When the bulls are running for the doors, that is a sign that we have hit bottom and wise investors should hold on to their portfolios for the ride up, says Silver-Investor.com Editor David Morgan in this interview with The Gold Report . It may take a couple of resource war-addled years for gold and silver prices to move back to profitable levels, but the right companies—and he points to five from the members-only Morgan Report files—could make money all the way up.
The Gold Report: When we interviewed you last, you mentioned the possibility of “resource wars” in 2014 as referenced in Michael Klare’s book of the same title. What will that look like to the average investor?
David Morgan: The resource wars have already started. Look at Mexico. It has a resource that it covets very much, and that’s energy. That is why the government levied a new tax designed primarily at energy but subsequently adds a 7.5% royalty on mining profits. Is it a war? Not per se, but it is detrimental to companies that operate in Mexico today and in the future. I think we will see even more of this kind of thing in 2014.
TGR: Last year was a volatile year for precious metals prices with silver going below $20/ounce ($20/oz) and gold bobbing around $1,200/oz at the end of the year. Are we still three or four years from $100/oz silver as you said in your last interview? What’s going to push it to that level?
DM: What’s going to push it to that level are fundamentals. There is no change fundamentally in why investors would buy gold in 2001 compared to why they would buy gold in 2013 or 2014. The fundamental fact is that there isn’t a nation state on earth that has a handle on the debt problem. Because of that, we’re going to see more people wake up to the need for precious metals, because precious metals are true money outside the framework of the current system.
“Trevali Mining Corp. is one of the few positive stories out there right now.“
The correction we had in silver and gold isn’t that abnormal in a major bull market. I’ve been through one bull market already in my lifetime. I watched gold go from the fixed price of $42.22/oz up to $200/oz, then to sell off to around the $100/oz level. It later advanced all the way back to the peak of $850/oz in January 1980. I have seen the damage a big shakeout in a major bull market can have. That experience makes me a little bit more hardened to weather the storm we just experienced.
However, I think that the worst is over. I think silver has bottomed. Gold probably has as well. This year, 2014, will be a rebuilding year. Depending on what happens in the global economic system, it’s possible that we could even see a very good year for the metals, but I don’t anticipate that. I’m anticipating a rebuild year where silver climbs back over $30/oz and gold travels up well over $1,600/oz, probably to the $1,700/oz level or higher depending on how the economy unfolds.
TGR: Precious metals experienced a nice little bump at the beginning of the year. Of the companies now in the resources market, what percentage will live to see an upturn in the metals prices? How many are just on the edge right now?
DM: That’s a good question, but I’m probably not the best to ask because we focus mostly on top-tier and mid-tier companies, companies that are producers or near producers. We do study a great deal of the junior exploration sector, but suggest very few. If I would venture a guess, of the micro-cap companies—$0.5–3 million—probably half will survive, maybe fewer than that.
It has been very difficult in the precious metals sector over the last couple of years. Even some of the best companies—I am thinking of one recently that has one of the richest gold mines in the world—can be mismanaged. That is why with some of these companies I tell people to only risk money they can lose because the payoff can be great, but they can lose it all, too. And some of my readers thank me for it later. That happened just this morning.
TGR: You mentioned Mexico’s new tax. What impact is that going to have on producers large and small there? Are there some companies that could do well even with the new royalty burdens?
(...)Click here to continue reading the original ETFDailyNews.com article: David Morgan: The Silver Bottom Is In [Silver Wheaton Corp. (USA), Vale SA (ADR), Silver Standard Resources Inc. (USA)]
You are viewing an abbreviated republication of ETF Daily News content. You can find full ETF Daily News articles on (www.etfdailynews.com)
Related posts:
Climate Change, Polar Vortex’s and Nuclear Energy [Cameco Corporation (USA), Uranium Resources, Inc., Uranerz Energy Corp.]
Technical Indicators Point To A Bottom In Silver Prices
Bottom In Place For Gold and Silver?
Why Sprott Resource Corp. Sold $76M In Bullion
The Commodity Supercycle Will Continue For Some Time [Randgold Resources Ltd. (ADR), AngloGold Ashanti Limited (ADR)]