Sprott Gold Equity Fund

Gold’s breakout may signify more than one might infer from the continuing lack of interest. Inflows into the precious metals mining space have the potential to generate compelling outcomes. We believe the window of opportunity to position this sector on attractive investment terms is beginning to narrow quickly.

The breakout in gold prices since February has been largely ignored by mainstream investors. Gold bullion’s breakout is significant in that it represents the positive resolution of a three-year standoff, consolidation, or tug of war between bulls and bears. The indifference of investors in Western capital markets suggests to us that there is significant potential for further upside.

Sprott's John Hathaway shares his thoughts on the disconnect between the gold price and gold stocks, explaining why it's happening, whether he's seen it before and what could make gold stocks finally start moving.

We firmly believe that the investment case for gold mining equities is clear and compelling, grounded in both value analysis and situational factors. A primary challenge is having the patience to wait for investors to discover the attraction. In our view, investing in gold equities is an asymmetric proposition of minimal downside offset by outsized upside potential. 

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. John explains where he feels the world’s central banks currently stand on gold, analyzes the relationship between both real interest rates and the U.S. fiscal situation as they pertain to precious metals prices and discusses their potential impact on the price as we move into 2024.

John Hathaway: "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. We expect the payoff from the past two decades of incompetent central banking to benefit gold investors."

John Hathaway: "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 will likely provide a strong catalyst for stocks, which are severely undervalued on a relative and absolute basis and provide attractive investment opportunities. "

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.

John Hathaway, CFA, shares his bullish outlook on gold and gold mining stocks, in the wake of recent bank failures and the Fed’s interest rate tightrope walk. “For open-minded investors, the good news is the train has yet to leave the station, and it’s not a high-risk decision to allocate to gold.”

John Hathaway: "To me, that's where I think the rubber could hit the road in terms of a Fed pivot and then basically throwing in the towel on the anti-inflation war path that the Fed has been on. Basically, I think we're off to the races with gold."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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. The three discuss the Fed, inflation, the financial markets and the outlook for gold bullion and gold stocks. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

John Hathaway explores why investing in gold makes sense for most investors and how it helps protect portfolios.

What will take the gold price higher? John Hathaway, Senior Portfolio Manager, provides his thoughts on why gold isn't moving and what will take it higher.