America First patriots often view companies like BlackRock, State Street, and Vanguard as globalist financial entities who combine powerbrokering with “woke” causes to influence the corporate direction of society. They are the bad guys, so to speak, in the financial world as they make moves that detrimentally affect average citizens.
But every now and then, they are forced to restate the obvious in an effort to maintain credibility. This is why BlackRock took the unprecedented move of recommending very “unwoke” gold to its leading investors earlier this year. Now, State Street and Vanguard have done the same. With geopolitical turmoil, the central banks pushing for digital currencies, and an upcoming presidential election in the United States, it behooves them to talk publicly about the “safe haven” nature of gold because to do otherwise is to pretend to ignore the obvious.
According to George Milling-Stanley, chief gold strategist at State Street Global Advisors, the gold market is expected to remain well supported at elevated levels, despite the Federal Reserve’s plan to maintain restrictive interest rates. In an interview with Kitco News, Milling-Stanley stated that with the Federal Reserve currently on hold, gold prices will be influenced by safe-haven demand due to the increasing geopolitical uncertainty worldwide.
The recent turmoil in the Middle East, caused by the conflict between Israel and Hamas, resulted in a 9% increase in gold prices from their lowest point in seven months. Milling-Stanley emphasized that even as specific risk events fade, there is still enough uncertainty globally to keep the marketplace active until 2024.
Milling-Stanley pointed out the upcoming U.S. Presidential election as a potential catalyst for heightened geopolitical tension, leading to widespread anxiety that is unlikely to dissipate soon. As a result, he sees little downside for gold prices in the near future.
Additionally, Milling-Stanley highlighted gold’s appeal as a safe-haven asset during periods of economic uncertainty. He explained that the Federal Reserve’s goal to reduce inflation and cool down the U.S. economy necessitates maintaining higher interest rates, which in turn puts pressure on equity markets. The S&P 500 has experienced three consecutive months of decline in response to the Federal Reserve’s “higher-for-longer” monetary policy stance.
Milling-Stanley believes that gold can withstand higher bond yields, noting that the 10-year note remains close to 5%. While higher bond yields may be considered attractive for some investors seeking safe-haven assets, Milling-Stanley cautioned against an increasing correlation between bonds and stocks in the past two years, which reduces portfolio diversity. As a result, gold has assumed the role previously played by the bond market in providing protection against potential weakness in the equity market.
Milling-Stanley emphasized the importance of including gold, stocks, and bonds in a balanced portfolio. He mentioned that although many investors have yet to allocate a significant portion to gold, there is a growing recognition of its importance, leading to a shift in portfolio allocations.
