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Originally published June 7th, 2009.
Gold did embark on a new intermediate uptrend as predicted in the last Gold
Market update posted towards the end of April, however, the uptrend was not
as strong as expected and it failed to break out to new dollar highs and is
now starting to weaken again without mounting a serious challenge of the highs
first. This is bearish for the short to medium-term.
On the 6-month chart we can see the modest uptrend in force from the start
of May and how it took the price up towards $1,000 again, resulting in a gain
of about $100. Last week it showed signs of serious technical deterioration
as it buckled beneath the resistance approaching $1,000. This was hardly surprising
given that the oversold dollar bounced strongly from important support, a reversal
that projects a dollar rally to higher levels. So far gold's intermediate uptrend
has not been violated, but the double "bearish engulfing pattern " that showed
up on the chart during last week does suggest that a breakdown is pending,
that will be followed by a significant reaction, although the fast neutralizing
RSI indicator does suggest that this breakdown will probably be preceded by
a brief bounce early this week. How far will a reaction carry? - it is expected
to take gold back towards, but not necessarily right down to the support zone
shown on the chart in the $880 area.

Despite the prospect of an immediate reaction the longer-term picture for
gold looks positive. On the 2-year chart we can see that a high level Head-and-Shoulders
top appears to be approaching completion, beneath a neckline at the resistance
level approaching the highs. If this interpretation is correct then after the
anticipated reactive phase is complete gold should turn up again and break
out to new highs. Traders should note that the support and resistance levels
shown are very important - failure of the support will be bearish and be viewed
as a sell signal. On the other hand, a breakout above the resistance to new
highs should lead to a sustained and substantial uptrend.

Since it is the reversal in the dollar that put the Precious Metals sector
under such pressure last week, it is worth taking a quick look at the dollar
chart. On the 6-month chart for the dollar index we can see that by early last
week it had arrived in an important support zone in a severely oversold condition,
which is an important factor that led us to thin
our positions in the sector. The magnitude of the rebound, with 2 large
white candlestocks appearing, is a signal that the dollar is probably making
an intermediate reversal and therefore should enter a recovery uptrend in coming
weeks that will put further pressure on the Precious Metals sector. How far
might the dollar rally? At this point the 83 area looks like a reasonable target.

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