Spot silver is lower on Tuesday, but it’s still hovering near the record high at $64.67 set last week. So this isn’t a collapse — it’s the market backing off the top end of the range while traders decide whether today’s U.S. jobs report is enough to power a fresh leg higher, or whether a deeper cleanse is coming first.
At 14:11 GMT, XAGUSD is trading $63.56, down $0.53 or -0.83%.
The November labor data finally dropped today after the shutdown delay, and it painted a cooler picture. Nonfarm payrolls rose 64,000, beating the 45,000 forecast but still flagging sluggish hiring. The unemployment rate climbed to 4.6%, with the participation rate steady at 62.5%, which tells traders the soft patch is about demand for workers, not a surge in supply.
Wage growth slowed to 0.1% month-on-month, with annual earnings at 3.5%. That combination doesn’t scream inflation risk. For metals, that’s a plus: it nudges expectations toward a friendlier Fed path, or at least less urgency to stay restrictive.
Under the surface, the pattern still looks like a cooling economy. Health care added 46,000 jobs and construction 28,000, but transportation and warehousing lost 18,000, and federal employment dropped another 6,000. It’s not a hard-landing print, but it doesn’t argue for roaring growth either.
For silver traders, the message is straightforward: the long-term backdrop isn’t a headwind right now, so price action and levels are doing most of the talking.
Technically, the market is sitting closer to resistance than support. The record high at $64.67 is the clear ceiling; a decisive push through that level would reaffirm the uptrend and could trigger an upside acceleration as breakout traders and late longs jump in.
If price fails to clear $64.67, the risk is a rotation lower toward the 50% pivot at $60.53. That level has not been tested yet, so it’s the first meaningful downside reference rather than an area “holding” so far. A sustained move under $60.53 would open up room toward $56.65–$55.11, which would look like a proper short-term top instead of just a pause.
Bottom line: sentiment still leans bullish as long as silver trades in the upper part of the range, but the burden of proof is now at $64.67. If buyers can’t punch through, expect a run at $60.53 to see who really wants this market. If they do break the high, shorts will likely be on the back foot fast.
More Information in our Economic Calendar.
James Hyerczyk is a U.S. based seasoned technical analyst and educator with over 40 years of experience in market analysis and trading, specializing in chart patterns and price movement. He is the author of two books on technical analysis and has a background in both futures and stock markets.