Research / Daily report / 20 October 2026
Daily XAU/USD macro context · updated through the day
Gold macro report — 20 October 2026
Summary
Spot gold (XAU/USD) was at 4,133.50, down 28.57 (-0.69%) against the prior session close of 4,162.07.
Over the past week gold moved -0.91% and over the past month -6.16%. It trades below its 20-day average (4,183.41) and below its 50-day average (4,349.58).
Momentum: 14-day RSI 46.8. Volatility: 14-day ATR 69.61 USD/oz. The 20-session range runs 4,072.58–4,394.01; the 52-week range 3,883.54–5,560.77.
The U.S. 10-year real yield stood at 2.90% (Treasury, 2026-09-28). Higher real yields raise the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding gold.
The US Dollar Index was 101.98 (-0.59% on the week), above its 20-day average.
Gold implied volatility (GVZ) was 22.58, below its 20-day average of 23.08.
CFTC data for the week to 2026-10-13 show managed money net long 107,089 COMEX gold contracts (−3,898 on the week). This is weekly futures positioning, not OTC spot flow.
Overall read: Defensive. This is a research summary of public data, not a trading instruction.
Regime filters
| Filter | Read | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Trend (daily close vs 20/50-day averages) | Headwind | Price 4,133.50 vs SMA20 4,183.41 and SMA50 4,349.58 |
| US dollar (DXY vs its 20-day average) | Headwind | DXY 101.98 vs 20-day 101.79; -0.59% on the week |
Price structure
| Prior session close | 4,162.07 |
| 20-day simple moving average | 4,183.41 |
| 50-day simple moving average | 4,349.58 |
| 14-day RSI | 46.8 |
| 14-day average true range (USD/oz) | 69.61 |
| 20-session range | 4,072.58 – 4,394.01 |
| 52-week range | 3,883.54 – 5,560.77 |
Macro drivers
| US 10-year real yield (Treasury par curve) | 2.90% |
| US Dollar Index (DXY) · 20-day average | 101.98 · 101.79 |
| Gold volatility (GVZ) · 20-day average | 22.58 · 23.08 |
| US CPI, year over year (August 2026) · core | 3.35% · 2.45% |
| CFTC managed money net, COMEX gold (week to 2026-10-13) | 107,089 contracts |
Sources
- gold-api.com · XAU/USD live spot — Live XAU/USD reference price
- COMEX GC=F daily candles (Yahoo Finance public chart data), scaled to spot — Trend, momentum and range statistics
- US Dollar Index (ICE DXY) daily closes — Dollar filter
- CBOE Gold Volatility Index (GVZ) — Implied volatility regime
- U.S. Treasury daily par real yield curve — 10-year real yield
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI — Inflation backdrop
- CFTC Disaggregated Commitments of Traders — COMEX Gold (futures only) — Speculative positioning
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