Gold News

Gold: The Fear of the Deal

Gold is gaining on uncertainty over US President Trump...

The PRESIDENT's unpredictability and Twitter outbursts have inevitably engendered quite a lot of market uncertainty, which, as you know, investors don't like, writes Frank Holmes at US Global Investors.

This has prompted several big-name hedge fund managers to weigh in.

One such manager is value investor Seth Klarman, who oversees $30 billion as head of Boston-based Baupost Group. He tends to be media-shy, but Klarman is no slouch. In the last 34 years, he's lost money in only three. He's one of the very few money managers to receive open praise from Buffett himself.

Anyway, in his annual letter to investors, Klarman raised concerns that Trump's protectionist policies and deep tax cuts could seriously hamper economic growth, both domestically and abroad, by isolating the U.S. from global trade and adding significantly to the already-bloated national debt.

"Exuberant investors have focused on the potential benefits of stimulative tax cuts, while mostly ignoring the risks from America-first protectionism and the erection of new trade barriers."

Managers at hedge fund firm Carlson Capital, which controls over $8 billion, share many of the same concerns, telling investors recently that Trump's trade policies could "cause a global depression and a major equity market decline."

Even for some money managers who were initially excited by Trump – Ray Dalio and Jeff Gundlach among them – reality is beginning to set in.

Last year, central bank policy and negative real interest rates drove the gold rally. This year, it seems to be uncertainty over Trump and other antiestablishment leaders, which is convincing the smart money to make wagers on the yellow metal, often seen as a safe haven during shaky times.

So far in 2017, it's up close to 7%, compared to the S&P 500's 2.6%. In fact, if you compare this year's price action to last year's, they look remarkably the same, with a dip in December before the Federal Reserve raised rates.

Although past performance is no guarantee of future results, gold could gain another $100 an ounce this year if it continues to follow the same trajectory.

Among those who are bullish on the yellow metal is Stanley Druckenmiller, the legendary hedge fund manager who dumped his gold the same day he learned Trump had been elected.

Before that, it was the number one holding in his family office account. Now he's back, telling Bloomberg he "wanted to own some currency and no country wants its currency to strengthen. Gold was down a lot, so I bought it."

Higher demand has been good for both junior and senior gold miners, which recently crossed above their 200-day moving averages.

The NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index was up for an incredible seven straight days ended last Monday, while the MVIS Global Junior Gold Miners has made positive gains in eight of the nine previous days.

Hedge fund managers aren't the only ones whose demand for gold is strong. For the sixth straight year, central banks continued to be net importers of the metal in 2016, with China, Russia and Kazakhstan leading world consumption.

Although it might not have purchased any gold in 2016, the Deutsche Bundesbank, Germany's central bank, ramped up its repatriation program, bringing home some 216 metric tonnes from vaults in New York, according to the Wall Street Journal.

In 2011, former Fed Chair Ben Bernanke said central banks held gold simply because it's tradition. I think the reason goes much deeper than that. Gold is money – and Germany's efforts are proof of that.

Frank Holmes is chief executive officer and chief investment officer of US Global Investors Inc., a registered investment adviser managing approximately $4.8 billion in 13 no-load mutual funds and for other advisory clients. A Toronto native, he bought a controlling interest in US Global Investors in 1989, after an accomplished career in Canada's capital markets. His specialized knowledge gives him expertise in resource-based industries and money management.

See the full archive of Frank Holmes.

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