Gold (XAU/USD) extends gains on Friday, with bulls aiming for a retest of the $4,600 resistance area, the top of the last six months’ trading range. Precious metals are gaining momentum, favoured by a sharp US Dollar selloff, following the announcement of a US Treasury plan to boost liquidity to repurchase long-term securities.
Rabobank analysts observe that “normally, lower Treasury yields weaken the currency through the interest-rate channel,” but this episode appears different. “This time, gold and crypto also rallied, suggesting concern about fiscal credibility and the perceived management of borrowing costs,” says the bank. Against that backdrop, the experts wonder whether “the end-result will be unchanged long-term yields, but a weaker dollar,” underscoring a potential shift in how markets are pricing US risks.
Technical Analysis: Bullish momentum improves above the 200-day SMA
XAU/USD trades at $4,582, retaining a bullish near-term bias although the Relative Strength Index (RSI) is reaching overbought levels in most timeframes. The precious metal has breached the 200-day Simple Moving Average (SMA), a very popular indicator among traders, but the daily chart shows RSI right at the 70 level, which hints at a stretched rally.
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) remains positive, with the histogram printing wider green bars, which suggests that dips are likely to be bought.
Bulls are focused on the horizontal cap near $4,590 (May 29 highs). Above here, the $4700 psychological level and May’s top at $4.4773 emerge as the next targets, although a bit far away for today.
On the downside, the 200-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) at $4,514 defends the bullish structure. A bearish reaction below that level would expose the previous top, at $4,450, and the August 14 low, near $4,310.
(The technical analysis of this story was written with the help of an AI tool. Know more.)
Gold FAQs
Gold has played a key role in human’s history as it has been widely used as a store of value and medium of exchange. Currently, apart from its shine and usage for jewelry, the precious metal is widely seen as a safe-haven asset, meaning that it is considered a good investment during turbulent times. Gold is also widely seen as a hedge against inflation and against depreciating currencies as it doesn’t rely on any specific issuer or government.
Central banks are the biggest Gold holders. In their aim to support their currencies in turbulent times, central banks tend to diversify their reserves and buy Gold to improve the perceived strength of the economy and the currency. High Gold reserves can be a source of trust for a country’s solvency. Central banks added 1,136 tonnes of Gold worth around $70 billion to their reserves in 2022, according to data from the World Gold Council. This is the highest yearly purchase since records began. Central banks from emerging economies such as China, India and Turkey are quickly increasing their Gold reserves.
Gold has an inverse correlation with the US Dollar and US Treasuries, which are both major reserve and safe-haven assets. When the Dollar depreciates, Gold tends to rise, enabling investors and central banks to diversify their assets in turbulent times. Gold is also inversely correlated with risk assets. A rally in the stock market tends to weaken Gold price, while sell-offs in riskier markets tend to favor the precious metal.
The price can move due to a wide range of factors. Geopolitical instability or fears of a deep recession can quickly make Gold price escalate due to its safe-haven status. As a yield-less asset, Gold tends to rise with lower interest rates, while higher cost of money usually weighs down on the yellow metal. Still, most moves depend on how the US Dollar (USD) behaves as the asset is priced in dollars (XAU/USD). A strong Dollar tends to keep the price of Gold controlled, whereas a weaker Dollar is likely to push Gold prices up.
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