Gold to face further downside pressure in the immediate term – HSBC

FXStreet Team FXStreet

The impact of news of positive COVID-19 vaccine trials on markets was electric, weighing on gold, which crashed below $1,900 per ounce. Strategists at HSBC believe more immediate-term downside is likely but the longer-term outlook remains positive for the yellow metal.

Key quotes

“Some of the risks (that had built into the market and propelled gold higher) came out of the market. Two outright bearish developments – a surging USD and jump in US Treasury yields – pulled the rug from under gold. A massive equity market rally showed that investors were increasing risk, which also weighed on gold.”

“The psychological relief and a shift in risk sentiment may still weigh on gold in the immediate term, possibly taking gold close to support at $1,800 per ounce. If the USD and US Treasury yields surge further, gold can come in under more pressure.”

“The broader economic climate (such as high debt, likely defaults and vulnerable asset price declines) is still gold-friendly. The risk now is whether the pandemic worsens and how quickly a vaccine can be made available – assuming it does provide protection from COVID-19. The fiscal and monetary response to the pandemic globally will remain highly accommodative. A Democratic administration with the commensurate likelihood of bigger fiscal stimulus packages to come will likely buoy gold. All this should continue to provide gold with a reason to go higher in the medium to longer-term.”

Author

FXStreet Team

FXStreet

Composed of a group of economic journalists and FX experts, the FXStreet content team produces and oversees all content published on FXStreet. It provides a purely journalistic approach to the Forex market.

AUD/USD bulls regain control above 0.6950 amid USD retreat

AUD/USD regains traction and extends the previous day's bounce from the weekly low, aiming for 0.7000 in Asia on Friday. The overnight pullback in US bond yields keeps the US Dollar below an 18-month high, which in turn offers some support to the pair. Meanwhile, hawkish RBA expectations also keep the major underpinned.

USD/JPY holds gains near 158.00 after Japan's weak Household Spending data

USD/JPY clings to gains around 158.00 after data showed on Friday that Japan's Household Spending fell for the ninth straight month, undermining the Japanese Yen. Meanwhile, the US Dollar remains depressed as the overnight fall in US bond yields counters a hawkish Fed and geopolitical uncertainties, could cap any downside in the pair.

Gold remains range-bound below $4,200

Gold has given up some ground after an initial bullish attempt to reach weekly highs, returning to below the $4,200 mark per troy ounce on Friday. The US Dollar’s strong upside momentum, combined with rising US Treasury yields across the curve, seems to keep further gains in the yellow metal under scrutiny.

Has Bitcoin really escaped the macro forces it was built to fight?

Over 17 years ago, Satoshi Nakamoto designed Bitcoin (BTC) on the back of a global financial crisis as an alternative to the global monetary system outside the control of central banks, governments and traditional intermediaries. This raises a key question: has Bitcoin really become independent of the macroeconomic forces it was built to challenge?

The Euro is not the sick man of Europe. France's bond market is

EUR/USD remains under pressure, near the 17-month low of 1.1161 reached on Monday. The pair has lost more than 7% since its yearly peak, as concerns over France's public finances increasingly weigh on the single currency. But behind the weakness of the Euro (EUR), the problem does not necessarily lie with the European economy as a whole.