Gold miners regain their regression trend line

Since the summer of 2018, the HUI gold miners index has been following a regression trend line relative to gold. The emerging trend was first described in September 2019 and confirmed last year.

Trend challenges

The regression trend line has been challenged twice. The Corona dip mid March 2020 impacted miners much more profoundly than it did the yellow metal. The digression from the trend line proved to be temporary. Miners recovered swiftly and were above trend as the yellow metal steamed up to its 2011 all-time high. Enthusiasm waned as gold was peaking above $2000/Oz. This has been described in more detail in the September 2020 article: Miners (HUI) to gold linear regression still intact.

During the subsequent saw-tooth correction, miners once more sank below their regression trend line. Undervaluation bottomed out by in February, despite gold fluctuating around $1800/Oz by that time. Miners withstood well the initial gold correction early March. Only as the metal slid below $1700/Oz, gold miners plunged well below their regression trend line again. That occurred on two occasions: around March 8 and around March 30. As the correction of the yellow metal seems to have bottomed out, miners are looking up again and recover from a lengthy down trend.

In the ‘synoptic view’ graph, the HUI/Gold regression has been implicitly made use of. The red graph both represents the gold price, when read on the left axis, and the regression value of the HUI miners index, when read on the right axis. The blue graph provides the true HUI values, which should fluctuate around the regression values for the regression to hold.

As the true dimensions of the Corona outbreak had become obvious, a first digression suddenly emerged, with miners plunging deep, while the gold correction was more shallow and temporary. The recent digression has been smeared out over time, but manifested itself with miners ignoring gold strength during February and subsequently succumbing feverishly to a double dip gold correction in March. Only recently miners have regained their regression value.

Regression residuals

Regression residuals are the differences pattern between true HUI values and their ‘expected’ regression values. These residuals are shown in the graph below.

After the initial gold recovery in May 2020, miners weaken again. There is uncertainty on the COVID impact on mining operations. During the gold rally, miners take the front-seat in July. However they weaken relatively as gold peaks above $2000/Oz early August 2020.  Positive residuals make way for negative ones early November.  Miners gradually sink deeper below the trend line. Towards end February, the worst seems over but the nascent miner recovery is thwarted twice by gold sliding below $1700/Oz in March. Only after Easter, gold miners regain the trend line, with small positive residuals now showing up.

Hui – Gold Regression trends

The top line shows the regression relationship that was valid between summer 2012 and autumn 2017. It guided us through the gold bear market and the 2016 boom/bust cycle only to give way later on as miners were unable to match any timid gold recovery. Systematic and increasing negative residuals eventually invalidate a regression trend.

Miners lagging gold over the very long term 

HUI/Gold index

Final thoughts