Central banks bought a record amount of gold last quarter as they diversified foreign currency reserves. Almost 400 tons were bought by central banks in the third quarter of 2022, more than four times the amount the prior year, according to the World Gold Council. That takes the total so far this year to the highest since 1967, when the U.S. dollar was still backed by gold. However, the heavy buying did not help much the price and the medium-term trend for gold is still bearish.
After peaking at $2,070 in March 2022 the precious metal lost its positive momentum and reversed its prior up trend. From its March high to its recent low the price lost 22% and we cannot rule out the possibility of gold declining slightly further in the coming month(s).
After the release of the latest U.S. Nonfarm Payroll report last Friday, gold staged an impressive $50 bounce. The current rally came amid speculation that China will ease its restrictive zero-Covid policies, short squeezing and weakening of the U.S. dollar index. On Tuesday the price posted another $50 move higher as Americans cast their final ballots in the U.S. midterm elections. The best election outcome for gold is a Republican win and a slower inflation pace in the U.S.
However, inflation data will be the major driver for gold this week. It is quite likely that gold would closely track the U.S. dollar index, which means Thursday’s CPI report will be crucial. Market expectations are for October CPI to come at 8.0% YoY, compared to 8.2% in September. The reason investors are so fixated with this week’s inflation data instead of the midterm election is that it seems highly likely the Republicans will win at least one of the chambers this week. Even if the Republicans win both the House and Senate, the positive reaction might be short-lived. Historically, midterms have been quite positive for equities, but only mildly supportive for gold.
The current upswing broke above its medium-term down trend line (marked with orange in the chart below) which is a significant development and shows that downside momentum is slowing down. The recent pull back of the U.S. dollar index has been a bullish factor for the yellow metal and has helped the current run. Further unwinding of long U.S. dollar positions should be beneficial for gold. Despite the latest strong run, both the price and the daily RSI indicator remain below their respective static resistance levels. To brighten the outlook for the precious metal, these levels of resistance need to be cleared. At this juncture in time the gold is trading sideways, fluctuating between $1,614 and $1,735 showing some indecision among market participants, reflecting the lingering uncertainty in global markets. A subsequent breakout from the current range is likely to determine the near-term direction of the metal.
