Crude oil’s breakout above key resistance and reclaim of the 20-day moving average suggest bullish continuation, with Fibonacci targets pointing toward higher resistance zones ahead.
Crude oil continued to strengthen on Tuesday into a new rally high of $104.36, thereby completing a 61.8% Fibonacci retracement before facing signs of resistance. Nonetheless, a daily close above the prior high of $101.36 confirms a bullish continuation and a reclaim of the 20-day moving average. Support near the average was confirmed with the session’s higher daily low of $98.68. The day’s advance triggered a breakout of a small bull pennant, as indicated by two inside days on the daily chart.
A confirmed reclaim of the 20-day moving average suggests that buyers may remain in control until higher prices are reached. At the same time, the market has recognized the 61.8% retracement zone and, therefore, further testing of support near the 20-day average may yet occur. Currently, the 20-day moving average is near $98.48. During the prior advance, the 20-day average was clearly confirmed as dynamic support before breaking during the sharp decline on April 8, highlighting its role as a key short-term trend reference.
Near-term resistance is at Tuesday’s high and a rally above it points to the lower swing high at $105.99, while a recovery above that level will signal a bullish reversal of the recent decline. The next upside target above that swing high looks to be around the 78.6% Fibonacci retracement at $110.51. Given the recent elevation in volatility, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a continuation of the current upswing into that higher price zone, provided momentum continues to hold above near-term support levels.
Strong support was seen recently at $81.94, leading to the current advance. That was a successful test of support near the 50-day moving average and suggests that a low for the correction may have been established. It also points to that average as a key dynamic support indicator. If crude oil can remain above that average, it continues to have an upward bias. A sustained recovery of the 20-day moving average shows the short-term trend strengthening, supporting the potential for continuation if resistance levels are cleared.
From the breakout above key resistance and completion of the 61.8% retracement at the start of the move, crude oil continues to build a constructive technical structure, suggesting that the recent rally phase may extend further if support levels continue to hold and momentum remains intact.
With over 20 years of experience in financial markets, Bruce is a seasoned finance MBA and CMT® charter holder. Having worked as head of trading strategy at hedge funds and a corporate advisor for trading firms, Bruce shares his expertise in futures to retail investors, providing actionable insights through both technical and fundamental analyses.