Gold held steady today in Asian and European trading and was flat for the week, consolidating near the $1,270 per ounce level and the 2.5% gain seen in July.
It remains close to a seven-week high hit this week, as the dollar remains weak and vulnerable near multi-month lows after five consecutive months of declines.
The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major peers, is languishing near 15-month lows hit earlier this week.
“All eyes” are again on the monthly U.S. nonfarm payrolls data due today amid continuing very high levels of U.S. and global political uncertainty.
Traders awaiting July’s employment repor for clues about the health of the U.S. economy after recent data highlighted risks to the downside. This is underlining how difficult it will be for the U.S. Federal Reserve to raise interest rates – even from these historically low levels in the current range between 1% and 1.25%.
The complete mess that is the Trump administration and U.S. politics was underlined again this week.
Robert Mueller, the U.S. Special Counsel, has convened a grand jury investigation in Washington to examine allegations of Russian interference in last year’s contentious election and has started issuing subpoenas, according to sources familiar with the situation said on yesterday.
The dollar looks very vulnerable to further falls. Trump and the Republicans have seen repeated failures. These include overhauling healthcare. Now there is multiple congressional and federal investigations into President Donald Trump’s campaign.
This is casting a shadow over his first six months in office and the vicious “civil war” politics that the U.S. finds itself in is casting a shadow over U.S. politics and America’s place in the world.
Gold is performing very well this year and yet sentiment remains poor with little media coverage of gold’s robust performance year to date.
Gold has outperformed stocks and the benchmark S&P 500 YTD with gains of 10.8% versus a 10.6% gain in the S&P 500. Much of the gains are due to surge in prices in the increasingly frothy tech sector.
Indeed, gold is outperforming stocks globally – the Euro Stoxx 50 is up 5.7% ytd, the FTSE up 4.8% and the Nikkei up 4.5%.
Silver gained 1% in July and is 5% higher so far this year.
Gold’s technicals look very good and it now trading above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages and looks set to target $1,300 again this month.
A daily or weekly close above $1,300 per ounce should see gold make quick gains and challenge the intermediate high of $1,361/oz seen 13 months ago. Next levels of resistance are $1,380 and $1,416.
A failure to breach $1,300 in the coming days and weeks could see gold fall back to test very strong support at $1,200 per ounce.
Updates This Week
News and Commentary
Gold dips in Asia ahead of US nonfarm payrolls (Nasdaq.com)
Gold steady after nearing seven-week highs, US jobs data awaited (CNBC.com)
Gold Holders Stay Loyal to BlackRock iShares As Investors Flee More Expensive ETF (Bloomberg.com)
Britain faces an ‘explosive debt trajectory’ in the next 50 years if it ends austerity (BusinessInsider.com)
Pound plunges as Bank of England holds interest rates and cuts growth forecast on ‘Super Thursday’ (Telegraph.co.uk)
Gold at half the S&P. Multi-year low? Source: Frisby via Money Week
Miners and emerging markets look good as does gold – Frisby (MoneyWeek.com)
Surprise! Gold Prices Have Beaten the Market So Far this Century (Forbes.com)
Risk, Uncertainty And Markets – Dr Gurdgiev (SeekingAlpha.com)
There is $300 billion worth of gold locked in the vaults of London (QZ.com)
World’s Biggest Pension Fund Rides Stocks to $46 Billion Gain (Bloomberg.com)
Gold Prices (LBMA AM)
04 Aug: USD 1,269.30, GBP 964.92 & EUR 1,068.37 per ounce
03 Aug: USD 1,261.80, GBP 952.41 & EUR 1,064.96 per ounce
02 Aug: USD 1,266.65, GBP 956.83 & EUR 1,069.56 per ounce
01 Aug: USD 1,267.05, GBP 957.76 & EUR 1,072.30 per ounce
31 Jul: USD 1,266.35, GBP 965.59 & EUR 1,079.06 per ounce
28 Jul: USD 1,259.60, GBP 961.96 & EUR 1,075.45 per ounce
27 Jul: USD 1,262.05, GBP 960.29 & EUR 1,076.53 per ounce
Silver Prices (LBMA)
04 Aug: USD 16.70, GBP 12.71 & EUR 14.07 per ounce
03 Aug: USD 16.47, GBP 12.50 & EUR 13.91 per ounce
02 Aug: USD 16.67, GBP 12.60 & EUR 14.09 per ounce
01 Aug: USD 16.74, GBP 12.67 & EUR 14.17 per ounce
31 Jul: USD 16.76, GBP 12.77 & EUR 14.29 per ounce
28 Jul: USD 16.56, GBP 12.66 & EUR 14.15 per ounce
27 Jul: USD 16.79, GBP 12.77 & EUR 14.34 per ounce
