In a live market update from Tuesday, I broke down the technical outlook for December gold futures. Since that time, we have seen whipsaw action featuring a late-session sell-off and subsequent rebound. The bullion markets certainly look to be preparing for a directional move.

At press time, December gold futures are up moderately for the session trading above the 1210.0 handle. Make no mistake, this is a critical technical level. If we see another late day sell-off in bullion, a bearish washout may develop beneath Tuesday’s low (1205.8).

December Gold Futures Technical Outlook

For the first time in months, December gold futures have been showing signs of life on the daily time frame. Price briefly broke above daily resistance levels, prompting a Bollinger MP/Daily SMA crossover. The crossover is a signal of changing market state — if correct, this one projects continued bullish sentiment.

Here are the levels to watch for the remainder of the session:

• Resistance(1): Daily SMA, 1210.7
• Resistance(2): Bollinger MP, 1213.4

Bottom Line: In the event that price tests Tuesday’s low, a washout of intraday long stop losses is very likely. For the remainder of the session, I will have sell orders in the queue from 1205.7. This is a breakout scalp setup, with a profit target of 8-12 ticks using a maximum 1:1 risk vs reward scenario.

The goal is quick and positive price action. While entry is still quite a ways off, this trade may set up toward today’s closing bell. In the event that it goes unelected, then a breakout setup to either the bull or the bear will be in the cards for tomorrow’s session.