‘Monetary policy lunacy’ means there has never been a better time for this asset, says hedge fund analyst

(MarketWatch) Another rough week has equity losses piling up for August, with the S&P 500 already down around 4.5% just two weeks into the month. 

Some may not be ready to throw in the towel here. We’ve consistently heard throughout this lengthy bull market that bang for your buck can be tough to find outside of stocks. And despite some bumpy days, keep the tin hat close by as calls to buy equities trickle in. 

The “Great Panic of 2019” is a big buying opportunity for stocks, Thomas Lee, head of Fundstrat Global Advisors, told clients in a recent note. And Mark Mobius, co-founder of Mobius Capital Partners, told MarketWatch that he’s got his eye on dividend-paying stocks, which he expects will benefit as central banks race to stave off a recession with interest rate cuts.

Some investors do seem to be playing it safer lately, which brings us to our call of the day from Otavio Costa, global macro analyst at hedge fund Crescat Capital, who is advising they buy gold. “We are entering a period of monetary policy lunacy, and in our view, there has never been a better time to own gold,” said Costa, in emailed comments. 

Central bank easing and perception that interest rates will keep falling, along with jitters over the global economy and trade, have driven gold up nearly 20% this year. “Precious metals are “one of the few pockets of this market offering tremendous value to hedge against extreme monetary policies, bursting asset bubbles, and record global leverage,” says Costa.

He’s in good company. Euro Pacific Capital’s Peter Schiff has been telling clients the metal will “go ballistic” as the dollar tanks when markets realize the trade war is lost. The dollar tends to move inversely to gold. The metal closed at just over $1,531 an ounce on Thursday, the best settlement for an active contract since 2013, but some are saying $2,000 may not be far away.

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