8/5/2024
Gold and silver pressured amid global stock rout
OUTSIDE MARKET DEVELOPMENTS: U.S. stocks start the new week under heavy pressure as the rout that began on Friday continues. Asian and European markets were slammed overnight as well.
The VIX volatility index surged above 60, the highest level since the pandemic sell-off in 2020. While the VIX has moderated somewhat, it's still up significantly from last week when it was trading in the teens before firming into the 20s on Friday.
Signs of weakness in U.S. jobs data on Friday triggered recession fears. Markets were already on edge about mounting growth risks in China. The risk that the world's two largest economies could be heading into recessions sparked an exodus from just about every asset class.
Treasuries are a notable exception. Treasuries surged on risk-off buying and expectations that the Fed will now cut more than 25 bps in September. Fed funds futures put the probability of a 50 bps cut at 91.5% and 8.5% for a 75 bps cut.
The Fed chose to hold steady at the end of the July FOMC meeting just last week. The next FOMC meeting is 44 days away. The last time the Fed did an emergency rate cut was in March 2020 during the COVID crisis.
The other exception is the Japanese yen, which surged to 7-month highs against the dollar today. A lot of U.S. stock purchases were funded by the yen carry trade. Those trades are getting unwound after the yen bottomed in early July on expectations that the BoJ was pivoting to tighter policy. The BoJ did indeed hike rates on 31-Jul to a 15-year high of 0.25%.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned the G7 that an Iranian and Hezbollah attack on Israel is imminent. While Blinken reportedly said the buildup of US forces in the region was for defensive purposes only, worries of a widening conflict are elevated and may provide some underpinning for safe-haven assets.
GOLD
OVERNIGHT CHANGE THROUGH 6:00 AM CDT: -$29.61 (-1.21%)
5-Day Change: +$2.89 (+0.12%)
YTD Range: $1,986.16 - $2,481.63
52-Week Range: $1,812.39 - $2,481.63
Weighted Alpha: +24.87
Gold has retreated more than 4% (high to low) after gains stalled shy of the all-time high at $2,481.63 on Friday on deleveraging associated with the global markets rout. When investors run to the sidelines, even safe-haven assets frequently get sold initially.
However, once the dust settles safe-haven buyers will likely return to the yellow metal. When you consider that the Nikkei was down more than 12% today, one could argue that gold is holding up relatively well.
At this point, it's a question of where the buyers are likely to come in. The 50-day moving average has contained the downside since early July and comes in at $2,365.73 today. Good chart support marked by the 25-Jul low at $2,354.48 remains protected. The 100-day moving average ($2,340.21 today) should rise to bolster the late-July low by next week.
A close above $2,400 today would be mildly encouraging. While I envision a consolidation pattern developing over the short term, possibly a symmetrical triangle, an Iranian attack on Israel could quickly put the record high back in play.
CFTC Gold speculative net positions
The COT report for last week showed that net speculative positions fell by 26.5k to 246.6k. I suspect we'll see an additional contraction of the spec position this week unless things really heat up in the Middle East.
SILVER
OVERNIGHT CHANGE THROUGH 6:00 AM CDT: -$1.316 (-4.61%)
5-Day Change: -$0.839 (-3.01%)
YTD Range: $21.945 - $32.379
52-Week Range: $20.704 - $32.379
Weighted Alpha: +16.45
Silver extended to a 3-month low of $26.571 in early U.S. trading as U.S. recession risks were heaped atop existing concerns about the Chinese economy. Focus remains squarely on the downside on worries about demand destruction.
The white metal has pulled away on the downside from the 20-, 50-, and 100-day moving averages. The 20-day crossed below the 50-day in mid-July, indicating that the dominant trend is down.
The 200-day SMA climbed above the $26 level last week and now corresponds closely with the $26.049 low from 02-May. This level could provide a formidable downside barrier.
The white metal is already 3% off the intraday low, so there is some buying interest down here. Some of it is certainly profit-taking, but I imagine there's some bargain-hunting going on as well.
CFTC Silver speculative net positions
The COT report shows that the net speculative long position in silver fell 2.3k to 49.1k in the week ended 02-Aug. It was the second consecutive weekly drop.
A climb back above $28 would ease pressure on the downside somewhat, but resistance marked by last week's highs at $29.125/133 must be exceeded to suggest potential back to the $30 zone.
Peter A. Grant
Vice President, Senior Metals Strategist
Zaner Metals LLC
Tornado Precious Metals Solutions by Zaner
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