Regular readers of my market analysis will know that I have been bearish on gold for some time, and despite the recent bullish trend which has seen gold move from the lows of $1170 per ounce to the high of late January at $1310 per ounce, have remained so.
China made progress in improving its economic structure in 2014, though its annual economic growth rate came in at a 24-year low, the country’s statistics authority said Tuesday.
As we come to the end of 2014 and look forward to 2015, for those trading and investing in gold the perspectives and conclusions will no doubt be very different and entirely dependent on whether you are a longer term investor in the precious metal, or a short term speculator.
As we come to the end of another trading year, very few traders would have believed oil would be centre stage along with the US dollar, and as the star of the currency of first reserve continues to shine brightly, that of crude oil continues to flicker and fade as OPEC maintains its policy of taking on the alternative energy providers head on.
Last week was an interesting one for oil traders, with the rally of Monday promising much, only for this move to be snuffed out during the remainder of the week, as the WTI Light Sweet Crude (USO, quote) contract for January closed close to the open at $65.84 per barrel.
To say the last few days have been a roller coaster ride for commodities would be an understatement, with both oil and gold providing some sensational trading opportunities, but for very different reasons. For gold, it was the Swiss referendum over the weekend, and for oil, it was the OPEC meeting in Vienna.
Brent crude oil (BNO, quote) dipped below $70 on to start the week as the commodity continued to free-fall following OPEC’s decision not to implement a cut. The commodity traded at $68.60 at 8:30 GMT on Monday morning as investors looked to economic data for any indication that the global economy could pick up.
The price action for gold throughout much of November could best be described as chaotic, with volatile days of price action subsequently followed by periods of relative inactivity, only to be replaced with extreme and unpredictable swings intraday. And perhaps the place to start with any analysis for the precious metal is on the weekly chart, for a more considered view of the price action.
Overnight China’s Central Bank surprised markets with a 25 basis point rate cut for 1 year deposits as well as the 1 year lending rate cut of 40 basis points.
Worries about the division between OPEC members remained a major driver of oil prices on Wednesday and drove Brent crude oil (BNO, quote) lower. The commodity traded at $78.73 at 8:45 GMT as investors kept an eye on the cartel’s debate over whether or not to cut supplies at next week’s meeting.
