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Daily Report : It's time to put commodities back on the radar - Part III

Jason Goepfert
2023-06-29
In Part III, we highlight commodity and stock market performance during the last 15 years of each previous 30-year cycle, including the most recent that ends on 2023-06-30.
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Headlines


It's time to put commodities back on the radar - Part III: In Part III, we highlight commodity and stock market performance during the last 15 years of each previous 30-year cycle, including the most recent that ends on 2023-06-30.

Smart / Dumb Money Confidence

Smart Money Confidence: 19% Dumb Money Confidence: 78%

Risk Levels

Stocks Short-Term

Stocks Medium-Term

Bonds

Crude Oil

Gold

Agriculture

Research

It's time to put commodities back on the radar - Part III

By Jay Kaeppel

BOTTOM LINE
In Part III, we highlight commodity and stock market performance during the last 15 years of each previous 30-year cycle, including the most recent that ends on 2023-06-30.

FORECAST / TIMEFRAME
None

Key points

  • In Part I, we highlighted a 30-yr cycle that typically sees commodities significantly outperform stocks during the first 15 years and vice versa during the last 15 years
  • A new 30-yr cycle begins at the end of June 2023
  • In Part II, we looked at commodity and stock performance during the first 15 years of previous cycles
  • In Part III, we will look at commodity and stock performance during the last 15 years of previous cycles

Last 15 years of the 30-year cycle 

As a quick refresher, to measure commodity returns, we use the following month-end prices for the following indexes:

  • For commodities, we use the Bloomberg futures index from 1933 to1960 and the Bloomberg Spot Commodity Index from 1960 to the present
  • For stocks, we use the monthly closing price for the S&P 500 Index

In Part I, we included the table below, which displays commodity and stock market performance during the last 15 years of each 30-year cycle since 1933. The most recent 15-year period began on 2008-06-30 and will end on 2023-06-30. 

The critical thing to note in the table above is that during the last 15 years of previous 30-year cycles, commodities outperformed stocks by better than 15-to-1 on average (the difference is almost 45-to-1 if using median returns instead of average returns).

Commodity performance during the last 15 years of the 30-year cycle

The chart below displays the growth of $1 in commodities (using the Bloomberg indexes as a proxy) only during the last 15 years of each previous 30-year cycle.

A closer look at the chart above reveals that commodity performance has been extraordinarily volatile, including some catastrophic declines. The cumulative gain from holding commodities during the combined 45 years tested was just +66%.

Stock performance during the last 15 years of the 30-year cycle

The chart below displays the growth of $1 in stocks (using the S&P 500 Index as a proxy) only during the last 15 years of each previous 30-year cycle.

To get a better perspective on stock returns during these periods, the chart below displays the same information as above on a logarithmic scale.

A closer look at the charts above reveal that:

  • There is no guarantee that stocks will enjoy "smooth sailing" just because the calendar falls within a particular time period
  • Nevertheless, the long-term "lower left to upper right" nature of returns is unmistakable

Comparing commodities to stocks during the last 15 years of the 30-year cycle

The chart below displays the growth of $1 in commodities (black line) versus $1 in stocks (blue line) if held only during the last 15 years of each previous 30-year cycle, including the one that ends on 2023-06-30.

The chart below displays the same data as the chart above on a logarithmic scale.

What the research tells us…

As previous cycles portended, stocks significantly outperformed commodities over the most recent 15-year period ending on 2023-06-30. The next "last 15 years" period will not begin until the close on 2038-06-30.


Indicators at Extremes

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% Showing Pessimism: 5%
Bullish for Stocks

Inverse ETF Volume
OEX Open Interest Ratio
% Showing Optimism: 50%
Bearish for Stocks

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Sentiment Around The World

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Optimism Index Thumbnails

Sector ETF's - 10-Day Moving Average
Country ETF's - 10-Day Moving Average
Bond ETF's - 10-Day Moving Average
Currency ETF's - 5-Day Moving Average
Commodity ETF's - 5-Day Moving Average
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Risk Disclosure: The information and tools provided are for research and analytical purposes only and are not intended as investment advice. Market analysis involves uncertainty, and outcomes may differ from expectations. Users should conduct their own due diligence and consider their individual circumstances before making any financial decisions. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.

Hypothetical Performance Disclosure: Hypothetical performance results have many inherent limitations, some of which are described below. No representation is being made that any account will or is likely to achieve profits or losses similar to those shown; in fact, there are frequently sharp differences between hypothetical performance results and the actual results subsequently achieved by any particular trading program. One of the limitations of hypothetical performance results is that they are generally prepared with the benefit of hindsight. In addition, hypothetical trading does not involve financial risk, and no hypothetical trading record can completely account for the impact of financial risk of actual trading. for example, the ability to withstand losses or to adhere to a particular trading program in spite of trading losses are material points which can also adversely affect actual trading results. There are numerous other factors related to the markets in general or to the implementation of any specific trading program which cannot be fully accounted for in the preparation of hypothetical performance results and all which can adversely affect trading results.

Testimonial Disclosure: Testimonials appearing on this website may not be representative of other clients or customers and is not a guarantee of future performance or success.