- Gold price gains some positive traction on Tuesday, albeit the upside seems limited.
- Trade war fears, geopolitical risks and depressed US bond yields offer some support.
- Bets for a less dovish Fed underpin the USD and should cap gains for the XAU/USD.
Gold price (XAU/USD) attracts some buyers heading into the European session on Tuesday and builds on the overnight bounce from the $2,620 area, though any meaningful upside seems elusive. Concerns about US President-elect Donald Trump’s tariff plans, persistent geopolitical uncertainty and bets that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will cut interest rates again this month turn out to be key factors underpinning the precious metal. That said, a modest uptick in the US Treasury bond yields and some follow-through US Dollar (USD) buying might keep a lid on the non-yielding commodity.
Traders might also prefer to wait for more cues about the Fed’s rate-cut path before positioning for the next leg of a directional move for the Gold price. Hence, the focus remains glued to this week’s important US macro releases, including the closely watched Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) report on Friday. Apart from this, Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s speech will be looked upon for the interest rate outlook in the US. In the meantime, Tuesday’s release of the US JOLTS Job Opening data might provide some impetus and assist traders in grabbing short-term opportunities around the XAU/USD.
Gold price draws support from a combination of factors, upside seems limited
- Investors remain concerned that US President-elect Donald Trump’s tariff plans could trigger a second wave of global trade wars, which, in turn, acts as a tailwind for the safe-haven Gold price.
- The US Dollar looks to build on the overnight recovery from a multi-month low amid bets that the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates high for a longer period and might cap the precious metal.
- The Institute of Supply Management’s (ISM) Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) rose to 48.4 in November amid hopes of business-friendly policies from the incoming Trump administration.
- The CME Group’s FedWatch Tool indicates a nearly 75% chance that the US central bank will lower borrowing costs by 25 basis points at its upcoming monetary policy meeting later this month.
- The yield on the benchmark 10-year US government bond languishes near its lowest levels since late October and further contributes to limiting the downside for the non-yielding XAU/USD.
- Russia fired at least 60 North Korean missiles against Ukraine. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed that his country will invariably support Moscow until Russia achieves a great victory in Ukraine.
- Investors keenly await this week’s important US macro releases and Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s speech, which might influence the outlook for interest rates in the US and drive the commodity.
- Tuesday’s US economic docket features the release of Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) Job Openings data, though the focus remains on the Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) on Friday.
Gold price needs to strength beyond Friday’s high for bulls to seize control
From a technical perspective, Monday’s breakdown below a four-day-old ascending channel was seen as a key trigger for bearish traders. That said, mixed oscillators on daily/4-hour charts and the overnight bounce warrant some caution before positioning for a meaningful downside. Any positive move beyond the $2,650 area, however, might confront resistance near last Friday’s swing high, around the $2,666 region. The next relevant hurdle is pegged near the $2,677-2,678 zone, above which the Gold price could aim to reclaim the $2,700 round figure.
On the flip side, the overnight trough, around the $2,622-2,621 area, now seems to protect the immediate downside ahead of the $2,605-2,600 region. Some follow-through selling might expose the 100-day Simple Moving Average (SMA), currently around the $2,577 zone. A convincing break below the latter should pave the way for a slide towards the November swing low, around the $2,537-2,536 region.
US Dollar PRICE Today
The table below shows the percentage change of US Dollar (USD) against listed major currencies today. US Dollar was the strongest against the Japanese Yen.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | 0.10% | 0.01% | 0.30% | -0.03% | 0.03% | 0.10% | 0.19% | |
| EUR | -0.10% | -0.09% | 0.19% | -0.14% | -0.08% | -0.01% | 0.08% | |
| GBP | -0.01% | 0.09% | 0.30% | -0.05% | 0.02% | 0.08% | 0.18% | |
| JPY | -0.30% | -0.19% | -0.30% | -0.35% | -0.30% | -0.24% | -0.13% | |
| CAD | 0.03% | 0.14% | 0.05% | 0.35% | 0.06% | 0.13% | 0.22% | |
| AUD | -0.03% | 0.08% | -0.02% | 0.30% | -0.06% | 0.07% | 0.16% | |
| NZD | -0.10% | 0.01% | -0.08% | 0.24% | -0.13% | -0.07% | 0.10% | |
| CHF | -0.19% | -0.08% | -0.18% | 0.13% | -0.22% | -0.16% | -0.10% |
The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the US Dollar from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the Japanese Yen, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent USD (base)/JPY (quote).
