One year ago the S&P 500 kicked off 2013 with a bang, a large gap higher and a nearly 3% rally:

SPX_2012-2013

US equities went on to post huge gains in 2013 while gold, and gold miners, fell by the wayside. Oddly enough, GDX's end of 2013 and beginning of 2014 are eerily reminiscent to the above chart of the S&P 500:

GDX_Daily_1.2.2014

A strong start to the year, however, don't be surprised if the miners trade sideways for a few days (similar to the SPY in early January 2013 - see SPY chart above) before the next leg higher begins.

Two of our top picks for 2014 also began 2014 in impressive fashion, with Canadian Solar (CSIQ) breaking out of its recent consolidation and rocketing 15% higher:

Barrick Gold (ABX)

ABX_Daily_1.2.2014

Canadian Solar (CSIQ)

CSIQ_Daily_1.2.2014