Silver is clawing its way back after breaking down from a month-long consolidation and undercutting a critical shelf of former lows.
As we talked about last week, it all comes down to risk appetite. Silver bid speaks to a healthy risk-seeking environment favoring all precious metals.
Just a week ago, we captured the entire precious metals space in a single sentence:
“Nothing bullish is happening for precious metals, while silver slides below multi-year support.”
Is it really that simple?
Let’s take a look at an interesting development in precious metals that might change our minds…
Silver futures stopped falling.
Check out the daily chart below:
Silver is clawing its way back to the scene of the crime after breaking down from a month-long consolidation and undercutting a critical shelf of former lows.
For me, trading back above 21.50 represents a green light – not only for silver but the entire precious metals space.
As I stated last week, it all comes down to risk appetite. Silver bid speaks to a healthy risk-seeking environment favoring all precious metals.
On the flip side, a lack of enthusiasm for the higher-beta play (silver) reminds me that no position is perhaps the best position.
I can’t help but view last week’s action as constructive. Bulls needed to step and support price fast, and they did.
What will ignite a precious metal rally to new all-time highs?
We often discuss the dollar and real yields as critical catalysts for a sustained uptrend for gold and silver. It’s simple: These shiny rocks will struggle if the dollar and rates continue to rise.
But there’s more.
I want to share another crucial piece of the puzzle – commercial positioning.
What will ignite a precious metal rally to new all-time highs?
We often discuss the dollar and real yields as critical catalysts for a sustained uptrend for gold and silver. It’s simple: These shiny rocks will struggle if the dollar and rates continue to rise.
But there’s more.
I want to share another crucial piece of the puzzle – commercial positioning.
We analyze the Commitment of Traders (COT) report generated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which updates the positions of the largest speculators and commercial hedgers weekly.
We publish a table with this data in our commodities post every Friday.
Our focus lies solely on the commercial hedgers for one reason – they represent the largest short sellers for any given market. By monitoring these players, we discern the attitudes of the strongest hands.
Think of the COT as a sentiment gauge.
Commercial hedgers reached extreme levels in gold last fall, coinciding with significant troughs in price in 2016 and 2018:
Strong hands move markets. And the strongest hands were...