11 Aug 2022
Ned Naylor-Leyland, Investment Manager, Gold & Silver
Ned Naylor-Leyland, Investment Manager for Gold & Silver, assesses the prospects for the unloved shares of gold & silver miners and a possible shift in Fed policy.
Occasionally, an opportunity arises in financial markets that is utterly compelling while also exposing the complete dichotomy between the science of financial trading and the art of being human. The idea of buying something when it is least in favour, when sentiment is totally washed out, goes against our every instinct. Nevertheless, when it comes to selecting promising investment opportunities, we must learn to manage these instincts alongside our portfolios.
I see such an opportunity in gold and silver mining equities as we head into the third quarter of 2022.
Gold and Silver and inflation
Gold and silver are monetary hedges, or so goes the theory. In some currencies this is self-evident; take for example the Turkish Lira or Brazilian Real gold prices. When it comes to the ‘reserve currency’, though, this is less obvious, and one of the obvious investor questions is: if inflation is rising and interest rates are low, surely the gold price should be soaring? The reality, however, is that these two metals live in the forward, rather than front-end, f/x market, as measured in all currencies. In the forward market investors still presume that current inflation will dissolve, and all the promised rate hikes will duly arrive. You could call it a kind of perverse anti-gold Goldilocks scenario.
As such, the two monetary metals have taken a beating in the past two months as the US Federal Reserve (Fed) promised more and more hikes while simultaneously insisting that inflation will come down due to such policy moves. The associated gold and silver miners have capitulated, and longer-term investors have fled. They are now back at career-low sentiment levels, with even the highest quality gold and silver miners and development assets trading on bargain basement-low NAV multiples. Gold and silver miners are now trading down 50% from their peak of August 2020 and are at levels last seen when gold was trading below $1400/oz. We have seen one of the worst quarters in recent memory for this volatile asset class, but a major policy error and subsequent pivot do look close to hand. When the Fed does pivot from hawkish to dovish these unloved equities may be a primary beneficiary of such a change. What is more, the $Gold price still lies within shooting distance of all-time highs, something that may kick into gear a genuine wider generalist move towards, rather than away from, this sub-sector.
Spot prices, dollar strength and flows
The current extreme negative sentiment readings towards gold miners are matched by their extreme sensitivity to moves in the underlying spot prices of gold and silver measured in US Dollars. With that in mind let’s consider where spot prices are right now. Two observations leap out at me:Time in the sun
The first time the $Gold price attempted to breach the true high of 1980 was in 2011. It tried it once again in 2020 and for a third time this year before the still-looming avalanche of rate hikes were promised by the Fed. The good news is that neither this dollar strength, nor this apparent inability to break above $2100/oz, can last forever. Every asset class has its moment, its time in the sun, even gold and silver mining equities. When the Fed does recognise that steam-rollering the consumer and credit markets with endless rate hikes is creating a hard landing, we think that these gold (and silver) mining equities will represent a best-in-class opportunity for the discerning investor.
The value of active minds: independent thinking
A key feature of Jupiter’s investment approach is that we eschew the adoption of a house view, instead preferring to allow our specialist fund managers to formulate their own opinions on their asset class. As a result, it should be noted that any views expressed – including on matters relating to environmental, social and governance considerations – are those of the author(s), and may differ from views held by other Jupiter investment professionals.
Important Information
This document is intended for investment professionals* and is not for the use or benefit of other persons, including retail investors. This document is for informational purposes only and is not investment advice. Market and exchange rate movements can cause the value of an investment to fall as well as rise, and you may get back less than originally invested. The views expressed are those of the individuals mentioned at the time of writing, are not necessarily those of Jupiter as a whole, and may be subject to change. This is particularly true during periods of rapidly changing market circumstances. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information, but no assurance or warranties are given. Holding examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not a recommendation to buy or sell. Issued in the UK by Jupiter Asset Management Limited (JAM), registered address: The Zig Zag Building, 70 Victoria Street, London, SW1E 6SQ is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Issued in the EU by Jupiter Asset Management International S.A. (JAMI), registered address: 5, Rue Heienhaff, Senningerberg L-1736, Luxembourg which is authorised and regulated by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier. Issued in Hong Kong by Jupiter Asset Management (Hong Kong) Limited (JAM HK) and has not been reviewed by the Securities and Futures Commission.
No part of this document may be reproduced in any manner without the prior permission of JAM/JAMI/JAM HK.
*In Hong Kong, investment professionals refer to Professional Investors as defined under the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571 of the Laws of Hong Kong).and in Singapore, Institutional Investors as defined under Section 304 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore. 29230