XAU/USD opened Thursday’s session with structured institutional demand, driving price steadily higher as buyers reclaimed control of key levels. The market is now poised at a critical inflection around the $3330 mark, where sustained flow will determine whether bulls can extend or stall beneath resistance.
✅ Early Session: Buyers Take Initiative from the Open
Institutional buyers entered firmly between $3334.50 and $3330.00, with strong ask-side lifting evident in cumulative delta:
• +2.684K @ 3334.50
• +3.82K @ 3333.50
• +1.034K @ 3331.00
Price advanced cleanly through VWAP at $3331.00, confirming initiative behavior and positioning for a test of higher value.
🔻 Mid-Morning Rotation: Sellers Test Structure, Value Shifts Down
Flow paused mid-session after failing to clear the $3335.00 ceiling. This triggered a brief rotation lower:
• VWAP was lost
• Value migrated down to $3326.00
• Tape slowed and execution clustered at $3324.00–$3326.00
Despite these shifts, passive buyers continued absorbing below, suggesting structure was under test rather than breaking.
🔁 Structural Flip at $3327.00: Buy-Side Reasserts Dominance
At 07:20 GMT, the market confirmed a structural reversal:
• +3.138K delta lifted at $3327.00, clearing a key ask wall
• Bid stacked immediately after → prior resistance became support
• Tape accelerated as buyers advanced toward session MOD
This repositioned the market with a clean upside bias.
⚖ $3330.00 – Inflection Point in Focus
As of 07:32 GMT, price is pressing into the $3330.00 MOD POC, which remains heavily offered:
• Ask stacked: 1.351K, showing some resistance
• Delta: –353, indicating partial absorption
• 3329.00 showed strength with +1.691K I Δ, confirming continued buy-side interest
A break above $3330.00 opens the door to $3333.00 and $3336.00. Failure to clear will likely result in rotation back to $3326.00–$3324.00.
📊 Key Intraday Levels – 22 May 2025
Level Role Market Context
$3334.50 Upper resistance shelf Rejection point on early session
$3330.00 MOD POC Tactical inflection zone
$3327.00 Structure flip base Must hold for continued bullish bias
$3326.00 High-volume node Value shelf, risk level for bulls
$3324.00 Passive demand layer Final support zone before liquidation path
🧭 JDR View – GMT Based Market Outlook
Gold is currently buyer-led above $3327.00, but tape has stalled at the MOD barrier.
If price clears $3330.00 with initiative flow, we expect immediate extension toward $3333.00, followed by a potential breakout toward $3336.00.
Failure to break $3330.00 would shift bias neutral, with a return to the $3326.00–$3324.00 demand zone likely.
We maintain a tactical bullish stance above $3327.00 while monitoring flow behavior at the $3330.00 threshold.
📆 Date: 22 May 2025
🕒 Session Window: 06:27 – 07:32 GMT
