Oil prices leap higher.
Oil prices staged an impressive rally overnight having spent the week ignoring the gloom sweeping other asset classes. Official US Crude Inventories surprised by falling by a much higher than expected 6.40 million barrels. The slow return of production and refining post-Hurricane-Ida being the main culprit. The relentless rise in natural gas prices, now starting to cause nerves to fray in Europe, is also helping to elevate oil prices and is a situation that I believe will get much worse before it gets better.
Brent crude carved through $74.00 a barrel on its way to an impressive gain to $75.50 overnight, rising slightly to $75.60 in Asia. $74.00 now becomes a support/pivot point. China’s announcement that it is selling some of its strategic reserves to the domestic market has had zero impact on prices and dips to the $74.00 region should find keen buyers. Brent crude has resistance near by at $76.00 and if that gives way, Brent crude should target the $78.00 a barrel area.
WTI leapt 2.65% higher overnight, climbing to $72.60 a barrel, advancing to $72.70 in Asia. Any dips to $71.00 a barrel should be well supported, at least until we see concrete recovery progress from the Gulf of Mexico hub. A rise through the overnight high at $73.10 suggests a test of $74.00 a barrel, which could extend to $76.00 next week.
Gold flashes more danger signals.
Gold’s price action overnight flashed more warning signs to bullish investors as prices fell despite the US Dollar weakening and US yields remaining barely changed. Gold finished the overnight session down 0.60% to $1793.50 an ounce. Gold rally on Tuesday failed at the 200-day moving average (DMA), and the uninspiring price action overnight is a huge warning signal that gold is living on borrowed time at these levels, with the path of least resistance looking more like lower by the day.
Gold has resistance at $1808.50, the 200-DMA which caped gains so well this week, followed by the 100-DMA at $1816.50 and a formidable series of daily highs around $1834.00 an ounce. Support lies initially at $1790.00 followed by the more crucial $1780.00 an ounce zone. Failure there is likely to see gold fall rapidly to $1750.00 an ounce and potentially lower.
