Chart Of The Day: Economic Recovery Dims Gold Price Outlook

 | Aug 09, 2021 09:38

Friday’s nonfarm payrolls blew past expectations. The release showed that in July the US added more jobs during the previous month than it had in almost a year.

Though the NFP print provided another positive signal for the US's economc growth, it added additional pressure to the already-struggling price of gold.

As well, the unemployment rate declined more rapidly than anticipated, dropping to 5.4%, though 5.7% had been forecast. 

All of which has shifted investor focus away from jobs growth, one of the Fed's three mandates, toward the two remaining—stable prices and moderate long-term interest rates. Now that the economy appears to be heating up, the Fed will be forced to move more quickly on tempering inflation and preserving price stability.

Indeed, Fed President Robert Kaplan didn’t waste any time. On Friday, he advocated that the central bank begin tapering asset purchases "soon," fueling additional speculation on the timing of tightening monetary policy.

This shift in policy outlook, amid low liquidity, as investors have been focusing on Treasuries at the expense of gold, cleared a path for yellow metal investors to trigger stop-losses and exit long positions—which immediately diminished demand—fueling a flash crash as the trading week came to a close.

Here's how these fundamental and technical phenomena look on the technical chart. The pattern might also help us attempt to plot a course forward on the precious metal.