Gold Slips Below Key Support at $1,782, Who’s up for a Sell?

Gold prices closed at $1,776.70, after placing a high of $1,788.40, and a low of $1,773.30. Gold reversed its course on Thursday, after rising for the previous two sessions. The declining prices of precious metals could be attributed to the rising strength of the US dollar, as investors are taking positions ahead of the US inflation data this week.

The US Treasury Yield, on the benchmark 10-year note, broke its 3-day bullish momentum, dropping to 1.47% on Thursday. On the other hand, the US Dollar Index, which measures the greenback’s value against a basket of six major currencies, recovered all of its previous daily losses, moving to the 96.34 level.Traders are waiting for the release of the US Consumer Price Index report, as it will directly influence the Federal Reserve’s monetary strategy. Analysts believe that higher inflation numbers will positively impact gold and could take its prices towards $1,800, while a low inflation figure could have a negative impact on gold.

The declining movement of the market suggests that most traders believe that inflation figures will ease this month. However, one must not forget about the other factors driving the prices of gold, like fears of the Omicron variant and the potential geopolitical tensions.

Uncertainties prevail in the market, because of the Omicron variant, the increased tensions between Russia and the US, the diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics by Western nations and the US sanctions on Iran. These lingering issues gave the precious metal some support, due to its safe-haven status, which kept the decline in gold limited for the day.

On the data front, at 18:30 GMT, the Unemployment Claims from last week came in, reflecting a decline to 184K, against the forecast of 218K, which supported the US dollar. At 20:00 GMT, the Final Wholesale Inventories came in, showing a rise to 2.3%, against the projected 2.2%, which weighed on the US dollar. The favorable jobless claims figure from last week added to the strength of the US dollar and helped increase the downward momentum in gold.

The market focus has shifted to the upcoming release of the US CPI report on Friday, which will provide clues about the imminent release of the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy. Ahead of this report, the cautious behavior of investors also kept the gold market down on Thursday.

The XAU/USD is trading at $1,777, having slipped below the support level of $1,782. On the 2-hour timeframe, the precious metal has violated the upward trendline support at 1,782. The closing of candles below this level opens up further room for selling until the next support level of 1,774.

Support                Resistance
1,770.54                1,785.64
1,764.37                1,794.57
1,755.44                1,800.74
Pivot Point:          1,779.47The precious metal is facing a major hurdle with the 50-day exponential moving average at 1,780. A spike in selling pressure below the 1,780 level could drive a downswing until 1,774 or 1,770. Alternatively, a break below 1,774 would open up additional room for selling until the 1,762 level. Good luck!