Gold up 12%: Has new bull market begun?

By Mark Hulbert
Barron’s

Is it premature to declare that gold’s bear market is finally over?

It certainly looks that way to some chartists, who are making a big deal of gold’s double-bottom at the end of last year just below $1,200. Since then, bullion has risen by $140 an ounce, or more than 10%.

Even if gold’s bear market has ended, it was no slouch: From a September 2011 high of $1,925 an ounce the decline lasted for 27 months and took 38% off of bullion’s price. Gold-mining stocks had a particularly rough time: The NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index fell 70% from September 2011 to its December 2013 low.

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