Natural Gas Equities Are Leading & They Are Just Getting Started

The broader equity market bottomed on March 23rd, 2020, and since then the SPDR S&P 500 Index ETF (SPY) is higher by 29.1%, and the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) is higher by 34.8%, as shown in the chart below.

Somewhat inconspicuously, precious metals equities, as measured by the VanEck Vector Gold Miners ETF (GDX), have risen 73.0% since the March 23rd broader market low, energy equities, as measured by the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) and the SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (XOP), have risen 52.1% and 62.0%, respectively, from the March 23rd broader market low, and basic material stocks, as measured by the SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF (XME), which have risen 39.5% since the March 23rd broader market low.

Said another way, inflation sensitive and economically sensitive equities are quietly outperforming.

Leading the pack above, all, are natural gas equities, led by Antero Resources (AR), which I have previously called a generational buying opportunity.

At the time of this publication, I was routinely mocked, much as I was in 2008 and 2009, before this happened.

How did I achieve this performance?

Simply put, it was buying undervalued equities, like General Growth Properties, in November of 2008, that almost nobody else wanted.

As I have said previously, these purchases, in aggregate, totaled $53,593.71, which was not a big dollar total in aggregate, however, the 120,000 shares were a nice stake in what would become the best performing S&P 500 equity in the bull market, at least through March 10th, 2017, as this CBS MarketWatch article on the bull market turning 8 years old chronicled.

In March of 2018, in the Brookfield Property Partners deal, these shares could be exchanged for $23.50 in cash.

Not a bad return at all, however, the key was to buy into the panic. That is the same thing we have done this time, and now we will see if the proverbial Main Course plays out in front of our eyes.

Best of luck to everyone. Stay healthy, safe, and happy,

WTK