{"id":51683,"date":"2026-03-18T14:27:25","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T06:27:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/uncategorized\/with-bearish-momentum-persisting-xag-usd-hovers-above-79-rangebound-in-asia-as-traders-await-the-fomc-decision\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T14:27:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T06:27:25","slug":"with-bearish-momentum-persisting-xag-usd-hovers-above-79-rangebound-in-asia-as-traders-await-the-fomc-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-ca\/live-updates\/with-bearish-momentum-persisting-xag-usd-hovers-above-79-rangebound-in-asia-as-traders-await-the-fomc-decision\/","title":{"rendered":"With bearish momentum persisting, XAG\/USD hovers above $79, rangebound in Asia as traders await the FOMC decision"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Silver (XAG\/USD) traded in a tight range in the Asian session on Wednesday. It was near $79.35 and little changed on the day, as traders awaited the FOMC rate decision.<\/p>\n<p>The rising trend line from $66.65 was broken near $83.45, pointing to higher downside risk. Price also sits below the rising 200-period SMA on the 4-hour chart near $83.00.<\/p>\n<p>The MACD moved back towards the zero line and signal line, with only small positive readings. The RSI is near 38, below the 50 level.<\/p>\n<p>Resistance is seen around $83.00\u2013$83.50, where the broken trend line and the 200-period SMA meet. A move above that area could target the mid-$86.00 zone.<\/p>\n<p>Support is near $79.00, with further support around $78.00. A break below $78.00 may open a move towards the mid-$76.00 area.<\/p>\n<p>The technical analysis for this report was produced with help from an AI tool.<\/p>\n<p>Given the upcoming FOMC decision, we are seeing silver consolidate around the $79.35 level with a clear bearish tilt. Recent economic data supports this cautious stance, as last week&#8217;s February Consumer Price Index (CPI) came in slightly hot at 3.4%, and the latest jobs report showed a robust addition of 250,000 non-farm payrolls. These figures suggest the Federal Reserve may maintain a hawkish tone, which would strengthen the dollar and pressure silver prices.<\/p>\n<p>For those anticipating a downside move, purchasing put options with a strike price near $78.00 could be a viable strategy to capitalize on a break of the current support. Selling call credit spreads with the short leg above the major resistance at $83.50 offers another way to profit if silver remains capped below this key technical ceiling. This approach benefits from both a drop in price and time decay leading into the post-FOMC environment.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, if we believe the Fed might surprise with a more dovish statement, the current consolidation offers an opportunity to position for a rally. Buying call options or initiating bull call spreads upon a confirmed break above the $83.50 resistance zone would be a tactical approach. Such a move would invalidate the recent breakdown and could signal a resumption of the broader uptrend we saw develop during 2025.<\/p>\n<p>The immediate uncertainty surrounding the FOMC announcement makes this an ideal setup for a volatility play. A long straddle, involving the simultaneous purchase of an at-the-money call and put option, would profit from a significant price swing in either direction following the rate decision. This strategy is best employed if you expect a sharp move but are unsure of the ultimate direction.<\/p>\n<p>Looking back, we remember the strong rally silver experienced from the low $60s to over $85 throughout the second half of 2025, which was fueled by expectations of rate cuts. The current weakness is a direct challenge to that narrative, further evidenced by recent outflows from silver ETFs, which have seen a net reduction of over 1.5 million ounces in the past two weeks. Meanwhile, the latest ISM Manufacturing PMI of 49.5 indicates slightly contracting industrial activity, creating mixed signals for silver&#8217;s industrial demand component.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Silver trades near $79.35 ahead of FOMC; broken trendline, weak indicators signal downside, with support $79\u2013$78.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":103,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-live-updates"],"acf":{"acf_article_selection_author":null},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/103"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51683"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51683\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}