Gold futures are gradually seeing a death cross form on the price charts that many technical strategists believe may cement a bearish trend.
A death cross occurs when the 50-day moving average, which many chart watchers use as a short-term trend tracker, crosses below the 200-DMA, which is widely viewed as a dividing line between longer-term uptrends and downtrends. The idea is that the cross marks the spot that a shorter-term selloff can be defined as a longer-term downtrend.
Presently, gold’s 50-day moving average stands at $1,884.88 an ounce, while its 200-day moving average is at $1,803.82, according to FactSet data (see attached chart).
Although, the 50-day remains above the 200-day by a little over $80, that represents just a 4.5% margin as gold’s price has been steadily under pressure in recent weeks as progress in developing COVID-19 vaccines has cast a bearish pall on the asset that had enjoyed a strong updraft above $2,000 during the period this spring in which fears about the spread of the pandemic seemed starkest.
At last check, February gold
GCG21,
Death crosses, or the inverse, golden crosses, aren’t necessarily good market-timing indicators, however, as they are well telegraphed, but they can help put a selloff in historical perspective, market technicians say.
The last time a death cross formed in gold was in June of 2018, according to FactSet data.
To be sure, many bullish investors still believe that gold’s path forward is for further gains in 2021, as governments across the globe continue to print money to fund their virus-stricken economies, a felicitous environment for bullion.
Weakness in the U.S. dollar
DXY,
A weaker dollar is seen removing one impediment for investors buying bullion using weaker currencies.
