DOW JONES / GOLD RATIO

The driving force behind a gold bull is of course the key fundamentals backing it. However a key metric in determining relative future gold prices is the ratio between the gold price and the Dow Jones Industrial Average. How many ounces of gold does it take to buy the Dow Jones?

Over the last century or so, there have been three periods where 1 ounce or 2 ounces of gold could buy the Dow Jones Index.
It began in 1897, when the ratio was 1:1.
Then in 1929, just before the Wall Street Crash, it took 18 ounces of gold to by the Dow.
Three years later it took two ounces of gold to buy the Dow Jones.
In 1966, it surged to 28 ounces and by 1980, one ounce of gold bought the DJIA.
However in July of 1999, it took 44 ounces to buy the DJIA. This was at the height of the dotcom explosion.
It now takes 19 ounces to buy the Dow Jones, with the index trading around 11,000.

There are many ways that you can interpret this ratio, to predict the height of the gold prices in this bull market.

· The DJIA/Gold ratio pattern is 1:1, 1:2, 1:1 and so the next ratio could be 1:2. Two ounces to buy the Dow Jones
· If you ignore the 1897 data, the DJIA/Gold ratio pattern is 1:2, 1:1 and so the next ratio will be 1:0.5, it will take half an ounce of gold to buy the Dow Jones
· The average of all the ratios is 1:1.333. So in future one and a third ounces of gold will by the Dow Jones

Of course this is only half of the equation. To make it complete you need the value of the DJIA. In previous situations, such as 1929, the Dow has fallen to meet the gold price. However in the recession during the 1960’s and 1970’s, the DJIA did not fall dramatically to meet gold, but gold prices rose to meet it.
So what could happen?

· The DJIA crashes and loses 90% of its value (as it did in 1929) leaving it at around 1100 and it falls to a ratio with gold of: 1:2=$550 1:1=$1100, 1:0.5=$2200
· The DJIA halves to 5500 and gold rises to meet it at a ratio of: 1:2=$2250, 1:1=$5500, 1:0.5=$11000
· The DJIA stays around its current value (at it did during the 60’s and 70’s) and gold rises to equal the Dow at a ratio of: 1:2=$5500, 1:1=$11000, 1:0.5=$22000

The Dow Jones is unlikely to lose 90% of its value and replicate the 1929 crash, as this was largely affected by WW1 debt.
Therefore, whatever ratio or Dow value you choose, gold prices should be significantly higher over the coming years.