Those types of performances are reflected in the chart below...

Those types of performances are reflected in the chart below posted by 'Jovanco' a few months ago of the Barron's gold mining stock index (BGMI)... a spike into Jan 1980 and then a much bigger one into September 1980

However, what authors of these sorts of tables don't show, either intentionally or not, are what stock prices were a few years earlier. If you look carefully at Jovanco's chart the BGMI was over 600 in 1974 and only surpassed that slightly in Jan 1980.

For all we know, the stocks listed lost 90% of their value between 1974 and Dec 78 before rising again.

Also, note what happened to the BGMI after September 1980 - it crashed! So unless you sold near the peak, you probably didn't make much money if you were a long term holder of gold stocks from '74 to '81.

How is that relevant today? Most gold bugs assume we are forever in the late 1970s again and gold stocks will soon fire ahead. For myself, I now believe having some trading plan to buy weakness sell strength is absolutely essential. Bullion is for long-term holding.