Gold and silver are both trading lower for the first time in about a week today. Losses being posted are being attributed to some mild profit-taking by investors as well as a slight technical price correction. Despite today’s minor spot value decline by gold and silver, the precious metals bulls are still very much in control of the marketplace.

Since January, gold has gained more than $100 per ounce while spot silver has been able to add more than two dollars. This is especially impressive after gold lost nearly 30% of its value during 2013.

Light Economic News This Week

As was the case for the majority of last week, this 5-day session will also present the market with very few pieces of US economic data. In fact, there will be little economic data made available from most regions of the world this week. The lack of inputs that we have been witnessing as of late only works to solidify gold and silver’s strength as investors are growing more risk-averse with each passing day.

The Bank of Japan made a slight alteration to its monetary policy in an effort to promote further economic growth. The BOJ decided to add a loans initiative which sees banks reap rewards for more readily loaning money. The outcome of the BOJ’s most recent decision helped boost the Japanese Nikkei Index but also put more pressure on the Yen currency. Japan’s central bank still insisted that it has positive expectations for the duration of 2014, even despite slowing economic growth and a constant call for more stimulus money to be pumped into the economy.

For the first time in months we are seeing a marketplace that is more accepting to the notion that gold and silver may be the best way to protect investor assets going forward. It isn’t only gold and silver who have had a profitable 2014 thus far either, as most commodities in general are seeing their values increase. As more and more investors shy away from stock investments, the demand for gold and silver will continue to grow. Today’s profit-taking and technical correction having only a minimal impact on the value of gold and silver bodes well for the future. In the past, any positive runs by metals were almost always met by a drastic technical correction or severe profit-taking only a few days down the road that essentially eliminated any positive gains.

Now, investors will hope that the positive run and strength of metals will continue as we head further into 2014′s first quarter.