By Elliott Wave International
Around the first week of the year, the outlook for gold was not looking promising, at least according to this Jan. 5 headline (Reuters):
Gold set for weekly decline as dollar, yields climb
The rally in gold which started in early October continued to struggle for much of the rest of January.
Even though the mainstream media was looking to so-called fundamentals — such as the action of the dollar or bond yields — Elliott Wave International focused on the patterns of investor psychology — as reflected by Elliott waves.
Indeed, on Jan. 24, the U.S. Short Term Update, a thrice weekly Elliott Wave International publication which focuses on major U.S. financial markets, said:
Spot [Gold] made its lowest close since January 17 today. Still, prices remain above $1972.89, which keeps the short-term bullish potential dominant. The [unfolding Elliott wave] should carry gold well above $2250 as the rally’s pattern progresses.
Keep in mind that when this analysis was offered more than two months ago, the price of gold was trading around $2013 — a far cry from our price target above $2250.
Now, fast forward to April 1 and this headline (CNBC):
Treasury yields jump to start second quarter
As you’ll recall, rising bond yields were mentioned in the media as a negative for gold back in January.
But what did gold do on April 1? Correct — it hit another all-time high.
Not only that, April 1 was the day that our price target was reached.
Here’s a quote from the April 1 U.S. Short Term Update:
The initial upside target for [Gold] was “above $2250,” which we first stated in the January 24 Short Term Update and reaffirmed throughout February and March. Gold hit this target today when spot prices pushed to $2263.64 intraday.
On April 2, gold traded even higher.
Remember, Elliott Wave International doesn’t make forecasts for financial markets — like gold — based on common beliefs about “fundamentals” which investors cannot count on.
Instead, we arrive at price targets based on Elliott wave analysis.
If you’d like to learn more about Elliott wave analysis, read Frost & Prechter’s Wall Street classic, Elliott Wave Principle: Key to Market Behavior. Here’s a quote from this “must read” book:
When after a while the apparent jumble gels into a clear picture, the probability that a turning point is at hand can suddenly and excitingly rise to nearly 100%. It is a thrilling experience to pinpoint a turn, and the Wave Principle is the only approach that can occasionally provide the opportunity to do so.
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This article was syndicated by Elliott Wave International and was originally published under the headline Gold: Setting Near-Term Price Targets. EWI is the world’s largest market forecasting firm. Its staff of full-time analysts led by Chartered Market Technician Robert Prechter provides 24-hour-a-day market analysis to institutional and private investors around the world.