“More than any time in history mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness, the other to total extinction. Let us pray that we have the wisdom to choose correctly.” — Allan Stewart Konigsberg
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Woody Allen once said “80% of success is just showing up.” To some extent that’s true, as reliability is an attribute valued across a wide spectrum of employers, friends, relatives, lovers, etc.

Why do you think [[MCD]] sells so many Happy Meals? Because their burgers are made of some top quality succulent sirloin? No, it’s because the little kid in us knows we are going to get the same overdone blandburger-and-salty-fry combination every time, and that’s comforting.

So too, the comfort of a trending market soothes the savage breast of the coked-out daytrader in all of us. But even a long term trending market is not without it’s harrowing pullbacks and trials of faith. For that we need perspective, humility, and in the end, endurance.

Endurance and a willingness to sit and wait for the trade to come to you are the key to the type of long term wealth accumulation we like to talk about here. Remember how scary gold looked a few weeks back, when we thought maybe the bull had finally tapped and the dollar was re-ascendant? Note how I said the 34-week had been a great place to buy in the past, despite the strength of the dollar? Look at the dollar gold chart I’d shown you a few weeks back:

As in the past, the 34 week Exponential Moving Average (“EMA”) has been a reliable signal in this uptrend (all but for the one dreadful period at the end of 2008, where the 200 wk EMA was the stopper).    Note in this next “nine year bull” chart how reliable the signal has been, and also, how it seems the “touches” are starting to get farther apart.  

 I’m not sure what to make of this “touch extension” business, but I will point out that as bull markets enter their parabolic stages, they tend to spend longer and longer periods above the common daily and weekly moving average “rest-stops”  (ie, 20, 50 and 200-day on the daily and 13, 34 and 200 week on the weeklies).  

I am of the mind that our hard earned endurance will pay off here, friends, and the dollar will soon break down again, and that should push our gold:dollar ration back over $14 again, to the great chagrin of metallic ursines the world over, but especially those on the upper Left Coast.     

For turnaround Toosdee (sic), I would expect further deterioration in [[UUP]] , and therefore highly recommend a late day grab of some Fronteer Development Group Inc. (USA) [[FRG]] , Exeter Resource Corp. [[XRA]] and [[SVM]] .

I also believe Cree, Inc. [[CREE]] is almost done pulling back, and it should move above $70 this week, as the market continues to roll over wide-eyed, squatting Kodiaks.  As a consequence, Veeco Instruments Inc. [[VECO]] is also worth a look.

Best to you all, fellow Konigsbergs.

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Avast Ye Steam-punk Scalawags!
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Looks like the bewigged and wedge-shoed scarlet coats of the Federal Admiralty have thrown down their first frilly gauntlet and taken a shot across our portside bow last evening with a cannon-load of “hot grape” called “quarter point discount rate increase,” in the less civilized quarters of New Orleans and other pirate dens.

Powdered pooftahs that they are, they are already begging our mercy come the morn as we swing our starboard cannon about to rake their pommy sides amid-ships.    Too late for them, and theirs, I’m afraid, as there’s gold in those Admiralty cargo holds and we mean to have it.

Let’s not get all a-sweat and a-lathered, me scurvy dogs.   The thesis has not changed and certainly the Fed is not going to take the “brave man’s step” of setting the Caribbean afire with rum-soaked English scrip whilst our Parliament (of Whores) continues to spend like grog-stupefied wainwrights on barrel-selling day.    No, maties, they seek to confound us with this Mary-move of callow authority.   No man can call his actions bold while pleading apology in the next breath!  

If anything, said grape-shot toss was mere subtrafuge to cover for additional scrip production in yonder Admiralty’s subterranean printing gaols!  What will occupy the Admiralty’s cargo holds for years — baser and baser scrip — will be what ensures our golden Treasures worth! 

So be not a-feared but rather emboldened by the tightness of Rear Admiral Bernanke’s wedgies, and the sagging of his pompadour.  Now is the time to press the hot cutlass to their throats and let roar with musket, grape and cannon.   The battle is near-won, me swabbies.   Let us not then quail at the size of the Admiralty’s frigates, but rather laugh at their frailty — they are made of paper, lads!

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This day I shall be indulging in all me favourites, but  most especially those in the silver Escudo doubloons, for the price of bonnie silver is racing back up even faster than that of gold.    To that end I shall be indulging in me favourite miners, Silver Wheaton Corp. (USA) [[SLW]] , [[EXK]] , [[SVM]] , [[PAAS]] and maybe even the worm-bitten dogs [[CDE]] and Hecla Mining Company [[HL]] .   [[AGQ]] is only for the traders, but it may boom off of any pullback here.

Don’t forget me favourite golds either, which number three — Allied Nevada Gold Corp. [[ANV]] , Eldorado Gold Corporation (USA) [[EGO]] and Royal Gold, Inc. [[RGLD]] .   Some dogs that may be opportunities thanks to yesterday’s scare off  could be New Gold Inc. (USA) [[NGD]] , Exeter Resource Corp. [[XRA]] , NovaGold Resources Inc. (USA) [[NG]] and Northgate Minerals Corporation (USA) [[NXG]] , along with Rubicon Minerals Corp. (USA) [[RBY]] and even [[BAA]] .  Of course [[GDX]] is a great purchase if you want a catch all.

I also think the Ag side will continue to stay hot, so any weakness in Monsanto Company [[MON]] , The Andersons, Inc. [[ANDE]] , The Mosaic Company [[MOS]] , and Potash Corp./Saskatchewan (USA) [[POT]] should be seen as an opportunity.  I will likely have more to say on this front.   

Many of you may have seen I chose Cree, Inc. [[CREE]] as my March Madness pick (SLW is too volatile).   I like it and Veeco Instruments Inc. [[VECO]] as my two hottest tech names for the intermediate to long term (the only way I play).  

Best to you all, my hearties, and if anything today — WATCH SILVER — something seems to be “up.”

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Omm Nom! Nom! Nom!
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Looks like Mr. Limm and kin are trying to take away our punch bowl.   Not bloody likely, I say.

You see, the Chinese really only have one way to cauterize the inflation wound they are already seeing in their economy — and that’s by removing themselves from their peg to the U.S. dollar.  They can make all the noise in the world about raising reserve requirements and dampening loan growth, but they will will still strain to be heard over the “clack-clack-clack” of the U.S. Mintex 3ooo Printing Robots in the basement of Ben Bernanke’s Transylvania Castle.

I say, if the Chinese refuse to de-peg their currancy and let the Yuan run free, naked and untethered, they ought to just continue to get drunk and buy stocks.    It’s the only rational thing to do when you are allowing your currency to be devalued right along with that of the Great White Ghost across the Pacific.  

And let’s face it, there’s only so much iron ore, coal, copper, lead, zinc, chromium and every other heavy metal for industrial usage left in this globe.   Outside dredging the Hudson River, that is, but even that reclamation project is years away.   The Chinese know all this and realize the only way to keep those prices cheap to them is by miming along to the dollar prop story.  

Again, raising Chinese reserve ratios is not going to do that if Helicopter Ben is easing quantitatively as fast as his machines can print, purchase and store massive haystacks of U.S. cabbage like he is.   We all know (and yes, the Chinese leadership knows) that fast cash to you is just heading right back into the Chinese economy via click-bought and big box consumer goods purchases (oh, and look here, retail sales are strengthening… wonder where those goods are coming from?).  What’s more, that money, once washed up on the shores of the South China Sea has to go right back into the commodity markets as the Chinese continue to build out infrastructure and purchase raw materials inventory.

Here me now and believe me later — The Chinese cannot “whip inflation” by themselves while they are tied to the dollar, and while their growing economy is tied to our consumption.   These are infrastructural realities that are not going to change because the Chinese CB has decided to take a stern line on lending reserves.  So sorry.

My take?  Eat a samich (sic) this morning until at least 11 am to see where the market settles out.    Gold is currently down only about $16 (less than 1.5%) and silver, as usual is taking it harder, down 44 cents (2.8%), with the DXY at a current $80.64.   I continue to believe this is a shakeout, and that the dollar will not continue much higher than here, despite all this “nooze” circulating to keep it propped.  If we break much above $81, however, I will be forced to reassess, and perhaps take a little off some of my riskier metal plays.

Best to you all.

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Update:  I notice in my haste to get out this morning’s post that I neglected to give you a run down on yesterday’s purchases (which were recorded in real time on The PPT, of course, as were today’s).   Yesterday I added to the following positions:

2k Petroleo Brasileiro SA (ADR) [[PBR]] @ $40.60

4k Exeter Resource Corp. [[XRA]] @ $8.46

2k Eldorado Gold Corporation (USA) [[EGO]] @ $12.66

2k Thompson Creek Metals Company, Inc. [[TC]] @ $12.67

10k NGAS Resources, Inc. [[NGAS]] @ $1.62

1K Sociedad Quimica y Minera (ADR) [[SQM]] at $37.06

This morning’s purchases (also “adds”):

2k [[PAAS]] @ $21.75

4k Gold Fields Limited (ADR) [[GFI]] @ $11.75

 

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 [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ERnT1X9HPw 450 300]

A Song for the Times?
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Well, so much for Helicopter Ben’s New York Times- abetted “tightening” kabuki theater act.

Did you enjoy it?  I hear he’s been studying at the New School.

I dunno, maybe the guys down at Goldman called Bernanke up last night and asked him for some help in getting out of their Euro shorts, since DXY (sorry, no quote yet — see? [[DXY]] ) had run up to about $80.30 today by lunch time, only to tuck tail and (Black?) swan dive right back down to $80 flat just in time for Benjamin’s Jawboning routine at 2:15 pm. 

That particular bit of mummery and prestidigitation must’ve in turn convinced at least one or two bag-holding kaftan merchants from Milwaukee to buy dollars again, because the dollar index got all the way to $80.10 by late afternoon, giving us all that familiar “blah” feeling at the close.

All pretense seems to have dropped away after the stock mavens went home, however, and the dollar is now (as of 12:36 am Eastern) trading back down to yesterday’s low’s at about $79.74, looking at a “next stop” of about $79.50, and then $79 even.     Party on, Garth (and Darth… Vadon, that is).

These incipient moves should be enough to get our rally on in the gold and silver sector, not to mention our other hard currency equivalents including earl, natural gas, and the specialty metals.   I was extremely busy today and I apologize, but my punishment was not being able to add much to the portfolio, although I would’ve loved to finish my Allied Nevada Gold Corp. [[ANV]] accumulation today.   I am quite sure it will be more dear tomorrow.  

I was able to add 60 more June $40 [[GDX]] calls at $5.80.   They were a standing order, and I think I may have been able to get them even cheaper, but beggars, chooser, etc. etc.   I now have total 120 of those $40 June strike calls, and I think I’m done there.  

 The rest of my exposure will remain in liquid equities, and I hope to add to positions tomorrow in the usual suspects, and perhaps some NovaGold Resources Inc. (USA) [[NG]] , New Gold Inc. (USA) [[NGD]] and Northgate Minerals Corporation (USA) [[NXG]] .   I also like Exeter Resource Corp. [[XRA]] ‘s relative strength as of late.  

For silver I may dip my toe in the Chanci selection — [[SVM]] , as I’ve admired their price action recently.  I may also look to grab some additional [[PAAS]] .   If [[CDE]] stalls in the early trade, I may also add to that one.

Platinum is reviving tonight along with its brethren, so don’t forget about [[PTM]] and [[PAL]] . 

On the non-precious side, I may grab some [[ERX]] for a ride similar to that of [[AGQ]] .   I also continue to like Petroleo Brasileiro SA (ADR) [[PBR]] and Occidental Petroleum Corporation [[OXY]] .    I also happen to think SandRidge Energy Inc. [[SD]] is undervalued here, and it is a perennial favourite (sic) of The PPT .

Last, don’t forget Thompson Creek Metals Company, Inc. [[TC]] , Teck Cominco Limited (USA) [[TCK]] and Titanium Metals Corporation [[TIE]] in the specialty metal names, and Sociedad Quimica y Minera (ADR) [[SQM]] , as their lithium is a bargain here as well.    I expect tomorrow will be a good day for we merry shipmates of the U.S.S Jackson.

All aboard!

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Truck O’ Molten Assets
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That beeping sound you hear is me backing up the truck, and grabbing some more lovely PM positions as the sun goes down on this day of dollar death.

I’ve mentioned that I love Allied Nevada Gold Corp. [[ANV]] for the long term, almost as much as I like Silver Wheaton Corp. (USA) [[SLW]] on the silver side. IAMGOLD Corporation (USA) [[IAG]] and Eldorado Gold Corporation (USA) [[EGO]] cannot be ignored here either.   They are running on Greek kisses and Spanish wishes, but so what?   With the dollar (DXY) and it’s proxy, [[UUP]]   down 53 cents and 17 cents, respectively, as we speak, I think we may have that turn in the dollar we were looking for at last.  If we continue to stay below that magical $80.20 line, I’ll be even more sure of it.

Let’s face it folks, it would be great if the European Central Bank could maintain this Teutonic “austerity” charade with regard to it’s wayward little brothers to the South,  but the fact is, if they want to keep their phony baloney Starfleet Federation currency trading with any credibility, they will have to continue to subsidize the mistakes of the least common denominators.    And yes, this seems anti-intuitive, to save the Euro by weakening it with these bailouts, but the fact is the world markets prefer stability to necessary nut cutting.

Truth is, the Germans will some day emit a huge sigh of relief when they get their beloved Deutschmark back and they can once again run rampant over the rest of the Europe in currency blitzkrieg, if not via their formerly preferred method of  “Large Iron Rolling.”    Until then, they will stubbornly continue to try to make this European Union thing work,  and cope with continuing annoyance at those who would rather hang out in the sun, drink Ouzo  and go sailing, whilst dancing the mazurka and opening large menu diners.

All this brings me back to the punch bowl party over on this side of the pond.  With the Euro saved,  for this week at least, the robots at Goldman Sachs have been re-programmed to short the dollar and buy Barbie dolls and other such Mattel, Inc. [[MAT]] toys — Hasbro, Inc. [[HAS]] anyone?

We, the proleteriat, can now come back down off our panic chairs and continue with our most profitable line of employment — namely, fondling gold bars until their corners go smooth and sucking on silver ingot lozenges until our colds go away.

I continue to love, and accumulate the above mentioned names, and in addition I am grabbing, as I type (with my other hand) some [[EXK]] , Royal Gold, Inc. [[RGLD]] , Exeter Resource Corp. [[XRA]] and the “N’s” — NovaGold Resources Inc. (USA) [[NG]] , New Gold Inc. (USA) [[NGD]] and Northgate Minerals Corporation (USA) [[NXG]] .   

Last but not least, I like lithium (you know why, don’t you?) in Sociedad Quimica y Minera (ADR) [[SQM]]  , and I like to say “molybdenum” ten times frontways and then ten times backways.   If Thompson Creek Metals Company, Inc. [[TC]] is not bought out by the likes of BHP Billiton Limited (ADR) [[BHP]] or Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. [[FCX]] or even Teck Cominco Limited (USA) [[TCK]] (its fellow Jackson) within two years, then I’ll be greatly surprised unto paralysis.

Peace be upon you, my brethren, as our plan “comes together, right now, over me.”

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Canucks Took this German Bunker, Back in the Day
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Yeah, so it increasingly looks like we got head faked on Monday, and the dollar (DXY) is going to make another try at that $80.20 level we talked about last week.  The dollar is up 35 cents as I type this to $79.73, after dropping briefly below $79 earlier this week.  Que sera, sera. 

I will continue adding to [[AGQ]] , as I want to get at least another 600 shares for my “full compliment.”  I will likely add opportunistically to other positions as wel, as I still have a little under 20% of dry powder left to deploy.    The gold stocks seem to be hanging in a little better than my bastard-children silvers, but that’s to be expected.  I am extremely pleased at the results of Royal Gold, Inc. [[RGLD]] today — beating revenue estimates by almost 30% and earnings estimates by over 20%.    That should bode well for my portfolio going forward, even if we do take a bit of a “dollar bite” today.

Again, not so sound like a broken record, but I think it’s very important to concentrate on these key names at these important inflection points — which is where I still firmly believe we have arrived.   On the gold’s, Allied Nevada Gold Corp. [[ANV]] has shown nice strength, as has Northgate Minerals Corporation (USA) [[NXG]] , Exeter Resource Corp. [[XRA]] and Yamana Gold Inc. (USA) [[AUY]] should all be holding in here.   If you can get Royal Gold, Inc. [[RGLD]] in the red today, it is a gift, imho.    All silvers should be bought opportunistically, of course, and I continue to love Silver Wheaton Corp. (USA) [[SLW]] , [[EXK]] and [[PAAS]] here.  Also, you may want to keep an eye on [[PAL]] and [[PTM]] for platinum exposure.

So wear your burlap today for fashion’s sake, and maybe even add a cap fashioned out of old tuna cans for “extra penitant” effect, but be sure to sew extra pockets within your sack so you can sidle into your local gem & coin dealer and slip some cadged Morgan dollars and Canuckistanian Maple Leafs  into them as your youngest son fakes an epileptic seizure in the lobby.

Best to you all, my bunkermates.

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