Market Recap 

XAUUSD+ 
XAUUSD opened the 08:00–23:56 session at 4679.51 and immediately set the low at 4678.06 at 01:00, before advancing through the round 4700 level and extending to a session high of 4749.37 at 17:00. By the close it settled at 4715.66, finishing 36.15 higher on the day, a gain of 0.773%. The intraday range spanned 71.31, which equated to 1.52% of the open, with price moving across several 10-handle steps from the 4670s to the 4740s. The close landed just above the session midpoint at 4713.72, leaving it well off the late-afternoon high but above the early trough. In terms of structure, the session began with a brief dip at the outset, followed by a steady climb that cleared 4700 and culminated near 4750 in the late US hours, then eased back into the final print. Notable round-number interactions included a clean test and hold above 4700 for much of the back half of the day, while the high came within a point of 4750. On the higher-timeframe backdrop, the daily 20-period simple moving average stood at 4695.22; price opened below that marker but closed above it. On the intraday side, H1 RSI(14) registered 46.28, remaining below the 50 threshold into the finish. Overall, the market closed modestly above the midpoint of the day’s range and above the daily 20-SMA after a session that progressed from an early low toward a late high before retracing. 

EURUSD 
EURUSD finished stronger on 2026-05-08, closing at 1.18 after a day that opened at 1.17 and spanned a range of 0.00666, equal to 0.57% of the open. The session low printed immediately at 00:00 at 1.17, and price worked higher through the day into a late high at 23:54 at 1.18, leaving the close within roughly 3 pips of the peak. From the open, the advance measured 0.0061, or 0.52%, with the session structure characterized by an early base around the 1.17 handle and persistent gains toward the 1.18 figure into the final minutes. Round-number levels framed the day: 1.17 held from the outset as the trough, while 1.18 was approached late and defined the high print ahead of the close. On the daily timeframe, spot ended above the 21-day EMA at 1.17, and the daily MACD signal was recorded at 0.0. In the broader context of recent extremes, trading stayed above the 10-day low at 1.17, with the close standing 0.013 above that reference. By the close, positioning sat at the top of the intraday range after a sequence of higher levels from the open low to the late-session high, with no subsequent retest of the opening trough. The day’s outcome places the finish at the upper end of the distribution, with the advance concentrated into the latter part of the session and little giveback into the final minutes. 

GBPUSD 
GBPUSD advanced in a narrow early session between 00:00 and 03:26 server time, closing at 1.35542 after opening at 1.35458 for a net gain of 0.00084 (0.062%), or 8.4 pips. The session traversed 0.00156, a 15.6‑pip range equating to 0.12% of the open. The low was set immediately at 00:00 at 1.35445, and price worked higher into a session high of 1.35601 at 03:11 before settling slightly off that peak. The close sat in the upper portion of the range, around 62% of the way from the low and about 6 pips beneath the high, indicating that most intraday gains were retained into the finish. Round-number levels featured: 1.3550 was regained after the early dip and held into the close, while the high aligned with the 1.3560 handle. On the higher timeframe, spot traded above the 20‑day simple moving average at 1.35333 throughout, with the session beginning roughly 12.5 pips above that measure and ending about 20.9 pips above it. The move unfolded as a progression from the open’s low toward the later high without a retest of the session floor, and no new extremes emerged after the 03:11 print. The pair remained well beneath the recent 5‑day high at 1.36426, leaving that level unchallenged during this window. By 03:26, GBPUSD had firmed modestly on the day’s net terms within a contained intraday band and finished closer to the top than the bottom of its established session range. 

Economic Calendar Recap & Preview 

U.S. labor data set the tone: nonfarm payrolls increased by 115k, slowing from 178k previously but above the 90k forecast, while the unemployment rate held at 4.3 percent, matching both the prior and the consensus. The next 24 hours are quiet on the data front, with attention centered on a speech by Fed Governor Bowman at 02:30 server time. Markets will parse her remarks for cues on the balance between inflation progress and growth dynamics; a more hawkish framing typically supports higher front-end yields, whereas a softer tone could reinforce expectations for policy easing. With no scheduled releases to anchor price action, any guidance on the policy reaction function, labor market tightness, or the tolerance for inflation deviations could have an outsized impact on rate expectations. Headline risk around the appearance may generate brief volatility, particularly if comments touch on the timing or conditions for future rate adjustments.