Should You Buy Gold Before QE3 is Announced?

Markets have been calling for a third round of quantitative easing for quite some time, as U.S. equities have been unable to shake pesky euro zone fears as well as our own debt issues at home. Any news or anticipation from the Fed over the past few months has volleyed markets back and forth, as traders look for Ben Bernanke to ride to the rescue with yet another asset purchasing program. Tomorrow will see a key address from the Fed, in which many are considering to be a make or break moment for 2012. With “Operation Twist” coming to an end in June, the vast majority of analysts and investors are anxiously awaiting for the Fed to make a definitive commentary on QE3 [see also Is Gold Overvalued? The Bearish Case vs. The Bullish Case].

For the most part, the investing universe seems relatively hopeful and even somewhat confident that Bernanke will have no choice but to announce a new program given market weakness. Still, others argue that a renewed program may not help given the current situation in Europe. “The markets may bully the Fed into doing something, or the Fed may do something because it’s in a “try something, anything” mode. But there’s justifiable skepticism over the good it’ll actually do” writes Paul Vigna.

The general sentiment is that QE3 may not do much to boost the economy, but instead keep things from getting worse as a defensive tactic. No matter how you feel about quantitative easing, one thing is for sure, it will be a big opportunity for gold investors [see also Why No Investor Should Own GLD].

Gold and QE3

Another round of QE could mean big things for gold, as investors will flock into this hard asset to protect themselves. First and foremost, QE will mean printing more money and a devaluation of the dollar. That will likely make gold more attractive as it is a great store of value, forcing investors to rush into the yellow metal for fear of losing the value of their hard-earned dollars. Another major reason why gold will probably jump is because of its use as a trading instrument. Once investors hear that QE3 is a go, markets will likely see a temporary boost, but traders will try to cash in on the gold rush by opening big positions, which will likely increase the price [see also Jim Rogers Says: Buy Commodities Now, Or You’ll Hate Yourself Later].

If gold is able to make gains, the only question that remains is how long it will be able to shine before it settles down. For all we know, prices could approach $2,000/oz. again, repeating a similar pattern to last year. Investors will also have to take the euro crisis into account, as any bad news from the East will also create tailwinds for this commodity. Predicting just how high gold could go or for how long it will gain is nearly impossible, but investors can be certain that an announcement of QE3 tomorrow will mean heavy trading for gold for the remainder of the week. All that remains is how investors will choose to act prior to and beyond the Fed meeting concerning this precious metal. So how about it, are you buying gold? Let us know in the comments.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our free daily commodity investing newsletter and follow us on Twitter @CommodityHQ.

Disclosure: No positions at time of writing.

This entry was posted in Commodity ETFs, Commodity Futures, Gold, Precious Metals and tagged . Bookmark the permalink.

Commodity HQ is not an investment advisor, and any content published by Commodity HQ does not constitute individual investment advice. The opinions offered herein are not personalized recommendations to buy, sell or hold securities or investment assets. Read the full disclaimer here.

11 Responses to “Should You Buy Gold Before QE3 is Announced?”

  1. [...] U.S. equities picked up the pace this morning, surging ahead after yesterday’s mixed close. Materials and financials pushed stocks higher, as J.P. Morgan Chase Chief Executive Jamie Dimon addressed the House Financial Services Committee today. Although many remain wary of the alarming rise in Spanish yields, investors continue to hold onto optimism as they wait for tomorrow’s highly anticipated FOMC meeting. With investors relying on their belief of the elusive QE3 becoming a reality in the near future, equity markets continue to maintain their ground [see also Should You Buy Gold Before QE3 Is Announced?].  [...]

  2. Sam says:

    u are talking if they do QE but what if they do opertion tiest well we see gold rise or drope?

  3. [...] Equity indexes gapped higher and held their ground yesterday as euphoria and expectations for more stimulus ahead of today’s Fed decision kept investors’ confidence afloat. Judging from the positive price action on Wall Street i’ts fair to say that economic data releases took a back seat yesterday; housing starts came in at 708,000 for the month of May, falling short of the 720,000 analyst estimate as well as last month’s reading of 744,000 [see also Should You Buy Gold Before QE3 Is Announced?].  [...]

  4. [...] (Tuesday) as euphoria and expectations for more stimulus ahead of today’s Fed decision kept investors’ confidence afloat. Judging from the positive price action on Wall Street it’s fair to say that economic [...]

  5. [...] to fear inflation, and prudently attempt to protect their assets from being eaten away by it. [See: Should You Buy Gold Before QE3 is Announced?] On the physical side, gold and silver are usually the backbone of a “hard asset” [...]

  6. [...] because of higher debts. Now, in 2012, debts are even higher, leading Rogers to believe that the coming recession will be even worse [see also Warning: Ignore Bill Gross’ Hard Money Prediction At Your Own [...]

  7. [...] Finally, there are a growing number of ETPs that don’t stick to a predetermined roll strategy, instead examining observable market prices to determine which contracts are optimal for minimizing the adverse impact of contango or maximizing the benefit of backwardation [see also Should You Buy Gold Before QE3 is Announced?]. [...]

  8. Hello sir, Do you have any views on trading delta neutral strategies on gold? With this volatility perhaps it makes sense to put on a straddle on gold..?  Whether gold goes up or down, volatility is likely to expand here. Universaltradingtips.com

  9. [...] fall under. One of the best-known of these groups is the Keynsian school, which promotes a more hands-on government that has more control over a particular economy. Another big name in the world of [...]

  10. [...] for QE, or perhaps his views on money printing in regards to a recession, as he stated ”The money supply is not changing in any significant way. What we’re doing is lowering interest rates by buying [...]

  11. [...] buying or selling the yellow metal anytime soon. It is true that gold has pulled back since the announcement of QE3, but is it a correction that will persist for a few months, or is gold ready to make another charge [...]

Leave a Reply

  • Subscribe

    • RSS Icon   Twitter Icon
    • Sign up for free today:
  • Search