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Phony Data Won't Hurt Gold for Long
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Let’s see if we’ve got this right: Traders pummeled gold on Friday, sending it down $66 an ounce, because unemployment reportedly downticked to 10 percent, implying the U.S. economy is strengthening, which would be bullish for the U.S. dollar, which would be bearish for gold. That’s the theory of it, anyway – and never mind the fact that no one in America outside of newsrooms even remotely believes whatever unemployment statistic the Labor Department concocts from one month to the next; and even less do they believe it when said statistic purports to show that the economy is improving. Wall Street pros pretended to believe it, though -- for just long enough to short-squeeze bears at the opening bell. But look at what happened next: After only 30 minutes on the rack, the bears went limp, suddenly becoming unavailable to help unwittingly foster the bizarre illusion that no investor can afford to delay buying stocks at these “bargain” levels.
But what has changed, really? Answer: nothing. If you were bullish on gold Thursday before it swan-dived, then you should still be bullish now. Gold still enjoys enormous support from sovereign buyers around the world who are rightfully concerned about the soundness of the dollar. And it still represents the best hedge against an all-out global effort by the central banks to avoid deflation at any cost.
In the meantime, do you think buyers from China, India, Russia and Brazil were dumping bullion on Friday? Of course they weren’t. But we can hardly blame them for stepping aside as gold fell on the kind of news that any thinking investor would recognize as meaningless. The same strong hands that have been buying gold since $300 an ounce will be hoping for more panic-driven selling on Monday, and so should we. The bull market in precious metals remains very much intact, notwithstanding a phony downtick in a statistic that understates unemployment by half to begin with. If that’s the kind of news that drives markets, we would do well to tune it out and simply focus on the charts. They told us within 40 cents where Friday’s peak would occur, and they will tell us with equal clarity when this correction is ending.
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Rick Ackerman
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Information and commentary contained herein comes from sources believed to be reliable, but this cannot be guaranteed. Past performance should not be construed as an indicator of future results, so let the buyer beware. Rick's Picks does not provide investment advice to individuals, nor act as an investment advisor, nor individually advocate the purchase or sale of any security or investment. From time to time, its editor may hold positions in issues referred to in this service, and he may alter or augment them at any time. Investments recommended herein should be made only after consulting with your investment advisor, and only after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company. Rick's Picks reserves the right to use e-mail endorsements and/or profit claims from its subscribers for marketing purposes. All names will be kept anonymous and only subscribers’ initials will be used unless express written permission has been granted to the contrary.
All Contents © 2009, Rick Ackerman. All Rights Reserved. www.rickackerman.com
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