In all probability, December 2015 marked the bottom of the cyclical gold and silver bear market – a bear cycle that had been in play since silver topped in May 2011 and gold in September of the same year.

Over time, charts for a bull market tend to print higher highs and higher lows on the way to the primary top. Two steps forward, one step back, creating a visual stair-step effect.

Now that the precious metals’ five year cyclical bear market is acting like it's been replaced by a vibrant bull run in the opposite direction (up!), many analysts who chided the ongoing rise in the mining stocks and metals that started in December 2015 are begrudgingly changing their "outlook" so they don't get left behind.

As we move through 2016, the Horsemen of the geopolitical, economic, and social apocalypse are on the march.

At the close of market on the Wednesday this essay was written, the price of one troy ounce of gold was US$1,229. A troy ounce of silver was trading at US$15.25.

There are two key cultural and sociological issues of particular importance when evaluating Chinese companies: guanxi (relationships and networks) and mianzi (face). When analyzing the potential of a Chinese company, it's important to understand how guanzi and mianzi affect transactions, board composition and deliberations, and shareholder engagement, among other issues.