Precious Metals Outlook: Gold Faces Bearish Pressures Amid Stronger USD, Delayed Rate Cuts

Gold Weekly Forecast: Bearish

Gold prices remain intertwined with the US Dollar and Treasury yields. Key support at $2010 keeps XAU/USD from breaking down, despite persistent pressure. Silver encounters short-term resistance but maintains consolidation over the longer term.

The gold market faces headwinds in the week’s outlook, primarily influenced by the robust performance of the US Dollar and delayed expectations for interest rate cuts. Gold’s correlation with the US Dollar and Treasury yields is evident, as a hotter-than-expected Producer Price Index (PPI) print on Friday lifted the dollar and yields, weighing on precious metal prices.

The US economy’s resilience, surpassing expectations with GDP growth rates of 4.9% in Q3 and 3.3% in Q4, has contributed to the strengthening of the dollar and upward pressure on yields. The anticipation of the Federal Reserve’s first rate cut being pushed further into the future prompts potential readjustments in the dollar and market expectations.

Gold’s implied 30-day volatility diminishes amid prolonged global conflicts, limiting the precious metal’s upside potential as it tends to thrive in more volatile conditions.

Despite persistent pressure, gold shows reluctance to break below the key support level at $2010, with the weekly chart indicating lower highs since the end of last year. The narrowing price action suggests an imminent attempt to breach this support, with potential downside targets at $1984 and $1973. Failure to overcome the resistance zone could pause bearish momentum temporarily, with $2050 and $2075 serving as formidable resistance levels.

Silver, on the other hand, grapples with short-term resistance posed by the 50 and 200-day simple moving averages. The 200 SMA has consistently acted as dynamic resistance in 2024, limiting upside potential. The weekly chart showcases silver finding support at the 38.2% Fibonacci retracement, suggesting a longer-term mean reversion toward $23.90 and $25.00.

Traders are advised to monitor the response of silver to this resistance test in the coming week, as a breakthrough could open the door to a retest of $23.30.

In summary, the precious metals market faces challenges from a stronger USD and delayed rate cuts, with gold maintaining a bearish stance and silver navigating short-term hurdles for potential longer-term gains.