Gold needs weak economic data as a catalyst to push prices higher next week

Gold needs weak economic data as a catalyst to push prices higher next week

The gold market maintains its resilience in the face of significant headwinds; however, precious metals are in desperate need of a catalyst to push prices out of their current downtrend, according to some analysts.

After four weeks of losses, gold is heading into the weekend with a modest gain. December gold futures last traded at $1,9410.90 an ounce, up 1.27%. Despite the gains, analysts note that the gold market is generally stuck in a “wait-and-see” mode and next week’s economic data could create some critical volatility.

U.S. economic data continues to play an essential role in the sentiment in the gold market. The Federal Reserve has said that it will maintain interest rates higher for longer as healthy economic activity continues to support the tight labor market.

Federal Reserve Chairman Powell reiterated that stance Friday in his prepared remarks during the central bank's annual retreat at Jackson Hole. Although Powell provided little new information, he reiterated the central bank’s stance to bring inflation down to its 2% target even as it remains data-dependent.

“We are navigating by the stars under cloudy skies. In such circumstances, risk-management considerations are critical. At upcoming meetings, we will assess our progress based on the totality of the data and the evolving outlook and risks,” Powell said in his remarks.

Phillip Streible, chief market strategist at Blue Line Futures, said weak data with a focus on Friday’s nonfarm payrolls report could breathe some new life into the precious metal, providing an early signal that the central bank’s tightening cycle has ended; however, he added that the market has some significant hurdles to clear.

“Even if the market does turn around, investors might still hesitate to jump back in. Investors are going to take a more conservative stance on gold and silver in the near term. Prices need to get over $1,971 just to turn neutral, but prices are not even able to break above resistance at $1,951.”

While some analysts have described Powell’s statement as “dull,” they point out that the status quo remains a complex environment for gold.

Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at OANDA, said that gold’s upside momentum could be limited in the near-term.

“Comments from Powell have not put traders' minds at ease and the traders are increasingly being forced to come to terms with rates remaining higher for even longer, strengthening the dollar and weighing on gold again today. It remains above $1,900 currently, but only just. The Fed is clearly far from convinced that the job is done,” he said in a note.

While gold’s upside appears to be limited in the near term, so could its downside. Christopher Vecchio, head of futures and forex at Tastylive.com, said that with bond yields holding near a 15-year high, gold prices should be a lot lower.

He said that he suspects growing economic uncertainty in China and the threat of stagflation in Europe is helping to support safe-haven demand in gold.

“The Chinese government is going to have to throw a lot of good money at bad investments. This uncertainty is helping to raise the floor price for gold and silver,” he said. “I think the worst days for gold and silver are over. The market is not ready to run higher, but I expect we could trend around $1,900 for a while,” he said.

Some analysts point out that silver has already experienced a modest short squeeze as prices look to end the week with a 2.4% gain.

Vecchio added that any signs of economic weakness could convince the U.S. central bank that it doesn’t have to raise interest rates any further.

While the main risk event will be Friday with the release of the U.S. August employment report, several high-profile reports will be on the docket next week.

Next week's data:

Tuesday: U.S. Consumer Confidence, JOLTS job openings

Wednesday: ADP private payrolls, Preliminary Q1 GDP, pending home sales

Thursday: Core PCE, personal income and spending, weekly jobless claims

Friday: Nonfarm payrolls report, ISM manufacturing PMI survey

By

Neils Christensen

For Kitco News

Time to Buy Gold and silver

Tim Moseley

Powell leans hawkish as expected markets show no significant reactions

Powell leans hawkish, as expected; markets show no significant reactions

The highly anticipated speech by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powel at the annual Jackson Hole, Wyoming Fed symposium has so far had no major impact on the marketplace. Powell struck a hawkish tone on U.S. monetary policy, saying the inflation fight is not finished and the Fed “has a long way to go” to get inflation tamed to where the Fed wants it to be. Powell said the U.S. economy may not be cooling down like the Fed wants to see in order to choke off inflationary pressures. He said the U.S. central bank is prepared to raise interest rates further, if warranted. “We are in a position to proceed carefully,” said Powell. Some Fed watchers are saying Powell leaned hawkish, but maybe not as hawkish as some in the marketplace expected. Thus, the so-far muted reactions by the markets. December gold was last up $0.50 at $1,947.40.

By

Jim Wyckoff

For Kitco News

Time to Buy Gold and silver

Tim Moseley

Gold silver steady-weaker as Powell Jackson Hole speech awaited

Gold, silver steady-weaker as Powell Jackson Hole speech awaited

Gold and silver prices are steady to slightly lower in quieter midday U.S. trading Thursday, as traders are awaiting the marketplace event of the week, if not the month: the annual Federal Reserve symposium held in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The meeting gets under way Thursday evening. This meeting usually produces some market-sensitive news from world central bankers’ comments, including Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Powell is scheduled to speak at the confab on Friday morning at 10:05 a.m. EDT. December gold was last down $0.70 at $1,947.40 and September silver was down $0.152 at $24.245.

U.S. stock indexes are lower at midday, despite Nvidia’s knockout earnings and guidance reports Wednesday afternoon. Said Nigel Green, the CEO of deVere Group: “AI (artificial intelligence) is not just the future, it’s the present, and all investors need some exposure to it – but there’s much more than just this one California-based mega tech company.” The chipmaker beat estimates and said sales will jump another 170% this quarter due to soaring demand for AI chips. Shares in Nvidia jumped 6% on the earnings and guidance, which came after the closing bell Wednesday. “Nvidia is the darling of the AI boom – of this there is no doubt – and with robust guidance we expect this to continue for most of the rest of the year,” said Green. “Investors who are serious about building their long-term wealth need exposure to this pivotal driver of innovation, competitiveness, and profitability across almost all industries. We’re still at the beginning of the AI age and investors should not miss out on having an early advantage. Almost everyone should have investment exposure to AI as part of the mix.”

The marketplace is taking note of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) meeting this week. China President Xi Jinping was a no-show for a scheduled speech at the confab. Broker SP Angel says in an email dispatch: “We wonder what economic disaster Xi was having to address while missing his speech.”

The key outside markets today see the U.S. dollar index solidly higher, while Nymex crude oil futures prices are slightly up and trading around $79.25 a barrel. The benchmark U.S. Treasury 10-year note is presently fetching 4.227%.

Technically, December gold futures bears still have the overall near-term technical advantage. However, a four-week-old downtrend on the daily bar chart has been negated. Bulls’ next upside price objective is to produce a close above solid resistance at $1,980.00. Bears' next near-term downside price objective is pushing futures prices below solid technical support at $1,900.00. First resistance is seen at $1,963.50 and then at $1,975.00. First support is seen at today’s low of $1,939.20 and then at Wednesday’s low of $1,926.20. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 3.5.

September silver futures bulls have the overall near-term technical advantage. Prices are starting to trend up. Silver bulls' next upside price objective is closing prices above solid technical resistance at the July high of $25.475. The next downside price objective for the bears is closing prices below solid support at the August low of $22.265. First resistance is seen at this week’s high of $24.43 and then at $24.75. Next support is seen at $24.00 and then at Wednesday’s low of $23.475. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 6.0.

September N.Y. copper closed down 360 points at 377.25 cents today. Prices closed nearer the session low. The copper bears have the overall near-term technical advantage. However, a downtrend on the daily bar chart has been negated. Copper bulls' next upside price objective is pushing and closing prices above solid technical resistance at the June high of 396.40 cents. The next downside price objective for the bears is closing prices below solid technical support at the August low of 362.70 cents. First resistance is seen at this week’s high of 381.55 cents and then at 385.00 cents. First support is seen at Wednesday’s low of 375.70 cents and then at 371.60 cents. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 3.5.

By

Jim Wyckoff

For Kitco News

Time to Buy Gold and silver

Tim Moseley

Solid gains for gold silver as Jackson Hole looms

Solid gains for gold, silver as Jackson Hole looms

Gold and silver prices are solidly up in midday U.S. trading Wednesday, boosted by a weaker U.S. dollar index and a dip in U.S. Treasury yields at mid-week. More short covering by the futures traders and perceived bargain hunting are featured in the two precious metals. The technical posture for silver has significantly improved this week, which is inviting chart-based speculators to the long side of that market. December gold was last up $20.60 at $1,946.60 and September silver was up $0.91 at $24.36.

Traders and investors are anxiously awaiting the Kansas City Federal Reserve’s annual symposium held in Jackson Hole, Wyoming late this week. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell and European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde are set to give speeches. The speeches are expected to provide insights into the future monetary policy direction of their respective central banks. The ECB is expected to pause its recent tightening cycle at its September meeting, while U.S interest rates are expected by most to remain elevated for an extended period due to still-significant upward inflationary pressures. The marketplace will be listening closely for a potential shift in the Fed’s inflation goal. An upward revision to the Fed’s present target of around 2% annual inflation could have major implications for the U.S. bond market, particularly longer-dated U.S. Treasuries, likely increasing Treasury yields which are already at the highest levels since 2007.

The Wall Street Journal today reported general U.S. annual inflation has dropped to 3.2%, from a peak of 9.1%. While the Federal Reserve has forced about two-thirds of the problematic inflation genie back into her bottle, there’s still more work to do. That will very likely be the theme of Powell’s speech in Jackson Hole on Friday. Powell cannot err on the side of loosening monetary policy too quickly and potentially reigniting inflation that would likely become even worse than the latest surge. Thus, he’ll lean hawkish on U.S. monetary policy in Friday’s speech. ECB President Legarde is also likely to sound modestly hawkish, but probably less so than Powell.

The key outside markets today see the U.S. dollar index modestly down, while Nymex crude oil futures prices are lower and trading around $79.00 a barrel. The benchmark U.S. Treasury 10-year note is presently fetching around 4.2%.

Technically, December gold futures were up $19.20 at $1,945.30 in midday trading and near the session high. Short covering was seen after prices hit a five-month low Monday. Bears still have the overall near-term technical advantage. However, a four-week-old downtrend on the daily bar chart is in jeopardy. Bulls’ next upside price objective is to produce a close above solid resistance at $1,980.00. Bears' next near-term downside price objective is pushing futures prices below solid technical support at $1,900.00. First resistance is seen at $1,950.00 and then at $1,965.00. First support is seen at today’s low of $1,926.20 and then at this week’s low of $1,913.60. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 3.5.

September silver futures were up $0.89 at $24.335 at midday and near the session high. Prices hit a three-week high today. The silver bulls have the overall near-term technical advantage and have momentum. A four-week-old downtrend on the daily bar chart has been negated and prices are now starting to trend up. Silver bulls' next upside price objective is closing prices above solid technical resistance at the July high of $25.475. The next downside price objective for the bears is closing prices below solid support at the August low of $22.265. First resistance is seen at $24.50 and then at $24.75. Next support is seen at $24.00 and then at today’s low of $23.475. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 6.0.

September N.Y. copper closed up 485 points at 380.55 cents today. Prices closed nearer the session high. The copper bears have the overall near-term technical advantage. However, a downtrend on the daily bar chart has been negated. Copper bulls' next upside price objective is pushing and closing prices above solid technical resistance at the June high of 396.40 cents. The next downside price objective for the bears is closing prices below solid technical support at the August low of 362.70 cents. First resistance is seen at today’s high of 381.55 cents and then at 385.00 cents. First support is seen at today’s low of 375.70 cents and then at 371.60 cents. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 3.5.

By

Jim Wyckoff

For Kitco News

Time to Buy Gold and silver

Tim Moseley

Gold silver modestly up on short covering by futures traders

Gold, silver modestly up on short covering by futures traders

Gold and silver prices are a bit firmer in quieter midday U.S. trading Tuesday. Tepid short covering and some perceived light bargain hunting are featured in the two precious metals, after both recently hit five-month lows. December gold was last up $4.00 at $1,926.90 and September silver was up $0.15 at $23.485.

The marketplace is quieter amid the summertime doldrums and as traders and investors are looking ahead to the late-week annual Federal Reserve symposium held in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. This meeting usually produces some market-sensitive news from world central bankers’ comments, including Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Powell is scheduled to speak at the confab on Friday.

The key outside markets today see the U.S. dollar index higher, while Nymex crude oil futures prices are slightly down and trading around $79.75 a barrel. The benchmark U.S. Treasury 10-year note is presently fetching 4.326%.

Technically, December gold futures bears have the firm overall near-term technical advantage. Prices are in a four-week-old downtrend on the daily bar chart. Bulls’ next upside price objective is to produce a close above solid resistance at $1,980.00. Bears' next near-term downside price objective is pushing futures prices below solid technical support at $1,900.00. First resistance is seen at today’s high of $1,933.20 and then at $1,938.20. First support is seen at this week’s low of $1,913.60 and then at $1,900.00. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 3.0.

September silver futures bears have the slight overall near-term technical advantage. However, a four-week-old downtrend on the daily bar chart has stalled out. Silver bulls' next upside price objective is closing prices above solid technical resistance at $24.00. The next downside price objective for the bears is closing prices below solid support at $22.00. First resistance is seen at $23.75 and then at $24.00. Next support is seen at $23.00 and then at this week’s low of $22.71. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 4.5.

September N.Y. copper closed up 385 points at 375.70 cents today. Prices closed nearer the session high. The copper bears have the overall near-term technical advantage. Prices are still in a downtrend on the daily bar chart but now just barely. Copper bulls' next upside price objective is pushing and closing prices above solid technical resistance at 390.00 cents. The next downside price objective for the bears is closing prices below solid technical support at the May low of 356.50 cents. First resistance is seen at today’s high of 377.75 cents and then at 380.00 cents. First support is seen at today’s low of 371.60 cents and then at this week’s low of 368.45 cents. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 2.5.

By

Jim Wyckoff

For Kitco News

Time to Buy Gold and Silver

Tim Moseley

Solana Price Prediction as 300 Million Trading Volume Comes In Can SOL Reach 100?

Solana Price Prediction as $300 Million Trading Volume Comes In – Can SOL Reach $100?

Source: TradingView

The price of Solana (SOL) has dipped to $21 today, marking a slight 0.4% loss in 24 hours and a 15% drop in the past week.

Despite these falls, SOL remains up by 110% since the beginning of the year, following the successful rehabilitation of Solana as a layer-one blockchain since a 2022 marred by outages.

And with SOL's 24-hour trading volume rising beyond $300 million, it's possible that this weekend's selloff will soon turn into a rebound, with the altcoin remaining oversold and undervalued relative to its fundamentals.

Solana Price Prediction as $300 Million Trading Volume Comes In – Can SOL Reach $100?

Solana's chart and indicators show that the altcoin is close to reaching a bottom of its recent downturn, with its relative strength index close to falling to 30 and possibly 20.

Source: TradingView

At the same time, SOL's 30-day moving average (yellow) is descending towards its 200-day average (blue), and once it falls below the longer term average it would be reasonable to conclude that the coin has bottomed out.

It will be interesting to see how Solana's support level (green) will hold up in the next few days, given that the altcoin has actually fallen through several short-term supports in recent days.

However, it's unlikely that it will fall or stay below its medium- and long-term supports, with the coin potentially bottoming at around $20 or $19.

From there, SOL should make a decent recovery, especially when nothing has fundamentally changed with Solana. 

Solana's position remains as positive as it was prior to recent market-wide downturns, with the network recently celebrating 100% uptime in the past six months.

On top of this, Solana has also witnessed several important launches and expansions, with the Phantom wallet app, for example, rolling out a feature this week which enables users to be authenticated via only the use of their Solana addresses.

This points to growing usage of Solana, an impression backed up by the relatively high volume of NFT sales which are transacted on its network, for instance.

Given this steady growth, it's likely that SOL will return to $25 in the next few weeks, before making it to $30 or $35 in the latter months of 2023.

New Altcoins Offer More Potential

Solana's progress from here on out may be gradual though, leaving traders having to look elsewhere if they seek shorter term, above-average gains.

There are numerous sources of such gains, however, with presale tokens being particularly lucrative for those who manage to invest early.

While there are several promising presales happening right now, one of the most interesting belongs to Launchpad.xyz (LPX), an all-in-one Web3 platform that launched the presale for its native LPX token in July and has raised more than $1.3 million.

Due to launch in the final quarter of the year, Launchpad.xyz boasts a range of valuable features for users looking to delve further into the growing Web3 space.

This encompasses Web3 wallet addresses, a hub for play-to-earn games, a presale launchpad, a trading terminal, as well as trading signals and market intelligence.

Launchpad's ambition doesn't stop there though, since its ecosystem will also include a DEX and an NFT marketplace, as well as the ability to create and trade fractionalized assets.

Another thing that makes LPX even more attractive as an investment prospect is that it will be used to pay for platform fees and subscriptions, to obtain discounts, and also for staking.

As such, it will have much more utility than many other new coins, with the coin likely to grow in price in tandem with Launchpad's overall growth.

It's easy enough to join the coin's presale, with investors simply needing to go the official Launchpad.xyz website.

1 LPX costs $0.0445, a price that could end up seeming very low when the coin lists on trading platforms in the very near future.

Visit Launchpad xyz Now

Disclaimer: Crypto is a high-risk asset class. This article is provided for informational purposes and does not constitute investment advice. You could lose all of your capital.

Tim Moseley

Gold slightly up as marketplace looks forward to Jackson Hole

Gold slightly up as marketplace looks forward to Jackson Hole

Gold prices are slightly up and silver prices are solidly up in midday U.S. trading Monday, with gold poking to another five-month low in overnight trading. Short covering, corrective rebounds are featured in the two precious metals. However, rising U.S. Treasury yields to start the trading week and still-bearish charts are limiting the upside for gold and silver. Trading may be more subdued this week, ahead of the late-week annual Federal Reserve symposium held in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. This meeting usually produces some market-sensitive news from world central bankers’ comments, including Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Powell is scheduled to speak at the confab on Friday. December gold was last up $1.80 at $1,918.40 and September silver was up $0.442 at $23.175.

In overnight news, the People's Bank of China cut its one-year loan prime rate (LPR) by 10 basis points to a record low of 3.45%, while unexpectedly holding steady the five-year rate at 4.2%. Most economists had predicted a 15 basis-point cut. Monday’s move came after a surprising reduction in both short-term loan rates and the medium-term rate by the central bank last week, as it seeks to strike a balance between helping the economy and stemming further depreciation of the Chinese yuan. The Hang Seng stock index declined, headed for its lowest close since November. Reads a Wall Street Journal headline today: “China’s 40-year boom is over, raising fears of extended slump.”

The key outside markets today see the U.S. dollar index slightly higher, while Nymex crude oil futures prices are firmer and trading around $81.75 a barrel. The benchmark U.S. Treasury 10-year note is presently fetching 4.338%.

There is no major U.S. economic data due for release Monday.

Technically, December gold futures were up $1.70 at $1,918.20 in midday trading and nearer the session low. Prices hit another five-month low today. Bears have the firm overall near-term technical advantage. Prices are in a four-week-old downtrend on the daily bar chart. Bulls’ next upside price objective is to produce a close above solid resistance at $1,980.00. Bears' next near-term downside price objective is pushing futures prices below solid technical support at $1,900.00. First resistance is seen at today’s high of $1,927.90 and then at $1,938.20. First support is seen at today’s low of $1,913.60 and then at $1,900.00. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 3.0.

September silver futures were up $0.437 at $23.17 at midday and nearer the session high. The silver bears have the overall near-term technical advantage. However, a four-week-old downtrend on the daily bar chart is now in jeopardy. Silver bulls' next upside price objective is closing prices above solid technical resistance at $24.00. The next downside price objective for the bears is closing prices below solid support at $22.00. First resistance is seen at today’s high of $23.36 and then at $23.75. Next support is seen at today’s low of $22.71 and then at $22.50. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 4.0.

September N.Y. copper closed up 105 points at 371.65 cents today. Prices closed nearer the session high. The copper bears have the firm overall near-term technical advantage. Prices are in a downtrend on the daily bar chart. Copper bulls' next upside price objective is pushing and closing prices above solid technical resistance at 390.00 cents. The next downside price objective for the bears is closing prices below solid technical support at the May low of 356.50 cents. First resistance is seen at last week’s high of 374.90 cents and then at 378.00 cents. First support is seen at today’s low of 368.45 cents and then at the August low of 362.70 cents. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 2.5.

By

Jim Wyckoff

For Kitco News

Time to Buy Gold and Silver

Tim Moseley

Mixed sentiment highlights difficult environment for gold as bond yields remain elevated

Mixed sentiment highlights difficult environment for gold as bond yields remain elevated

Rising bond yields as the Federal Reserve looks likely to maintain its aggressive rate hikes are creating a challenging environment for gold Gold prices, and the mixed sentiment in the marketplace does not point to significantly higher prices anytime soon.

The latest Kitco News Weekly Gold Survey shows that Wall Street analysts are significantly bearish on gold in the near term, while sentiment is roughly balanced among retail investors.

According to analysts, rising U.S. bond yields, which hit a new 15-year high Thursday, remain a significant headwind for gold. They note that gold’s rising opportunity costs are also stopping it from attracting safe-haven flows as a slowing Chinese economy spooks investors.

“Yields are at a level that is supporting the Federal Reserve’s monetary policies and that is a tough environment for gold,” said Ed Moya, senior market analyst at OANDA. “There will be a time when gold is attractive again, but now is not that time.”

Despite the uphill battle, Moya said that he is neutral on gold for next week as bond yields could be close to peaking; he added that selling momentum in gold appears to be slowing.

“For gold selling pressure to remain, global bond yields might need to surge higher,” he said.

However, most analysts said lower gold prices are more likely in the near term. There are growing expectations that Federal Reserve Jerome Powell, speaking at the annual Jackson Hole central bank retreat next week, will maintain his hawkish bias and signal rates will remain higher for longer.

“The markets are now pricing in an extended period of elevated US interest rates, a dynamic that supports the dollar and is bad news for the precious metal. Against this background, gold prices are likely to remain under pressure, with the next significant support level at $1875,” said Ricardo Evangelista, senior analyst at ActivTrades.

This week, 16 Wall Street analysts participated in the Kitco News Gold Survey. Among the participants, ten analysts, or 63%, were bearish on gold in the near term. At the same time, two analysts, or 13%, were bullish for next week, and four analysts, or 25%, saw prices trading sideways.

Meanwhile, 941 votes were cast in online polls. Of these, 415 respondents, or 44%, looked for gold to rise next week. Another 386, or 41%, said it would be lower, while 140 voters, or 15%, were neutral in the near term.

Kitco Gold Survey

Wall Street

Bullish

Bearish

Neutral

VS

Main Street

Bullish

Bearish

Neutral

Adrian Day, president of Adrian Day Asset Management, said that while he expects gold prices to push higher in the next few months, investors shouldn’t ignore the near-term price action.

“It’s very rare to see a washout like this without seeing some follow through,” he said. “I think we should expect to see lower gold prices next week, but that won’t do anything to change the long-term outlook.”

James Stanley, market Strategist at Stone X, said that while he expects Powell to strike a neutral tone at Jackson Hole next week, it will be difficult for gold to shake its bearish technical outlook.

“[Powell will] have a little something for both USD bulls and bears without too much inference ahead of the September meeting, and I think removing some pressure from the situation could allow for gold to retrace some of this week’s losses,” he said. “I’m still retaining a bearish bias because spot Gold slipped below a big level this week at 1900 and that three-year range remains very much in play.”

However, there are still a couple of bulls in the marketplace. Michele Schneider, director of trading education and research at MarketGauge, said that despite the selling pressure, gold still holds critical support levels. The gold market has managed to hold support above its March lows.

“I’m not worried about gold,” she said. “I would be looking to buy at lower levels.”

  Gold price outlook remains bullish but record highs pushed out to the end of Q1 2024 – ANZ

By

Neils Christensen

For Kitco News

www.kitco.com

Time to Buy Gold and Silver

Tim Moseley

A dovish Powell could provide some relief next week for gold prices stuck at five-month lows

A dovish Powell could provide some relief next week for gold prices stuck at five-month lows

Growing worries that the Federal Reserve, in its bid to fight inflation, will keep interest rates aggressively elevated longer than expected is taking a significant toll on gold as prices end the week near a five-month low.

While there is still a lot of optimism that gold can regain its luster by the end of the year, analysts are warning investors that a lot of near-term technical damage has been done, and the precious metal has room to move lower next week.

Analysts note that although economic uncertainty is fairly elevated as China's economy shows signs of stress, the precious metal is not seeing much investor interest as a safe-haven asset. Rising bond yields, which hit a 15-year high Thursday, have become significant competition for gold.

Some analysts noted that it has become more compelling to hold three-month U.S. Treasury bills with a 5% interest than gold.

"The U.S. economy is not going to collapse overnight, so you would be foolish not to invest in short-duration bonds," said Adrian Day, president of Adrian Day Asset Management. "But short-term Treasuries is just a parking spot. It is not a long-term investment."

Day added that he remains long-term bullish on gold, but it is difficult to ignore the current weakness in the market. December gold futures are closing the week at $1,918.20 an ounce, down 1.4% from last week. This is the fourth consecutive week of lower prices for the precious metal.

Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank, said he also maintains a long-term bullish outlook for gold but sees a risk of lower prices next week.

"While we maintain a bullish outlook for gold, these developments also highlight the risk that gold may continue to struggle, attracting demand from investors until something breaks, either through a credit event, a weaker dollar, or the belief the FOMC has switched its focus towards cutting rates. Technical traders are unlikely to offer much support until the downtrend is broken and, until then, gold may be at risk of an extension towards [spot gold] $1865," he said in a weekly report.

The Federal Reserve continues to dominate the gold market

Although economic data could create short-term volatility in the precious metals market next week, analysts expect to see muted market action as investors wait for Friday as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks at the central bank's annual retreat at Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Recent economic data has provided little guidance on the health of the economy, but a growing choir of economists expects that Powel will strike a more dovish tone even as he says the central bank will keep its options open and remain data dependent.

"We view next week's Jackson Hole symposium as a good opportunity for Chair Powell to start laying the ground for the next evolution of the Fed's post-Covid policy guidance," said rate analysts at TD Securities. "Given recent favorable inflation and labor market data, we expect the end-of-the-tightening-cycle message to dominate Fedspeak in coming weeks as we approach the September FOMC meeting."

Michele Schneider, director of trading education and research at MarketGauge, said that even neutral comments from Powell would be enough to support gold prices as it would indicate that bond yields have peaked.

Schneider added that Powell is in a difficult place as he has tried to maintain an aggressive stance in the face of a slowing economy.

"There is still a lot of debate and uncertainty on the direction of the economy: are we going to see a recession, a soft landing, deflation, stagflation? Regardless, we know that we will see some negative effects from higher interest rates at some point," she said. "The Federal Reserve will be unable to maintain these aggressive rates when the economy starts to slow. They will have to cut interest rates even as inflation remains high and those expectations are supporting gold prices."

Although gold has seen solid selling pressure in the last four weeks, Schneider said that the market continues to show resilient strength. She pointed out that despite the selling pressure, gold remains above its March lows.

"I'm not worried about gold," she said. "I would be looking to buy at lower levels."

Technical damage has been done

While there might be a silver lining for gold next week, there are still some dark clouds hovering over the marketplace. Analysts noted that it has suffered significant technical damage, dropping below its 200-day moving average.

Alex Kuptsikevich, the FxPro senior market analyst, said in a note that spot gold prices could be on their way to $1,800 an ounce as the precious metal has seen only three positive sessions through August.

Gold's sharp decline began a month ago when the bears once again prevented the metal from consolidating above $1980, a critical resistance level since May," Kuptsikevich said. "On the way down in August, gold first broke below the 50-day moving average and then two days ago below the 200-day moving average. Both curves act as medium and long-term trend indicators. If there is no strong rally above $1905 today or Monday, confidence will grow that gold's downtrend is already established. The $1800-1810 area is a potential technical target in this case. This is where gold has been supported or surrendered many times over the past three years."

Marc Chandler, managing director at Bannockburn Global Forex, said that gold appears to be looking for a bottom, and next week's price action could be crucial.

"A Close above the 5-day moving average ~$1897, which it has not done this month, maybe the first sign that the downside momentum is easing," he said. "A move above the 200-day moving average (~$1906) would help stabilize the technical tone."

 

Next week's data:

Tuesday: Existing Home Sales

Wednesday: Flash Manufacturing PMI, New Home Sales

Thursday: Weekly Unemployment Claims, Durable Goods Orders, Jackson Hole Symposium

Friday: Fed Chair Powell Speaks at Jackson Hole

By

Neils Christensen

For Kitco News

Contact nchristensen@kitco.com

www.kitco.com

Time to Buy Gold and Silver

Tim Moseley

United Nations Insane Attempt At Global Digitization: A Plan To Control And Profit

United Nations' Insane Attempt At Global Digitization: A Plan To Control And Profit

For most of us, it feels like digitization has already permeated every aspect of our lives, whether we like it or not. Some, most notably UN Secretary-General António Guterres, believe digitization is nowhere near the worldwide goals needed. The world must be digitized as quickly as possible, ideally no later than 2030. 

As we didn’t vote for this, all we can do as citizens is forward petitions to governments opposing this invasion of privacy and top-down control. More often than not, it seems to fall on deaf ears as the politicians supposedly working for the people are getting orders from corporate lobbyists or unaccountable and unelected international organizations, not their citizens. 

The United Nations is one of the most influential of these organizations, and it recently released a plan for a “Global Digital Compact” that governments will soon agree to. This article summarizes these digital plans, when they’re expected to be finalized, and what we can do to stop them. 

The report is titled “A Global Digital Compact – an Open, Free and Secure Digital Future for All.” It was published by the United Nations (UN) in May 2023 after almost four years of work. 

 
Source: A Global Digital Compact.pdf

Incidentally, in a speech that António gave at the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Davos meeting in January 2023, he confirmed that the WEF and its affiliates have been forcing the UN's Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs using the Environmental, Social, and Governance or ESG investment trend. In other words, the WEF is effectively the arm of the United Nations. 

The good news is that the private sector isn't too keen to go along with the UN these days, per António's admission. The bad news is that the public sector is still very much on board, and António instructed the politicians at the WEF to ignore the opinions of their populations when implementing the UN's policies. 

The fact that the public sector is still on board means that some of the UN's policies could still be implemented. If you want a sense of what these policies will look like, consider that the UN recently took over the EU's pandemic passport to develop what is essentially going to be a global digital ID. The continued influence of the UN in the public sector is why it's prudent to summarize its recent report. It's necessary to know what they're planning and when they want to implement it if you want to sidestep or even stop it.

Report’s Brief Introduction

António himself apparently wrote the report; however, given the detail and scope of these initiatives and reports, many would find that very hard to believe. It's more than likely that someone is advising António, and it's possible he didn’t write these reports at all.

Speculation aside, the report begins with a brief introduction. In the first few sentences, António reveals that the proposals in this report are expected to be approved and adopted by global governments at the Summit of the Future in September 2024. He also reveals that he is behind the broader UN initiative this report is related to. 

Antonio underscores that all the policies in this report are intended to help achieve the UN's SDGs. For context, the SDGs are a set of 17 milestones that every country is supposed to meet by 2030. The SDGs are the origin of digital IDs, CBDCs, and that 2030 date you see everywhere. 

António explains that these policies can only be achieved with the help of so-called stakeholders. A word that effectively refers to the world's most powerful individuals and institutions. Note that private sector stakeholders want profits, and public sector stakeholders want to control. This is why both parties are obsessed with digitization. Plugging everyone into the system increases profits and makes it easier to control them. 

António laments that some people aren't as plugged in as others and implies that this is why inequality is growing around the world. Some would say that inequality is increasing because central banks and governments are lining their pockets and the pockets of their cronies using money printed out of thin air or taken from the average person via taxation, but that's a topic for another time. 

António also laments the fact that new and innovative technologies such as AI and crypto are not being sufficiently governed, that is, controlled. He applauds the digitization that resulted from the pandemic and implies that this is the direction the world should go in. António ends the introduction by saying, "Global digital compact is necessary to achieve the governance required for a sustainable digital future.” 

By now, you'll know that governance means control, and you'll also notice that António threw the word ‘sustainable’ in there out of nowhere. This could be a subtle reference to the individual carbon credit score system the UN is trying to set up.  

Requirements For Global Digital Cooperation

The first part of the report is about the requirements for global digital cooperation. António explains that it requires having a set of shared goals, and wouldn’t you know it, the SDGs are highlighted in blue. 


Source: A Global Digital Compact.pdf

António stresses that we must fully digitize the remaining 2.7 billion people ASAP. Notably, more than 1 billion are children. He acknowledges that not everyone wants to be part of the system and says that a “demand pull” is also needed and that this is where the public sector can play a role. He explains that they can do this by making things like digital ID mandatory to access Public Health Services. António includes schools and cultural services, which begs the question of whether we’ll eventually need to show a digital ID to get an education or practice religion. 

António calls on both the public and private sectors to make all their data accessible so that the UN can keep track of how close countries are to meeting the SDGs. He admits that the UN’s progress towards achieving 41% of the 92 environmental SDGs indicators cannot be globally measured due to a lack of interoperable data and standardized reporting. In other words, the UN has struggled to assess whether countries have achieved 41% of the SDGs by 2030.


Image source: UNStats.com

He then pivots to a topic he's been passionate about on X lately: Online Safety, AKA censorship. He says, “Open, safe, and secure use of the internet is slipping away from us, potentially, permanently.” He blames this on disinformation, hate speech, and the like. Antonio acknowledges that some countries have taken steps to censor the internet but says this isn't enough. He says the governments need to get more involved, both online and in the real world, and that they should crack down on hate speech. He also says that the “Global nature and infrastructure of the internet needs to be protected.” 

This is reminiscent of something António said in his speech at the WEF. He fears that the internet is splitting in two: A censored internet in the West and a censored internet in the East. Meanwhile, regarding AI, António says that the rapid advancement of technology is making governance, AKA control, very hard for the UN and its affiliates and that AI has put this on full display. 

Naturally, António is upset that AI is making it possible to generate so much content. “Imagine the disinformation”, he says. António does acknowledge that AI can be beneficial, but only if it is sufficiently controlled. He reveals that the UN has already been working with AI experts to assess how it can be controlled and how to make sure that it can always be shut down.

Lastly, António says that the “Arc of Innovation” needs to be bent toward solving societal problems and global challenges. Translation: AI needs to be used to manage the peasants. He says that governments need to be involved because businesses won't do this on their behalf. Some would say that some companies are doing the bidding of UN-controlled governments already, but let's not go there. 

Digitization Approach Similar To Climate Crisis?

The second part of the report is about the Global Digital Compact António is obsessed with. He starts by saying that digitization should be addressed in a manner similar to the climate crisis. This is quite concerning as it implies lots of regulation, intervention, and restriction of the internet. It would be ludicrous if they swapped out the climate crisis with some sort of AI-driven digitization crisis, but that would never happen, would it?

Speculation aside, António explains that the global digital compact he envisions adheres to the UN's SDGs, and the purpose of the compact would be to ensure that the SDGs are met. He hints that this will require “New governance arrangements.” In other words, more shady organizations. 

On a curious note, throughout the report, António refers to countries as “states,” presumably a term in the global government structure the UN is apparently trying to create. Antonio reveals that the UN is already actively discussing digitization with the states.


Member States of the UN

The Global Digital Compact Objectives

António then lists the global digital compact's objectives and the actions stakeholders should take to ensure these objectives are met. The first objective is to plug everyone into the matrix, and António provides a long list of measures, including subsidies and $100 billion of funding to this end. 

The above ties into the second objective: to invest heavily in digitization and “develop environmental sustainability by design and globally, harmonized digital sustainability standards, and safeguards to protect the planet.” It's a word salad that sounds like total control of digital technologies. 

The actions António recommends include money, money, and more money. They also encompass sharing data so the UN can finally start tracking how far along countries are in meeting the SDGs. For reference, there are only seven years left. It's safe to say that it's not looking good. Maybe they'll just rebrand like they did when their Millennium Development Goals failed due to the 2008 GFC.  

The third objective is to end the “gender digital divide” and to ensure that labor rights are adhered to online. Like all vague and ambiguous objectives, the actions required to meet them include some seriously dystopian stuff, including creating a dedicated UN government body in every country. 

The fourth objective is to ensure the internet remains open, secure, and shared. António's actions include avoiding blanket internet shutdowns but managing dissent or opposition. He suggests that governments use “targeted measures” instead.

This relates to the fifth objective: to address disinformation, hate speech, and the like to develop “trust labels and certification schemes” and to ensure that gender is included as a part of every digital policy to ensure absolute equality. Antonio proposes a long list of actions here, the most important of which is establishing a global code of conduct to ensure that the internet is policed correctly in every corner of the planet. After all, if there is a place where free speech still exists, opposition to the UN and its allies could start to spread. We can't have that, can we?

The sixth objective is to ensure adequate data governance, i.e., control. Actions include ensuring that all data is interoperable because nothing says privacy, like sharing your most sensitive data with every corporation, government, and organization on the face of the Earth. 

The seventh objective is to ensure adequate control of AI. Actions include “Urgently launching a global body that will regulate all of the AI in existence and any new AI that emerges.” António mentioned the UN half a dozen times, at least in this section. It sounds like they bought into the AI boom. 

The final objective is to ensure all other targets are met under the UN's SDGs. If you read through the report, you’ll see that António used “I” rather than “we” when recommending what action stakeholders should take to ensure these objectives are met. Those who often read reports may know this is rare in accounts by any organization. Some would say it speaks to the size of António's ego. 

Implementation Of Global Digital Compact

In any case, in the next part of the report, António discusses the actual implementation of the global digital compact. He starts by saying that various stakeholders will be responsible for different tasks. He then provides a long list of UN entities to assist with implementation. Oddly enough, António doesn't believe these existing UN entities are sufficient. He reveals that he wants to establish an annual digital corporation forum after all the world's governments agree to the global digital compact at the Summit of the Future in September 2024. 

What's hilarious is that he doesn't even ask for feedback about this idea. He literally says that he's just going to go ahead and start planning the agenda for this new forum. Would-be members of the forum already have homework. Every year, they will write an extensive report about digitization for the UN. 

António concludes the report by recounting how the UN began this digitization initiative four years ago and how he released an initial roadmap for it two years ago. A partial timeline is illustrated in the image below. Note that it doesn't end with that event in 2024. It ends with the World Summit on the Information Society review in 2025 instead.

 
Source: A Global Digital Compact.pdf

António then declares,

“The time for talking about the need for digital cooperation has long passed. We need to focus on how we make this a reality. We need to act now, and with speed, if we are to recover the potential of digital technologies for the equitable and sustainable development that is slipping away from us and the planetary crisis that confronts us.”

The remainder of the document provides a list of all the different UN entities and stakeholders involved in this particular initiative. Most people, including me, do not recognize any of the key players in the infographic (shown below), and many critical thinkers opine that the rabbit hole runs right to the center of the earth with each one. 


Source: A Global Digital Compact.pdf

How Do We Stop This Global Takeover?

So the big question is how to stop this Global Digital Compact. The answer could be as simple as letting history run its course or as complex as convincing public institutions to steer clear of it. The simple answer is to reference all the countless UN initiatives that never came to pass. As you can imagine, coordinating hundreds of institutions and thousands of individuals can be challenging. Everyone must be on the same page, or they won’t meet their international goals. After all, the world is pretty fragmented right now, and that's why António is so frustrated. 

Internationally, the global South is slowly cutting itself off from the global North. Domestically, political tensions are rising fast, and UN-affiliated ideologies are quickly becoming unpopular. In this climate, it's impossible to achieve widespread consensus. The fact that some of the UN's initiatives are bad for the average person makes the presence of countries not conforming to an agreement a problem. That's because regular folks will be able to compare outcomes and see what effects the UN has. And if we end up with some kind of financial crisis, it's guaranteed that the UN's Global Digital Compact or the SDGs will be of insignificant value. 

Consider that the 2008 financial crisis stopped the MDGs dead in their tracks. They were also on year eight of a 15-year journey. It would be uncanny if history repeated itself this year. But let’s play out a scenario for the sake of entertainment. Let's assume the UN somehow gets all its ducks in a row. In this case, convincing public institutions to defect from its digitization agenda will be extremely difficult. 

The UN can pressure them to comply using other public and private institutions. Some of the UN's digital initiatives, such as CBDCs, may appear appealing to the average person initially, which means there's likely to be lots of voluntary adoption at the outset. It's not until later that the populace will realize that they've sleepwalked into digital slavery. 

As such, the only solution would be to create an alternative system or help existing alternative systems grow. This is what the UN fears the most, especially when this alternative system consists of rapidly evolving technologies, such as ethical AI and cryptocurrency. 

Indeed, the fact that the UN fears these kinds of technologies proves that these technologies are a part of the solution. If the UN gets its way, it could also become a part of the problem. Thankfully, technology evolves much faster than the United Nations and is also much humbler than the UN's head honcho, so it's implausible that the stratagems of these self-serving globalists will reign. 

The great reset/agenda 2030 is falling apart, so always seek the truth and share it. The elites will try and take control by putting us in de facto digital prisons with CBDCs and digital IDs, but alternatives exist and are evolving. They will prevail if they're promoted, adopted, and crowdfunded.

Cryptocurrency will play a critical role in this decoupling between the average person and the corrupt institutions that rule them. Success is not guaranteed, but the pendulum is swinging toward freedom. The UN/WEF's self-confidence is waning as its stakeholders and countries realize how out of touch they are with ordinary people like us, so let's keep that momentum going.

 

 

Editor and Chief Markethive: Deb Williams. (Australia) I thrive on progress and champion freedom of speech. I embrace "Change" with a passion, and my purpose in life is to enlighten people to accept and move forward with enthusiasm. Find me at my Markethive Profile Page | My Twitter Account | and my LinkedIn Profile.

 

 

 

 

Tim Moseley

The Artist that came out of the Winter