Silver Price Analysis: XAG/USD slumps into mid-$23.00s amid broad commodity sell-off

Spot silver (XAG/USD) prices came under heavy selling pressure on Monday in tandem with a broader downturn in the market’s appetite for risk and downside in other key commodities such as across energy and metals. Traders cited risk aversion relating to the increased risk of lockdowns in China with a Covid-19 outbreak now reported in Beijing, continued pessimism about the prospects for a peace deal in the Russo-Ukraine war and, perhaps most importantly, recent hawkish chatter from central bank policymakers.

Either way, XAG/USD was last trading down nearly 2.5% on the day just above the $23.50 per troy ounce mark, having broken below key resistance in the form of the 200-Day Moving Average at $23.85 and the March lows at $23.97. That means spot silver prices are trading at their lowest since mid-February, prior to the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with a modest downturn in global yields on the day as a result of risk aversion likely the only thing stopping silver crashing further towards $23.00.

But the bears will be confident in wake of the recent breakout below the 200DMA, with many calling for a drop towards support in the form of the Q4 2021 lows in the $21.00s in the coming weeks as the US dollar continues to rise on hawkish Fed sentiment and risk-off flows. The key risk events for traders to monitor this week include the first estimate of US Q1 GDP growth on Thursday followed by March Core PCE inflation on Friday, with the latter likely to endorse Fed plans/market expectations for a 50 bps rate hike at next week’s meeting.