Gold climbs to near 3-week tops amid weaker USD

Haresh Menghani FXStreet

• Persistent USD weakness underpins demand.
• Rising inflation expectations supportive.

Gold climbed for the fourth day in a row and is currently placed at the highest level in nearly three weeks, around the $1355 region.

Spot prices quickly reversed a knee-jerk fall to an intraday low level of $1317 on Wednesday and gained strong positive traction amid renewed US Dollar weakness, which tends to underpin demand for dollar-denominated commodities - like gold.

A positive beat to the US CPI print, although fueled expectations that the Fed might opt for a faster pace of interest rate hikes this year, further benefitted the precious metal as a hedge against accelerating inflation and remained supportive of the up-move.

Today's modest uptick could also be attributed to some follow-through technical buying, especially after yesterday's bullish break through $1348-50 supply zone. Hence, it would be prudent to wait for a follow-through buying interest before positioning for additional near-term gains.

Later during the NA session, second-tier US economic releases seem unlikely to act a major game changer but might still be looked upon for some short-term trading impetus.

Technical levels to watch

Immediate resistance is pegged near $1358 level, above which the metal seems all set to head back towards $1366 area (2018 high) before eventually darting towards its next major hurdle near the $1374-75 region.

On the flip side, the $1350-48 region now seems to protect the immediate downside, which if broken might prompt some additional profit-taking slide back towards $1340 horizontal support.

Author

Haresh Menghani

FXStreet

Haresh Menghani is a detail-oriented professional with 10+ years of extensive experience in analysing the global financial markets.

AUD/USD sticks to positive bias above 0.7100; lacks bullish conviction

AUD/USD trades with a positive bias for the second straight day, holding above 0.7100 in the Asian session on Friday as softer US bond yields keep US Dollar bulls on the back foot. Furthermore, hawkish RBA Governor Bullock's comments boost rate hike bets and support the Aussie. However, the Fed's hawkish outlook, along with geopolitical uncertainties, limits USD losses and caps the pair.

USD/JPY approaches 158.00 as Japanese Yen resumes decline

USD/JPY is resuming its upside in the European session on Friday, refreshing two-week highs and nearing 158.00. The Japanese Yen extends losses, despite the Bank of Japan's (BoJ) expected rate hike to 1.25% and hawkish Governor Ueda's comments, as two surprise dissents against the rate hike weigh on it.

Gold tests $$4,400 as softer US bond yields cap USD gains

Gold scales higher for the second straight day and continues to hit new weekly highs through the first half of the European session on Friday, with bulls now awaiting a sustained move beyond the $4,400 mark before positioning for further gains. Retreating US Treasury bond yields keep the US Dollar (USD) uptrend capped ahead of Fedspeak and mid-tier US data.

Bitcoin extends recovery, Ethereum eyes $2,500, XRP holds $1.30

Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Ripple (XRP) extend their recovery, trading above $76,700, $2,400 and $1.300, respectively, on Friday. These top three cryptocurrencies now face key technical levels that could determine whether their recoveries extend further or pull back.

Why Bitcoin's over 30% rebound doesn't mean the bear market cycle is done

BTC has staged a strong recovery after falling to a yearly low of $57,800 in July, gaining nearly 33% and recording two consecutive months of gains in July and August. However, despite that rebound, Bitcoin remains around 40% below its all-time high, leaving one key question for traders: is this the start of a new bullish phase, or simply another recovery within a broader bear-market cycle?

How Japan became the World's Banker and why that era may be ending

Japan's ultra-low interest rates helped finance trillions of dollars in global investments for more than a decade, making the Japanese Yen one of the world’s cheapest sources of funding. With the Bank of Japan expected to tighten policy again this week, that advantage may be entering a new phase. While most major economies raised interest rates, Japan remained the world's outlier.