• Gold price struggles to capitalize on the previous day’s modest gains amid mixed cues.
  • A modest USD uptick weighs on the commodity, though the downside remains limited.
  • Traders keenly await a potential Trump-Xi call and the crucial US NFP report on Friday.

Gold price (XAU/USD) lacks any firm intraday directional bias on Thursday and oscillates in a narrow trading band through the first half of the European session. The commodity, however, remains close to a multi-week top touched on Tuesday and seems poised to appreciate further amid a combination of supporting factors. Investors remain on edge amid rising geopolitical risks and persistent trade-related uncertainties. This might continue to act as a tailwind for the safe-haven precious ahead of potential talks between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Meanwhile, Wednesday's disappointing US economic data reaffirmed market bets that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will cut interest rates further in 2025. This, along with US fiscal concerns, fails to assist the US Dollar (USD) to attract any meaningful buyers and validates the near-term positive outlook for the non-yielding Gold price. Traders, however, seem reluctant and opt to wait for the release of the US Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) report on Friday. Nevertheless, the fundamental backdrop suggests that any corrective slide could be seen as a buying opportunity and remain cushioned.

Daily Digest Market Movers: Gold price bulls remain on the sidelines; Trump-Xi call, US NFP report awaited

  • Automatic Data Processing (ADP) reported on Wednesday that US private sector employers added only 37K jobs in May, below consensus estimates and marking the lowest level since March 2023. Adding to this, April's reading was revised to 60K from 62K reported originally.
  • Furthermore, a survey from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) showed that business activity in the US services sector unexpectedly contracted in May for the first time since June 2024. In fact, the US ISM Services PMI dropped to 49.9 last month from 51.6 in April.
  • The rate-sensitive two-year and the benchmark 10-year US Treasury yields fell to the lowest level since May 9 amid bets that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates in September. Moreover, US President Donald Trump pressed Fed Chair Jerome Powell to lower rates.
  • Dovish Fed expectations, along with concerns that the US budget deficit could worsen at a faster pace than expected on the back of Trump’s flagship tax and spending bill, fail to assist the US Dollar in attracting buyers. This lends some support to the non-yielding Gold price.
  • The increase in steel and aluminum import tariffs from 25% to 50% came into effect on Wednesday. This comes ahead of the high-stakes call between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping and amid renewed fears of a trade war between the world's two largest economies.
  • Trump said that he had spoken again to Russian President Vladimir Putin and that the Kremlin leader vowed to retaliate against the Ukrainian attack Russian bombers. Trump added that a Ukraine ceasefire remained distant, which keeps the geopolitical risk premium in play.
  • The US vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire in Gaza for the fifth time. Meanwhile, Israeli strikes across Gaza have killed nearly 100 Palestinians in the past 24 hours amid a humanitarian aid blockade.
  • Traders now look forward to the release of the usual Weekly Initial Jobless Claims data from the US. Apart from this, speeches from influential FOMC members could provide some impetus in the run-up to the highly-anticipated US Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) report on Friday.

Gold price needs to surpass the $3,385 immediate hurdle for bulls to seize near-term control

From a technical perspective, this week's breakout above the $3,324-3,326 barrier was seen as a key trigger for bulls. Moreover, oscillators on daily/hourly charts are holding comfortably in positive territory and suggest that the path of least resistance for the Gold price remains to the upside. However, it will be prudent to wait for some follow-through buying above the $3,385 region, or a multi-week top touched on Tuesday, before positioning for further gains. The XAU/USD pair might then surpass the $3,400 mark and climb further to the $3,433-3,435 region. The momentum could extend further toward the $3,500 neighborhood or the all-time peak set in April.

On the flip side, the $3,355 area could offer immediate support to the Gold price. Any further slide might continue to attract some dip-buyers and is more likely to remain limited near the aforementioned resistance breakpoint, around the $3,326-3,324 area. Some follow-through selling, however, could make the commodity vulnerable to weakening further below the $3,300 mark and testing the $3,286-3,285 horizontal support.

US Dollar FAQs

The US Dollar (USD) is the official currency of the United States of America, and the ‘de facto’ currency of a significant number of other countries where it is found in circulation alongside local notes. It is the most heavily traded currency in the world, accounting for over 88% of all global foreign exchange turnover, or an average of $6.6 trillion in transactions per day, according to data from 2022. Following the second world war, the USD took over from the British Pound as the world’s reserve currency. For most of its history, the US Dollar was backed by Gold, until the Bretton Woods Agreement in 1971 when the Gold Standard went away.

The most important single factor impacting on the value of the US Dollar is monetary policy, which is shaped by the Federal Reserve (Fed). The Fed has two mandates: to achieve price stability (control inflation) and foster full employment. Its primary tool to achieve these two goals is by adjusting interest rates. When prices are rising too quickly and inflation is above the Fed’s 2% target, the Fed will raise rates, which helps the USD value. When inflation falls below 2% or the Unemployment Rate is too high, the Fed may lower interest rates, which weighs on the Greenback.

In extreme situations, the Federal Reserve can also print more Dollars and enact quantitative easing (QE). QE is the process by which the Fed substantially increases the flow of credit in a stuck financial system. It is a non-standard policy measure used when credit has dried up because banks will not lend to each other (out of the fear of counterparty default). It is a last resort when simply lowering interest rates is unlikely to achieve the necessary result. It was the Fed’s weapon of choice to combat the credit crunch that occurred during the Great Financial Crisis in 2008. It involves the Fed printing more Dollars and using them to buy US government bonds predominantly from financial institutions. QE usually leads to a weaker US Dollar.

Quantitative tightening (QT) is the reverse process whereby the Federal Reserve stops buying bonds from financial institutions and does not reinvest the principal from the bonds it holds maturing in new purchases. It is usually positive for the US Dollar.

Source: Fxstreet