|

Gold positioning is extreme – TDS

Markets are now pricing in a coin flip on a 50bp or 25bp cut by the US Federal Reserve (Fed), but more than 175bps of cuts by March has already attracted massive positions into Gold. This explains the tepid reaction to the US Nonfarm Payrolls data, TDS Senior Commodity Strategist Daniel Ghali notes.

Gold remains near all-time highs

“We reiterate that macro fund positioning is at levels only matched by the Brexit referendum in 2016, the ‘stealth QE’ narrative in 2019, or the peak panic of the Covid-19 crisis in March 2020. Extreme positioning from this cohort has historically marked notable local highs in Gold prices and subsequent drawdowns that have ranged in the 7%-10% range.”

“While a notable beat on NFP may have helped to catalyze a repricing in expectations, it is not a necessary condition for Gold prices to fizzle out. Increasingly lackluster price action is also lowering the bar for CTAs to sell, with a big downtape already likely to catalyze selling activity from trend followers, despite the fact that Gold remains near all-time highs.”

Author

FXStreet Insights Team

The FXStreet Insights Team is a group of journalists that handpicks selected market observations published by renowned experts. The content includes notes by commercial as well as additional insights by internal and external analysts.

More from FXStreet Insights Team
Share:

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD steadies near 1.1650 ahead of US Nonfarm Payrolls

EUR/USD holds ground after five days of losses, trading around 1.1650 during the Asian hours on Friday. Traders remain cautious ahead of the US Nonfarm Payrolls report, which is expected to offer further insight into labor market conditions and the Federal Reserve’s policy outlook. December NFP is forecast to show job gains of 60,000, down from 64,000 in November.

GBP/USD: Further weakness could challenge 1.3400

GBP/USD remains under unabated selling pressure on Thursday, slipping to fresh three-day lows around 1.3415 in response to further improvement in the sentiment surrounding the Greenback ahead of Friday’s key NFP data.

Gold defends $4,450, looks to the crucial US NFP report

Gold struggles to capitalize on the previous day's goodish move up from the vicinity of the $4,400 mark and attracts some sellers while defending $4,450 in the Asian session on Friday. The critical US employment details will offer more cues about the Fed's rate-cut path, which, in turn, will influence the US Dollar price dynamics and provide a fresh impetus to the non-yielding bullion. 

Forecasts for Payrolls are all over the place

Yesterday’s data put the kybosh on the idea the Fed needs to cut rates fairly urgently to protect the labor market. The jobs component of the ISM services index was nicely over 50, and that rising JOLTS voluntary quits rate also points to no real heartache in labor.

2026 economic outlook: Clear skies but don’t unfasten your seatbelts yet

Most years fade into the background as soon as a new one starts. Not 2025: a year of epochal shifts, in which the macroeconomy was the dog that did not bark. What to expect in 2026? The shocks of 2025 will not be undone, but neither will they be repeated.

XRP slides as institutional and retail demand falters

Ripple is trading down for the third consecutive day on Thursday amid escalating volatility in the cyrptocurrency market. After peaking at $2.41 on Tuesday, its highest print since November 14 amid the early-year rally, XRP has quickly ran into aggressive profit-taking.