“Sentiment against gold is so bearish that I thought gold could have struck a capitulation low last week.” – Comment extracted from the writing below by the legendary 89 year old Richard Russell. Russell has been writing about markets for 60 years. He has lived through depressions and booms, through good times and bad, through war and peace. He was educated at Rutgers and received his BA at NYU. Russell flew as a combat bombardier on B-25 Mitchell Bombers with the 12th Air Force during World War II.and is widely known as the Godfather of Newsletter writers. Since the advent of the internet he has written daily and delivers his subscribers an extraordinary value for the market experience that they get and the pittance that he charges (for Trial see below). Russell’s stunning comment below:
“Friday ended with a late sell-off in the Dow, and some fireworks in the gold area. The real gold action was in the mining shares, which, because they are highly leveraged, tend to lead the actual price of gold bullion.
It’s notable that nobody talks or writes any more about the price movement in the market. 99% of everything written about the market has to do with the news and how it might affect the market. As a result, I feel all alone in writing about the action of the stock averages, and its implications.
For instance, I’ve described the “box” or the trading range that we now find the Dow in. What are the implications of a Dow break out above or below the trading range? In the meantime, what are the Transports and the A-D line doing? I search Barron’s for a column or even a paragraph on the price action but not a word. It’s all endless conjectures regarding what the Fed may or may not do.
When I first started Dow Theory Letters in 1958, technical analysis was unknown, and most market people called technical analysis “voodoo.” I feel as though I’m back in 1958 again.
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Next, I want to talk about another forbidden and hated subject — gold and gold miners (my, how gold is despised these days).
I am going to show charts of some representative gold miners, and you’ll notice that RSI (relative strength) is, or was, in almost all cases below 30 which puts them in the oversold area. And note the bullish action of last Friday, which almost nobody has commented on.
Below, the ARCA “gold bugs” Index
The AMEX gold miners index
What’s significant is that all these gold items saw RSI in the oversold (below 30) area, and all surged higher on Friday. Also, anti-precious metals sentiment was so black-bearish last week that I thought, along with RSI below 30, that we might, at last, have struck a true bottom in the precious metals. Of course, it’s always possible that after Friday’s explosion, the gold miners may back off this week and test last week’s lows.
I thought it significant that when gold was declining, there was no end of publicity about the “dreadful action” of gold. But when the gold miners surged on Friday — not a word appeared about the bullish action of gold and the gold miners, NOT a word!
If true, that gold has seen its lows, then adventurous subscribers might buy some out-of-the money gold calls. If gold and silver head higher, you’ll make money with the calls, and all you can lose is the original price of the calls you buy. Check with your broker.
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Gold was up 32.00 to 1255.70 (on Monday) and the whole gold universe closed higher. Gold is so hated that it could rally over $1500, and nobody would notice it. Sentiment against gold is so bearish that I thought gold could have struck a capitulation low last week. Another bearish piece in today’s issue of USA Today. Talk about rising on a stairway of hatred, you’re seeing it now in gold!”
Richard Russell’s Dow Theory Letters, which he publishes daily for a small annual fee can be subscribed too HERE.
About Richard Russell
Russell began publishing Dow Theory Letters in 1958, and he has been writing the Letters ever since (never once having skipped a Letter). Dow Theory Letters is the oldest service continuously written by one person in the business.
Russell gained wide recognition via a series of over 30 Dow Theory and technical articles that he wrote for Barron’s during the late-’50s through the ’90s. Through Barron’s and via word of mouth, he gained a wide following. Russell was the first (in 1960) to recommend gold stocks. He called the top of the 1949-’66 bull market. And almost to the day he called the bottom of the great 1972-’74 bear market, and the beginning of the great bull market which started in December 1974.
The Letters, published every three weeks, cover the US stock market, foreign markets, bonds, precious metals, commodities, economics –plus Russell’s widely-followed comments and observations and stock market philosophy.
In 1989 Russell took over Julian Snyder’s well-known advisory service, “International Moneyline”, a service which Mr. Synder ran from Switzerland. Then, in 1998 Russell took over the Zweig Forecast from famed market analyst, Martin Zweig. Russell has written articles and been quoted in such publications as Bloomberg magazine, Barron’s, Time, Newsweek, Money Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Reuters, and others. Subscribers to Dow Theory Letters number over 12,000, hailing from all 50 states and dozens of overseas counties.
A native New Yorker (born in 1924) Russell has lived through depressions and booms, through good times and bad, through war and peace. He was educated at Rutgers and received his BA at NYU. Russell flew as a combat bombardier on B-25 Mitchell Bombers with the 12th Air Force during World War II.
One of the favorite features of the Letter is Russell’s daily Primary Trend Index (PTI), which is a proprietary index which has been included in the Letters since 1971. The PTI has been an amazingly accurate and useful guide to the trend of the market, and it often actually differs with Russell’s opinions. But Russell always defers to his PTI. Says Russell, “The PTI is a lot smarter than I am. It’s a great ego-deflator, as far as I’m concerned, and I’ve learned never to fight it.”
Letters are published and mailed every three weeks. We offer a TRIAL (two consecutive up-to-date issues) for $1.00 (same price that was originally charged in 1958). Trials, please one time only. Mail your $1.00 check to: Dow Theory Letters, PO Box 1759, La Jolla, CA 92038 (annual cost of a subscription is $300, tax deductible if ordered through your business).
IMPORTANT: As an added plus for subscribers, the latest Primary Trend Index (PTI) figure for the day will be posted on our web site — posting will take place a few hours after the close of the market. Also included will be Russell’s comments and observations on the day’s action along with critical market data. Each subscriber will be issued a private user name and password for entrance to the members area of the website.
Investors Intelligence is the organization that monitors almost ALL market letters and then releases their widely-followed “percentage of bullish or bearish advisory services.” This is what Investors Intelligence says about Richard Russell’s Dow Theory Letters: “Richard Russell is by far the most interesting writer of all the services we get.” Feb. 19, 1999.
Below are two of the most widely read articles published by Dow Theory Letters over the past 40 years. Request for these pieces have been received from dozens of organizations. Click on the titles to read the articles.
