Pity some of the poor banks of Europe - it seems that they are having difficulty finding others to loan them Dollars at a "reasonable" rate of interest. If I did not know better, I would say that they are being unfairly discriminated against merely because they have laughably pathetic balance sheets. Oh and did I mention that they have boatloads of Greek bonds hiding in there somewhere as well?
No worries however - the posse is right around the corner, riding to their rescue to save them from the usurious money lenders who would do them wrong. Yep, once again the Central Banks come running to the rescue of the pestilential bankers who continue in their parasitical role of leeches and ticks, sucking the life blood out of the financial system whenever their own greed and stupidity ensnares them in a web from which they are unable to extricate themselves.
"HELP! HELP! We might fail and take you all down with us UNLESS..."
The story never does seem to change does it?
Somehow this is supposedly good news for the global stock markets but then again I basically gave up trying to make sense of the insensible every since the bailouts began when Lehman collapsed back in the summer of 2008.
I think a rewriting of our school books on the causes of lasting prosperity are long overdue since what I learned back when is obviously out of vogue. Nowadays all that is required is liquidity, lots of liquidity. (I am reminded of that scene in the original "The Matrix" move when Neo and Trinity go to rescue Morpheus from the clutches of Agent Smith and need, "Guns, Lots of Guns" to do so). Substitute suitcases of borrowed-into-existence money and you get the general idea as to what is now considered the essential ingredient for true prosperity.
That brings us back to gold once again as it continues under assault from the Central Bankers who seemed deathly terrified of it making its way to the $2,000 mark. Ever since the takedown in the wee hours of the night as chronicled here http://traderdannorcini.blogspot.com/2011/09/central-banks-waging-war-on-gold-at.html gold has been on the defensive. That assault intensified near the $1880 level and it is that level which has thus far proven to have been unpenetrable.
Failing there, it subsequently retreated to a chart support level near $1840, which failed to stem its bleeding whereupon it then dropped to test the next support level near $1820. That too failed as did psychological support at round number $1800. It is now flirting with the next support region centered near the $1780 level. Failure there and it should try to test the level near $1755. Beyond this there is not a lot in the way of chart support until it gets down near the $1725 - $1730 region. We will have to see where the big buyers related to the upcoming festival seasons in Asia make their appearance to stem this latest setback in price.
Before gold can hope to get anything going to the upside it will have to recapture $1840.
The HUI is moving down towards stronger support near the rising 40 and 50 day moving averages. Once it failed to move back up and away from its former "gap and go" window near 608 after retesting that breakout level, technical selling has now taken it lower as some discouraged longs liquidate and some fresh short sellers reappear. It will take a push through 615 - 620 to see some of these new short sellers squeezed out.
Meanwhile, it has bounced off the level near 580, a level which some of you might recall had proven to have been incredibly stubborn overhead chart resistance for most of this year. It was not until this level was decidedly broken to the upside that we were able to see any strong move high in the mining shares. Now it is serving as downside chart support, which if it holds, will be very friendly indeed. This level also now closely corresponds to the rising 40 day moving average, a level at which some funds like to buy if they are playing the market from the long side.