Gold, Silver Hit 4-Month Highs On Bullish Chart Postures

2/24/2014: Gold and silver prices ended the U.S. day session solidly up and scored four-month highs Monday. The markets were boosted by slowly improving technical pictures. Gold saw increasing safe-haven demand amid geopolitical concerns. April gold was last up $14.30 at $1,337.90 an ounce. Spot gold was last quoted up $11.80 at $1,338.50. March Comex silver last traded up $0.283 at $22.065 an ounce.

The Ukrainian president was ousted over the weekend and is now in hiding and wanted for murder. The situation there remains very fluid. If violence escalates in Ukraine, much more risk aversion would enter the market place. The Ukrainian developments and some civil unrest and violence in Thailand are prompting increased safe-haven demand for gold.
There was a Group of 20 economic and finance ministers meeting in Sydney, Australia, during the weekend. The group laid out a plan for the major industrial economies to continue with their aggressive monetary stimulus plans, while at the same time called for the emerging countries to restructure their economies to contain inflation. The proclamation was mostly ignored by world markets. However, the confab’s declaration does hint that the major central banks of the world are going to be reluctant to cut back too much on their heretofore aggressive monetary policy easing measures.


Asian and European stock markets were pressured Monday in part on reports Chinese banks have ratcheted back lending to commercial property developers. Traders and investors have become more concerned about slowing economic growth in China the past few months. China is the world’s second-largest economy and the world’s largest consumer of raw commodities.

U.S. economic data for released Monday included the Chicago Fed national activity index and the Texas manufacturing outlook survey. Neither report had much of an impact on the market place.

The London P.M. gold fix is $1,334.75 versus the previous P.M. fixing of $1,323.25.

Technically, April gold futures prices closed nearer the session high and hit a fresh four-month high Monday. A seven-week-old uptrend is in place on the daily bar chart. Bulls have the overall near-term technical advantage. The gold bulls’ next upside near-term price breakout objective is to produce a close above solid technical resistance at $1,360.00. Bears’ next near-term downside breakout price objective is closing prices below solid technical support at $1,300.00. First resistance is seen at $1,350.00 and then at $1,360.00. First support is seen at $1,332.40 and then at $1,325.00. Wyckoff’s Market Rating: 6.5

March silver futures prices closed nearer the session high, scored a bullish “outside day” up on the daily bar chart and hit a fresh four-month high Monday. Silver bulls still have the overall near-term technical advantage. Prices are in a four-week-old uptrend on the daily bar chart. Silver bulls’ next upside price breakout objective is closing prices above solid technical resistance at $23.00 an ounce. The next downside price breakout objective for the bears is closing prices below solid technical support at $20.67. First resistance is seen at Monday’s high of $22.18 and then at $22.50. Next support is seen at Monday’s low of $21.52 and then at last week’s low of $21.315. Wyckoff’s Market Rating: 6.0.

March N.Y. copper closed down 240 points at 326.70 cents Monday. Prices closed nearer the session high and saw more profit taking. Copper bulls and bears are on a level overall near-term technical playing field, amid recent choppy trading. Copper bulls’ next upside breakout objective is pushing and closing prices above solid technical resistance at the February high of 332.00 cents. The next downside price breakout objective for the bears is closing prices below solid technical support at the February low of 317.50 cents. First resistance is seen at Monday’s high of 328.90 cents and then at 330.00 cents. First support is seen at 325.00 cents and then at 324.00 cents. Wyckoff’s Market Rating: 5.0.

By Jim Wyckoff, contributing to Kitco News; jwyckoff@kitco.com
 

Follow me on Twitter @jimwyckoff

Courtesy: Forbes.com