Rich Peter
Investor, Crypto, US Stocks & High-Dividend ETFs
Gold miners, led by Newmont, stand to gain from 2026's rotation into hard assets as inflation stays entrenched. US CPI sits at 3.8%, nearly double the Fed's target, with energy up 18% and natural gas up 28% year over year, leaving cash and paper assets as losers and gold as the ultimate inflation hedge. Central banks in China, India, Turkey and Saudi Arabia are expected to buy nearly 1,000 tons of gold this year. Newmont is the largest blue-chip gold miner on the planet. x.comÂ
Gold miners have not yet priced in what record gold prices mean for the sector, and the window to get in is shrinking. Newmont beat Q1 profit estimates even though output fell, showing the gold price tailwind is covering operational shortfalls; earnings should rise further when production normalizes. The majors have pricing power they have not had in years and operating leverage is building, while most investors remain in tech. x.com x.comÂ
Gold miners Agnico Eagle, B2Gold and Newmont are worth buying aggressively because, per Willem Middelkoop (@wmiddelkoop), gold mining shares are dirt cheap again compared with gold. x.comÂ
Agnico Eagle is so cheap on a relative basis that there is little reason to buy Newmont. The best-in-class gold miners have never been of higher quality: diversified production, high margins, negligible or negative debt, no risky jurisdictions, strong management, and growth both organic and through M&A. They are extremely cheap at current gold prices, with no gold forecast needed, and low beta. Unlike when they looked cheap in 2011, margins are much fatter and debt and capex lower. x.com x.com … Show more
Gold is extremely attractive now because rising market fear could make it a great hedge. It has fallen nearly 30% from its January all-time high and returned to the accumulation zone. If this level holds, expect a bounce soon. x.comÂ
Gold miners' record margins and sustained central-bank gold buying support the sector's bullish setup. Average AISC margins reached $3,076/oz in Q1, up 134% year over year, per the World Gold Council; gold remains above $4,100/oz. Central banks bought a record 289 tonnes in Q2. The watched bull-flag trigger for GDX is $89.76. x.comÂ
Newmont is basically levered gold with little potential for discovery upside, and it is likely to pay high prices buying other companies. x.comÂ
Gold miners, unlike gold itself, turn a higher gold price into compounding cash returns. On a path to $8,000 gold, margins would widen far beyond today's roughly $2,400 an ounce even if all-in sustaining costs rose a third to $2,650. Free cash flow per share is at a record of about $15.70, roughly tripled since 2024, and the industry is buying back stock rather than mines, a combination never seen before. Relative to the S&P 500, miners have never been cheaper, not in 2008, 2015 or 2020. x.com … Show more
Newmont fell 10% on the week despite record Q1 free cash flow of $3.1B and a fresh $6B buyback, leaving it at a forward P/E of 9.58 on a $116B market cap. CIBC raised its target to $177 from $112 and Scotiabank to $152 from $114. Cadia is back to 80% capacity, with full normalization expected in Q3 2026. x.com x.comÂ
Capital is rotating out of AI capex into areas it starved for two years. Health care, airlines, defense and metals are where the market wants to be for the six weeks to the December 9 Fed meeting; gold and silver are bought on every dip. Risk is still being taken elsewhere: if S&P futures hold 7,700, the rotation carries the index; if they lose it, this was a correction in disguise. x.comÂ
Gold and silver may benefit if yields ease a little further from their local high for a while longer. The FOMC meeting and minutes could be good for both. x.comÂ
