Gold Technicals Target Lower LevelsThurs Jan. 27 —New York gold futures are off more than $100 from their all-time high at $1.432.50 an ounce. A technical correction is clearly underway in the gold market; the only question is how far will the bears press it to the downside.
THE CHART
Let's take a look at the technical factors in play currently, basis the Feb New York gold futures chart, seen in Figure 1, courtesy of Interactive Data (double click on the chart to enlarge).
TOP TARGET
First, gold bears successfully confirmed a bearish head and shoulders top on the daily chart, with the sell-off below neckline support (the rising trendline drawn off the Nov. 16 and Jan. 7 daily lows). That pattern projects downside losses in the neighborhood of $1,275.
TESTING SUPPORT
Looking at action on Jan. 27, the market is currently testing support at the $1,317 level, the Oct. 22, 2010 daily low. The past two sessions, Feb gold bears pressed the market below that zone intraday, but failed to force a settlement below that key near term support.
The bears woke up with a vengeance, however, Thursday and used the early strength as a selling opportunity. A settlement below $1,317 on Thursday would unleash another wave of selling to the downside.
RETRACEMENT
The next level a technical trader can eye is the 50% Fibonacci retracement of the late July-early December rally. The market has already cracked the initial 38.2% retracement support level, and will find a 50% retracement around $1,298.
KEY LINE IN THE SAND
Another important indicator to place on your daily chart is the 200-day moving average, currently rising and at $1,283. That is considered a proxy of the long-term technical trend. Gold bulls don't want to see the market decline below that floor, as it would likely spark some long liquidation from trend following system traders.
WEEKLY CHART
Shifting out for a different perspective, a look at a weekly Feb gold chart highlights a major swing high at $1,271, the June 25, 2010 weekly high. That level, previous resistance, is now critical long-term support to the market.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Adding up all the short-term negative technical factors, which include bearish positioning of short-term moving averages, a confirmed head and shoulders top, a break of 38.2% Fibonacci retracement support and simply an over-tired and over-extended bull market, traders should be prepared for additional downside correction over the next several days to several weeks.
MONITOR THIS ZONE
A confluence of technical support levels are seen below from the $1,283-1,271 zone. That should be an important and major chart area, which could be powerful enough to stall the bear's momentum.
If, however, the fury of long liquidation, panic and newly inspired short trades cause the $1,283-1,271 floor to give way, look out below.
According to traditional retracement theory, if Feb gold breaks 61.8% retracement support at $1,266, that could open the door for a retest of the starting point, or in this case $1,162, the July 28 low.
BEARISH SEASONALS
Gold bugs don't despair; seasonally this is a bearish time for the gold market.
According to the 2011 Commodity Trader's Almanac, published by Wiley: "Gold has a seasonal tendency to peak in late January after the holiday season, as jewelry demand starts to decline…Gold tends to post seasonal bottoms in late July or early August as demand increases when jewelers again stock up ahead of the wedding season in India and also when investors return from summer vacations."
Likely any continued dip in gold prices, whether it is several days or several weeks, will simply let a little steam out of an overheated market. Multi-month consolidation would not be out of the question from there.
BULLS STILL HAVE FUNDAMENTAL EDGE
But, with continued fiscal and structural issues hanging over major industrialized nations and amid the continuation of the United States quantitative easing programs, gold holds an important bullish fundamental edge in the months and years ahead.
Fuente:
http://www.sfomag.com/MarketSpotlight/M ... ms177.aspx