Market Recap 

XAUUSD
XAUUSD ended the session lower, settling at 4507.94 at 23:56, down 34.32 points (-0.76%) from the 4542.26 open. Price printed its high almost immediately at 01:02, reaching 4546.04, which stayed below the 4550 handle, and later marked the session low at 17:14 at 4490.62, briefly trading beneath 4500. The intraday range measured 55.42 points, equal to 1.22% of the open and about 56% of the current daily ATR. Into the close, the market recovered part of the downswing but finished 17.32 points above the low and 38.10 points below the high, placing the settlement in the lower third of the day’s range. Round-number levels were active, with an early failure to engage 4550, a break below 4500 during the afternoon, and a final print sitting 2.1 points under the 4510 handle. On the higher timeframes, the close remained below the D1 Bollinger mid at 4610.05, while the entire session traded beneath the recent 5‑day high at 4589.03 and above the 10‑day low at 4453.7. The day’s structure featured the session high within minutes of the open, an afternoon low, and a late partial rebound that left the market below mid-range by the bell. Overall, the move compressed relative to its typical daily amplitude, with the realized range a little over half of the daily ATR, and the close situated closer to the lower boundary of the day’s extremes.

USDJPY 
USDJPY ended the 22 May session at 159.19, up 0.26 (+0.17%) from the 158.93 open, after traversing a 0.36 range that equated to 0.22% of the opening level. The day’s low printed early at 158.87 at 00:25, while the high was set much later at 159.23 at 18:57, leaving the close in the upper portion of the range and above the session midpoint at 159.05. Price interacted repeatedly with the 159.00 figure across the session, held above the intraday floor set in the first half hour, and tested the 159.20 area into the evening before settling slightly below the day’s peak. From a higher‑timeframe perspective, the pair operated above the daily 21‑EMA at 158.45 and the 50‑SMA at 158.77 throughout, with the session opening marginally above the 50‑day measure and finishing well above both references. The recent 5‑day low at 158.50 was left untested, and the 10‑day low at 156.45 remained distant. Into the close, spot stayed above 159.00 and near the top of the day’s distribution, consistent with the late print of the session high at 18:57. No new multi‑day extremes were recorded, and the settlement above the moving averages and above the midpoint framed a session characterized by an early trough, a steady climb toward the evening high, and a finish near the upper end of the established range. 

Economic Calendar Recap & Preview 

Euro area data over the past 24 hours showed GDP quarter over quarter at 0.3 percent, unchanged from the previous 0.3 percent and matching the 0.3 percent forecast. Over the next 24 hours (server time), the calendar is empty: no scheduled economic data releases or central bank speeches are on the docket, so there are no release times, previous readings, or forecasts to flag for this window.