Natural Gas price struggles to capitalize on the previous day's solid bounce from the weekly low and meets with some supply during the Asian session on Thursday. The XNG/USD currently trades around the $2.670 area, down over 0.10% for the day, though the technical setup favours bullish traders.
This week's pullback from a one-month high touched on Tuesday showed some resilience below the 38.2% Fibonacci retracement level of the rally witnessed since the beginning of this month. The subsequent rally back above the 23.6% Fibo. level adds credence to the positive outlook and supports prospects for a further near-term appreciating move. Hence, any subsequent slide might still be seen as a buying opportunity and is likely to remain limited.
The 23.6% Fibo. level, around the $2.65 region now seems to protect the immediate downside ahead of the $2.55 area, or the 38.2% Fibo. level. This is followed by the overnight low, just above the mid-$2.00s horizontal resistance breakpoint, which coincides with the 50-period Simple Moving Average (SMA) on the 4-hour chart and should act as a pivotal point. A convincing break below might prompt some technical selling and pave the way for deeper losses.
The XNG/USD might then accelerate the fall towards 61.8% Fibo. level, around the $2.40 region before eventually dropping to the $2.285-$2.275 area. The downward trajectory could get extended and expose the monthly low, around the $2.195-2.175 zone.
On the flip side, immediate resistance is pegged near the $2.755-$2.765 area ahead of the monthly top, around the $2.780 region. Some follow-through buying will be seen as a fresh trigger for bullish traders and lift the XNG/USD beyond an intermediate barrier near $2.915, towards reclaiming the $3.000 round figure. The momentum could get extended further and eventually lift Natural Gas price to the March swing high, around the $3.075-$3.080 zone.