Gold Choppy in Light Trade

Gold is stable on Tuesday as the spot price stands at $1155.83. In the US, banks will be closed for Veterans Day, so traders can expect reduced liquidity in the markets. The only release on Tuesday is NFIB Small Business Index, a minor event.

Gold prices jumped about 3% on Friday, as the metal reversed directions following sharp losses during the week. Gold took advantage of a weak US Nonfarm Payrolls report, which were well below expectations. Gold hit a low of $1130 last week, its lowest level since April 2010.

Mario Draghi and his ECB colleagues haven’t had much to cheer about lately, with the Eurozone stuck with low growth, weak inflation and high unemployment. Draghi has lowered interest rates to the bone, but the cuts have not improved the economic situation. The ECB has decided to focus on its balance sheet and has issued long-term loans to banks and purchased covered bonds. The ECB will begin buying asset-backed purchases later this month, so we could see the wobbly euro lose more ground. However, these moves may not be enough and Draghi may be forced to borrow a page from the book of other central banks and commence quantitative easing, which is the purchase of government securities.

Employment numbers have been strong in the US, and this played a major role in the Fed decision to wind up QE last week. However, US Nonfarm Payrolls, the most important employment indicator, disappointed on Friday. The indicator slipped to 214 thousand, well short of the estimate of 235 thousand. On a brighter note, the unemployment rate slipped to 5.8%, its lowest level in six years. On Thursday, Unemployment Claims fell to 278 thousand. This was better than the estimate of 285 thousand and marked a three-week low.

 

XAU/USD for Tuesday, November 11, 2014

XAU/USD November 11 at 9:55 GMT

XAU/USD 1155.83 H: 1158.48 L: 1146.12

 

XAU/USD Technical

S3 S2 S1 R1 R2 R3
1073 1111 1130 1156 1175 1200

 

  • Gold has been marked by choppy trading. XAU /USD tested resistance at 1156 in the European session.
  • On the upside, 1156 is fluid and could break during the day. 1175 is next.
  • 1130 is providing support.
  • Current range: 1130 to 1156.

Further levels in both directions:

  • Below: 1130, 1111, 1073 and 1041
  • Above: 1156, 1175, 1200, 1215 and 1240

 

OANDA’s Open Positions Ratio

XAU/USD ratio is pointing to gains in long positions on Tuesday, reversing the direction seen a day earlier. This is consistent with the pair’s movement, as gold has posted small gains. The ratio has a majority of long positions, indicative of trader bias in favor of gold moving higher.

 

XAU/USD Fundamentals

  • US NFIB Small Business Index.

*Key releases are highlighted in bold

*All release times are GMT

This article is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Corporation or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. Leveraged trading is high risk and not suitable for all. You could lose all of your deposited funds.

Kenny Fisher

Kenny Fisher

Market Analyst at OANDA
A highly experienced financial market analyst with a focus on fundamental analysis, Kenneth Fisher’s daily commentary covers a broad range of markets including forex, equities and commodities. His work has been published in several major online financial publications including Investing.com, Seeking Alpha and FXStreet. Based in Israel, Kenny has been a MarketPulse contributor since 2012.