Gareth Soloway: Gold - The Safe Trade in a World of Absolute Risk

The Fed was discussing transitory issues, but now they are talking of a mild recession. They have built a house of cards heavily reliant on rates and printing, and no one knows what could break in the system today. The unintended consequences of their actions could lead to a collapse. Despite this, the Fed may be reluctant to curb interest rates, meaning we could be in for a protracted period of recession lasting several years.

Investors today are used to the Fed coming to the rescue, particularly since 2009. But if they don't, markets and investors will be confused about how the recovery will work out naturally. Credit card debt is skyrocketing and car loans are seeing defaults, leading Gareth to believe we are in for a long drawn out recession. People have been overspending since the end of the lockdowns, and soon will have to cut back. Countries with resources, particularly metals, will likely do better than most. China is seeing a surge in demand internally, and it will be interesting to see if this leads to an inflation surge.

Gold is still attractive for its use as a fear trade, and can also do well during inflation. However, it has yet to outperform this year. Servicing the debt will put a burden on the system, while corporations will also have issues refinancing. There are many layoffs coming as a result. Gareth believes the downside for gold is minimal, and the upside is potentially amazing. Silver is trickier to gauge because of its industrial demand aspects, but should perform well if your time horizon is longer than average.

The dollar could continue higher if we get through this recession, which will in turn pressure metals and equities. We need to keep an eye on the jobs numbers on Friday. The decline in natural gas futures has been impressive and we are now in a trading range. Gareth still believes the Bitcoin markets are likely due for a further decline, and that we are seeing similar patterns. A bear market rally appears to still be in play, and a pullback to 18,000 or even lower seems likely. A recession or pullback in equities will also impact the crypto space, so lower targets remain possible. Gareth believes regulations in crypto will benefit the markets, as it will allow institutions into the space. Right now, legally they would have a lot of trouble investing.