|

Gold Price Forecast: XAU/USD nears $3,100 as fears receded

XAU/USD Current price: $3,107.41

  • US President Donald Trump will announce reciprocal tariffs on Wednesday.
  • Financial markets remain cautious but fears receded, and Wall Street advances.
  • XAU/USD corrective decline set to continue below $3,100 in the near term.

The pair posted yet another record high, hitting $3,149.04 on Tuesday. The risk-averse environment backed the bright metal as market players gear up for tariffs’ announcements.

United States (US) President Donald Trump has been long anticipating a massive levies announcement for April 2, with little detail on the extent of taxes. Market players fear the so-called Liberation Day will include massive tariffs that can affect the global economy. Trump will unveil his plans in a Rose Garden press conference scheduled for Wednesday at 19:00 GMT

Gold changed course after Wall Street’s opening despite the US Dollar (USD) weakening on the back of poor local data. On the one hand, the number of job openings on the last business day of February stood at 7.56 million, according to the JOLTS Job Openings report, pretty much unchanged from the 7.76 million openings reported in January. On the other hand, the ISM Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) dropped to 49 in March, down from the 50.3 posted in February, while missing expectations of 49.5.

Further weighing on Gold price, Wall Street managed to shrug off Monday’s dismal mood and the three major indexes trade in the green at the time of writing.

XAU/USD short-term technical outlook

The XAU/USD pair retreats towards $3,100, as profit taking ahead of major and a better market mood take their toll. The daily chart shows the pair is in the red, yet also that it posted a higher high and a higher low, limiting its bearish potential. The same chart shows technical indicators turned lower, but remain within overbought levels. Finally, all moving averages remain far below the current level and heading higher, with the 20 Simple Moving Average (SMA) currently at around $3,001.00.

The near-term picture suggests the bright metal could extend its slide in the upcoming sessions. Technical indicators head firmly lower in the 4-hour chart, although still holding above their midlines. At the same time, the intraday slide stalled just above a bullish 20 SMA, the latter acting as dynamic support at $3,097.20. The 100 and 200 SMAs, in the meantime, maintain their downward slopes far below the current level.

Support levels: 3,097.50 3,082.90 3,068.90

Resistance levels: 3,122.85 3,136.70 3,150.00

US-China Trade War FAQs

Generally speaking, a trade war is an economic conflict between two or more countries due to extreme protectionism on one end. It implies the creation of trade barriers, such as tariffs, which result in counter-barriers, escalating import costs, and hence the cost of living.

An economic conflict between the United States (US) and China began early in 2018, when President Donald Trump set trade barriers on China, claiming unfair commercial practices and intellectual property theft from the Asian giant. China took retaliatory action, imposing tariffs on multiple US goods, such as automobiles and soybeans. Tensions escalated until the two countries signed the US-China Phase One trade deal in January 2020. The agreement required structural reforms and other changes to China’s economic and trade regime and pretended to restore stability and trust between the two nations. However, the Coronavirus pandemic took the focus out of the conflict. Yet, it is worth mentioning that President Joe Biden, who took office after Trump, kept tariffs in place and even added some additional levies.

The return of Donald Trump to the White House as the 47th US President has sparked a fresh wave of tensions between the two countries. During the 2024 election campaign, Trump pledged to impose 60% tariffs on China once he returned to office, which he did on January 20, 2025. With Trump back, the US-China trade war is meant to resume where it was left, with tit-for-tat policies affecting the global economic landscape amid disruptions in global supply chains, resulting in a reduction in spending, particularly investment, and directly feeding into the Consumer Price Index inflation.

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 falls to near 1.1700 due to safe-haven demand

EUR/USD extends its losses, trading around 1.1710 during the Asian hours on Monday. The pair loses ground as the US Dollar strengthens on safe-haven demand, driven by a renewed rise in geopolitical risks following the United States’ capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

GBP/USD trades with modest losses below mid-1.3400s as geopolitical tensions lift USD

The GBP/USD pair opens with a modest bearish gap at the start of a new week and trades just below mid-1.3400s during the Asian session, down 0.10% for the day. Spot prices, however, lack follow-through selling and manage to hold above last week's swing low amid mixed fundamental cues.

Gold jumps over 1.5% to near $4,400 on US-Venezuela tensions

Gold holds sizeable gains near $4,400 in the Asian trading hours on Monday. The traditional safe-haven metal capitalizes on escalating geopolitical risks after the United States' capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Traders will closely monitor developments surrounding the US seizure of Maduro and await the US ISM Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index data later on Monday. 

Powerful guide to ISM, building permits, NFP and Silver technicals

Next week is important for U.S. markets. We get key economic data that can move stocks, bonds, and the dollar. The main reports are ISM Manufacturing, ISM Services, Building Permits, and Non-Farm Payrolls. Traders will watch these closely.

Economic outlook 2026-2027 in advanced countries: Solidity test

After a year marked by global economic resilience and ending on a note of optimism, 2026 looks promising and could be a year of solid economic performance. In our baseline scenario, we expect most of the supportive factors at work in 2025 to continue to play a role in 2026.

Crypto market outlook for 2026

Year 2025 was volatile, as crypto often is.  Among positive catalysts were favourable regulatory changes in the U.S., rise of Digital Asset Treasuries (DAT), adoption of AI and tokenization of Real-World-Assets (RWA).