GBP/USD Price Analysis: Bears in control, but daily M-formation could be a spanner in the works

GBP/USD moves in on a weekly target at 1.2251.
Speculative shorts eye 1.2075 but the bulls eye a daily M-formation and 1.2450s.

Ross J Burland FXStreet

GBP/USD has been in the hands of the bears since breaking 1.3670 back in November 2021. The price is making its way into meeting a prior low of 1.2251 which guards a run to mitigate the imbalance of price between there and the 1.2075 May 18 2020 low:

From a daily perspective, the bulls are moving in, however, so there could be something of a correction underway at this juncture. The M-formation is compelling in this regard:

GBP/USD daily chart

The 50% mean reversion aligns with the neckline at 1.2450.

Author

Ross J Burland

FXStreet

Ross J Burland, born in England, UK, is a sportsman at heart. He played Rugby and Judo for his county, Kent and the South East of England Rugby team.

AUD/USD pulls back from monthly high but holds above 0.7000

AUD/USD retreats from the monthly high set earlier this Thursday, sliding back to 0.7000 during the Asian session as a further escalation of tensions in the Middle East undermines the risk-sensitive Aussie. However, recent hawkish comments from RBA officials could support the Australian Dollar. Furthermore, the prevailing US Dollar selling bias, despite Fed hike bets and geopolitical uncertainties, could limit losses for the pair.

USD/JPY declines to a one-week low; eyes trading range support near 157.50 on weaker USD

USD/JPY drops to a one-week low during Thursday’s Asian session, with bears now awaiting a break below multi-week range support near mid-157.00s before placing fresh bets amid a broadly weaker US Dollar. Despite bets for a December Fed rate hike and Middle East jitters, the recent decline in US bond yields keeps USD depressed near a three-week low. Moreover, hawkish BoJ expectations and intervention risks underpin the Japanese Yen, further weighing on the currency pair.

Gold weakens to near $4,110 amid broader strength in oil prices

Gold is down 1% to near $4,095 in the Asian trading session on Thursday on the back of fears that global inflation expectations could accelerate further due to heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

XRP and XLM recovery stalls below EMAs

Ripple (XRP) and Stellar (XLM) remain under pressure on Thursday as both struggle to sustain their recent recovery attempts. XRP trades below $1.36, while XLM slips beneath $0.183, as mixed derivatives metrics, weakening momentum indicators and heating market conditions suggest cautious market sentiment. Derivatives data shows weakening conditions for Ripple and Stellar.

The US Oil reserve hit a 44-year low. Now the barrels are coming back

Washington lent out a third of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve this year rather than selling it. The loans come due from now to 2029, and after the midterms, the reserve has nothing left to hold fuel prices down. The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve held 282.7 million barrels in the week to October 16, down another 300K, and lower than at any point since October 1982.

The US Dollar fell. Gold didn't rally. That tells you everything

Gold (XAU/USD) is struggling to capitalize on a weaker US Dollar (USD), after repeatedly failing to establish itself above the $4,200 level. The precious metal remains confined to a relatively narrow trading range despite a combination of developments that would normally support higher prices.