Category Archives: Alden Rice Wells

Wanted: Real Gold Experts

Experts on the topic of gold are a dime a dozen.  However, few, if any, are actually experts at all.  With the ability to be quoted day in and day out, there is little or no accountability when it comes to accuracy of claims.  Of course the “expert” will not provide the gaping (and ongoing) lapses in their analysis and the published website touting them won’t bother to define what makes them an expert.  All that seems to matter when qualifying as an expert on gold or gold stocks is that they are loud, speak often, never fail in their love of gold, make exaggerated claims, and go to the many headlining confabs arranged by the industry.

So what is a “real gold expert?”  A real gold expert is someone who appreciates the good and bad of gold whiled able and willing to make the call, buy OR sell (no hold recommendations allowed).  A gold expert that we have been working hard to get more information on is Alden Rice Wells.  We know that Wells was bullish on gold stocks in the 1960’s in his Monetary Reports newsletter (PO Box 401, Exeter, NH, 03822) and was a contributor in the Inflation $urvival Letter (410 First Street S.E., Washington D.C., 2003) in the mid-1970’s.

What stands out about Alden Rice Wells?  After being a big proponent of gold and gold stocks through the 1960’s and early 1970’s, Wells warned that gold and gold stocks were going to crash in May 1974.  The following excerpt is from Richard Russell’s Dow Theory Letters dated May 31, 1974:

"Several subscribers have asked us to comment on the recent recommendations of Alden Rice Wells, one of the original gold bugs, that silver and gold holdings be liquidated in anticipation of a crash, or depression (Richard Russell. Dow Theory Letters. May 31, 1974. Letter 599. page 6.).”

This is the performance of the Barron’s Gold Mining Index leading up to and after Wells’ recommendation to sell gold.

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In the same period of time that Wells made the call for a crash in precious metals, gold declined –33% and silver declined –25%.  This is what we would consider an expert opinion on the topic of precious metals.  

What do investors need in a precious metal expert? A bullish perspective when it is time to be bullish and a bearish perspective when it is time to be bearish. Where are the experts today?

E. George Schaefer and Gold Stocks

E. George Schaefer is most synonymous with Dow Theory and its modern application.  However, E. George Schaefer was also known for his work in the selection and timing of gold and silver stocks.  As a bit of background on E. George Schaefer, in 1960, he wrote a book titled How I Helped 10,000 Investors to Profit in Stocks.image

The book was about Dow Theory and its application.   According to Richard Russell:

“…Schaefer started his ‘Dow Theory Trader’ service in 1948.  this analyst possesses a ‘feel’ for the market and an instinct for the big picture second to none.  He is one of the very, very few men who fully comprehend the concept of the primary trend.  A warning: if you have ever heard Schaefer speak, do not be fooled by his ‘hoosier-country boy’ style of delivery.  For Schaefer has been way ahead of the city boys on Wall Street for a long time.

“Schaefer provided his readers with many important technical studies during the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, and he has always labeled himself a ‘modern Dow Theorist.’ Schaefer has combined many technical considerations with his reading of the Averages, and I have found his thinking along these lines to be sound.

“In my library is a copy of Schaefer’s June 18, 1949 report, in which he predicted a major new bull market.  His reasoning was brilliant, and if he had never written anything else, he would rate a ‘superb’ on this one alone.  Personally, I wish that Schaefer had continued with his earlier technical studies, but those were written when the technical approach (and, in fact, almost any approach) was rare, and it is possible that he is now a bit tired of the ‘teaching’ approach which was a feature of his earlier letters.”

Our personal favorite by E. George Schaefer was a Barron’s article dated June 22, 1959 titled “Final Bullish Upsurge In Many Stocks Just Starting?” This article stands as a lone beacon for how modern Dow Theorists can understand the distinction between a bull and bear market as part of the primary trend.  We note that at the time, Richard Russell was of the view that the stock market was due for a bear market and called a bear market in 1961.  Schaefer was sticking to his 1959 call and told investors to hold onto their positions which was rewarded with another +40% increase in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Schaefer and Gold Stocks

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