Mining

The Look and Feel of Canadian Venture Market Bottoms (From 1981 to 2014)

Published

6 years ago

January 7, 2015

Jeff Desjardins

The Look and Feel of Canadian Venture Market Bottoms From 1981 to 2014

Special thanks to Dajin Resources for sponsoring. Also, information on market bottoms compiled by Ron Loewen.

In December 2014, the deteriorating market for metals and a suddenly floundering oil price pulled the resource-heavy TSX Venture Index to an all-time low.

Big board indices such as the S&P 500 are still reaching new highs each week, yet this is the second longest bear market since 1932 for gold stocks according to Barron’s Gold Mining Index (BGMI).

While it is difficult to discern if today’s market is truly the absolute bottom, the similarities in media headlines, the tone of discussion, and overall sentiment are reminiscent of bear markets past. That is why, in this infographic, we look at some of the major headlines at market bottoms over the past 35 years including those from the most recent downturn.

When it comes to companies such as those that make up the TSX Venture, it can be incredibly hard to judge fundamentals as there are no earnings or steady revenue growth for most companies. As a result, these markets are driven by greed and fear even more so than other sectors.

It’s important to be a contrarian and to go against the herd mentality. This doesn’t mean going against the grain no matter what, but it means thinking and acting with conviction based on fundamental market truths – regardless of what other people say.

We know that markets, especially those tied to natural resources, tend to be highly cyclical. With the large capital investments and timelines required to advance projects, massive supply challenges must be corrected in subsequent cycles. This can lead to either a rush to buy or sell, and therefore bull and bear markets.

We also know that investor sentiment is largely a psychological phenomenon that can be tied highly with emotions rather than fundamentals. The media can be a big part in echoing or reinforcing this sentiment.

Take a look at the headlines in bear markets bottoms over the last 35 years – do you think we’ve reached a similar place yet in this cycle?

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Gold

The World’s Gold and Silver Coin Production vs. Money Creation

In 2019, the value of global money creation was over 500 times higher than the world’s gold and silver coin production combined.

Published

1 week ago

October 15, 2020

Jenna Ross

Global Gold & Silver Coin Production vs. Money Creation

Note: Data has been updated to correct a previous calculation error pertaining to Japanese Yen money supply.

Both precious metals and cash serve as safe haven assets, intended to limit losses during market turmoil. However, while modern currencies can be printed by central governments, precious metals derive value from their scarcity.

In this infographic from Texas Precious Metals, we compare the value of the world’s gold and silver coin production to global money creation.

Total Production Per Person, 2019

We calculated the value of global currency issuance in 2019 as well as precious metal coins minted, and divided by the global population to get total production per person.

Throughout, global money supply is a proxy based on the 5 largest reserve currencies: the U.S. dollar, Euro, Japanese Yen, Sterling Pound, and Chinese Renminbi.

2019 Production	Ounces	Dollar Value	Dollar Value Per Person
Global Gold Coins	7,204,982	$10.9B	$1.42
Global Silver Coins	97,900,000	$1.8B	$0.23
Global Money Supply		$4.3T	$556.33

All numbers are in USD according to exchange rates as of December 31 2019. Gold and silver values are based on the 2019 year close price of $1,510.60 and $17.90 respectively.

The value of new global money supply was 390 times higher than the value of gold coins minted, and 2,400 times higher than silver coins minted.

Put another way, for each ounce of minted gold coin, the global money supply increased by more than $593,000.

Change in Annual Production, 2019 vs. 2010

Compared to the start of the decade, here’s how annual production levels have changed:

	2010	2019	% change
Global Silver Coins (oz)	95,900,000	97,900,000	2.1%
Global Gold Coins (oz)	6,298,331	7,204,982	14.4%
Global Money Supply (USD)	$2,936,296,692,440	$4,268,993,639,926	45.4%

Annual increases to global money supply have increased by half, far outpacing the change in the world’s gold and silver coin production.

Even more recently, how has production changed during the COVID-19 pandemic?

The COVID-19 Effect

In response to the global pandemic, central banks have enacted numerous measures to help support economies—including issuing new currency.

The global money supply increased by more than $6.8 trillion in the first half of 2020. In fact, the value of printed currency was 930 times higher than the value of minted gold coins over the same timeframe.

Investors may want to consider which asset is more vulnerable to inflation as they look to protect their portfolios.

Want to learn more? See the U.S. version of this graphic.

Mining

Visualizing U.S. Money Supply vs. Precious Metal Production in the COVID-19 Era

Amid trillions in COVID-19 stimulus, this graphic compares new U.S. dollars printed to U.S. precious metal coin production.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 8, 2020

Jenna Ross

U.S. Precious Metal Coin Production in the COVID-19 Era

Gold and silver have played an important role in money throughout history. Unlike modern currencies, they can’t be created out of thin air and derive value from their scarcity.

In the COVID-19 era, this difference has become more prominent as countries print vast amounts of currency to support their suffering economies. This graphic from Texas Precious Metals highlights how the value of U.S. precious metal coin production compares to U.S. money creation.

Year to Date Production

In this infographic, we have calculated the value of money supply added as well as bullion minted, and divided it by the U.S. population to get total production per person. Here’s how the January-September 2020 data breaks down:

	Total (Ounces)	Dollar Value	Dollar Value Per Person
U.S. Gold Ounces	826,000	$1.6B	$4.79
U.S. Silver Ounces	22,261,500	$544M	$1.65
U.S. Money Supply		$3.4T	$10,250.16
U.S. Debt		$3.8T	$11,578.36

Gold and silver dollar values based on Oct 5, 2020 spot prices of $1,915.93 and $24.47 respectively.

The value of new U.S. money supply was more than 2,100 times higher than the value of new gold minted. Compared to minted silver, the value of new U.S. money supply was over 6,000 times higher.

Production Per Day, Per State Over Time

Here’s how production has changed on a per day, per state basis since 2010:

	2010	2020 YTD (Jan-Sep)	Min-Max Production, 2010-2019
Minted Gold Coins	78oz	61oz	12oz-78oz
Minted Silver Coins	1,945oz	1,631oz	899oz-2,633oz
U.S. Dollars	$19M	$255M	$19M-$50M

Year to date, U.S. precious metal coin production is within a normal historical range. If production were to continue at the current rate through December, gold would be above historical norms at 81 ounces and silver would be within the normal range at 2,175 ounces.

The issuance of U.S. dollars tells a different story. Over the last nine months, the U.S. has already added 400% more dollars to its money supply than it did in the entirety of 2019—and there’s still three months left to go in the year.

A Macroeconomic View

Of course, current economic conditions have been a catalyst for the ballooning money supply. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. government has issued over $3 trillion in fiscal stimulus. In turn, the U.S. Federal Reserve has increased the money supply by $3.4 trillion from January to September 2020.

U.S. Money Supply