•Gold prices were little changed on Thursday ahead of Sino-U.S. trade negotiations, while demand for government bonds, Japanese yen and a key technical resistance limited gains for the safe-haven metal.
Spot gold edged up 0.2 percent to $1,283.41 per ounce at 0741 GMT. U.S. gold futures were also 0.2 percent higher at $1,284.10.
•“We are not in the flight to safety or panic mode despite the risk-averse market we are seeing right now and that’s why we are not seeing gold prices rally,” said David Song, an analyst at DailyFX.
Gold prices closed near session lows on Wednesday after climbing to their highest since April 15 at $1,291.39.
“There is still some hope that there could be a deal between U.S. and China. We are watching $1,250-$1,260 levels with 200-day moving average a key factor for gold,” Song said, adding that the Japanese yen’s uptick has benefited from the risk-off sentiment in global markets.
•The dollar has sagged against the Japanese currency, stocks have retreated and government bonds have surged in turn.
Washington has accused Beijing of backtracking on commitments made during trade negotiations and U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to hike existing tariffs on Chinese goods on Friday and impose fresh levies soon if there is no deal.
•While gold has managed to draw support due to risk-averse markets, prices have not been able to register a significant uptrend with $1,290 levels further acting as a key technical barrier.
“The precious metal has struggled to hold bullish gains as technical overview remains negative for the current term,” Singapore-based Phillip Futures said in a note.
“A continuation of the negative trend scenario during intraday trading session will see market forces test the key support of $1,274.”
•Spot gold may fall into a range of $1,267-$1,274, as it failed to break a resistance at $1,291 per ounce, according to Reuters technical analyst Wang Tao.
•GOLD TECHNICAL ANALYSIS
The pullback in gold prices left behind a large wick after testing the descending resistance line from February. Overall, gold’s downtrend remains intact since the bearish Evening Star from its peak just under 1346.75. But, it is running out of room to consolidate with the rising support line from August 2018 just below it. Every day of trading brings it closer to a breakout, be it up or down.
•Analysts at UBS remain optimistic on the gold-price outlook, given the prices have managed to hold onto the 1280 support zone.
Key Quotes:
“We think near-term pressure on gold is understandable.
Prices managing to hold above the $1280 support area is encouraging.
This consolidation as an opportunity to gradually build a strategic position in gold.
But for now, the extent of the dovish shift in fed expectations has made gold vulnerable to improvement in the data during a time when physical markets tend to be quieter.
•Among other metals, silver was steady at $14.83 an ounce, while platinum was up 0.2 percent at $857.88.
Palladium shed 1.1 percent to $1,303.54 an ounce, having touched $1,295 its lowest since Jan. 8, earlier in the session.
Reference : Reuters, Daily FX, FX Street
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