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Setting the Stage for the Next Gold Bull Market
Market Review – Setting the Stage for the Next Gold Bull Market. The gold market moved to the beat of the Federal Reserve’s (the “Fed”) rate hike signal drumming in May. At the beginning of May, the probabilities of a rate increase, as implied by the federal funds futures markets1, were 12% for an increase in June and 26% for a July increase. That dropped to 4% for June and 19% for July by May 16. On May 18, the market interpreted the minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee (the “FOMC”) April meeting as being more hawkish than anticipated and market expectations of rate increases in June and July jumped to 32% and 47%, respectively. Gold traded down for nine consecutive sessions following the release of the minutes. Gold dropped to an intra-day low of $1,199 per ounce on May 30, and ended the month at $1,215 per ounce for a loss of 6.0% or $77.66.
The U.S. dollar, which historically has a strong negative correlation2 with the gold price, also reflected the market’s assessment of a rate hike this summer, with the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY)3 ending May up 3% for the month. The change in market sentiment regarding upcoming Fed rate decisions was primarily driven by comments from Fed Chair Janet Yellen and other Fed officials. Meanwhile, U.S. economic data releases continued to be mixed, and, in our view, do not paint a clear picture of the U.S. economy that would favor further tightening in the near term. Positive April economic data included retail sales and existing and new home sales coming in above expectations, and an increase in the ISM Manufacturing Index4 reading for May that was widely expected to be declining. In contrast, employment data and construction spending were below expectations while the University of Michigan Sentiment Index5, Consumer Confidence Index6 and manufacturing activity in Chicago and Dallas for May were all weaker than expected.
But the most impactful, in our opinion, economic data was the May jobs report announced by the U.S. Department of Labor on June 3. Reported figures were massively below expectations, showing the lowest number of workers added in six years. While market chatter before the report’s release may have suggested the Fed had everyone convinced of a summer hike, a hike was not priced in for June, as evidenced by the 20% implied probability. The chance of a July hike was only at 53.6%. Immediately after the jobs report, those probabilities dropped to 4% and 29% respectively, the DXY index fell (down 1.7%) and gold rallied (up 2.8% or $33 per ounce), closing at $1,244 per ounce on June 3.
With gold falling in May, gold stocks underperformed. The NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index (GDMNTR)7 fell 11.9%, and the MVIS Global Junior Gold Miners Index (MVGDXJTR)8 dropped 11.5% during the month, trimming gains for the year to 65% and 76% respectively, as of May 31, compared to gold’s gain of 14.5%.
Of note, the amount of gold held by global gold bullion exchange traded products (ETPs) increased by an additional 4.8% during the month of May. Holdings of global gold ETPs have increased almost 27% this year to an estimated 59.5 million ounces of gold, still well below the 2012 peak of more than 84 million ounces.
Market Outlook
We have been of the opinion that the Fed may not be as aggressive as previously guided, and that rising rates in 2016 could be a significant impediment to the U.S. economy. The June 3 jobs report missed expectations by a wide margin. In May, the U.S. added just 38,000 workers, compared to the median of 160,000 as forecasted by Bloomberg. Job gains for prior months were downgraded as well. This indicates a weakening labor market and reduces the odds of Fed rate increases in the coming months.
We believe this is another important inflection point for gold that suggests the early stages of a new bull market. The gold price has been consolidating in the $1,200 to $1,300 per ounce range since early March, hitting a low of nearly $1,200 per ounce on May 30. It now appears as if gold is poised to remain above the technically and psychologically important $1,200 per ounce level. While it is not uncommon for the gold price to struggle in the summer months, we believe gold is forming a new base. We expect to see higher gold prices as the year progresses. Gold Price Monthly Return Average, 1971-2015 and 2016
Source: Bloomberg, Scotiabank GBM
We met the management of approximately 20 gold companies during the month, which allowed us to get a good sense of what’s happening in the sector. The main takeaway is that while companies are still focused on efficiencies, cost savings and operating improvements to help maximize cash flow, higher gold prices this year have shaped the conversation around what to do with these new cash levels.
For some companies, paying down debt still remains a priority. For firms currently building new mines, the higher cash flows provide welcomed cushion and remove market concerns over financing. Most companies also expect dividends to resume and/or increase as free cash flow grows. But for most companies, higher cash flows, at a time when balance sheets are in good shape and costs are under control, will likely bring back the opportunity to add future growth.
Valuations are still relatively low, so there is opportunity to buy assets. Exploration spending, which had been significantly reduced over the last couple of years, should also pick up again, allowing companies to add resources and reserves and increasing their chances of finding new discoveries. Projects that have been shelved will be revisited as financing becomes available. We met with management teams that despite the higher gold price, and higher cash flows that come with it, remain firmly committed to growing profitability and returns rather than production. We heard more than once in our discussions, that a new ounce of production is only good and will only be added if it improves or maintains the existing per ounce profitability of the company. Companies are measuring growth in free cash flow per share, for example, rather than production volumes.
This is very encouraging to us. Company initiatives have slowly and cautiously started to shift from mere survival to thriving. Cautiously is the key word here. As they embark on what may be the next gold bull market, we believe gold companies need to continue to demonstrate a rigorous capital allocation strategy that focuses on value creation for shareholders and positions the gold mining equity sector in the investable universe of the broader market.
by Joe Foster, Portfolio Manager and Strategist
With more than 30 years of gold industry experience, Foster began his gold career as a boots on the ground geologist, evaluating mining exploration and development projects. Foster is Portfolio Manager and Strategist for the Gold and Precious Metals strategy.
The impact of US tariffs continues to dominate market sentiment and risk assets, including crypto, struggled with this uncertainty throughout the month. The Nasdaq Crypto Index™ (NCI™) fell 4.46% in March as the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 dropped 5.63% and 7.61%, respectively.
Despite the macro uncertainty from Washington, US policymakers are continuing to embrace crypto in an unprecedented way, including launching a Bitcoin Strategic Reserve, Digital Asset Stockpile, and engaging in expansive work at the regulatory agencies and in Congress.
Our team spent the last week of the month in Washington, meeting with regulators to share our experiences and views on what’s most important for crypto investors in the US. In his latest Notes from the CIO, Samir Kerbage shares what he learned from these meetings and how investors should be thinking about the new regulatory regime in the US.
As always, we are greatly appreciative of your trust in us and are here to answer any questions you may have.
-Your Partners at Hashdex
Market Review
March was marked by the tariff dispute triggered by the Trump administration. Back-and-forth fiscal policies, threats, and retaliations dominated the month’s agenda. The uncertain macroeconomic environment put investors into a defensive stance and negatively impacted crypto assets. The Nasdaq Crypto Index™ (NCI™) closed the month down -4.46% after a period of high volatility. Major market indices, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100, also recorded steep declines of -5.63% and -7.61%, respectively. These concurrent drawdowns across equities and crypto underscored March’s broad market caution, as trade war uncertainty prompted investors to flee risk assets.
During times of uncertainty, it is common to observe increased correlation among different classes of risk assets. This pattern played out in March: the 6-month rolling correlation of monthly returns between the NCI™ and the Nasdaq-100 surged to roughly 0.91 (see chart below), its highest level since 2021, indicating that crypto assets were moving almost in lockstep with tech stocks. This spike in correlation confirms that crypto was behaving like a high-beta extension of the tech sector—an amplified version of the Nasdaq-100. The lack of clarity in the global landscape leads investors to reduce their risk exposure and seek protection, a movement known in financial markets as “risk-off” allocation.
6-Month Rolling Correlation of Monthly Returns between the Nasdaq Crypto Index and Nasdaq-100 (Apr 2021–Apr 2025).
The chart illustrates how this correlation has been increasing since the American elections in November 2024 and spiked to approximately 0.91 in the most recent period—a multi-year high. This visual evidence reinforces the view that crypto assets have been moving closely in tandem with tech stocks, effectively acting as a high-beta version of the Nasdaq-100 during the March risk-off phase.
Following this trend, risk reduction was evident within the crypto asset class. Among the NCI’s constituents, Bitcoin (BTC) posted a decline of -1.93%, withstanding the downturn far better than other constituents such as Ether (ETH, -17.4%) and Litecoin (LTC, -34.6%). BTC’s relatively mild drop in this sell-off aligns with the idea that it increasingly trades like a high-beta proxy for large-cap tech. It still declined, but less severely, whereas smaller-cap crypto assets behaved more like speculative growth stocks and suffered outsized losses. The only exception to the negative results was Cardano (ADA), which surprised with a positive return of 3.88% despite no significant protocol developments during the month.
Thematic indices also faced a challenging environment. As highlighted in previous letters, smaller capitalization assets tend to suffer more during periods of market stress, mirroring how speculative small-cap stocks are hit hardest in equity sell-offs. The biggest negative highlight was the Digital Culture Index, which dropped -17.45%, followed by the Decentralized Finance (DeFi) and Smart Contract Platform (Web3) indices, which fell -16.73% and -12.07%, respectively. The Vinter Hashdex Risk Parity Momentum Index recorded a negative result of -8.26% but outperformed the three other thematic indices, benefiting from its high allocation in BTC and TRX (which gained 4.68%). The heavy weighting in BTC – the more resilient large-cap crypto – helped cushion this index, underscoring the relevance of the momentum factor in a well-diversified strategy during times of market stress.
The market remains on the lookout for the outcome of the fiscal policy discussions, hoping for a reduction in uncertainties and an end to the tariff war. That would likely mark the moment when investors regain their appetite for risk assets, including crypto assets. The U.S. government has also signaled interest in advancing the crypto agenda, a development that could drive the asset class to a new level of adoption. We remain confident in our positive outlook for the rest of the year and the long term.
Top Stories
US creates Bitcoin Strategic Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
The Bitcoin Reserve will be capitalized with BTC owned by the Department of Treasury, which could further increase via new budget-neutral acquisitions. The stockpile will also include assets owned by the Treasury. This marks a major milestone, with the US government starting to integrate major crypto assets and continues the new administration’s work to lead the global crypto economy.
Stablecoins surpass $230 billion in market value
The total stablecoins market capitalization surpassed $230 billion amid institutional demand for dollar-backed digital assets. This showcases one of the most successful applications for crypto technology enhancing traditional financial payments. It could also pave the way for new use cases that require a strong and reliable global payment system.
FDIC eases banks’ ability to engage in crypto activities
The FDIC has rescinded previous guidelines which prevented financial institutions from engaging with crypto activities without prior sign-off. By removing bureaucratic hurdles, banks may more readily over crypto-related services, potentially leading to broader adoption and integration of digital assets into the financial system.
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