Gold is showing little movement on Wednesday, as the spot price stands at $1223.62 per ounce in the European session. The metal showed some upward movement on Tuesday, touching a high of $1234 before retracting. Investors are on the sidelines, waiting for some key US numbers to help gauge the direction of the economy. The US releases New Housing Sales later in the day and durable goods data on Thursday.
US Existing Home Sales didn’t impress in August, slipping to 5.05 million, compared to 5.15 million in the previous release. This was way off the estimate of 5.21 million. The indicator had exceeded the estimate in the past three releases, so the weak numbers disappointed the markets. The markets are hoping for better news from New Home Sales, which will be released later on Wednesday. The indicator has been struggling lately, with the past two readings missing expectations. The markets are expecting a stronger reading for August, with an estimate of 432 thousand.
The US economy may be much more robust than that of the Eurozone, but it is also grappling with weak inflation levels, as underscored by August releases. CPI, the primary gauge of consumer inflation, came in at -0.2%, its first decline since October. Core CPI followed suit with a flat reading of 0.0%. This was the first time the index failed to post a gain since October 2010. The weak numbers follow disappointing manufacturing inflation data. PPI, a key event, dipped to just 0.0%, a 3-month low. Core PPI also softened in August. Low inflation levels could delay the Federal Reserve’s plan to raise interest rates, which is widely expected to take place in the first half of 2015.
XAU/USD September 24 at 8:25 GMT
XAU/USD 1223.62.06 H: 1225.81 L: 1220.35
XAU/USD Technicals
- XAU/USD has been rangebound in the Asian and European sessions.
- 1210 is an immediate support level. 1186 is stronger.
- 1240 is the next resistance line. This is followed by resistance at 1252.
- Current range: 1210 to 1240.
Further levels in both directions:
- Below: 1210, 1186, 1156 and 1111
- Above: 1240, 1252, 1275 and 1300
OANDA’s Open Positions Ratio
XAU/USD ratio is almost unchanged on Wednesday. This is consistent with the pair’s lack of movement. The ratio has a substantial majority of long positions, indicative of trader bias towards gold breaking out of range and moving higher.
XAU/USD Fundamentals
- 14:00 US New Home Sales. Estimate 432K.
- 14:30 US Crude Oil Inventories. Estimate 0.7M.
- 16:05 US FOMC Member Loretta Mester Speaks.