Gold pares intraday gains, hangs near daily low as USD steadies ahead of NFP

• Gold struggles to capitalize on its intraday move up to a fresh high since June 18 amid a modest USD uptick.
• Hopes for a US-Iran peace deal, easing inflation fears and receding Fed-hike bets could cap gains for the US Dollar, supporting the yellow metal.
• Traders might refrain from placing aggressive directional bets ahead of the key US NFP report on Friday.

Gold (XAU/USD) surrenders intraday gains to a fresh high since June 18 – levels just above the $4,300 mark – and trades near the lower end of the daily range heading into the European session on Thursday. A slew of prominent US Federal Reserve (Fed) officials recently warned that persistent inflation risks could necessitate further interest rate hikes. This, in turn, helps revive demand for the US Dollar (USD) and keeps a lid on the non-yielding bullion.

Fed Governor Lisa Cook stated that inflation remains too high and she is prepared to act by raising interest rates if disinflation stalls, warning that the central bank cannot afford to wait indefinitely if price pressures fail to ease. Meanwhile, San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly noted that officials need more data before the September meeting to see if inflation is temporary or lasting. Moreover, according to the CME FedWatch tool, markets are still pricing in around an 80% chance that the US central bank will raise borrowing costs by the end of this year amid inflation risks stemming from supply disruptions.

In fact, Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen said ‌that they launched a missile attack on a Saudi oil tanker off the coast of the Red Sea port city of Yanbu and another in the Gulf of Aden. Investors, however, remain hopeful about a US-Iran peace deal and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which keeps Oil prices depressed near a multi-week low. Iran said on Wednesday that it is in the final stage of drafting an agreement with Oman over the strategic waterway. This fuels optimism about a diplomatic resolution to end a five-month-old war, which, in turn, might keep a lid on any meaningful USD appreciation.

Adding to this, Automatic Data Processing (ADP) reported on Wednesday that private-sector employment in the US grew by 44K in July, marking a notable slowdown from the 98K in the prior month and missing consensus estimates. Separately, data from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) showed the Services Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) improved a tad to 54.1 in July from 54.0 in the previous month, coming in below expectations for a reading of 54.5. Following the softer data, the probability for a September Fed rate hike eased to roughly 55% from 67%, further warranting some caution for USD bulls.

Moreover, traders might opt to wait for the release of the closely-watched US monthly employment report – popularly known as the Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) – on Friday for more cues about the Fed’s future policy path. In the meantime, Thursday’s US economic docket features the usual Weekly Initial Jobless Claims, which, along with comments from influential FOMC members, will drive the USD demand. Apart from this, developments surrounding the Middle East crisis could infuse volatility across the global financial markets and provide some impetus to the Gold price.

XAU/USD daily chart

Technical Analysis: Gold seems poised to attract dip-buyers amid bullish setup

The overnight strong move up beyond the 50-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) for the first time since March 17 was seen as a fresh trigger for XAU/USD bulls. Moreover, a firming Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) histogram in positive territory and a Relative Strength Index (RSI) at 61.28 hint at improving bullish momentum on the daily chart. However, it will still be prudent to wait for some follow-through buying beyond the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement level of the March-June downfall before positioning for any further gains.

The precious metal might then aim to challenge the $4,500 psychological mark – representing the 200-day SMA and the 38.2% Fibonacci level confluence. Higher up, the 50.0%, 61.8% and 78.6% retracements at $4,678, $4,853 and $5,102, respectively, outline subsequent bullish objectives if the current band is cleared. On the downside, immediate support is provided by the 50-day SMA at $4,157, while a deeper setback would likely look toward the Fibonacci cycle low area near $3,939 as a more substantial structural floor.

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