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To the relief of some, but the worry of many others, the U.S. election is now
just days away. Unlike past elections this one appears to have grown more uncertain and fraught the closer it gets… Regardless of who will enter the White House in January, however, the gold price will be the real winner…[as it] is set to perform well in both the short and long-term…
The comments above and below are excerpts from an article by Jan Skoyles (GoldCore.com) which may have been enhanced – edited ([ ]) and abridged (…) – by munKNEE.com (Your Key to Making Money!)
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Gold price to climb no matter who wins
The news of the gold price’s positive run surrounding the elections made headlines this week when HSBC analyst James Steel published a note stating gold would climb 8% no matter who wins. Backing this up, the World Gold Council wrote yesterday, “We expect that both the presidential and congressional elections results will be supportive of gold regardless of the outcome, given the high uncertainty in the direction of policy and the possibility that the results may be contested.”
Clinton policies will drive gold upwards
Should Clinton win then for many this will be a relief and also a reason to carry-on as if little has happened. General consensus is that little will change with another Clinton in the White House. Unless the Democrats miraculously manage to take control of Congress, then get ready for another four years of stalemate.
According to Steel, this will still be bullish for gold, “Such an outcome would largely support our current expectations for gold. Our bullish base case, built on expectations of a low rate environment and recovering physical demand, is a forecast of $1,400/ozt by end-2016 with an average forecast price of $1,275/ozt. For 2017, we forecast gold at $1,440/ozt by year end with an average price forecast of $1,310/ozt. If Mrs. Clinton wins, we believe her trade policies in particular and shift to protectionism would reaffirm our already bullish outlook. If contrary to current poll indications the Democrats also take control of Congress, then there could be a more expansionary fiscal policy. This could have a more bullish impact on our 2017 forecasts.”
Not everyone is as bullish about gold should Clinton win, in the short-term. Jeff Nichols wrote earlier this week, ““My guess is that Wall Street and foreign stock markets would be relieved by a Clinton victory, with equity prices posting brief short-term gains, and gold giving up the small gains it registered in the days immediately prior to the election.”
Wayne Gordon, executive director for commodities and foreign exchange at UBS Group AG’s wealth-management unit, agreed, telling Bloomberg, “If Hillary Clinton is elected, we think gold can probably fall by $20, $30.”
Trump win means more uncertainty for us but certainty for gold
UBS’s Gordon sees a Trump win to be hugely beneficial to the gold price, “If Donald Trump is elected next week, we think gold can go anywhere shy of $1,400 so the clear skew in this trade is to the upside.”
When it comes to Trump this is where Steel sees a very positive environment for gold, “a Trump win would be decidedly gold-bullish, in our view, given the potential for increased protectionism, higher budget spending and geopolitical risks. Gold prices could jump to $1,500/ozt relatively quickly, and end the year at that level on a Trump win. This could raise our 2016 average price to $1,300/oz.t For 2017, gold could rise further to $1,575/ozt by year end with an average of $1,410/oz.”
For the majority of those weighing in on gold-price moves over the election, it is the air of uncertainty that is creating a positive environment for gold. A Trump win “would see likely see a wave of risk aversion,” said Daniel Hynes, senior commodity strategist at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. “Gold prices have already moved higher as a result of the U.S. presidential election becoming less clear. Assuming polls continue to tighten, gold prices should continue to edge higher.”
Only gold is learning from history
History has generally shown that when there is a change in the partisan affiliation of the presidency, the price of gold benefits. When there is no change in administration then gold tends not to react…Some believe that gold’s reaction depends on which party is in the White House. Some research I carried out a few years ago found that gold generally performed better under a Democrat administration.
However history doesn’t appear to come into this election. The only thing that history is feeding into right now are the predictions on the gold price. We know from experience that gold performs well during times of uncertainty.
“Gold is seen as a hedge against political uncertainty, and President Trump would bring more political unpredictability than any president for generations, particularly over the U.S. Federal Reserve’s leadership and monetary policy strategy,” James Butterfill, head of research and investment strategy at ETF Securities, wrote in a recent note. Butterfly expects gold to climb by as much as 10% in the year proceeding a Trump victory.
Long-term, the gold price doesn’t care
At present the gold price is reacting to the uncertainty surrounding the election result, but long-term the outlook is also bullish. Ron Paul sees little difference between the two parties and sees a bullish environment, not matter what the outcome is on Tuesday…stating earlier this year, “Politically speaking, there is going to be a lot more uncertainty and that may go into the markets … If people are depending on political stability to get the market going I don’t think it’s going to work out. Nothing ever really changes regardless of which party wins. Governments keep growing, the deficits keep growing and the Fed keeps borrowing and printing more money…I don’t expect a lot to change.”
Gold’s bright future is down to uncertainty and safe-haven demand in the short-term, but in the long-term this election will be a mere brick in the long-road, bullish road ahead.
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