Mike McGlone: The Next Big Catalyst for Gold will be a Stock Market Crash
Dec 26, 2024
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Mike McGlone, Senior Commodity Strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence, shares his expert insights on the current commodities landscape. He discusses the impact of declining demand from China and the oversupply in oil and industrial metals. McGlone predicts a stock market correction that may shift investment strategies towards gold, highlighting its stability during volatility. He also analyzes the interplay between gold and Bitcoin, cautioning against speculative excesses in crypto markets and emphasizing potential shifts in the silver-gold ratio due to geopolitical factors.
Geopolitical tensions, particularly with China, create deflationary pressures and impact global commodity prices, leading to increased challenges for producers.
Gold is seen as a safe investment amid potential stock market crashes, especially as Bitcoin’s volatility points to broader economic corrections.
Deep dives
Geopolitical Tensions and Commodity Prices
Current geopolitical tensions, particularly involving China, have significant implications for global commodity prices. There is an increasing supply surplus in several commodities, like crude oil, especially with China's gasoline demand reportedly peaking. A noted glut in crude oil from North America contributes to a downward trend in prices, which is beneficial for consumers but poses challenges for producers. Furthermore, grains like corn and soybeans are experiencing a super abundance due to favorable weather and economic conditions in Brazil, further influencing commodity dynamics.
Deflationary Forces in Global Markets
Significant deflationary forces are manifesting in global markets, particularly highlighted by the drop in bond yields in China compared to the United States. Lower yields in the world's top economies indicate a shift toward deflation, impacting commodities like copper and crude oil. Expectations for recovery in global demand are low, especially as China grapples with economic issues tied to its centralized governance and heavy debt. The current trends suggest that commodities, including industrial metals, face downward pressure amid these deflationary conditions.
Bitcoin's Role as an Indicator
Bitcoin has emerged as a key leading indicator for market trends and potential corrections in the global economy, particularly regarding equities. The correlation between Bitcoin and the stock market is notable, with Bitcoin's price movements potentially signaling a broader market reset. As recent investments have pushed Bitcoin ETFs to significant levels, the speculative enthusiasm surrounding Bitcoin raises concerns about market sustainability. If Bitcoin fails to maintain its bullish trajectory, it could foreshadow declines in risk assets and a shift in investor sentiment toward commodities like gold.
Outlook for Gold and Silver
Gold is anticipated to outperform various assets amid a potentially volatile year ahead for equities, with projections suggesting it could reach around $3,000 and higher under certain market conditions. Notably, the relationship between gold and Bitcoin indicates that gold may regain interest as a safe haven if Bitcoin experiences significant downward movement. In contrast, silver, largely influenced by industrial demand, is predicted to lag behind gold unless coupled with a surge in gold prices. Market dynamics, including potential Chinese stimulus and a troubled global economy, will be crucial in shaping the future trajectories of these metals.
Tom welcomes Mike McGlone, Senior Commodity Strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence, to discuss commodities and their prospects for 2025. McGlone acknowledges challenges such as lower oil and grain prices, harming producers due to a global surplus and decreasing Chinese demand driven by electric vehicle adoption. He anticipates continued declines in industrial metals like copper and explores geopolitical risks, particularly market implications of tensions between the US and adversaries – China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. McGlone suggests gold as a prudent investment due to its performance during volatile markets when stocks and Bitcoin underperform.
McGlone discusses technological advancements and their impact on the economy. He suggests an investment strategy of rotating between gold and Bitcoin at highs and lows based on their current divergence in performance. McGlone expresses concerns over Bitcoin’s excessive ETF inflows as a sign of market speculation. Regarding silver, he suggests the silver-gold ratio should be higher based on volatility and historical patterns, with potential implications if China buys silver through ETFs to address economic challenges. Anticipating potential corrections in the US stock market, increased unemployment, and bond yield issues could lead to a different silver-gold ratio.
Time Stamp References: 0:00 – Introduction 0:47 – Commodities in 2025 3:22 – Global Demand Decline 5:08 – U.S. & China Deficits 10:38 – Commodities & Tariffs 16:34 – Bitcoin ‘Indicator’ 20:22 – Tether & Treasuries 26:07 – Gold/Bitcoin Ratio 30:28 – ETF Demand & Flows 33:16 – Market Correction? 37:04 – 2025 Gold Target 39:42 – Thoughts on Silver 42:25 – Concluding Thoughts 43:45 – Wrap Up
Mike McGlone is a senior commodity strategist for Bloomberg Intelligence, a unique research platform that provides context on industries, companies, and government policy, available on the Bloomberg Professional service at BI(GO). Mr. McGlone specializes in the broad investible commodity markets. Mr. McGlone joined Bloomberg in 2016 with over 25 years of futures and commodity trading and investing experience, beginning at the Chicago Board of Trade. Prior to joining Bloomberg, he was a head of US research at ETF Securities. Prior to ETF Securities, Mr. McGlone headed the commodity business at S&P Indices. His previous roles included head of futures research at ABN Amro and VP research, analyst, trader, sales at Aubrey G. Lanston / IBJ Futures.
Mr. McGlone has an MBA from DePaul University in Chicago and bachelor’s of science and arts degrees from Illinois State University. He is a CFA Charter holder and has earned a Financial Risk Manager designation.
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