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Gold stays under pressure

XAU/USD struggles to bounce back

Bullion whipsawed after the Fed's rate hike came out in line with expectations. The price’s failure to hold above the critical level at 1680 may have triggered a long journey to the south. The RSI’s oversold condition led to some profit-taking by intraday traders. But stiff selling could be expected in the former demand zone around 1700. The bulls, if there is any left must lift 1735 before a bounce could materialise. Otherwise, the precious metal may drift towards 1640 from the base of a bullish breakout back in April 2020.

XAUUSD

S&P 500 tests critical support

The S&P 500 plunged after another super-sized US rate hike. The break below 3900 has invalidated the recent bounce and put the buy side on the defensive. As sentiment deteriorates, strong selling pressure may continue to prevail. A fall below 3820 at the origin of a bullish breakout last July shows little buying interest left, and the index could continue to sink to the daily support at 3725 which is a critical floor to prevent a bearish reversal. The support-turned-resistance at 3920 is the first hurdle in case of a rebound.

S&P 500

US oil awaits breakout

WTI crude weakens over a gloomy economic prospect amid tighter financial conditions. Sentiment has remained fragile after the psychological level of 90.00 proved to be a tough level to crack for now. The current consolidation above 81.50 is temporary, and a breakout on either side would dictate the direction in the days to come. Only a rally above 90.00 could turn the mood around in the short-term. The bearish bias might take over and a breakout would resume the downtrend and send WTI to 78.00.

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Author

Jing Ren

Jing-Ren has extensive experience in currency and commodities trading. He began his career in metal sales and trading at Societe Generale in London.

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