Analysts Say Gold Poised to End Year on a High Note

Gold expected to do well in the last few months of the year with more upside potential in 2019. 

Having gained 3.5% over the previous week, gold seems poised to end the year on a high note after two mild quarters says CNBC. The CNBC article writes that different analysts expect the metal to do well in the last few months of the year before moving on to post a strong performance in 2019.

Jim Steel, chief precious metals analyst at HSBC, attributes gold's performance this year to an overbearing dollar which, along with higher-yielding Treasury notes, diverted some safe-haven demand away from the yellow metal. According to CNBC, Steel said gold was severely oversold below the $1,200 level, as it recently had the largest amount of shorts since 2001. He explained that dips such as these are bound to attract bullion investors, especially those in Asia.

Steel noted that bearish sentiment among speculators created an excessive short position that could ultimately act as strong support if sellers end up having to cover their bets due to higher prices.

Although a pick-up in physical demand in emerging markets played an important role in the price spike, Steel thinks the concerning equity picture is what really placed gold back into the spotlight reports the article. The S&P 500 index notched major daily losses in back-to-back weeks as investors grew increasingly worried over tensions between the U.S. and China, shaky emerging markets and economic issues brewing in the eurozone.

According to CNBC, the Fed's assurance that rate hikes would continue into the new year was another source of concern, with some feeling that the central bank is too eager to tighten. But Bart Melek, head of commodities strategy at TD Securities, believes the Fed might not follow through with its intent to raise the funds rate above 3% by the end of 2019. In particular, he says the Fed could be dissuaded from tightening by additional flare-ups in the stock market.

Melek noted that a drop in the 10-year yield from above 3.25% to 3.15% also helped gold take back safe haven demand. A loss of faith in the dollar's long-term picture could further strengthen gold's case in the near future.

The strategist sees gold holding onto its gains as the year comes to a close, expecting an average of $1,225 for this quarter. From there, Melek thinks the metal will average $1,325 an ounce by the fourth quarter of 2019.

HSBC predicts that the metal will average $1,274 an ounce this year with plenty of upside potential in 2019. Steel pointed to record volatility that the markets suffered from earlier in the year, which brought the metal to $1,360 an ounce. According to CNBC, he expects the markets to slip back into turbulence again, cementing gold's long-term position and giving way to ample short covering among speculators.

Barron's Sees Gold Staging a Comeback in the Near-Term

Despite lack of enthusiasm from large speculators, gold remains as popular as ever.

In a recent article on Barron's, columnist Andrew Bary outlined why gold could be staging a comeback in the near-term. Newsmax reported on the article and wrote that, despite the lack of enthusiasm from large speculators, gold remains as popular as ever among cautious investors and those looking to shield themselves against the dollar's depreciation.

Although it isn't making the headlines, Bary notes that global inflation is something every investor should prepare for. As GoodHaven portfolio manager Keith Trauner explains, governments around the world are dealing with an immense amount of sovereign debt. According to the Newsmax article, policy makers will always see inflation as preferable to defaults or restructuring, which is why a steady uptick in prices will continue to be the norm. Few assets can boast of having retained their value against the dollar over the past century, which makes gold the ideal hedge against a guarantee of high inflation.

Potential losses in the dollar are another source of relief for the yellow metal reports the article. Those who feel that the greenback is propped up and overbought rely on gold's strong negative correlation with it to guard against a potential pullback.

According to the article, the general consensus is that higher interest rates will continue pushing down on gold, with the federal-funds rate expected to rise by 1% between now and late-2019. Yet many forget that the inflationary 1970s, which hosted a record number of rate hikes, still rank among gold's best decades, showing that the metal can thrive in an environment of higher rates.

Gold's unyielding scarcity likewise speaks in favor of a recovery. The roughly six billion ounces of gold available today, worth at least $7 trillion, are minimally replenished year-on-year, as the total annual mining output amounts to less than 2% of the global supply. Mining efforts have been complicated by the cost-cutting closures of many mines over the past decade and a dearth of new exploration, giving weight to warnings that the supply of gold is rapidly dwindling, writes Newsmax.

Large investors with a keen eye for precious metals aren't waiting for gold prices to surge, as evidenced by John Paulson's recently-formed coalition whose goal is to breathe new life into the gold industry. Besides the billionaire fund manager himself, other prominent members of the 16-member group, called Shareholders' Gold Council, include fellow money manager John Hathaway and Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris. Sawiris, who makes the list with his La Mancha Group, said in April that he invested half of his $5.7 billion net worth into gold.

Paulson's decision to unite institutional gold investors comes as large funds continue to shun gold in a gesture that many interpret as a sign of higher prices to come.