Gold Price Forecast: XAU/USD remains bullish, pushing against $4,380 resistance
Gold holds gains around $4,350, with two-month highs at $4,380 under pressure.
Lower US yields amid signs of a loosening labour market are underpinning support for Gold.
Gold (XAU/USD) holds moderate gains at the mid-range of the $4,300s on Monday, consolidating gains after a nearly 7.5% rally last week. The precious metal hovers just below the last two-month highs in the $4,380 area, buoyed by lower US Treasury yields, as traders cut back Federal Reserve (Fed) interest rate hikes following the negative surprise of last Friday’s Nonfarm Payrolls report.
The US Dollar remains on its back foot this week, in the aftermath of Friday's US Nonfarm Payrolls release, which showed a 23K decline in net employment in July, undershooting expectations of an 80K increase, and sharp downside revisions of the previous two months' job gains. Futures markets have scaled back hopes of a September rate hike to 44% from 67% in the previous week, sending the US Dollar lower across the board.
Technical Analysis: Gold remains steady despite overbought RSI levels
XAU/USD trades at $4,343, maintaining its bullish near-term bias intact. The 4-hour Relative Strength Index (14) has reached overbought levels, but downside attempts remain limited so far. The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) on the same timeframe hints that upside momentum is still constructive.
Bulls are likely to find significant resistance at the $4,380 area (June 17 high). Further up, the target is the late-May high at $4,595. On the downside, initial support is seen at the previous range top, above $4,200, ahead of the $4,000 psychological area, which halted bears in late July, and the bottom of July's trading range, around $3,950.
(The technical analysis of this story was written with the help of an AI tool. Know more.)
Gold FAQs
Gold has played a key role in human’s history as it has been widely used as a store of value and medium of exchange. Currently, apart from its shine and usage for jewelry, the precious metal is widely seen as a safe-haven asset, meaning that it is considered a good investment during turbulent times. Gold is also widely seen as a hedge against inflation and against depreciating currencies as it doesn’t rely on any specific issuer or government.
Central banks are the biggest Gold holders. In their aim to support their currencies in turbulent times, central banks tend to diversify their reserves and buy Gold to improve the perceived strength of the economy and the currency. High Gold reserves can be a source of trust for a country’s solvency. Central banks added 1,136 tonnes of Gold worth around $70 billion to their reserves in 2022, according to data from the World Gold Council. This is the highest yearly purchase since records began. Central banks from emerging economies such as China, India and Turkey are quickly increasing their Gold reserves.
Gold has an inverse correlation with the US Dollar and US Treasuries, which are both major reserve and safe-haven assets. When the Dollar depreciates, Gold tends to rise, enabling investors and central banks to diversify their assets in turbulent times. Gold is also inversely correlated with risk assets. A rally in the stock market tends to weaken Gold price, while sell-offs in riskier markets tend to favor the precious metal.
The price can move due to a wide range of factors. Geopolitical instability or fears of a deep recession can quickly make Gold price escalate due to its safe-haven status. As a yield-less asset, Gold tends to rise with lower interest rates, while higher cost of money usually weighs down on the yellow metal. Still, most moves depend on how the US Dollar (USD) behaves as the asset is priced in dollars (XAU/USD). A strong Dollar tends to keep the price of Gold controlled, whereas a weaker Dollar is likely to push Gold prices up.