Do we go up or down from here?
For some perspective on the long-term performance of the stock market, today’s chart presents the Dow priced in another global currency — gold. Today’s chart illustrates how it currently takes 14.3 ounces of gold to ‘buy the Dow’ (i.e. the Dow / gold ratio) — well off the 44.8 ounces it took back at its peak in 1999. From the 1990 peak until 2011, the Dow (priced in gold) endured a massive bear market. Since 2011, gold has struggled while the Dow rallied. More recently, stocks have struggled while gold has rallied resulting in the Dow (priced in gold) declining to a point where it is currently testing support of its four-year upward sloping trend.