Gold broke support at $1240/ounce to signal a primary down-trend. Declining 13-week Twiggs Momentum, below zero, strengthens the signal. Follow-through below $1200 would confirm. The sell-off is being driven by a rising Dollar.
Crude oil is also falling, with Brent Crude testing its 18-month low. Nymex breach of $92/barrel would also signal a primary down-trend.
From Nick Cunningham at Oilprice.com:
The glut of supplies and weak demand is causing problems for OPEC, according to the cartel’s monthly report. OPEC lowered its demand projection for 2015 by 200,000 and in August, Saudi Arabia cut production by 400,000 bpd in an effort to stem oversupply.
It is probably no coincidence, but lower oil prices will hurt the Russian economy. As Nick points out:
Russia needs between $110 and $117 per barrel to finance its spending, which means the Kremlin can’t be happy as it watches Brent prices continue to drop. Combined with an already weak economy, Russia could see its $19 billion surplus become a deficit by the end of the year.
Falling oil prices will benefit the global economy in the medium-term. Subduing Russia’s territorial ambitions will be an added bonus.