal decay. The façade of dollar strength foretells a comeuppance for all currencies in the form of a steep devaluation in terms of gold.

Relative to most asset classes, gold continues to outperform in a broad-based bear market. Since Q2 2020, gold has held above $1,700 but in mid-September, a significant risk-off wave occurred, breaking nearly every risk asset lower. The primary causes were higher than expected inflation data forcing yields (especially real yields) and the USD higher, two important gold drivers. With $1,700 support broken, the next level of support is about $1,550, the approximate pre-COVID trade level.

It’s been a summer of doldrums for many asset classes. In our universe, however, uranium and other energy transition metals were a welcome exception to the market carnage — the spot uranium oxide composite was up 8.73% in August and 25.45% YTD. Precious metals, by contrast, lost ground as a liquidity crunch took hold in response to market declines and volatility. Gold lost 3.11% and silver fell 11.62% in August, while gold mining equities magnified gold bullion's loss by declining 10.00%.

Maria Smirnova, Senior Portfolio Manager & Chief Investment Officer, Sprott Asset Management, is interviewed by Taylor Combaluzier, Red Cloud Financial Services, in Fireside Chat: The Silver Perspective. Maria joins Tavi Costa, Partner & Portfolio Manager, Crescat Capital LL. and Peter Krauth, Author of "The Great Silver Bull" and Editor of the Silver Stock Investor Newsletter.

July was another difficult month for most asset categories and was characterized by selling capitulation into exhaustion. Much more aggressive Fed rate hike expectations relative to other global central banks were a significant cause of U.S. dollar (USD) strength and rising real yields, which adversely affected gold. Although gold bullion lost ground, it remains relatively better off than many other assets for the year at -3.46% YTD through July 31, 2022.

If the Fed is to abandon the practice of inflating financial assets, which would represent a secular shift in direction, substantial deflation lies ahead from which the purchasing power of gold is expected increase in real terms. If there is a return to business as usual, i.e., papering over policy mistakes, we believe that the gold price has the potential to rise to all-time highs in nominal terms.

Gold continued to perform as a safe haven store of value in what has been one of the most challenging six-month periods for markets in decades. Gold has managed to stay above the $1,800 support level despite the broader market carnage. By contrast, equities (as measured by the S&P 500 Index) recorded their worst first-half start to a year since 1970 and bonds (U.S. Treasury Index) registered their worst first six months since 1973 (based on available data).

Ted Oakley of Oxbow Advisors interviews Sprott's John Hathaway on the gold bullion and gold equities markets. Oakley and Hathaway discuss why investors should consider adding gold to their investment portfolios and explore how gold affects portfolio diversification.

May saw selling across most asset classes and scant appetite for safe haven assets such as gold. However, gold bullion has outperformed many other asset classes YTD and continues to do its job. Gold held its value with low correlation to the S&P 500 and lower volatility than other assets.

Gold lost 2.09% in April, a month marked by across-the-board outflows in many asset classes as volatility surged. By contrast, gold held in ETFs has increased sharply this year as the safe-haven flight continues. April was tough on many investment sectors, with the S&P 500 Index down 8.80%, the Nasdaq Composite Index declining 13.37% and U.S. Treasury bonds falling 3.10%. The U.S. dollar was one of the few beneficiaries as it neared multi-year highs.

The price of gold has been treading water for 10 years while the investment fundamentals have improved dramatically. That is why, in our opinion, significant upside lies ahead for gold and related equities. Putin’s war introduces yet an additional reason to stoke investment demand for the yellow metal. It is not only war in the kinetic sense, but the reserve currency and cyber aspects that have far-reaching implications for gold. 

Gold posted its all-time highest quarterly close on March 31, 2022, ending a volatile month that helped gold climb above $2,070 on March 8. By contrast, the U.S. Treasury Index suffered its worst quarter since 1973 and the S&P 500 Index posted its first negative quarter since Q1 2020. While gold may have climbed back to its highs on safe-haven flows, other positive gold supports are definitely in play.

Sprott Market Strategist Paul Wong joins Asset TV's Jenna Dagenhart to discuss Sprott's outlook for gold.

Paul Wong: "The Russian-Ukraine conflict is probably one of the biggest macro drivers in the marketplace. Many commodity users, transportation providers and financial facilities are heading toward self-sanction. There is almost a semi-defacto oil embargo going on right now....Before Russia-Ukraine, the gold market had started shaking off the hawkish Fed rhetoric. Russia-Ukraine has just amplified gold's value as a safe haven asset."

Throughout history, gold has played a prominent role in the advancement of human civilization. Seen as a representation of the sun, of the gods and of true value, gold is a form of real money without counterparty risks. Symbol Au, atomic number 79, gold has been used to adorn the tombs of the great pharaohs and to help power spacecrafts that extend the horizons of humanity’s domain. Learn about gold’s culture, uses and history.

The precious metals complex rebounded strongly in February as other assets faltered. Gold bullion is up 4.36% YTD through February 28, 2022, and silver bullion has increased 4.90%. Gold mining equities rallied and have gained 10.17% YTD. Investors sought safe-haven assets given the heightened concerns over the economic/market risks from rising interest rates and the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Stephanie Pomboy and Grant Williams, hosts of the popular podcast Super Terrific Happy Hour, interview a true legend of the precious metals industry, John Hathaway of Sprott Asset Management. The three discuss the Fed, inflation, the financial markets and the outlook for gold bullion and gold stocks. 

Charlotte McLeod of Investing News Network interviews Shree Kargutkar: "I believe that we are on the cusp of a generational opportunity today. I would encourage every viewer to dust off their old notebooks and do a little research on precious metals mining companies, especially those that are well managed, with attractive balance sheets."

Gold reached a high of $1,848 in January, but slid following the Fed's exceptionally hawkish statements at the January FOMC meeting. Market risks are rising and we believe that gold, as it did in 2018, is likely to stage a breakout given its safe haven characteristics.

For 2021, the gold price averaged $1,799 compared to $1,770 for 2020, up $29, despite losing 3.64% for the twelve months. Gold traded in a narrow range for most of last year as markets were ping-ponged by inflation and rate hike expectations. Based on historic patterns, gold's lengthy consolidation indicates that prices have the potential to rally sharply and quickly in the coming year. We explain why in our List of Top 10 things to watch for gold investors. 

With Fed policy taking a more hawkish turn, the fire hose of liquidity that has fueled market mania is being turned off. At this moment, it appears that confidence in the Fed and attraction to gold are binary. Our view is that a position in gold offers a very favorable asymmetric risk-reward proposition on the possibility that confidence will not survive 2022.

CEO Peter Grosskopf looks back at Sprott’s 2021 highlights and provides his outlook for the year ahead. With the strong support of clients and shareholders, Sprott overcame many obstacles to prosper this past year.

His key message for investors as we head into the new year?
"Stay the course." 

Asset TV’s Remy Blaire interviews Ed Coyne, Senior Managing Director, on Sprott's outlook for gold bullion and gold equities heading into 2022. Coyne highlights the positive fundamental backdrop for precious metals and the mining sector, and explains how this overlooked sector can provide protection and portfolio diversification.

Whitney George, Chief Investment Officer, Sprott Asset Management, identifies the major paradigm shift we are navigating post-COVID. This new landscape is marked by “globalization in reverse”; a trapped Fed juggling rising inflation, record debt levels and negative real interest rates; a new global focus on decarbonization and ESG; and a move toward more moderate politics. Maria Smirnova, Senior Portfolio Manager, shares Sprott’s 2022 outlook on gold, silver, platinum and palladium.

Gold investors are certainly ready to say goodbye to Groundhog Day $1,800. The good news is that the degree to which macro risks and headwinds are piling up is considerable. When juxtaposed against a near positioning wipeout for gold bullion, we are confident the year-long correction in gold is near its end.

Spot gold closed October at $1,783.38, gaining 1.50%. Gold managed to recover from the late September swoon that cleansed positioning and sent the entire precious metals complex into extremely oversold conditions. Gold may have priced in the Fed taper, but the yellow metal has yet to respond to the Fed’s inflation dilemma, which seems anything but transitory.

John Ciampaglia, CEO of Sprott Asset Management, chats with New York Times’ best selling author and founder of The Bear Traps Report Larry McDonald, laying out a compelling thesis on why uranium is a vital component for the energy needs of the world. Despite supply-side difficulties with uranium mining, Ciampaglia explains how a growing uranium market can give mines the resources they need to increase mining operations and power the planet.

Overconfidence, complacency, recklessness and intoxication appear to characterize today's financial market zeitgeist. An unraveling of the market's speculative euphoria would constitute a near perfect environment for gold bullion and gold mining shares given that the fundamentals have rarely appeared more solid.

September’s end brought on a new season and a welcomed uptick in gold prices with a settle at $1,757 per ounce. While gold struggled for the month, its positive finish reflected the uncertainty of recent macroeconomic progress. Gold mining stocks were harder hit in September as markets appeared to be factoring in a price-side and cost-side margin squeeze.  

Gold closed August at $1,814 with a dramatic dip early/mid-month and a quick recovery. Improved July payroll job data gave traders reason to question whether the Fed will maintain its easy monetary stance. Gold sold off but regained support, helped at month end by the Fed's dovish tone at Jackson Hole. 

John Hathaway and Bill Strong join Stephanie Pomboy to reflect back on the Nixon Shock, and draw parallels to today. Pomboy describes it best: "Marking an anniversary can often seem like a hollow perfunctory exercise but I'd say this time, that is definitely not the case. The 50-year anniversary of the Nixon Shock and the policies he outlined in his speech carry unique resonance today."

Gold bullion and gold mining equities gained ground in July. We saw a recovery in gold bullion investments as positions were repurchased and the decline in real yields to all-time lows added to the buying rationale. We believe that gold is well-positioned for a typical late summer/early fall rally, given record-negative real yields, a USD that may be topping out and waning taper/tightening fears.

June's gold selling was almost entirely a knee-jerk synthetic affair driven by algorithmic, headline scanning robotic macro funds. We believe the smackdown was a temporary reaction to the perceived change in the Fed's posture towards possible balance sheet reduction. In our opinion, gold and gold mining stocks are compelling buys and the investment rationale for precious metals exposure remains unscathed.

Gold and precious metals took a drubbing in June following the hawkish FOMC meeting that added two rate hikes to the dot plot. Chaos among most asset classes ensued and gold was unduly affected by the strengthening USD and rising real yields. This doesn’t change gold’s long-term fundamental tailwinds, given the unprecedented expansion and reach of monetary and fiscal policies, akin to a grand experiment.

Gold is on the rise again, as the market debates whether inflation will be transitory as economies recover post-COVID. Extreme volatility among cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin has also benefitted gold in Q2. Gold mining stocks are enjoying renewed activity as market participants recognize the free cash flow and profit potential this sector offers.

Gold is making headlines once again after the safe haven asset had its strongest month of gains since July 2020. Sprott CEO Peter Grosskopf joins Asset TV's Jenna Dagenhart to discuss Sprott's outlook for gold and gold equities. Grosskopf: "I think it's a very healthy environment for gold and we believe it is likely to do well going forward."

2021 marks the 50th golden anniversary of the "Nixon Shock," when the world's reserve currency was last partially tethered to gold. Since 1971, gold has mostly managed to trounce fiat paper as a currency and the yellow metal has held its own as an asset class. After 35 years in the gold trade and with the benefit of my Sprott team of experts, I feel qualified to state that today's environment offers a stellar opportunity to gold investors. 

Gold's strong performance in May made up for the Q1 correction. Rising U.S. CPI data spooked markets, but helped boost gold and silver prices. As we head into summer (a seasonally strong period for the precious metals complex), we see several macro tailwinds working in our favor. 

Ed Coyne joins Liz Claman Liz of FOX Business to look closer at gold. On The Claman Countdown. Liz and Ed talk about what happens to gold prices when the Federal Reserve tapers, or talks of tapering. Coyne explains why he believes physical gold should be a core allocation of most investor's portfolios.

John Ciampaglia, CEO of Sprott Asset Management, joins BNN Bloomberg to discuss Sprott's takeover of Uranium Participation Corporation (UPC) and why he believes the climate for this kind of transaction is most appropriate now.

April provided precious metals markets redemption from a challenging first quarter, with gold finishing the month up 3.60% and silver climbing 6.14%. Silver continues to benefit from expansionary monetary and fiscal policies worldwide and its key industrial role in the new technologies of the "green revolution." 
 

Defensive investment strategies are few and far between. Fixed income, debased by artificially low rates, no longer passes muster. Selling volatility to generate income seems like a form of insanity. Gold is the obvious answer. Whether in physical form or precious metals mining shares sporting good dividend yields and trading at depressed valuations, this unwanted investment strategy will prove seaworthy for all conditions.

Gold prices finished March at $1,708, closing off a difficult quarter on the heels of gold's positive, record year. COVID-19 vaccine rollouts in the U.S. encouraged market optimism which was reflected in rising U.S. Treasury yields and a strong U.S. dollar. Despite the cheerier economic outlook, the long-term risks associated with trillions of dollars of economic stimulus, and mounting debt, provide ample support for our bullish metals outlook.  

February was a tough month for gold. Bond selling spiked into near panic mode and triggered a multi-asset sell-off into month-end. It was an uncomfortable replay of the 2013 Taper Tantrum in condensed form. Gold was not spared, but long-term trends remain in place for our bullish gold view.

For many U.S. investors the returns provided by owning physical gold — and the other precious metals including silver, platinum and palladium — come with a sobering surprise when the assets are sold and it’s time to pay taxes. The reason: The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) categorizes gold and other precious metals as "collectibles" which are taxed at 28%. Most other types of long-term capital gains are taxed at 15%-20%.

The silver market is abuzz in 2021. After climbing more than 47% in 2020, silver continues to play catch up to gold. Growing investment and industrial demand have driven up silver prices and created supply shortages, especially for investors looking to buy the physical metal. Silver ETFs have enjoyed record flows.

Gold started the year strongly, reaching almost $1,960 before dropping quickly back to support above the $1,800 range. We have been long-term bullish on silver, which has surged to an 8-year high. The Reddit crowd may accelerate this silver rally to extreme levels, but we can continue to make a strong fundamental case for silver that does not require any short squeeze schemes (real or imagined). 

The fate of the stock market and the outlook for gold are more intertwined than most realize. Gold has been performing well, but its outperformance is a well-kept secret. If a general bear market sets in, more investors will embrace gold and gold mining stocks. In the meantime, macroeconomic and valuation factors continue to build in gold's favor.

2020 was a tremendous year for precious metals. Gold bullion gained 25.12%. Silver bullion rose 47.89%. Palladium climbed 25.86% and platinum increased 10.92%. Gold mining equities were up 21.96% and gold junior mining stocks rose 48.53%. We expect the precious metals rally to continue in 2021 and offer our Top 10 list for investors. 

In a recent interview with Kitco News, John Hathaway, Senior Portfolio Manager of Sprott Gold Equity Fund (SGDLX), said that with significantly improved margins, rising gold prices and healthy production, investors can't ignore the value currently being generated in the mining sector for much longer. 

As COVID spread in 2020, investors embraced gold and silver as portfolio protection. But the role of these metals extends far beyond this. We explore how precious metals are helping to medically combat the virus and identify several innovative disease-fighting applications that depend on gold, silver, platinum and palladium.

There are several macro-economic reasons why gold may make the perfect gift for the holidays....including the $18 trillion dollars of negative yielding debt in the world today, which is nearly equal to the size of the U.S. economy. Bonds are no longer a portfolio risk mitigator, and if you don’t hold some gold, silver and other precious metals assets, you should.

Ed Coyne joins Asset TV for a deep dive into gold and gold equities. Coyne shares his 2021 outlook and sheds more light on gold equities and what makes the junior mining story so attractive.

Investing in gold and silver mining companies is challenging but offers substantial rewards for investors with an edge. After two great performance years, in which gold mining equities outperformed the S&P 500 Index, these stocks are still relatively inexpensive. At Sprott, we rely on a broad team led by very experienced portfolio managers, in the fashion of a collective basket of mining DNA.

Gold prices have climbed sharply in 2020...The moves cap a year rocked by a pandemic that led to economic restrictions and fiscal stimulus measures, feeding the precious metal’s appeal as a haven investment. Sprott CEO Peter Grosskopf sees the recent pullback in gold as “a healthy correction and a buying opportunity” for investors.

2020 has been a breakout year for precious metals. The uncertainty and risk-off sentiment created by the global COVID-19 pandemic have increased the luster of precious metals. Both gold and silver ETFs have enjoyed record flows. In this webcast, we explore the key benefits of precious metals investing in the current environment.

Precious metals took a post-election pause in November. Gold bullion lost 5.42% but is up 17.11% YTD and 21.38% YOY through November 30, 2020. Silver bullion lost 4.28% in November but has risen 26.84% YTD and 32.99% YOY. The macroeconomic fundamentals remain intact to support a continuation of this year’s precious metals rally. We see this correction as an attractive yearend, seasonal buying opportunity. 

Tom Bodrovics, a host of Palisades Gold Radio, welcomes returning guest John Hathaway of Sprott. Hathaway says, “the setup for gold is so incredible. It's the best I've seen it in my 20 plus years of gold investing.” Hathaway explains why traditional portfolio weightings no longer work, given that bonds today are "return-free risk".  Gold can provide an alternative to bonds, and Hathaway explains how a relatively small move in the gold bullion price can have an outsized impact on gold miners' profit margins and the value of their stocks.

With building anxiety over the U.S. presidential election, investors stepped away from markets in October, including gold bullion and mining equities. The uncertainties of the election and COVID-19's surging second wave have created a "risk mitigation" type market. The gold bull market remains intact and both gold bullion and mining equities are well-positioned under most plausible election scenarios.

With gratitude for a career on Wall Street that has spanned more than 40 years, I have experienced plenty of history. Looking back for an analog to this past year, in many ways, 1968 was a year on par with 2020. As a society, we survived and were able to move forward and grow from the experience, and we benefitted from positive investment lessons learned in the aftermath of 1968. This too shall pass.

The current pullback in the precious metals sector is a buying opportunity. It is possible that gold and gold mining shares could continue to chop sideways-to-lower until the U.S. presidential election results are known and even into yearend as the implications are sorted out. We believe that now is the time to start layering in gold exposure, not when the rest of the world tries to do so.

Sprott Market Strategist Paul Wong explains how technical analysis provides future guidance on the direction of gold markets and indicates that gold bullion and gold stocks have substantial room to move higher. He also explains why gold may be a more effective portfolio diversifier in this environment.

Markets experienced the first post-COVID meaningful correction in September as investment fund exposures were reduced, resulting in a contraction in market depth and liquidity. Despite September's profit taking, gold bullion posted its eighth straight quarterly gain. We see this as a buying opportunity for precious metals investors.

As gold hits new all-time highs and rises above $2,000 an ounce for the first time ever, Sprott and VanEck evaluate what's driving this safe haven asset's outperformance. Sprott's Ed Coyne and VanEck's Ima Casanova look at fundamentals, evaluate equities and share their outlooks.

After touching a record high of $2,075 on August 7, gold bullion closed August at $1,968. Despite this pullback, we see gold well supported above the prior cycle high of $1,900 as it settles into a sustainable $2,000-$2,200 trading level. Both silver bullion and gold mining equities reached multi-year highs in August.

Gold has powered over $2,000, and we take stock of what has been accomplished by the monetary metal and what may lie next. It has now been established as a baseline that a diversified asset portfolio must include an allocation to gold. No other liquid asset accomplishes what gold does in the way of portfolio insurance and purchasing power protection.

The economic fallout from COVID-19 has created a predictable headwind for jewelry purchases around the globe. We anticipate a healthy rebound in time, given that precious metals jewelry (especially gold and silver) is deeply rooted in global cultural norms and traditions. And despite the recent weakness in jewelry demand, metals prices continue to rally given the very supportive macroeconomic backdrop. 

The precious metals complex set off fireworks in July as gold bullion reached all-time highs. Silver bullion and gold mining equities broke through significant long-term resistance levels to further improve their bullish standing. Year to date, precious metals continue to outperform as gold has attained “escape velocity”, i.e., it has gravitationally moved away from other asset classes.*

Sprott CEO Peter Grosskopf joins BNN Bloomberg to discuss the gold rally and what he expects for the commodity in the back half of 2020 and 2021.

We believe that the macro forces for gold and gold mining stocks have coalesced into what may be one of the 'fattest investment pitches' of our time. A fat pitch is a momentary event, akin to catching a major trend change in the financial markets. Such opportunities do not come around often. They deserve serious consideration and expeditious response.

Special guest speaker Carter Worth, Chief Market Technician at Cornerstone Macro, joins Sprott’s John Hathaway and Rick Rule, to learn why gold and gold equities are outperforming traditional asset classes right now. These respected industry experts share their current views on precious metals investing and discuss why both gold and gold stocks have significant potential to move higher, as the precious metals bull market continues to strengthen. 

Gold bullion continued to deliver strong performance and was up 17.38% YTD through June 30, 2020, and 26.36% YOY. At the same time, gold mining equities have gained 25.88% YTD, and 44.00% YOY as of June 30. This compares to -3.08% YTD and 7.51% YOY returns for the S&P 500 TR Index. Silver posted strong gains in June and is on the move again; silver is up 1.99% YTD and 18.88% YOY as of June 30.

On the eve of Sprott’s planned listing on the NYSE, CEO Peter Grosskopf takes stock of our history and his decade of tenure as Chief Executive Officer of the firm.

Ed Coyne, Senior Managing Director at Sprott Asset Management, and John Hathaway, Senior Portfolio Manager, share their views on gold bullion and gold equities. They discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the landscape and is supporting a rising gold market.

Economist David Rosenberg believes that investing in a post-pandemic world is shifting our focus from what we want to what we need. Households and businesses are reassessing the importance of savings, liquidity and balance sheet health. Gold has been a "winner" during this crisis.

 This year’s 14th edition of our In Gold We Trust report, titled “The Dawning of a Golden Decade”, is being published at the opening of a new decade. As the last decade draws to a close, gold has once again demonstrated its sensitive seventh sense and alerted the keen observer that the general situation in the financial markets is about to change fundamentally.

After a tumultuous past few months, every asset class appears to be normalizing, including gold bullion. Gold posted steady gains in May with a 2.6% increase. Gold is up 14.04% YTD through May 31, 2020, and 32.54% YOY. At the same time, gold mining equities have gained 18.26% YTD, and 61.70% YOY as of May 31. This compares to -4.97% YTD and 12.84% YOY returns for the S&P 500 TR Index. Silver also posted strong gains in May and is on the move again. 

Gold miners have climbed steadily, following the positive path we predicted back in November 2019.  As of April 30, 2020, gold mining stocks were up 11.01% YTD and 57.87% YOY, compared to -12.36% YTD and -7.91% YOY for the S&P 500 Index. In our view, gold mining equities still have a great deal of upside to offer, given that historically gold stocks tend to outperform the metal during gold bull markets (2-3x).

Jim Grant in his May 15 Interest Rate Observer discusses gold mining equities with Senior Portfolio Manager John Hathaway, who opines: “Gold shares, in relation to bullion, are the cheapest they’ve been in his 20 years. What astonishes me—I’m an old value investor—is that so many companies are generating free cash flow, and it is not hard to find companies with free cash flow yields of 10% or better.”

Gold equities broke out of a multi-year resistance level on massive buying flows in April. Gold miners may be experiencing disruptions due to COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns, but they stand to benefit from a rising gold price. Gold bullion is up +11% YTD and +31% year-over-year (through April 30, 2020). 

We propose that gold is not only a financial hedge to government monetary and fiscal policies, but it is also a mandatory portfolio and household diversification asset....Gold is first and foremost, a store of value. We believe there is fundamental support for a qualified currency to exist outside of government-led debasement. Gold is more legitimate and efficient than any other alternative currency.

Gold is on the cusp of breaking out to all-time highs in U.S. dollars and has already done so in virtually every other currency. Gold mining stocks continue to lag the metal and, in our opinion, represent a compelling investment opportunity. The COVID-19 pandemic panic was merely the black swan that punctured a financial market asset bubble that took almost a decade to inflate.

Sprott's Ed Coyne, Whitney George and John Hathaway provide in-depth analysis on gold and gold equities. The COVID-19 pandemic has created a new financial landscape, where returns from traditional financial assets, could be subpar for many years. By contrast, the crisis continues to highlight gold’s value as a safe haven investment.

Rick Rule, President & CEO, Sprott U.S. Holdings provides a timely primer on gold's place in investor portfolios: "I think it’s important to say that the wind is very likely in gold’s sails. The macro set of circumstances strongly favors gold."

March 2020 will go down in history as one of the most tumultuous ever for capital markets. For the first time in over 100 years, a global pandemic has struck with devastating results. Gold continues to deliver strong relative performance and was up 3.95% on a year-to-date basis through March 31, 2020, compared to -19.60% for the S&P 500 TR Index. The need for a safe haven asset like gold, that represents a store of value during crises has never been greater.

Jason Mayer, Senior Portfolio Manager, recaps the past two weeks: "We were not surprised by the recent selloff in gold bullion and precious metal equities. During violent broader market corrections, liquidity is priority number one....the unprecedented monetary and fiscal stimulus in response to COVID-19 should debase fiat currencies while providing a tremendous tailwind for gold bullion and gold equities."

Whitney George reflects on markets and the COVID-19 crisis: "We are in a paradigm shift right now, one that may have taken us all a bit by surprise. I expect that central banks will shortly provide the liquidity required to settle the markets, an accomplishment that will be very favorable to gold."

We believe that gold provided what it should during times of crisis, a form of insurance to cash in when liquidity is required. We are comforted that throughout this "policy payout," gold has mimicked its performance in the GFC, during which it was first sold down by holders requiring funds for other purposes and then skyrocketed once liquidity was rebalanced and QE began in earnest. We believe that long-term investors, not subject to margin pressures, will be similarly rewarded by owning gold at this time.

We think gold has been sensing the endgame for Keynesian policy prescriptions, mainstream economic thinking and hyper-leveraged investment practices....At the moment, mining company valuations appear extraordinarily cheap. It is one of the few industries that will report solid year-over-year earnings gains for the remainder of this year and perhaps into the next. Buying low is never easy but now is the time to do it.

The Fed made a surprise interest rate cut of 50 basis points on Tuesday, March 3, and gold bullion closed the week higher, above $1,670. This follows gold's February breakout from the critical $1,585/$1,600 overhead resistance range that we have highlighted for several months. 

Last week’s selloff created an extraordinary buying opportunity. We believe that even a small, incremental increase in investor focus and capital flows will drive the low valuations of precious metals mining shares considerably higher.

Institutional Investor interviews Sprott CEO Peter Grosskopf to discuss the firm's recent acquisition of the Tocqeville Gold Fund and the firm's deep commitment to the precious metals space. 

Ed Coyne, Sprott Senior Managing Director, joins Liz Claman to review gold's bold move in 2019. Coyne shares Sprott’s 2020 outlook for gold bullion and gold equities, and explains that attitudes are shifting: Investors have traditionally invested in gold as a complement to equity portfolios, but are now viewing the yellow metal as an alternative to cash and bonds.

Gold bullion rallied 4.7% in January, on the heels of 2019's 18.31% rise. Our 2020 Top 10 Watch List outlines what gold investors should pay attention to given our long-term bullish outlook for the precious metals complex. 

Hathaway: "Going forward, unless the Fed continues to expand its balance sheet, it risks a meltdown in equity and bond prices that could exceed the damage of the 2008 global financial crisis....With continued advances in gold prices in 2020, the return potential for gold mining shares — the still unloved orphans and pariahs of the investment universe — should prove to be very compelling."

John Hathaway and Doug Groh, Portfolio Managers of Sprott Gold Equity Fund, discuss the current dynamics in the gold investing space and our positive outlook for 2020. 

Peter Grosskopf, CEO of Sprott, joins Jon Erlichman of BNN Bloomberg to discuss his expectations for the gold sector in 2020, and why Sprott has bulked up its investment team by acquiring Tocqueville Gold Strategies.

2019 marked the best performance for the precious metals complex in nearly a decade. Gold bullion closed the year at $1,517 (gaining 18.31% for the 12 months). Silver bullion ended the year at $17.85 (up 15.23% in 2019). Platinum climbed 21.56% in 2019, and palladium soared 54.24%. Gold mining equities showed notable strength, finishing 2019 up 46.97%.