The recent shift in central bank (U.S. Federal Reserve and European Central Bank) policies denotes a change in the macroeconomic environment that brings new levels of risk to the financial system. Central banks see a downturn coming. However, many investors believe they have limited ability to fight a recession with U.S. interest rates already at 2% and European interest rates below 0%. In addition, quantitative easing has lost its efficacy. Layer on global trade and geopolitical tensions, and it is not hard to imagine a "flight to safety" that moves gold much higher.
The U.S. stock market’s blind faith in the Fed's policies is pushing the market back to its highs. This makes the market vulnerable to weak economic news or any signs that indicate the Fed is unable to curtail a downturn. We believe any stock market selloffs should further propel gold as investors move away from risk.
Gold Price (2008 to 2019)
About the Author:
Joe Foster has been Portfolio Manager for the VanEck International Investors Gold Fund since 1998 and the VanEck – Global Gold UCITS Fund since 2012. Mr. Foster, an acknowledged authority on gold, has over 10 years of dedicated experience in geology and mining including as a gold geologist in Nevada. He has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, and on Reuters, CNBC and Bloomberg TV. Mr. Foster has also published articles in a number of mining journals, including Mining Engineering and Geological Society of Nevada.
The article above is an opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of MV Index Solutions or its affiliates.