|

Gold Price Forecast: Fed’s decision could push XAU/USD back towards $2,000

XAU/USD Current price: $1,949.10

  • The United State Federal Reserve is likely to hike its benchmark rate by 25 bps.
  • Market participants await fresh clues on future monetary policy.
  • XAU/USD managed to recover some ground ahead of Fed’s decision, maintaining a bullish stance.

Spot gold trades lifeless around $1,940 a troy ounce on Wednesday as investors await the United States Federal Reserve (Fed) monetary policy announcement. The US Dollar heads into the event with a weak tone amid a better market mood, as investors believe the worst of the banking crisis is over. Still, caution reigns amid uncertainty about what the central bank will do from now on.

Hopes for a 50 basis points (bps) rate hike following Chair Powell’s hawkish testimony before Congress diluted. Financial stability took center stage after an American bank, Silicon Valley Bank, collapsed a couple of weeks ago, the first of several troubled banks. Credit Suisse was the latest and the bigger to suffer a capital drawdown, finally rescued by UBS and the Swiss government. A 25 bps hike is already priced in, with the focus on fresh economic projections and hints about future monetary policy decisions.

XAU/USD price short-term technical outlook

The XAU/USD pair bottomed at $1,934.24 a troy ounce, a handful of cents above the 38.2% retracement of the latest daily advance measured between $1,809.38 and $2,009.77 at $1,932.65. It trades in positive territory ahead of the Fed announcement, and technical readings in the daily chart skew the risk to the upside. The bright metal develops above bullish moving averages, with the 20 Simple Moving Average (SMA) heading firmly north above the longer ones. Finally, technical indicators pared their declines well into positive territory after correcting extreme overbought readings.

The 4-hour chart, on the other hand, shows limited bullish potential. The pair keeps trading below its 20 SMA, which currently converges with the 23.6% retracement of the aforementioned advance at $1,962.30. The longer moving averages develop far below the current level, while technical indicators stand directionless within negative levels. A steeper recovery towards the $2,000 area seems likely if XAU/USD advances above the mentioned Fibonacci resistance, while bears will dominate the metal on a break below the daily low.

Support levels: 1,932.65 1,921.80 1,907.45

Resistance levels: 1,962.30 1,979.10 1,988.30  

View Live Chart for XAU/USD  

Premium

You have reached your limit of 3 free articles for this month.

Start your subscription and get access to all our original articles.

Subscribe to PremiumSign In

Author

Valeria Bednarik

Valeria Bednarik was born and lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her passion for math and numbers pushed her into studying economics in her younger years.

More from Valeria Bednarik
Share:

Markets move fast. We move first.

Orange Juice Newsletter brings you expert driven insights - not headlines. Every day on your inbox.

By subscribing you agree to our Terms and conditions.

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD trims gains, nears 1.1700

The EUR/USD pair eases in the American afternoon and approaches the 1.1700 mark. The pair surged earlier in the day after the ECB left interest rates unchanged and upwardly revised inflation and growth figures. The US CPI rose 2.7% YoY in November, nearing Fed’s goal.

GBP/USD returns to 1.3370 after BoE, US CPI

The GBP/USD pair jumped towards the 1.3440 early in the day, following the BoE decision to cut rates, and US CPI data, which was much softer than anticipated. The US Dollar, however, managed to regain the ground lost during US trading hours.

Gold extends its consolidative phase around $4,330

The bright metal cannot attract speculative interest on Thursday, despite central banks announcements and the United States latest inflation update. XAU/USD is stuck around $4,330, confined to a tight intraday range.

Crypto Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum hold steady while XRP slides amid mixed ETF flows

Bitcoin eyes short-term breakout above $87,000, underpinned by a significant increase in ETF inflows. Ethereum defends support around $2,800 as mild ETF outflows suppress its recovery. XRP holds above at $1.82 amid bearish technical signals and persistent inflows into ETFs.

Bank of England cuts rates in heavily divided decision

The Bank of England has cut rates to 3.75%, but the decision was more hawkish than expected, leaving market rates higher and sterling slightly stronger. It's a close call whether the Bank cuts again in February or March.

Ripple holds $1.82 support as low retail demand weighs on the token

Ripple (XRP) is trading between a key support at $1.82 and resistance at $2.00 at the time of writing on Thursday, reflecting the lethargic sentiment in the broader cryptocurrency market.