"Less than two months into the year, gold miners have recouped...

"Less than two months into the year, gold miners have recouped more than a third of what they lost last year, and the rally may still have a lot more room to run.

The NYSE Arca Gold Bugs Index XX:HUI +0.25% has climbed roughly 25% year to date after dropping nearly 56% in 2013. The Philadelphia Gold and Silver Index XAU +3.92% has also gained around 23% this year, after a 49% loss last year."

My comments:

So the HUI falling 56% last year and rising 25% this year means that gold miners have "recouped more than a third of what they lost last year."

What a load of mathematical gibberish this commentator wrote.

Suppose an index falls 56% from 200. So it falls 112 points to 88. It recovers 25%. So it recovers 22 points to 110. That recovery of 22 points is NOT more than a third of the 112 points that was lost. It is less than 20% - it is less than one fifth.