Gold Price Forecast: XAU/USD recovered above $3,300 with higher highs still likely

Valeria Bednarik FXStreet

XAU/USD Current price: $3,315.82

The European Central Bank trimmed interest rates as expected in the April meeting.
US President Donald Trump threatened to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
XAU/USD corrective declines keep attracting buyers, higher highs still in sight.

Gold price retreated further from its record high on Thursday, trading as low as $3,284.10 early in the American session. The US Dollar (USD) maintained its bearish bias against all major rivals throughout the day, with XAU/USD easing on the back of profit-taking. The pair, however, bounced from the mentioned low and regained the $3,300 mark ahead of the long Easter weekend.

It was quite a busy day, despite limited reactions across the FX board. On the one hand, the European Central Bank (ECB) announced its monetary policy decision. As widely anticipated, ECB officials trimmed the three benchmark interest rates by 25 basis points (bps) each. Officials refrained from giving clear hints on what’s next for monetary policy, yet highlighted the risks related to the trade war while noting uncertainty remains high.

On the other hand, United States (US) President Donald Trump jumped into social media and took aim at Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairman Jerome Powell, complaining he is moving too slow on interest rate cuts while stating that his "termination cannot come fast enough."

Trump's words came as an answer to Powell's speech on Wednesday, warning of the potential consequences of the Trump administration's trade war, while reiterating that the central bank plans to hold interest rates steady for now.

On a positive note, the White House welcomed talks with Mexico and Canada regarding a trade deal, albeit no specific details were offered.

Other than that, Wall Street trades mixed, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) sharply down but the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 holding on to modest gains.

XAU/USD short-term technical outlook

The daily chart for the XAU/USD pair shows it posted a higher high and a higher low, maintaining the bullish trend alive despite the intraday slide. At the same time, technical indicators eased from extreme readings, but remain in overbought territory. Finally, the pair trades above all its moving averages, with a bullish 20 Simple Moving Average (SMA) currently at $3,114.60.

Support levels:3,317.20 3,305.65 3,292.80

Resistance levels 3,335.00 3,350.00 3,375.00

Author

Valeria Bednarik

FXStreet

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.

GBP/USD trades below 1.3500 on firmer USD, ahead of UK GDP

The GBP/USD pair trades with a negative bias for the second consecutive day and trades below the 1.3500 psychological mark during the Asian session amid modest US Dollar strength. The downside potential, however, seems limited as traders might opt to wait for the UK macro data dump, including the Q2 GDP report, before placing directional bets.

EUR/USD advances as US Dollar weakens amid cooling Inflation

EUR/USD halts its three-day losing streak, trading around 1.1530 during the Asian hours. The currency pair gains ground as the US Dollar faces challenges following the release of July's Consumer Price Index report. Inflation in the US moderated across a broad range of goods and services, which significantly cooled expectations for an aggressive Federal Reserve rate hike in September.

Gold retreats from June 5 high amid oil-driven Fed rate-hike bets

Gold retreats after touching a fresh high since June 5, around the $4,450 area, during the Asian session, and is currently placed near the lower end of its daily range. The immediate market reaction to signs of moderating US inflation seems to have faded amid expectations that higher energy prices will rekindle inflationary pressures.

Ripple and Stellar outlook: Stay under pressure as cautious sentiment builds

Ripple and Stellar remain under pressure, with both altcoins correcting slightly so far this week. XRP nears the key $1.00 support zone on Thursday, while XLM trades below critical technical levels. Mixed derivatives and on-chain metrics suggest cautious sentiment, leaving both tokens vulnerable to further downside while offering hope for a potential recovery.

UK GDP expected to show moderate Q2 growth

The United Kingdom’s Office for National Statistics will release the preliminary estimate of the second-quarter Gross Domestic Product on Thursday. Market analysts anticipate a 0.4% growth in the three months to June, after a modest 0.6% advance in the first quarter of 2026. Annual progress is expected at 1.1%, up from the 0.9% posted in March.

Why is Crude Oil priced for a reopening the ships haven't made?

Fourteen vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. Before the war, the count ran near 120 a day. In the sessions since the waterway was publicly declared open, Brent has drifted back to $87 and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) to $81, both a little lower again on Wednesday, with daily momentum on each unwound from the top of its range in late July to the low twenties now.