XAUUSD - Not Quite Ready for Takeoff (Yet)

Been watching XAUUSD pretty closely the past few days, and it feels like we're still stuck in a bit of a tug-of-war. The immediate upside momentum seems to be encountering some stubborn resistance around the 2350-2360 area. Every time it pokes its head up, it gets a bit of a slap back down. I'm seeing a minor downtrend line from the recent highs that's keeping things in check, and honestly, it's not looking like a clear breakout candidate just yet.

My thinking is that we need a pretty decisive close above, say, 2365 to really get the bulls excited again. Anything less, and I reckon we're probably heading back towards the 2330-2320 support zone, if not lower. The risk that invalidates my current 'cautiously bearish' lean is a strong daily candle closing well above that 2365 mark. If that happens, then my whole mental model shifts, and I'd be looking for a retest of 2380-2400. For now, though, it's a grind, and the path of least resistance still feels sideways to slightly down until proven otherwise.