Jordan Roy-Byrne, CMT
Jordan@TheDailygold.com

Last week we discussed the concept of relative strength. Again, relative strength is the measuring of one market against another. There are perhaps 1000 mining companies and maybe 5% of them are worthy of your research and investment. Fundamental analysis should lead you to the best companies while technical analysis (relative strength analysis in this case) can generate a precise list of top prospects. Today we are focusing on relative strength in a larger context and will then apply it to the gold stocks.

One of the best times to use relative strength is during or after a strong market selloff or panic. After 2008, I was most bullish on Gold and Agriculture for the simple fact that both didn’t have the long-term technical damage that occurred in most markets. Most markets plunged below 2005 lows. Markets that escaped that fate and held up reasonably well would make new highs first and well ahead of global stock indices (which have yet to make new highs).

In the chart below we show various markets (Gold, AGs, T-Bonds, Chile, S&P). Gold bottomed in late 2008 above its summer low in 2007. Agriculture prices bottomed slightly ahead of their bottom in spring 2007. Bonds maintained their uptrend in 2008 and beyond. Chile has been one of the strongest markets (held above 2006 lows) and surged to new highs while the S&P is nowhere close to a new high. The other four markets had the best relative strength in 2008 and thus performed the best from 2009-2010.

So how does that history apply to today? We just had a mini-panic or a mini-2008. The stock market likely put in an intermediate bottom. This doesn’t mean it will breakout but it means the lows are safe for a while. Now its time to spot the relative strength leader which will be a leader in the immediate future. In the chart below we compare gold stocks to commodity stocks, emerging markets and the S&P 500.

While emerging markets and commodity shares are in structural bull markets, both will soon meet multi-year resistance. Also, both broke their previous 2011 lows. Essentially, both have short-term technical damage to repair and long-term resistance to overcome. Meanwhile, the gold stocks have been in a consolidation for 12 months and held above their summer low during the mini-panic. We see a combination of relative strength and very limited overhead resistance.

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A weekly close above $67 in GDX should usher in the beginning of a true bull market move in the gold stocks. After viewing these charts one can visualize the gold stocks galloping higher in 2012 while their commodity and emerging market counterparts encounter multi-year resistance. The reasons do go beyond technical. We’ve written about the low valuations, lack of ownership and the bull market moving towards its recognition point. The recent double bottom in GDX should make one feel more comfortable. Their relative strength in 2011 indicates leadership and potential for a major move higher in 2012.

by Tyler Durden

There was a time, half a decade ago, when contrary to what they declared in polite (and not so polite) public, every young aspiring hedge fund manager on Wall Street secretly hoped to appear in Trader Monthly’s Top 30 under 30. Since then Trader magazine, the symbol of all the excesses of the “zeroes” appropriately went bankrupt, then reappeared once again, though completely stripped of its cachet as the media of choice for Generation XS$. But for the sake of memory lane, and in remembrance of days when it appeared that the flow of money would never cease, and children in their late 20s were disappointed if they did not get an 8 digit bonus, below we present The Decade Wall Street Went Insane – the Zeroes, in which “we get a ringside seat alongside Trader Magazine to some of the biggest parties of the decade, including a Wall Street “Charity” boxing night held at Manhattan’s lavish Hammerstein Ballroom. This 5-part web series pits the fantasy of unlimited growth against the wheeling-and-dealing of Wall Street’s glitzy surface. We urge any #OWS fanatics with heart conditions to skip this if at all possible.

From the introduction:

At the turn of the millennium, Randall Lane, former head of Forbes’ Washington bureau, knew what this decade would be about. He started Trader Monthly — a slick glossy magazine that was to become the GQ of Wall Street. It portrayed a glamorous world of yachts and private jets, fine wines and lavish mansions. Meanwhile, trading floors were functioning like giant casinos, and the banking community was gambling with the average Joe’s savings.

 

Lane and his company got caught up in the madness. They had front row seats to the vast wealth of Wall Street — and they dreamed that some crumbs would fall their way.

 

A morality tale uniquely fitted for our times, “The Zeroes” cuts to the heart of what drove America to believe in dreams too good to be true.

Below we present the first 3 parts of the series.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

h/t Stock_Bitch

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Source: JT Long of The Gold Report   (10/26/11)

The end of 2011 is a golden opportunity to participate in an anticipated upside for mining equities, says Tocqueville Asset Management Senior Managing Director John Hathaway. We caught up to him at the Casey Research/Sprott Inc. Summit “When Money Dies” for this exclusive interview with The Gold Report. Hathaway predicted that once investors realize higher gold prices will stick, they will take a chance on the big upside waiting in the junior and senior space.

The Gold Report: In your recent article “A Golden Mulligan,” you called gold mining equities “a rational way to participate in what appears to be the end game for paper currencies on an attractive risk-adjusted basis.” After trailing the metals prices substantially since 2010, why do you think they are ready for a turnaround?

John Hathaway: Gold mining stocks have underperformed for a number of reasons. Gold ETFs created competition for gold stocks even as it made owning physical metal more attractive. Also, as gold flirted with $1,900 an ounce (oz), investors may not have priced that into the stocks as they weren’t convinced it would stick. Now that we have had a correction, investor analysis will show that the average price over time, as opposed to variable spot prices, is steadily rising—proof that industry profitability should also be on the rise. The best is yet to come for gold mining earnings as confidence in government monetary policy continues to erode.

TGR: We have seen a lot of volatility lately. What price do you predict for gold going into 2012?

JH: From years of experience, I have learned never to combine a price prediction with a specific point in time. The gold price will continue to rise until the fiscal and monetary policies of Western democracies undergo severe alteration in the direction of sanity.

TGR: What role do operating costs play in equity price challenges?

JH: Some companies have cited increased operating costs as a limiting factor in stock price growth, but the facts don’t support that argument. Energy prices, one of the most variable costs in gold production, are almost half of what they were four years ago. The same is largely true in everything from steel and chemicals to labor. Margins have steadily increased since 2008 and, unless declines in head grades or increased resource nationalism take their toll on future mine profitability, that margin expansion trend should continue. One of the biggest factors weighing on mining stock prices is probably investor risk tolerance. It goes without saying that mining stocks are riskier than physical metals and a lot of investors are looking for a safe haven right now.

TGR: At the end of September, the Tocqueville Gold Fund reported a three-month average return of -8.49% compared to -13.87% for the S&P 500 and a three-year average annual return of 32.24% compared to 1.23% for the S&P 500. Your top 10 holdings include (5.43% of assets) Goldcorp Inc. (G:TSX; GG:NYSE), (3.75% of assets) Randgold Resources Ltd. (GOLD:NASDAQ), (3.33% of assets) Silver Wheaton Corp. (SLW:TSX; SLW:NYSE), (3.07% of assets) Royal Gold Inc. (RGL:TSX; RGLD:NASDAQ) and (2.98% of assets) IAMGOLD Corp. (IMG:TSX; IAG:NYSE). What will be the catalyst that gets investors looking at mining stocks again?

JH: I think the release of third-quarter earnings will amaze people. I am very bullish on the future of the price of gold and gold equities. Equities represent extraordinary opportunities because they offer organic growth in resource production and bumps from merger activities that aren’t possible holding inert metal.

Ratio of Gold Stocks to Metal Price Near All-Time Low

XAU & HUI as ratios of spot gold ($/oz)

Chart: Toqueville

TGR: How will companies that are not making profits at $1,900/oz be profitable going forward?

JH: If a company can’t make money at $1,300/oz gold, it shouldn’t be public. Companies have to find a way to make a profit. An example is Osisko Mining Corp. (OSK:TSX) (which is one of the top 10 in the Tocqueville Gold Fund at 4.49% of assets). It had a $200 million market cap five years ago when we invested; the market cap is now $5 billion. It has a large, low-grade deposit and the price could rise further as they ramp up production.

TGR: You mentioned seniors as a bright spot in the investing scene. Please explain the rationale for your portfolio diversification between bullion, small-, mid- and large-cap companies.

JH: I have about 7% invested in bullion because it is an anchor of value. Physical gold helps protect against currency depreciation. I have about 10–20% in small-cap companies, 20–30% in mid-caps and 30–40% in large caps. The percentages can vary as the valuations change even though we don’t trade very often. Turnover is usually less than 10% in a year.

Big caps benefit most from high gold prices because they are actually producing and selling the metal today. It therefore offers compelling valuations, attractive current returns and virtually a free ride on future gains. We own 11 companies accounting for about 40% of global gold production.

TGR: Are higher dividend payouts going to be the rule going forward?

JH: I hope so. Newmont Mining Corp. (NEM:NYSE) (another Tocqueville Gold Fund top 10 holding at 4.74% of assets) took the lead and linked its dividend to the gold price in April when gold was trading at $1,458/oz. For each $100 increase or decrease in the gold price, the dividend adjusts $0.20 a share. We expect similar announcements to follow from other producers.

TGR: For those who choose to invest in physical gold, where is the best place to keep it? In the U.S., out of the U.S.?

JH: Any good vaulting service will work. Where it is physically located doesn’t matter as long as it is secure, accessible and not in a bank.

TGR: Thank you for sharing your insights.
[Listen to John's eye-opening speech at the Casey/Sprott Summit When Money Dies – plus the presentations of nearly 30 other renowned financial experts – from the comfort of your home. More than 20 hours of audio recordings on CD or MP3, including the experts’ top stock picks. Learn more.]

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Courtesy of Mish 

Courtesy of Mish

Inquiring minds are interested in the terms of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) accord scheduled to replace the EFSF. The following video highlights the key sections of the proposed treaty.

Link if video does not play: Treaty of debt (ESM) – stop it now!

There are comments on The Telegraph article A German view of the bailout deal which is where I found the video.

Key Details of ESM Accord

• Article 8 says “Authorized Capital stock 700 billion Euros”
• Article 9 says “ESM members irrevocably and unconditionally undertake to pay capital calls on them within 7 days”
• Article 10 allows the ESM board of governors to “change the authorized capital and amend article 8 accordingly”
• Article 27 says ESM shall enjoy “immunity from every form of judicial process”. Thus the ESM can sue member countries but no one can challenge it. No governments, parliament or any other body or laws apply to the ESM or its organization.
• Article 30 says “Governors, alternate governors, directors, alternate directors, the managing director and staff shall be immune from legal process with respect to acts performed by them (…) and shall enjoy inviolability in respect of their official papers and documents”

There are no independent reviewers and no existing laws apply. Thus Europe’s national budgets will be in the hands of one single, unelected body that is accountable to no one and immune from all legal actions.

Is this the future of the EU or will the German supreme court and other governments put an end to it?

Mike “Mish” Shedlock

by Tyler Durden

A few days ago China telegraphed it refuses to continue to be seen as the world’s rescuer and the dumbest money in the room. Many assumed China was only kidding: after all how would China let its biggest export partner flounder? And furthermore, all China does is provide vendor financing, right? Well, as it turns out, wrong, because to China the current state of Europe is far from the terminal crisis Europe is trying to make it appear. This is happening even as a thoroughly desperate and grovelling Europe, kneepads armed and ready, has said via the EFSF’s Regling that it will even consider issuing Yuan-denominated bonds. Alas, China is less than impressed. As AFP reports, “China’s state media Sunday warned that the country will not be a “savior” to Europe, as President Hu Jintao left for an official visit to the region including a G20 summit. Hu’s visit has raised hopes that cash-rich China might make a firm commitment to the European bailout fund, but in a commentary, the official Xinhua news agency said Europe must address its own financial woes. “China can neither take up the role as a savior to the Europeans, nor provide a ‘cure’ for the European malaise. “Obviously, it is up to the European countries themselves to tackle their financial problems,” it said, adding that China could only do so “within its capacity to help as a friend.” A friend, who at this point is quite sensible, and realizes far better deals are to be had down the line if one merely waits. That said, we are certain China is not the only one out there with an instant notification pending the second Santorini, Ibiza or the Isle of Capri hits E-bay.

More:

China’s Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai said Friday that the G20 should focus on the sovereign debt crisis in “developed countries” and the growing pressure of global inflation.

 

He added that members should make efforts to stabilize financial markets and restore investor confidence.

 

For its part, G20 partners will also be looking to China to stimulate domestic demand, diversify its export-led economic model and allow the yuan currency to appreciate more freely so as to slim down its massive trade surpluses.

 

Another Chinese official has played down hopes of a breakthrough at the G20 meeting. Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao, also speaking Friday, said investment in the European bailout fund was not on the agenda.

 

Beijing fears the financial risk of a major investment, which could also spark a domestic backlash as the Chinese public asks why they should bail out wealthier nations.Already, opposition to such a move is being expressed on the Internet, on China’s hugely popular weibos – microblogging sites similar to Twitter – and in state media.

The bold says it all. And for those to whom it is still confusing:

“China will only participate in a global program that is defensible to the Chinese people. So don’t expect a ‘bailout’ or ‘rescue’ from China,” China Macro Strategist for brokerage CLSA, Andy Rothman, told AFP.

 

China has been burned before on overseas investment. It bought stakes in investment bank Morgan Stanley and asset management firm Blackstone only to see values collapse in the 2008 global financial crisis.

 

“China was taken in. Once bitten, twice shy,” said independent economist Andy Xie, former chief economist for Morgan Stanley.

So, about that magical European box full of promises and quite empty of money…

I am not one to discuss fundamentals or macro views, but this situation in Europe is beginning to morph into a media frenzy. Price action in the marketplace is changing rapidly in short periods of time based on the latest press releases coming from the Eurozone summit.

I cannot help but comment on the seemingly arbitrary actions coming from this high profile meeting. Nothing has happened that market participants were not already privy too. The European Union is going to strengthen their EFSF fund by levering it up roughly 4 : 1. I have yet to hear how exactly they plan on doing this, but this action was no surprise to anyone that has read an article about the sovereign debt crisis in the past month.

There was also discussion about backstopping European banks’ capital position. Since European banks are holding billions (Euros) of risky sovereign debt instruments, it would make sense that their capitalization is a primary concern of Eurozone leaders based on current fiscal conditions. I would argue that the banks should be well capitalized regardless of economic or fiscal conditions in order for a nation to have a strong, vibrant economy that has the potential to grow organically.

The final piece of this week’s political nonsense involves write-downs on Greek debt in the neighborhood of 50% – 60% in order to stabilize Greece’s debt to GDP ratio. Apparently Eurozone leaders want to structure the write down so as to avoid payouts by credit default swaps which act as insurance against default. How does a bond take a 50% – 60% valuation mark down without a creating an event that would trigger the payout of CDS swaps?

If a write down of that magnitude does not trigger the CDS swaps, then I would argue they are useless as a tool to hedge against the default risk carried by sovereign debt instruments. If the CDS swaps do not payout as projected by European politicians, the risk assumed by those purchasing government debt obligations around the world would be altered immediately.

The impact this might have on the future pricing of risk for government debt instruments could be extremely detrimental to their ability to raise funds in the private market. Additionally, the write downs would hurt European banks’ capital positions immediately. If the CDS swaps were to pay out, bank capital ratios would suffer as those who took on counter party risk would be forced to cover their obligations thereby straining capital positions even further potentially.

Price action today suggested that the equity markets approved of the package that European leaders were working on. However, the biggest push higher came when news was released that China was interested in purchasing high quality debt instruments as a means to help prop up poorly capitalized banks and sovereign nations in the Eurozone through an IMF facility.

The market did an immediate about-face which saw the Dollar selloff while the S&P 500 rallied higher into the close reversing a great deal of Tuesday’s losses. Inquiring minds wish to know where we go from here? I would be lying if I said I knew for sure which direction Mr. Market favored, however that did not stop me from looking for possible clues.

It has been a while since I checked out the short-term momentum charts that are focused on the number of stocks in U.S. domestic equity markets that are trading above their 20 & 50 period moving averages. The charts below illustrate the current market momentum:

Equities Trading Above the 20 Period Moving Average

It is rather obvious that when we look at the number of stocks trading above their 20 period moving average that momentum is running quite high presently. This chart would indicate that in the short-term time frames equities are currently overbought.

Equities Trading Above the 50 Period Moving Average

A similar conclusion can be drawn when we look at the number of stocks trading above their 50 period moving averages. It is rather obvious at this point in time that in the short to intermediate term time frames, stocks are currently at overbought levels. This is not to say that stocks will not continue to work higher, but a pullback is becoming more and more likely.

Additional evidence that would support the possibility that a pullback is likely would be the  recent bottom being carved out in the price action of the U.S. Dollar Index. The U.S. Dollar has been under selling pressure since the beginning of October, but has recently started to show signs that it could be stabilizing and setting up to rally higher.

The daily chart of the U.S. Dollar Index is shown below:

The U.S. Dollar Index is sitting right at major support and is oversold based on historical price action. If the Dollar begins to push higher in coming days and weeks it is going to push equity prices considerably lower. Other risk assets such as gold, silver, and oil would also be negatively impacted by higher Dollar prices.

Members of my service know that I focus on several sectors to help give me a better idea about the broader equity markets. I regularly look at the financial sector (XLF), the Dow Jones Transportation Index (IYT), emerging markets (EEM), and the Russell 2000 Index (IWM) for clues about future price action in the S&P 500.

During my regular evening scan I noticed that all 4 sector/index ETF’s are trading at or near major overhead resistance. With the exception of the Dow Jones Transportation Index (IYT), the other 3 underlying assets have yet to breakout over their August 31^st highs. The significance of August 31^st is that is the date when the S&P 500 Index put in a major reversal right at the 1,230 price level before turning lower. It took nearly two months to regain the 1,230 level and its significance continues to hold sway.

The daily chart of IWM is shown below illustrating its failure to breakout over the August 31^st highs:

The chart above illustrates clearly that IWM has failed to breakout above the August 31^st highs. I am going to be watching IWM, XLF, & EEM closely in coming days to see if they are able to breakout similarly to the S&P 500. If they start to rollover, it will not be long before the S&P 500 likely follows suit.

Currently the underlying signals are arguing for lower prices in the short to intermediate term. While it is entirely possible that the S&P 500 rallies higher from here, it is without question that current market conditions are overbought in the short to intermediate terms.

Key sectors and indices are not showing follow through to the upside to help solidify the S&P 500′s recent break above the key 1,230 price level. Additionally, the U.S. Dollar Index is currently trading right at key support in addition to being oversold. At this time I am not playing the S&P 500 in either direction, but I will be watching the underlying price action in the U.S. Dollar Index closely. I will be watching for additional clues in the days ahead.

Market and headline risk is high presently.

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By: Chris Vermeulen & JW Jones

by Tyler Durden

Earlier today we presented Bloomberg’s Chart of the Day which represented the GDP and Debt per capita on a historical and projected basis, and we hysterically, and tongue-in-cheekly, dubbed it “the scariest chart ever” because it confirmed that at some point, very soon, US Debt will surpass GDP and never look back. We decided to dig into the actual numbers (cancelling out the per capital denominator as it is the same on both sides of the equation) and came to a very disturbing revelation: as of today, total US Debt, is $14.942 trillion (source), obviously an all time high. Q2 GDP as was reported by the BEA three weeks ago, was $15.012 trillion in current dollars. In other words, the spread between total GDP and total debt has now collapsed to an all time low $70 billion. Incidentally, this number was $1.8 trillion at the beginning of 2010. Then we decided to take a quick look at the upcoming bond issuance and find that tomorrow the Treasury will announce approximately $99 billion in 2, 5 and 7 Year bonds to be auctioned off October 25 through 27… With a very appropriate settlement date: October 31, elsewhere known as Halloween. Yes, ladies and gentlemen: All Hallows E’en will be doubly scary this year: for the first time since World War II, US debt will officially surpass GDP on Halloween 2011.

By Marin Katusa, Casey Research

In the last few weeks a slow slide in commodity prices – metals in particular – has turned into a full-scale nosedive.

All through 2011 copper had remained essentially between US$4 and $4.50 a pound, but on September 11 it dropped below that range and didn’t really stop falling until October 4, when it bottomed at $3.05. Aluminum gained ground in the first half of the year to reach $1.24 per lb. in April, but after losing 10% in the last 30 days it is back below that, at $0.96. The spot price of nickel lost 19% in the last month; zinc prices fell 17%. Precious metals were not spared either: The price of silver shed a whopping 33% in 30 days, while gold is currently down 15% compared to its price on September 6.

Grouping the commodities together really shows how rough the last few months have been. The Standard & Poor’s GSCI – an index of raw materials that tracks 24 commodity prices – is down 24% since April, when it hit a 32-month high. On October 4 it touched 572.92, its lowest level since November 26, 2010. Falling metal prices were the main culprit: Silver closed at its lowest price since February, and copper saw its cheapest settlement in 14 months.

The slide in commodity prices ends a period of discord between a global economic story of frailty and impending doom and commodity prices that were holding their ground at or near record highs. The disparity stemmed in large part from opposite outlooks for the world’s developed and emerging economies – Europe and the US are struggling to maintain any kind of economic momentum but emerging economies have continued to grow, led by China. Investment actions (encouraged by the printed money stemming from QE2) then heightened that difference, as investors turned to commodity prices to profit from emerging-market growth.

The investments that fed the disparity came from a very broad base. It used to be that investing in commodities was only for institutional players and real market participants, but over the last decade a slew of retail investors have jumped on board the “good-times commodities train.” Since the start of the current commodities supercycle in the early 2000s, investing in raw materials shifted from a risky, hard-to-access game to a commonplace portion of most portfolios.

Before, most ordinary investors were only exposed to commodities by owning shares in oil or mining companies. Now, a broad range of commodity-based exchange-traded funds (ETFs) spanning agriculture, energy, and metals have given investors access to direct exposure to raw-material price swings… and the sector has provided such consistent rewards that many financial advisors and pension managers now believe that all ordinary investors should have some slice of their long-term money parked in commodities. The assets of ETFs and similar investment products that hold baskets of commodity futures have increased sixfold since 2007, reaching a value of $37 billion this summer.

In recent months, however, the tide has turned in a major way. Investors and advisors are beating a hasty retreat from all risky holdings, and for many that includes commodities. Current global economic uncertainty is pushing investors toward very low-risk options, starting with US bonds and ending with dividend-paying utilities. Commodities, which were previously better-insulated from retail investor panics, are feeling the pain.

Of course, retail investors abandoning ship only account for a small part of the pressure on commodity prices. Commodity prices are complex beasts, with annual variations relating to contract talks, stocking seasons, de-stocking seasons, currency ratios, and speculative action.

Take copper as an example. China accounts for something like 40% of global copper demand, and its unceasing demand growth helped copper prices rebound quickly after the 2008 recession. Whether this demand growth will continue is a topic of much debate.

The bears point to tightening monetary conditions and a global slowdown to argue that China’s economy will grow just 5% this year – a sluggish rate, compared to its double-digit expansions over most years in the last decade. They also point to reports of very large speculative stockpiles in China, accumulated in part as a way to skirt bank lending restrictions imposed by the Chinese government. The copper bulls, on the other hand, argue that demand is holding up well. Volumes at most companies are still up year on year; even in Europe, Germany is still showing reasonable growth; and in the United States the copper rod market is expected to register 3% growth – that would be down from 6% last year, but it’s still growth. As for China, the bulls expect 8% economic growth and say it is merely a matter of time before the Chinese return to the market and restock heavily. Minmetals stoked that fire somewhat last week with its C$1.3-billion bid for Anvil Mining (T.AVM), a copper company.

In addition to all of those factors and arguments, the scrap market plays a role. The “urban mine” of recycled metals accounts for roughly one-third of global supply, but as prices fall scrap flows slow down significantly. That tightens the market even if demand also weakens. Many scrap dealers are holding on to their copper until prices recover; they did the same in 2008-‘09, helping to push prices up.

So commodity prices are complicated and difficult to forecast at the best of times, which is not exactly how we would describe things at present. Yes, that’s our lead-in to saying that predicting where prices are going from here is a challenge, to say the least.

Again, let’s use copper as an example. Copper price forecasts now range from below US$6,000 per tonne (from the head of the copper department at Minmetals) all the way through to $10,075 (from Barclays Capital). Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, and Standard Bank are closely aligned in their outlooks, all expecting copper to sit just under $9,000 per tonne through 2012.

Certainly, the fundamentals of the copper market remain very tight. Based on current demand predictions, the International Copper Study Group expects to see a deficit of 250,000 tonnes in the global refined copper market in 2012, before moving closer to balance in 2013. To put 250,000 tonnes into context, global demand for refined copper products in 2010 averaged 19.4 million tonnes. And it is important to remember that current and forecast copper prices all sit comfortably above the break-even point for producers. The marginal cost to produce a tonne of copper averages between $4,000-US$5,000, creating a solid floor for spot prices.

But as one Credit Agricole analyst pointed out, “the fundamentals just won’t matter in a financial panic.” We’ve already seen some of that irrational movement: Copper’s lowest point this week, of $6,635 per tonne, represented a 33% decrease over just two months. The metal boasted a spot price just below $10,000 at the start of August.

Really, commodity prices from here will depend on whether Greece defaults in an orderly, supported manner or goes down in an uncontrolled inferno, torching Europe’s books for years. Both are still options. A planned default has its downsides – as German Chancellor Angela Merkel puts it, “If we tell a country ‘We cancel half of your debt,’ that’s a great deal. Then the next guy will immediately show up and say he wants the same.” Nevertheless, the only way Greece can survive its suffocating debt levels is through some kind of default, and if the European Union can come up with a default management plan, then the other countries of the Union could be protected from the worst of the fallout.

An unplanned, “oh-my-God-how-did-this-happen?!” style Greek default, on the other hand, could decimate numerous European banks and in doing so create exactly the same maelstrom that gave birth to the 2008 recession in America.

Despite some bearish indicators and a lot of nervous investors, a recession is not necessarily in our future. Goldman Sachs, the permabull of commodity price forecasters, remained committed to its prediction that commodities will continue to outperform. While reducing its oil and copper forecasts for 2012, the bank reiterated an “overweight” recommendation on commodities over the next 12 months, explaining that the turmoil in Europe will take away “some of the upside” to commodity prices, but will not reverse prospects.

“With recent GDP revisions by our economists falling hardest on Europe but with emerging market growth expectations still relatively solid, we continue to believe that demand growth in 2012 will be sufficient to tighten major commodity markets,” lead analyst Jeffrey Currie wrote. The group sees potential for commodity prices to climb as much as 20% over the next year. Goldman did reduce its forecasts for oil and gas: The bank now expects Brent crude to average US$120 per barrel over 2012, down from an earlier prediction of $130, and expects copper to trade near $9,500 per ton, down from $11,000.

Barclays Capital added its voice to the chorus that is trying to remind frantic investors that a recession is not guaranteed, agreeing with Goldman that emerging markets could still save the world from a significant recession while also limiting further commodity price slides.

Many people are still hopeful that that chorus is singing the truth: These days any and every sign that we can avoid a recession sparks a bull market day. On October 5, the day after copper, oil, and silver all hit multimonth lows, commodity prices across the board gained ground after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the central bank would take further measures to prevent a recession if necessary. Bernanke said the Fed could ease monetary conditions further, following the launch of Operation Twist in September.

We think it is likely that the commodities which fell in September and early October were following the example set by oil in early August. Crude prices were too high, having failed to fall in response to increased stability in Libya and weakening demand. So they corrected: Brent crude fell about 8%, while WTI crude lost roughly 14% in late July and early August. Since then crude prices have been fairly stable; they dropped somewhat while other commodities were flailing in September, but not dramatically.

So perhaps the metals realized they were overvalued, like oil had been given the global economic climate, and corrected. If they are following oil’s footsteps, things should remain relatively stable from here. But, as mentioned, that would require an orderly Greek default. And given that the Greek debt “crisis” has now been going on for two whole years and Europe’s leaders have continued to respond with solutions that are too little, too late, a significantly proactive step such as planning for Greece’s default may be too much to ask. And in the case of a frantic and disorganized default, commodity prices could easily drop further.

[Commodity price uncertainties… OPEC supply uncertainties… investing in energy may appear to be too complicated to attempt right now. Learn more about how to get started.]

In May of 2010, immediately following the flash crash many investors started to become bearish (nervous) regarding their position in gold and equities. Once the general public became aware that the stock market could fall 10% in a matter of minutes, investors became very cautious. Suddenly protecting their capital and current positions was at the forefront of their investment process.

A couple days later the market recovered most of its value, but it became clear that investors were going to sell their long positions if the market showed signs of weakness. It was this fear which pulled the market back down to the May lows and beyond over the next couple months which caused investors to panic and sell the majority of their positions. It is this strong wave of panic selling that triggers gold and stock prices to form intermediate bottoms. Emotional retail traders always seem to buy near the top and sell at the bottom which leads to further pain.

Now, fast forward to today…

This past August we saw another selloff similar to the “Flash Crash” in May of 2010. (I warned followers that gold was on the edge of topping and that stocks would take some time for form a base and bottom – Click Here To Read) Over the past couple months gold, silver, and stocks have been trying to bottom but have yet to do so.

Just a couple weeks ago we saw gold, silver, and equities make new multi-month lows. This has created a very negative outlook among investors which I highlighted in red on the chart below. Since the panic selling low was formed just recently we have seen money pile back into gold and stocks (more so stocks).

This strong bounce or rally which ever you would like to call it may be the beginning stages of a major bull leg higher which could last several months. Before that could happen, I am anticipating a market pullback which is highlighted with red arrows on the chart below.

Chart of SP500, Gold and Dollar Index Looking Back 18 Months

Reasons for gold and stocks to pullback:

• Stocks are overbought and generally retracements of 50% or 61% are common following large rallies.
• The dollar index looks ready to bounce which typically means lower gold and stock prices.
• Gold continues to hold a bearish chart pattern pointing to lower prices still.

Weekly Trend Trading Ideas

A few weeks ago I warned my followers that stocks and gold are forming a bottom and that we should be on the lookout for further confirmation signs. I also mentioned that I was not trying to pick a bottom, rather that I was looking to go long once the odds were more in my favor.

This is a potentially very large opportunity unfolding and there will be several different ways to play this. However, right now I continue to wait for more confirming indicators and for more time to pass before getting subscribers and my own money involved.

From August until now (October 17) the SP500 is down -6.3% and gold is down -8.1%. Subscribers of my newsletter have pocketed over 35% in total gains using my simple low risk ETF trading alerts.

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