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Perhaps one of the most interesting things about the current Iran war in the Middle East is the way it’s changed the structural makeup of the active pool of oil traders: Right now, it’s full of retail.

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In fact, in early March, retail participation in oil trade jumped by over +1,200% on one popular platform; Dow Jones-affiliated writers carried by Morningstar have also posited last week that oil has become a new “meme stock.”

You don’t need an analyst to tell you that: Just look at Brent Crude charts.

The signature waveform of over-excitement? (Trading Economics)

And the run on (or into) oil stocks the Iran War has prompted has stolen the thunder of the major precious metals. No, I don’t mean silver, the more important one: Gold.

Over the last two weeks, a pattern has become clear. When oil goes up, gold goes down. Investors are rotating between the two, and for now, it looks like the market collectively reckons gold @ US$5K/oz is just about enough for now.

Brent (red) versus Gold (blue) over the last month (TradingView)

And that’s bad news for miners

With gold hitting US$5K/oz, and perhaps ahead of tomorrow’s widely expected rate hike from the RBA, the market is taking money out of gold miners.

Woodside Energy (ASX:WDS) and Karoon Energy (ASX:KAR) have enjoyed jumps on Monday, but neither is showing any dramatic gusto, suggesting the move might just be a response to precious metal benchmarks.

Take a look at the following carnage a/a 12am:

  • Beacon Minerals (BCN) down -7.75% to $3.22/sh
  • Bellevue Gold (BGL) down -7.6% to $1.51/sh
  • Horizon Gold (HRN) down -7.2% to $1.42/sh
  • New Murchison Gold (NMG) down -9.3% to 4.9cps
  • Regis Resources (RRL) down -7.75% to $7.08/sh
  • Unico Silver (USL) down -7.1% to 75cps
  • Silver Mines (SVL) down -8.55% to 18cps

Join the discussion: See what’s trending right now on HotCopper, Australia’s largest stock forum, and be part of the conversations that move the markets.

The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a certified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. For full disclaimer information, please click here.

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