Moat Investing
The Morningstar® Wide Moat Focus IndexSM (the “Index”) finished August trailing the S&P 500 Index by 6% thus far in 2020 on a total return basis (3.70% vs. 9.74%, respectively). This underperformance has been largely driven by the Index’s recent positioning, which shifted following its June index review.
Focusing on Valuations in a Distorted Market
Investment Outlook
Fed Stimulus Clears Path for Gold Run
Gold Investing
Gold Reaches Another All-Time High
The strong gains of July carried on to early August. Gold reached an all-time high of $2,070 per ounce on 6 August amid U.S. dollar weakness and new lows in treasury yields. Gold then saw a sharp reversal and fell $207 over the following three trading days to an intraday low of $1,863 on 12 August. The reversal was triggered by dollar strength, a move higher in interest rates and news of a Russian COVID vaccine. Gold had become over-bought in the past month, trading well above-trend, making it ripe for a correction. Once gold started to fall, momentum built as profit-taking set in and bullion exchange traded products saw their first redemptions since June. Gold recovered quickly and spent the rest of the month consolidating between $1,900 and $2,000 per ounce as the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY)1 made new two-year lows on 31 August. Spot gold ended the month at $1,967.80 for an $8.06 (0.4%) loss.
Miners Remain Undervalued Despite Gold’s Run